Report Finds Oil-Drilling Inspectors in Disarray

Federal inspectors charged with ensuring the safety of offshore oil drilling are overwhelmed, insufficiently trained, work without official procedures for some of their most crucial decisions and sometimes have insufficient support from their supervisors for resisting industry influence, report says.

Illegal Sea Sand Dredging Leaves Behind Environmental Mess, China

China’s economic boom has triggered unprecedented number of construction projects. The regular supply of sand has almost run out and many construction firms have been using sand from the sea, illegally, and leaving behind an environmental mess. The coastline in Rizhao, Shandong, has retreated more than 100 meters due to excessive sea sand dredging.