New study compares impact of exercise on white girls compared to African American girls; push to pass Farm Bill; EPA taking comments on proposed limits on carbon pollution from new power plants. Those stories and more topping public health headlines today, Wednesday, June 06, 2012.
Politico – Prop 29: California cigarette tax too close to call
A Lance Armstrong-backed initiative in California to raise taxes on cigarettes for the funding of cancer research remained deadlocked Tuesday morning, reports The Associated Press. Just a few months ago, a statewide poll showed that Proposition 29 — to hike taxes $1 per pack — would pass with two-thirds support, but the morning after the polls closed, the vote remains too close to call.
Press Herald – Maine Voices: Let EPA know Mainers need strong rules for clean air
The Obama administration has taken a historic step toward making breathing a little easier for Maine’s children and future generations. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the first-ever federal limits on carbon pollution from new power plants. Power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon pollution, fueling global warming, which health professionals warn dirties our air with smog pollution.
The Grist – Pushing for local food in the farm bill: An interview with Chellie Pingree
Does local and organic food matter more to people in Maine than it does to other Americans? It’s possible, but Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) insists that’s not why she introduced the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act, a small but encouraging set of legislative reforms meant to accompany this year’s farm bill.
USAToday – Most state economies still recovering after recession
The residents of only nine states have returned their economic output to the level that existed before the downturn struck at the end of 2007 — and most of those states are energy producers, according to data released Tuesday. Even states now on the rebound — such as Michigan, Connecticut and California — find themselves far behind where they were economically when the recession started 4½ years ago, the data show.
Washington Post – Judge orders FDA to revisit decision not to ban some antibiotics in animal feed
A federal court has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to revisit its decision not to ban the use of certain antibiotics in animal feed and criticized the agency for relying on industry to voluntarily limit the use of these drugs. This week, the federal district court in Manhattan ruled that the FDA must reconsider two citizen petitions that asked the agency to withdraw approval of some antibiotics used in food-producing animals. The agency’s denial of both petitions years ago was “arbitrary and capricious,” the court said.
LATimes – Exercise benefits black girls less than whites, study shows
In a dispiriting finding for African American girls and women, a new study finds that while engaging in high levels of physical activity is a good bet for preventing obesity in white adolescent girls, it does not give their black peers the same benefit.
