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White House proposes emissions-tracking rule for federal contractors -

The rule, aimed at assessing greenhouse gas management practices, would require the contractors to report if and where they track emissions, any emissions reduction goals, and how climate change threatens their work. The Hill

Tar-sands vapor packs a polluting punch -

Bitumen in open-pit mines releases vapor into the atmosphere. When exposed to sunlight, the vapor turns into secondary organic aerosols—particles that form smog and pose a threat to human health. A new paper says that the rate of particle production from tar sands is on par with that of the Deepwater Horizon disaster (only it's been going on for decades, not months). New York Times

Air pollution hardens the arteries -

A decadelong study found that Americans living in places with more air pollution had a 20 percent acceleration in the rate of atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Breathing unhealthy air has long been linked to heart disease, but this study is the first to pinpoint the biological processes at work. ThinkProgress

Treating cows with antibiotics boosts agricultural emissions -

A new study finds that when cattle are given antibiotics, their dung produces nearly twice as much methane as the dung of non-treated cows. The meds also change the composition of gut microbes in the dung beetles that feed on cow pies, which the researchers say could disrupt the insects’ behavior and lead to downstream effects on the ecosystem. New Scientist

The veggie burger 2.0 is here—and it bleeds -

Beyond Meat, a California tech company dedicated to plant protein, is debuting its “Beyond Burger” next week at Whole Foods. The patty is designed to smell and look like the real thing—brown on the outside, pink on the inside (a look achieved with pulverized beets)—but without the environmental impact of beef. New York Times

We don’t want kids in Portland learning material courtesy of the fossil fuel industry.

Bill Bigelow, a former public school teacher in Portland, Oregon, comments on the city’s decision to ban the use of textbooks that express "doubt about the severity of the climate crisis or its root in human activities."