Alaska: Spilled Exxon Valdez oil lingers under shoreline
About 10,000 gallons of crude oil still is buried under the shoreline where the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in 1989, and continues to affect wildlife, a group of scientists said.
Jeff Short, a scientist with the National Marine Fisheries Service, surveyed the Prince William Sound spill area last summer to determine how much oil was still present.
He and other scientists released their findings Tuesday, at the start of a four-day conference on the lingering effects of the spill, which released an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil.
He added that most of the buried oil, scattered along more than 4 miles of shoreline, hasn't changed much chemically since it was spilled, and remains toxic.
New Mexico: Research balloon sets record over Antarctica
A giant unmanned research balloon has been brought back to the ground in Antarctica after a record flight of nearly 32 days to study particles from space, researchers said.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration brought the helium-filled balloon down Monday, ending a flight that studied atomic particles bombarding the Earth.
The balloon was launched from McMurdo Station, the main U.S. facility in Antarctica, by the National Scientific Balloon Facility, which New Mexico State University runs for NASA.
The previous balloon endurance record, set a year ago, was 26 days.
Texas: Nuclear plant cited for waste violations
The Comanche Peak nuclear power plant has been cited by federal regulators for repeated, improper handling of low-level radioactive waste, authorities said.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said contaminated clothing and maintenance equipment were left outside a controlled area 11 times between Jan. 24, 2000, and May 24, 2001.
The alleged violations were the first at Comanche Peak, one of the state's two nuclear plants, since 1993. TXU Energy, owner of the plant 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth, said the infractions posed no risk.
The company and federal regulators agreed that hazardous material never left an unrestricted area.
Comanche Peak was fined $50,000 after being cited in 1993 for a radioactive water spill in a containment area during refueling. It was shut down, and no water escaped.
Florida: 'Three strikes' law ruled unconstitutional
A state appeals court ruled Wednesday that Florida's "three strikes" law is unconstitutional, nullifying a statute Gov. Jeb Bush pledged to pass during his campaign four years ago.
The 1999 law contains provisions unrelated to "three strikes," violating the constitutional requirement that laws deal with only a single subject, the court ruled.
The law requires that judges give maximum sentences to people who commit a third violent crime. It also mandates maximum terms for drug dealers and people who attack police or the elderly.
Bush said he would try to get the law re-enacted in the legislative session that began Tuesday.
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