Daily Roundup: February 16, 2010

Scarce Salmon: The Sacramento River chinook, California's last healthy salmon run, saw only 39,500 returns to the river this year. It is the third year in a row of what many are calling a shockingly low number of fish. Taking the Initiative

Clean That Dust: Dust in many Salinas Valley homes contain traces of pesticides, says a new study. The Californian

Hazardous-Waste Distaste: West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin is cautioning the Obama administration against referring to coal ash as hazardous waste and urging the EPA to reevaluate coal-ash recycling. Charleston Gazette

Something in the Air: Last week, the British House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee heard evidence that roughly 35,000 Britons died in 2005 because of pollution caused by vehicle traffic. Telegraph

Diseased Diet: A growing number of Americans have been sickened by food-borne illnesses, partly due to new disease-causing organisms. Another cause is more food imports from countries with lower safety standards. Wall Street Journal

--Nicholas Mukhar