Government & Policy Roundup

The Departments of Energy and Agriculture have awarded more than $25 million in federal funding for 22 biomass research projects under the government's Biomass R&D Initiative. Most of the projects are related to energy production; a complete list is at http://www.energy.gov.

The Institute of Medicine has recommended a global $500 million annual subsidy to provide artemisinin-based therapies to malaria victims in Asia and Africa. The fund would also be used for research on drug resistance and development of new antimalarials.

New York City and eight states--California, Connecticut, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin--have filed a lawsuit against five major utilities over carbon dioxide emissions. They allege that the 646 million tons of CO₂ emitted each year from these utilities "pose serious threats to our health, our economy, and our environment."