Daily Roundup: March 1, 2011

On a Mission: Erin Brockovich will meet with members of Congress this week about a recent study that found elevated levels of carcinogenic chromium-6 in tap water in more than 30 U.S. cities. Greenwire

King No More? African lions warrant federal "endangered" status, a protection that would illegalize their import into the U.S. New York Times

Reforestation Rate: Volunteers in the Philippines set a new world record by planting more than 64,000 trees in 15 minutes, kicking off a nationwide reforestation campaign. The Independent

Back at it: The federal government approved the first deepwater-drilling permit in the Gulf of Mexico since last year’s massive spill. Huffington Post

Taking Refuge: The global north will see 50 million environmental refugees forced from their homelands by food shortages, largely caused by climate change, the U.N. predicts. TreeHugger

--Zoë J. Sheldon