Pelicans, air pollution and Chinese kids

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 10, PART TWO

Brown Pelicans, once depleted by DDT and hunting, were removed from the federal Endangered Species List. That doesn't make them "saved," though. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

Last month, the EPA was sued into agreeing to set new restrictions on toxic airborne emissions from power plants by 2011. (Earthjustice)

Hundreds of Chinese college students began their annual marches around their nation, to raise awareness about (and study) environmental issues. (Living on Earth)

Jellyfish and climate policy

Whichever spineless swarm you prefer. Happy break.

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 10, part one

World leaders agreed to make no legally binding agreements in Copenhagen this year. (New York Times)

Not coincidentally, the U.S. Senate won't try to pass a climate-change bill until next spring. (Reuters)

However, the US and China made "subtle but important" agreements on climate policy. (Grist)

Giant jellyfish swarms are still causing trouble in Japan and elsewhere. Yum Yum. (AP)

Fishery regulators cut catch quotas for Atlantic Herring in New England...(MBN)

...and Atlantic Bluefin Tuna worldwide. (Planet Ark)

Giraffes, sea lions, revolving doors, turtle tourism

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 9

Endangered West African Giraffes are making an "unlikely" comeback, with many forces working both for and against them. (AP, but unusually thorough and interesting)

Study: "removal" of salmon-eating California Sea Lions at an Oregon dam didn't reduce salmon consumption there. (CNBC/AP)

New York Times
Obama nominated a professional promoter of pesticides and GMOs for his agricultural trade rep [not for the first time]. 85 advocacy groups have collectively sued.

Judging by catches, algae-bloom-impacted Bay Scallops may be recovering off Long Island.

Sea turtles in Costa Rica: a tale of "turtle tourism", climate change, and local efforts at protection.

Religion, Gucci, more troubled seas

ECO-NEWS, WEEK EIGHT

A 10-week leak at a Timor Sea oil rig was finally plugged. (BBC)

The IUCN's Red List of globally- endangered species has been updated, and it isn't pretty. (Independent, UK)

Invasive giant tiger shrimp are spreading in the Gulf of Mexico, and could carry diseases to native species. (Houma Courier/WW LTV)

An incredible multi-faith convention on religion and environmentalism. Eco-topia where the Berlin Wall was. Large-scale land conservation in Maine, and more. (Living on Earth*)

Grist
After local and Sierra Club campaigning, plans for a major coal-fired power plant were halted in South Dakota.

The fashion 'conglomerate' Gucci Group promised to stop using paper made from Indonesian rainforest trees.

NPR (or CPR, as Lucky Lunt calls it)
Fisheries guru Dan Pauly enlightened piscivorous** Terry Gross on "the perils of overfishing" [I enjoyed these]
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=120013107

http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=120049590

*This page has links to all of this week's programs. My hands aren't up for copying them. I'll probably send this link weekly, noting current articles.

**Piscivorous: adj. "subsisting on the consumption of fish." TG probably doesn't actually subsist on fish, but I love to use that word.

Nice tries and pretty promises

...and cynicism from me. Plus some baaaad water pollution.

ECO-NEWS, WEEK SEVEN

An energy company reversed its plans for natural-gas drilling in New York City's watershed [but will still drill in my hometown's :( ]. (New York Times)


Kenya's finance department ordered government officials to trade in their gas-guzzling cars for more fuel-efficient ones. [Says NPR on Wednesday: most didn't.] (Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation)


Coverage of last Saturday's Belfast "rally against carbon dioxide particles in the air we breathe." [*bangs head against wall*] (Bangor News)


How New York City, one California farmer, and some [annoyingly cheerful] investors are trying to adapt to climate change. (NPR)


BBC
An oil rig in Australia's Timor Sea has been leaking severely for 10 weeks. Now it's on fire.


Bangladesh's government announced creation of a conservation plan to "save" its Bengal tigers and part of their mangrove-forest habitat.


Living on Earth radio
California may soon have energy-efficiency standards for new TVs.

Invasive golden algae suddenly sterilized a salt-polluted Appalachian stream in September, and could spread to other waters.

350, red tides, rockweed, Marcellus, Michigan

ECO-NEWS, WEEK SIX

Poll: Americans' belief in human-induced climate change is at a three-year low. [I'm not sure which disturbs me more, this news or Senator Boxer's assertion that "science always wins the day."] (Associated Press)

The public comment period began for a very controversial plan to "regulate" [or not regulate, says Earthjustice] natural-gas drilling in upstate New York's Marcellus Shale. (CNN)

A roundup of worldwide events from yesterday's Day of Climate Action. (Grist)

A "red tide" of toxic algae killed fish and inconvenienced people around Texas's South Padre Island. (Brownsville Herald)

This year, two Michigan colleges began buying produce from local farms. (Michigan Land Use Institute; article is from August)

Bangor News
Rockweed harvesting vs. conservation continues to provoke disputes around Cobscook Bay. [Note to author: rockweed isn't a plant]

A national NGO ranked Maine tenth in the nation for energy efficiency, noting major improvements here this year.

Frog love, downed dams, sustainable seafood and more

ECO-NEWS, WEEK FIVE

A new California law requires standard-setting and labeling for "sustainable" seafood. (Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Offshore wind power will soon be tested in the Gulf of Maine (Fishermen's Voice)

In urban Australia, human noise is affecting frog courtship and demonstrating that natural selection does indeed work. (NPR)

New York Times
Methane leaks from oil and gas pipes/wells: a notable contributor to climate change and a target in reducing it.

A defender of sustainable "commons" won a Nobel prize in economic sciences. [The prize committee' s linked statement is worth reading if you're interested]


Earthjustice
A major dam was removed from Oregon's Rogue River two weeks ago, following a long legal fight.


Earthjustice sued large manufacturers of cleaning products, trying to make them publicly reveal their products' ingredients.

Change is in the seas

ECO-NEWS, WEEK FOUR

The U.S. Navy plans to conduct sonar training near a Florida calving ground for endangered North Atlantic right whales. (Miami Herald)

The USDA announced plans to fight the Gulf of Mexico's "dead zone" by reducing agricultural nutrient runoff in the Midwest [good luck]. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

UN climate talks in Bangkok don't seem to have yielded much. (Grist/Agence France-Presse)

A Native American community was forced to leave their eroding home in coastal Louisiana. (Lafayette Advertiser)

Are overfished sea urchins recovering in Downeast Maine? (Bangor News)

Sharks and the Senate

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 3

Palau's government banned commercial shark fishing there, although enforcement is lousy. (New York Times)

Grist
The U.S. Senate released their first version of the current big climate bill-in-process. Newspapers responded; here's an article directory.

A "weekly roundup" of other climate news. [Thank you, Duke U!]

COA' s food systems conference was awesome. :-)

Beets, grizzlies, Plum Creek, and big polluters

The UN held a vaguely-productive climate summit in New York. (UK Telegraph)

Ditto the G20, discussing energy sources in Pittsburgh (Los Angeles Times)

The US Senate declined to consider a proposal preventing the EPA from using the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions... (Miami Herald)

... which it apparently won't do anyway (Ledger-Enquirer)

Maine regulators approved Plum Creek Timber Comany's big development/"preservation" plan for the Moosehead Lake region, after four years of debates, hearings and assorted commotion [which continues here with loads o' reader comments]

New York Times
Roundup Ready (GM) sugar beets might become illegal to grow in the US, following a federal court ruling.

Another court ruling: a certain bunch of states and land trusts may proceed with plans to sue certain energy companies for producing greenhouse gas emissions.

The EPA will soon[ish] require "industrial sites and suppliers of petroleum" to report their greenhouse gas emissions, though some already do.

Yellowstone's grizzly bears were returned to Threatened status on the Endangered Species List

A major ecologist died, one who helped establish the influential notion that carnivores control herbivore populations.

Eco-news: wolf hunts, mountaintop removal, new pollution regulations, and more

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 1
Eco-news is my community service projects, a weekly collection of links to environmental news and analysis sent to messageboard. Major sources include Grist, the New York Times, Bangor News, and articles e-mailed to me by NGOs such as Earthjustice and the Gulf Restoration Network. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

Disclaimers: (appearing only this week)
~Inclusion of an article here does not imply that I support (or oppose). Any action or viewpoint described within. [Bracketed] comments are my own opinions.
~Some sources are (unusually) biased. I aim for thorough, well-rounded coverage of each story, but arm tendinitis has greatly reduced my web-surfing ability. For most stories, a Google News search will yield a range of perspectives, should you be interested in exploring further.
And now, the news . . .

New York adopted a program to help people weatherize their homes for energy efficiency, with semi--bipartisan support. (Solve Climate)

The US government proposed rules to limit vehicles' carbon dioxide emissions (effective 2012) and increase their fuel economy. ( New York Times)

Earthjustice lost their latest legal battle against recently-reinstated gray wolf hunts in Idaho and Montana. (Los Angeles Times)

Grist
The EPA denied all permits under consideration for mountaintop-removal coal mining, until they can be shown to [appear to] obey the Clean Water Act.

They also announced plans to change regulations on toxic water released from coal-fired power plants.

Earthjustice (from summer)
Salmon-restoration advocates and "large agricultural interests" continue their water wars in central California.

After being sued for not doing so, the EPA agreed to set limits on algae-growing nutrient discharges into Florida's waters.

Birds, do-gooders, stingrays and the "roadless rule"

brought to you by Sasha Paris

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.

Human Ecology in Action.

Obama delayed deciding how to implement Clinton's besieged "roadless rule" covering millions of acres of federal lands in ten states, and put the USDA in charge of managing those lands for now. (New York Times; one of 400+ online articles)

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/05/28/28greenwire-one-year-delay-on-roadless-rule-for-federal-la-38237.html 

"The Goode Family" premiered on ABC, and is working wonders for environmentalism's image. Not. (review in Miami Herald)

http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/top-story/story/1065395.html 

Bangor News

Bald eagles were removed from Maine's state Threatened Species list. 

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/106976.html 

...and were blamed last week for decimating Maine's great cormorants [Deja vu ;)]  

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/106175.html 

Grist

On the environmental credentials of Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, and the near-future decisions the Court is likely to face.

http://www.grist.org/article/2009-05-26-obama-supreme-court-pick/ 

Congress is considering a bill to regulate natural-gas-drilling (now exempt) under the Clean Water Act. 

http://www.grist.org/article/2009-05-26-natural-gas-water-politics/ 

UK Guardian

On the intersection of British agricultural policy and declines in farm-haunting songbirds.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/25/birds-wildlife-conservation 

On the impacts of "wildlife tourism" on Cayman Island stingrays and other wildlife.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/29/wildlife-tourism-stingray 

Strange stuff and controversial politics

brought to you by Sasha Paris

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.

Human Ecology in Action.

Obama announced new vehicle fuel-efficiency requirements, to be implemented by 2016 (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/business/energy-environment/20emit.html?_r=1&hp

...although they may not be as effective as some would hope for. (Grist)
http://www.grist.org/article/fuel-economy-in-context/

[Google yielded thousands of articles on this announcement, many distinctly biased in one way or another. Browse 'em if you're interested]

Congress passed a measure allowing loaded guns in national parks, tucked into a very different bill (Associated Press)
http://news.aol.com/main/politics/article/guns-in-national-parks/479231

Update on the big climate bill du jour (Grist)
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-05-22-house-panel-oks-climate-bill

Obama put the federal government in charge of formerly-state-led efforts to reduce pollution into Chesapeake Bay. (Washington Times)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/13/obama-federalizes-cleanup-of-chesapeake-bay/

Obama nominated an environmentally-controversial someone to head the Forest Service. (New West)
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/obamas_stuns_with_forest_service_nominee/C37/L37/

The EPA began to clean PCBs from New York's Hudson River--toxins which will be landfilled atop a major Texas aquifer (Facing South).
http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/05/dumping-in-dixie-toxic-waste-from-ny-river-cleanup-headed-to-texas.html

The Mid America CropLife association apparently wrote to Michelle Obama, distressed that her "White House garden" would be organic. (La Vida Locavore) [I can hardly believe this, but it's too ridiculous not to share]
http://www.lavidalocavore.org/showDiary.do;jsessionid=E6383A70290E038C84B643E47A2B36BE?diaryId=1309

Earthjustice
A six-month suspension of Gulf of Mexico "bottom longline" fishing took effect, ordered last month after federal managers were sued for letting it kill endangered sea turtles. [I imagine some people are miffed]
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/emergency-action-taken-for-threatened-and-endangered-sea-turtles.html

Also last month, Bush's weakening of the Endangered Species Act was formally revoked.
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/obama-admin-restores-scientific-consultations-to-endangered-species-act.html

Bananas, green labeling, progress and stalled progress

brought to you by Sasha Paris

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.

Human Ecology in Action.

A bill introduced in the Senate aims to shift transportation, via federal spending, from cars toward public transit (Washington Post).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/13/AR2009051303687.html

The EPA newly reviewed permits for mountaintop-removal coal mining--and has approved most of them. (West Virginia News)
http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=30478

Six Indo-Pacific nations adopted a "plan" to protect their Coral Triangle (Business World Online)
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW051609/content.php?id=073

....and other news from the World Oceans Conference (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iSUN0r9EnsgSkdGCaJmUnLQ0QLHAD986MLH00

New York Times
Several massive food producers (e.g. Frito-Lay) are trying to market their products as "local." [*hits head against wall*]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/dining/13local.html?_r=1

Groundwater use may become regulated in California--a fiercely-resisted notion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/science/earth/14aquifer.html?_r=1

A hazard of increasingly-popular urban gardening: lead-laced soil.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/garden/14lead.html

BBC News
A British scientist invented "briquettes" of banana waste, which he hopes could help replace wood as cooking fuel in parts of Africa.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8044092.stm

International whaling "peace talks" have stalled over the prospect of Japan's resuming openly-commercial killing.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8042713.stm

Bangor News
Maine's governor proposed consolidating four state natural-resource agencies, earning loud support and opposition for the management implications.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/105818.html

Should Maine lobsters get certified as "sustainable"? Even within the industry, that's a controversial question.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/105920.html

Obama angers enviros many times

brought to you by Sasha Paris

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.

Human Ecology in Action.

Ambitious plans were adopted to "green" Vancouver (Canada Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090505.wbcgreen05art0034/BNStory/National/home

...and slash Berkeley's greenhouse gas emissions (San Fransisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/06/BAMM17G0VB.DTL

Associated Press
Gray wolves in parts of the Rockies and Great Lakes regions were officially removed--again--from the Endangered Species List.
http://news.aol.com/article/gray-wolves-off-endangered-list/460212

Kansas' governer left for a federal position, and her replacement approved one of the long-vetoed coal power plants.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/05/05/ap6378113.html

The USDA proposed new cow-grazing requirements for organic milk
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/11/19/us_revises_rules_on_cow_grazing_for_organic_dairies/

Grist
The Obama admin upheld a Bush-era rule preventing use of the Endangered Species Act to regulate activities that harm Threatened polar bears outside their range (i.e. greenhouse-gas emitters)
http://www.grist.org/article/index/2009-05-08-polar-bear-climate-salazar/PALL/

The EPA proposed two (highly criticized) models for measuring the net greenhouse-gas emissions of biofuels, land use included.
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-05-05-epa-ethanol-biofuel/

New York Times
The BLM (may have) authorized new uranium mining permits near the Grand Caynon, on lands previously off-limits to said mining.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/05/06/06greenwire-blm-authorizes-grand-canyon-uranium-exploratio-10572.html

The Obama admin had been urged to amend the ozone-depleter-related Montreal Treaty to include immediate phase out of potently 'climate-warming' hydroflourocarbons. They decided not to.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/obama-not-seeking-climate-action-under-ozone-treaty/

Obama announced a bunch of new federal efforts to support production of corn ethanol and other biofuels.
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/white-house-steps-up-support-for-biofuels/

Poisoned waters near and far

brought to you by Sasha Paris

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.

Human Ecology in Action.

The Obama administration moved to reverse a late-term Bush rule making it easier for the waste from mountaintop-removal coal mining to be dumped in streams (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5giHtT8Pyma73d73FFOJx-evlk65QD97R0FDG4

The EPA began crafting restrictions on waterborne toxins discharged from power plants--toxins which had been airborne until the plants were required to "scrub" them from their smoke. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/02/AR2009050200703.html

Grist
Indiana's proposed "renewable" energy bill--including "clean coal" and nuclear power--failed.
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-30-no-renewable-nukes-and-coal/

On water pollution caused by natural-gas drilling [which is planned for my home region in the Finger Lakes--eek!!]
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-26-propublica-gas-drilling-water/

Bangor News
A serious illness outbreak in Sangerville, Maine, was (inconclusively) linked to a nearby dump of assorted nasty substances.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/105073.html

Maine's limited and recently reopened salmon sport-fishing season was canceled under pressure from federal managers.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/104899.html

The public comment period opened for a plan to restore anadromous fish in the Penobscot River
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/105038.html

Horses, flounder, major measures, coal-to-solar switching

brought to you by Sasha Paris

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.

Human Ecology in Action.

California adopted a "Low Carbon Fuel Standard" to eventually reduce the carbon footprint of vehicle fuel sold there, counting the impact of biofuel-related changes to land use. (Los Angeles Times editorial, set three days before the measure was approved, but--with associated comments--describing the issue's controversy well)
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-lowcarbon20-2009apr20,0,1679884.story

Report-out from the first day of hearings on the current big "climate bill." (Grist, which has since been posting daily updates on the hearings. Keep checking grist.org if you're interested.)
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-23-as-biz-leaders-call-for-a/

For the fourth time in two years, the governor of Kansas vetoed a bill to allow construction of two coal-power plants (Associated Press).
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1140243.html

The EPA proposed new restrictions on mercury and other toxins emitted by cement kilns, after being sued for not doing so. (Earthjustice)
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/federal-government-cracks-down-on-mercury-pollution-from-cement-kilns.html

Earthjustice convinced a Florida power company to replace plans for a coal-power plant with plants for a solar-power plant. (Naples Daily News editorial)
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/apr/11/editorial-solar-powered-plant-proposal-looks-winne/

Winter flounder fisheries have declined in New England, and inter-state fishery regulators are considering their options. (Brunswick Times Record)
http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/news.nsf/0/CE0A47AE604971EF852575A00059D7B9?Opendocument

Lobster-trap reductions were proposed for reducing whale entanglements. Somehow, the idea is meeting resistance. (Bangor News)
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/104153.html

New York Times
Obama signed a bill newly designating two million acres of "wilderness" in nine states. [It had been rejected by the House in March, but was re-introduced]
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/wilderness-lands-bill-becomes-law/

On the continuing "problem" of wild horses in the western US, and whether equine birth control can solve it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/science/21horse.html?ref=science

Sea life, soot, "renewable" coal, Australia

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Climate change--locally identified as such--is taking a toll across Australia (Los Angeles Times)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-climate-change-australia9-2009apr09,0,65585.story?page=1 

Six environmental groups sued the federal government for failing to prevent bycatch of protected sea turtles in Gulf of Mexico longline fisheries. (Associated Press) 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30246972/ 

A proposed bill in Indiana would label nuclear and "clean" coal electricity as "renewable," included in tax breaks and future renewable-energy standards. (Grist)

http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-14-indiana-bill-would-define/ 

Report: Atlantic bluefin tuna could "die out" within three years.  The Mediterranean fishing season for them opened on Wednesday.  [What doom upon the seas we wish, to sate our yearnings for raw fish]  (The Times of London). 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6094307.ece 

Bangor News

Two animal-welfare groups sued the state of Maine for not preventing all trapping of endangered Canada lynx. (They've been threatening to do that since at least last June)

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/103716.html 

Federal and state wildlife managers are in dispute over recreational fishing for endangered Atlantic salmon in part of the Penobscot River. 

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/103966.html 

New York Times

Soot, especially in "third world stoves," is newly targeted as an atmospheric heat-trapper.  Cue the miffed comments. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/science/earth/16degrees.html?ref=science 

On efforts to "replant" a dying coral reef off of Japan

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/world/asia/15coral.html?_r=1&ref=science 

Fwd: Carbon-cutting projects, salty farms, Peru

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The Empire State Building will get renovated for energy efficiency (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/science/earth/07empire.html?ref=science

A coal-power plant in China is capturing and "recycling" (selling) some of its carbon dioxide emissions. (NPR)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102920210

Bangor Daily News
A federal grant went to a project for developing tidal power in Maine.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/103480.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=&sub_type=stories&town_id=&page=2

The Maine legislature rejected a proposed tax on plastic shopping bags.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/103418.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=&sub_type=stories&town_id=&page=2

BBC News
On the need--and possibilities--for developing crops that can grow in saltwater as irrigated soils get salty and sea levels rise.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7765109.stm

The EU will actively try to expand is aquaculture industries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7989295.stm

A small cardboard solar cooker won first prize in an international contest of practical inventions to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7991654.stm

Oil drilling vs. drinkable water: legal and political battles in Peru.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7951182.stm

NOAA, seal products, concrete, pollution controls

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Jane Lubchenco, marine biologist and conservation advocate, was confirmed as head of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Woo! (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/20/AR2009032003295.html?hpid=moreheadlines

House Democrats introduced an ambitious bill for cutting CO2 emissions. (Grist; the site layout was recently changed)
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/3/31/183040/523

The EU proposed a ban on importing Canadian seal products; Canada's government threatened to "launch a World Trade Organization action" if it does so. [This seems to have happened before]. (CBC; the article doesn't discuss the issue's controversial nature, but the 568+ comments do).
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/04/03/seal-canada.html

A planned coal and petroleum-coke power plant in Louisiana was suspended by the local government (Times-Picayune, New Orleans)
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2009/03/psc_orders_entergy_to_suspend.html

A bill in the Florida legislature would make it easier for developers to destroy wetlands. (St. Petersburg Times)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wetlands/article985783.ece

Earthjustice
A federal court ruling in February gave producers of major toxin-tainted sites less leeway to avoid paying cleanup costs, and the EPA more responsibility to force them.
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/court-rules-cleanup-tab-for-mines-and-other-hazardous-sites-should-not-fall-to-public.html

Another ruling ordered the EPA to revise its standards for particulate air pollution (soot, smoke etc)
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/earthjustice-wins-case-seeking-stronger-particulate-pollution-standards.html

New York Times
"Environmentalists" are clashing over renewable energy projects vs. place protection, e.g. solar arrays in desert wilderness. [A Grist writer posted a miffed response along the lines of 'If they stop solar projects to preserve desert, climate change will give them a lot more desert.' Ideologically, it's not that simple.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/science/earth/24ecowars.html?scp=1&sq=%22solar%20panels%22%20%22environmentalists%22&st=cse

On efforts to make concrete more environmentally-friendly
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/science/earth/31conc.html?pagewanted=1&ref=science

Van Jones, pesticides, GHGs, field biology

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

In January, a federal court ruled that pesticide use requires a permit if it could contaminate water. (Agriculture Online and Western Environmental Law Center, respectively. I don't know why this wasn't covered by more mainstream news sources)
http://www.agriculture.com/ag/futuresource/FutureSourceStoryIndex.jhtml?storyId=147700161

http://www.westernlaw.org/pressroom/press-releases/conservationists-win-decision-protecting-local-water-supplies-fisheries-wildlife

The House voted down a bill that would have given "wilderness" status to about two million acres of land in nine states. (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ja3vNS7u_ovPaeUpzrEKqDzs5TjAD96RVMRO0

New York Times
Green-jobs guru Van Jones is now Obama's green-jobs advisor.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/10/10greenwire-authoractivist-tapped-as-green-jobs-adviser-10055.html

The EPA proposed a rule requiring major point-source producers of greenhouse gases to report their annual emissions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/washington/11epa.html?_r=1&ref=science

On advancements in "noninvasive" methods for studying and tracking wild animals.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/science/10wild.html?ref=science

Milk, water, wind, wolves, light bulbs

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

"In a world with less and less room for conservation, the continuing challenge is not to seek single solutions, but rather to seek partnerships that promote conservation as a competitive form of land use."--N. Leader-Williams.


Once again, gray wolves were removed from the US Endangered species list in much of their range. (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-wolves7-2009mar07,0,853373.story

Drought, farming, water consumption and endangered-species protected collided in California. (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11819991

Congress reintroduced a bill that would ban "industries" (notably mountaintop-removal coal mining) from filling waterways with solid waste (Charleston Gazette)
http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/03/05/its-back-the-clean-water-protection-act/

The Indian government began a program to replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs. (OneWorld US and Greenpeace International)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/oneworld/20090304/wl_oneworld/world3606721236138619

New York Times
Obama suspended Bush's eleventh-hour rule that federal industry agencies need not consult federal scientists about projects which could impact endangered species.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/science/earth/04species.html?ref=science

Successful opposition to a dam in Japan may signal a changing trend in politics there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/world/asia/03dam.html?_r=1&ref=science

UK Guardian
Seabed-destructive fishing may get banned on deep-water reefs off of the southeastern US.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/05/florida-reef-ecosystem-government-protection

Plans in western China to build reservoirs for, and wisely use, water from rapidly-melting glaciers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/02/china-glacier-reservoir-water

Bangor News
Recession-driven drops in demand are hurting Maine's organic dairy industry.
http://bangornews.com/detail/100620.html

Report-out from the Maine Fishermen's Forum. [I went to this last year, and everyone interested in fisheries or marine conservation should go at least once. It's an awesome event.]
http://bangornews.com/detail/101033.html

Another Washington County wind farm proposal was approved by the state, though not some [many, it seems] other people.
http://bangornews.com/detail/100847.html

Maine wildlife, plastic bags, more reversed rules

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

A spending bill under consideration by the House of Representatives includes sneaky reversals of two Bush-era restrictions on the Endangered Species Act. (Associated Press)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/24/AR2009022402863.html

The Supreme Court ruled that the EPA can use the Clean Air Act to regulate toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants, though that doesn't mean it will. (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/washington/24mercury.html

The Interior Department suspended new oil-shale mining leases in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah (Bloomberg News)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/6280852.html

Critical habitat was designated for endangered Canada lynx, including nearly 10,000 square miles of northern Maine--an obstacle to development, but not logging. (Kennebec Journal)
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/5990971.html

Bangor News
A fishermens' alliance, and Earthjustice, are suing the federal government for allowing herring trawls in areas closed to trawling for groundfish (cod, haddock etc.). They had petitioned in 2007 to end the practice, but got stalled.
http://bangornews.com/detail/100399.html

A bill was proposed in Augusta to tax shoppers for plastic bags. Lots of angry comments ensued.
http://bangornews.com/detail/100243.html

The Maine government is working on plans to reintroduce shad and river herring (among other fish) to the Penobscot River watershed.
http://bangornews.com/detail/100338.html

Poultry, pellets, paradoxes and power plants

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

I've been compelled to note that grist.org (where I find many of these articles) also features "Green Videos" by COA alumna Jen Prediger. I haven't watched these videos, so can't say more about them, but am glad to see a COAer involved with Grist.

A UN meeting produced the beginnings of an international treaty to reduce mercury pollution from many sources. (Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/20/deal-end-mercury-pollution

Layoffs in Maine's forestry industry are impacting supplies of waste-wood pellet fuel.
http://bangornews.com/detail/99407.html

Residents of Portland, Maine, are now allowed to have backyard hen coops. (Portland Press Herald)
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=240265&ac=PHnws

New York Times
The EPA will "consider" whether to regulate CO2 emissions from coal-power plants, and may eventually regulate other sources too. The public comment period is now.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/science/earth/19epa.html?ref=science

On renewable energy developments in Alaska
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/business/18alaska.html?_r=3&ref=business

On invasive-species eradication efforts gone bad
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/science/17isla.html?_r=1&ref=science

Salamanders, pikas, many major projects

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

This year, I've relied heavily on grist.org as a daily-changing source of links to articles in many publications. I highly recommend it. Environmental-issue analysis and humor can also be found there.

A Bush plan to expand offshore oil drilling on much of the US coast was halted for review and revision by the Interior Department (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/10/MNB015R7TQ.DTL&tsp=1

A federal court reversed a ruling which would have been a legal obstacle to mountaintop-removal coal mining. (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hSJOr-NBI35YZsgfG0YNbfsQDF-gD96ARM302

Grist breakdown of the big stimulus bill's "green" components as of Thursday, after the Triple Demons of Compromise had worked their magic.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/2/12/83439/6486

A New Jersey utility proposed a major solar-power project spread across the state. (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/nyregion/10solar.html?_r=1&ref=science

Study: salamander declines in Mexico and Guatemala are attributed to climate change. (Reuters UK)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKTRE5187PD20090209?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

American pikas will be considered for placement on the US Endangered Species list due to habitat loss from climate change. (MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29167918/

Economist
Several British NGOs hope to establish a huge marine reserve in the Chagos Islands, an Indian Ocean territory from which the locals were evicted forty years ago and would allegedly like to return.
http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13089462&fsrc=rss

Spain is working on an extensive new railroad system.
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13061961

Eagles, rainforests, oil drilling, fishery changes etc.

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The California government denied a proposal to expand oil drilling off Santa Barbara--one which certain environmental groups had favored as part of a deal with the oil company. [Politics. Sheesh.] (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-santa-barbara-oil30-2009jan30,0,4266773.story

The Interior Department halted a set of new oil and gas leases in Utah for review. (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iR6iksPv6MUmw4jraPWPGHWAuGsgD9654M983

Naturally-growing forests in abandoned tropical farmland have raised controversy over the importance of preserving "pristine" rainforest. (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/science/earth/30forest.html?ref=science

Ten new amphibian species were "discovered" in Columbia. (Reuters)
http://news.aol.com/article/new-amphibian-species/327136

Bald eagles may be removed from Maine's state Endangered Species list (Bangor News)
http://bangornews.com/detail/98727.html

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted to open federal waters in the Gulf to aquaculture. (Press-Register, Alabama)
http://www.gulflive.com/press-register/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1233224169238650.xml&coll=3

They also recommended closing parts of the Gulf to longline fishing, to reduce sea-turtle bycatch. (Mississippi Press)
http://www.gulflive.com/news/mississippipress/news.ssf?/base/news/1233314130310190.xml&coll=5

Commercial fishing is banned from beginning in the melting seas off northern Alaska until scientists "determine" what its ecological and social impacts would be. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502565.html

Obama ordered the Energy Department to set efficiency standards for a variety of home appliances. [It's unclear how much or by when.] (Reuters UK)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN0536527620090205?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

Sweden ended its ban on new nuclear power plants. (Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/05/nuclear-sweden

Caterpillars, ecosystem services, beef tallow, CO2 standards

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Obama ordered the EPA to "reconsider" allowing states to set their own vehicle efficiency-and-CO2-emissions standards, and the Transportation Department to raise car fuel-efficiency standards by 2011. [This Sunday article says he "will" but on Monday he did.] (New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/us/politics/26calif.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

The EPA suspended approval of a new coal-power plant in South Dakota (Bloomberg)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZTtfqEwJpHQ&refer=home

After cutting short Maine's scalloping season last week, the government has responded to local outcy and reopened it in some areas (Bangor News).
http://bangornews.com/detail/98116.html

The USDA plans to establish an "Office of Ecosystem Services and Marketing," largely to reward farm and forestry operations for doing things deemed to provide not-previously-commodified "natural assets." (Environmental Protection magazine)
http://www.eponline.com/articles/70313/

US marine policy possibilities for the near future (Grist).
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/1/29/15292/0161

Calgary, Alberta is trying out diesel fuel mixed with local waste beef-tallow. Not everyone is pleased. (CBC)
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/01/29/beef-biofuel.html

Caterpillars called "army worms" are undergoing a disastrous [to humans] population boom in Liberia. Not much included on ecological reasons or consequences, but I thought it worth sharing. (Associated Press)
http://news.aol.com/article/caterpillar-infestation-in-liberia/317187

Reversed rules, wind farms, depleted fisheries

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

President Obama has suspended all of Bush's regulations which weren't yet published (including the gray-wolf delisting) but couldn't stop all of them. (Los Angeles Times, Associated Press)
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-enviro-rules22-2009jan22,0,4342793.story
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g2koz1OqqNsQO15NDQw5LPVULiCgD95R8FQO0

Last fall, the permit for a major phosphate mine in southwest Florida was suspended. Now the mining company has bullied/persuaded the local powers that be into OK-ing it. A tale of politics, wetlands and eco-offsets. (Sarasota Herald Tribune)
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090116/ARTICLE/901160335/2081/NEWS

Bangor News
New England's largest "wind farm" began operating in Washington County.
http://bangornews.com/detail/97865.html

Halfway into Maine's scalloping season, the state government has canceled the other half, claiming scallop populations are too severely depleted.*
http://bangornews.com/detail/97934.html

New York Times
A court suspended a new set of oil and gas leases in federal Utah land after a lawsuit by seven environmental groups.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/us/19leases.html?_r=1

Report: Rising Asian demand is depleting reef fish in the Indo-Pacific "Coral Triangle."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/science/earth/20reef.html?_r=1&ref=science

* "DMR is between a rock and a hard place. When a fishery is booming we (harvesters) want them to leave us the hell alone and not stand in the way of prosperity. When a fishery is in crisis, we want them to leave us the hell alone to keep fishing so we can feed our families."--Andy Mays, Maine Scallop Advisory Council, commentor on this article.

Manure, Cape Wind, many last-minute changes

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will remove endangered-species status from gray wolves in the northern Rockies (except Wyoming) and western Great Lakes. (Duluth News Tribune)
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/109572/

The next Energy Department leader's stances on various energy sources, taken from his confirmation hearing (Grist).
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/1/13/134324/999

The BLM adopted a plan for management changes in 2.4 million acres of Oregon forest. [Includes a lot o' background on past attempts at this plan and how spotted owls are involved.](Crosscut, from Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2009/01/13/science-environment/18772/

Washington Post
An EPA rule change will likely make it easier for "industrial plants, refineries and paper mills" to expand without getting new pollution-emission permits.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/12/AR2009011203008.html

Following recent accidents, toxic coal ash--and how to dispose of it--has gained governmental attention.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/15/AR2009011503987.html

Associated Press
A major package of bills designating protection for various 'wild' lands moved successfully through the Senate
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ja3vNS7u_ovPaeUpzrEKqDzs5TjAD95L5LRO0

Several dairy states are investing significantly in digesters to make fuel from cow-manure methane. [Prairie Home Companion mocked the idea last summer...we'll see who laughs last.]
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081222/ap_on_re_us/farm_scene_dung_power

New York Times
A proposal for a large and controversial wind farm off Cape Cod made progress in the federal approval process.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/us/17wind.html?ref=science

Study: various organisms [and not just fish] appear to be breeding at smaller sizes in response to hunting by humans.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/science/13fish.html?_r=1&ref=science

Squirrels, marine monuments, coal ash, environmental fugitives etc.

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Last month, there was a massive spill of coal-ash sludge stored at a Tennessee power plant. Now: some resulting actions from senators, environmental groups and the power company (Associated Press).
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jdTCPflHwi9d7hNp4vb7xJ8ciTZgD95J422O0

Another of that company's plants, in Alabama, experienced a smaller spill of gypsum sulfur-remover, or maybe coal ash. (Tennesseean)
http://tennessean.com/article/20090109/GREEN02/90109016

The world's largest "solar tower plant" is under construction in Spain (Guardian).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/24/andalucia-spain-renewable-energy-technology

The EPA has a new website enlisting the public to help search for "environmental fugitives." [Sounds like something from a movie to me.] (EPA news release.)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/dc57b08b5acd42bc852573c90044a9c4/c159e578522342838525751b0054b25e!OpenDocument

New York Times
The global aviation industry continues to seek alternative fuels, including an experimental Continental flight on Wednesday using oil made from algae and jatropha (a plant) seeds. [Liquid coal is also on the table...shudder]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/business/07jetfuel.html?_r=1

In Britain, a movement to save native red squirrels by building a cuisine around imported gray ones.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/dining/07squirrel.html?_r=1&ref=dining

Bush officially designated three huge "marine national monuments" in the tropical Pacific [earning praise, skepticism and anger from various quarters].
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/us/06oceans.html?_r=1&ref=science

A more specific account of the above from an affected area--the Mariana Islands--if you're interested (Saipan Tribune)
http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=86699&cat=1