Monday, January 26, 2009
Reversed rules, wind farms, depleted fisheries
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.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Manure, Cape Wind, many last-minute changes
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
Monday, January 12, 2009
Squirrels, marine monuments, coal ash, environmental fugitives etc.
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
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