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