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