Eco-News from COA

Grebes, good news, and good-bye

2010-06-02T09:37:00.000-04:00

Okay, partly good news. By my standards, which are not everyone's, as you all have tried to teach me. And the oil spill news is not good by anyone's standards, much as I would like it to be. But I had to say it.

Many thanks to the loyal readers who have allowed me to fulfill my community service requirement so enjoyably. I will miss sending these.

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 9

BP failed to plug the Gulf oil leak with mud, and their next attempt to staunch it -- making a clean cut in the broken pipe and fitting a funnel-tube over it -- could easily make it worse. (AOL)

Sand berms will be built to help block oil from some of Louisiana's coast. But marshes, brown pelicans, shrimp, oysters, and other wildlife -- and humans -- are already getting slammed. (Agence France-Press)

Obama suspended plans for new oil drilling in Alaska, Virginia, and the Gulf of Mexico, along with all new deepwater oil/gas drilling. (New York Times)

Montgomery County, Maryland, adopted the first US carbon tax (Grist)

Alaotra grebes, birds endemic to a lake in Madagascar, were declared extinct. Fish nets, introduced fish, and poaching are probably to blame. (BBC)

Pressured by Greenpeace, the world's largest container-shipping company announced its refusal to ship shark, orange roughy, 'Chilean seabass' or whale meat. (Fish Information and Services)

A double-hulled oil tanker struck another ship near Singapore and leaked 2.5K tonnes of oil, some of which washed up on several miles of beach. (Pakistan Times)
http://www.pakistantimes.net/pt/detail.php?newsId=11570

Endangered Atlantic salmon, currently being re-stocked in the Penobscot River, returned in relatively high numbers this spring. (Bangor News)

Climate skepticism is on the rise in Britain. [They should come here] (New York Times)

To help wildlife in the Gulf, an 11-year old artist in NY started a high-profile partnership with several organizations, sending customized bird illustrations to anyone who donates. Well, the art/nature/activism combination made me happy. (AOL)

Corporate-enviro deals, ADHD, the oil hits land

2010-05-24T12:12:00.001-04:00

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 8

Masses of heavy oil have begun washing into Louisiana marshes. BP is siphoning up some of the newly-emerging oil, but plenty is still escaping into the sea. (Associated Press)

The oil spill has also hit deepwater reefs and entered two cross-Gulf currents. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Obama announced plans to set mileage and emission standards for big trucks and tighten those for cars. (AP)

A buncho timber companies and a buncho environmental groups agreed that the former will stop logging certain large swathes of Canadian boreal forest if the latter stop promoting boycotts of Canadian timber. (CBC)

Nestle said it will work with two NGOs to prevent itself from buying palm oil grown after illegal deforestation. (Guardian, UK)

A study demonstrated a possible link between pesticide exposure and ADHD in children. (Voice of America)

Criticism of said study (Psychology Today blog)

Sea squirts, carcinogens, climate bills, oil spills

2010-05-19T12:16:00.001-04:00

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 7

A major climate and energy bill entered the US Senate; here's a summary and a chart of comparison with other pending legislation. (Grist)

Some commentary on its chances.

A US government panel released a report highlighting environmental chemicals as likely cancer-causers -- which was criticized by the American Cancer Society. [Sandra Steingraber, where are you?] (New York Times)

A dreaded Japanese tunicate was confirmed to be colonizing Oregon's coast. (Oregonian)

A Canadian government plan to field-test oil cleanup methods in Arctic Ocean waters met resistance, for some strange reason. (Canada East)

The Gulf oil spill may be much bigger than initially calculated, and the latest efforts to stanch it have failed. (New York Times and Washington Post, respectively)

More Q. & A. on the oil spill's coming environmental impacts. (Environmental Defense Fund)

Maine passed five energy bills which -- among other things -- promote wind farms and efficiency improvements. (Bangor News)

Living on Earth

This week: oil dispersants, E. O. Wilson's new novel, and a growing farmers market in inner-city Los Angeles.

Last week: possible upcoming reforms of synthetic-chemical regulation in the US, and the man who relocated Marsh Forks Elementary School.
(Click Archives on the page above)

Dolphins, bottled water, more oil spill news

2010-05-10T09:30:00.002-04:00

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 6

The latest: BP failed in an effort to block one of the wells, tarballs have begun washing up in Alabama, and the Gulf's fishing industries are at a standstill. (Guardian, UK)

Regular news updates from the Gulf Restoration Network.

California's governor withdrew support for proposed offshore oil drilling in the state (Christian Science Monitor)

Other political news, including the feds' investigation of BP. (CBS)

The [also-Gulf-destroying] corn industry made a plug for ethanol as an oil alternative. (Grist)

Q&A with a biologist about potential effects on wildlife. (Environmental Defense Fund)

Early possible victims: 29 endangered Kemps Ridley sea turtles. (AP)

In other news...

Concord, MA became the first US town to ban bottled water sales. Synergeeee. (AOL)

Conservation spotlight in Australia: endemic and very endangered snubfin dolphins. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Oil spill updates etc.

2010-05-03T09:23:00.000-04:00

Not much else was in the environmental news this week, and there are many more articles on the subject.

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 5

The latest: it's baaaaaaaaaaaad, hasn't quite reached the coast yet, and may enter the Gulf Stream. Economies and ecosystems are gravely threatened, and Obama has temporarily halted new oil drilling in all US waters. (AP)

Possible fates of the recovered oil [posted before they started burning it, so might not still apply, but interesting.] (Slate)

Some of the political fallout.

In other news...

As you probably heard, the nation's first offshore wind farm was approved. (MSNBC)

Living on Earth: Documerica, valley fever, GE alfalfa and Cuban agri-culture.

On Beijing's declining birds of prey, and their human allies. (Public Radio International)

Whaling, toxic waste, and much much more

2010-04-26T10:55:00.003-04:00

Happy Earth Day...

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 4

An oil spill followed a probably-deadly rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, and has yet to be contained. (BBC)

The IWC, pushed by Japan, is likely to overturn the international ban on commercial whaling (The Times, UK)

In return, Japan proposed to catch fewer minke whales around Antarctica. Yes, I mentioned this two months ago, but now it's happening. (Japan Times. Check out the comments)

A summary of the "peoples' climate summit" in Bolivia. (United Press International)

In Orrington, on the Penobscot River, the mercury-laden landfills of an old chemical plant are set to be cleaned up -- but how thoroughly? [Most recently, residents voted narrowly for the less extensive cleanup option, but this article has more background]. (Bangor News)

Hawaii's government is working on a bill to ban the sale and possession of shark fins, as a cultural concession to the natives. (Honolulu Advisor)

Introduced lionfish continue spreading in the Caribbean, devastating native fish. (Underwater Times)

Reminder: the aquifer below the Great Plains is getting severely depleted (AOL)

Living on Earth: REDD in Borneo, high-profile environmental justice, and efforts to industrially fish the Mississippi's Asian carp.

New York Times
Several environmental groups jointly petitioned the EPA to list 404 southeastern river species as Endangered.

The UN banned cruise ships from running high-sulfur "heavy fuel" in Antarctic waters, which will hinder the industry when it is enacted in August 2011.

New York City began to clean up (i.e. isolate) a toxic, illegal, 34-year-old landfill on Staten Island.

Earthjustice

For the third time, a court ruling blocked a silver/copper mine in Montana.

NGOs and the EPA struck a(nother?) deal for regulating toxic air emissions from US power plants.

Garbage, freshwater cod, veterans and the Amazon

2010-04-19T10:04:00.001-04:00

The Stinson sardine plant closing featured on NPR's Weekend Edition show yesterday, and got a headline on underwatertimes.com. As it should.

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 3

The "Climategate" scientists were cleared of climate-data-manipulation charges. (LA Times)

Plans for a huge hydro dam in Brazil, briefly halted by local and international activists, got the go-ahead from a judge. (NY Times)

Researchers discovered the Great Atlantic Garbage Patch. (Associated Press)

The amount of human-made "space junk" orbiting Earth is rising rapidly (AOL)

British scientists think they found a way to farm saltwater fish (e.g. cod) in fresh water. [Which is so abundant these days.] (London Daily Mail)

A major Maine landfill is being converted to a source of natural-gas energy (Bangor News)

Living on Earth: the changing EPA, eco-activist war veterans, and Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson.

Windmills, eggs, and troubled waters

2010-04-13T14:31:00.001-04:00

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 2

A coal freighter struck Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The resulting fuel-oil spill was smaller than feared (NY Times)...

...but is still predicted to notably impact the coral. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Israel banned fishing in its famously-fecund Sea of Galilee to prevent stock collapses. (UK Telegraph)

A broken oil pipeline badly soiled a Louisiana wildlife refuge. (WWL/AP)

A popular new Facebook page opposes shark fin soup -- and was made in Hong Kong. (UK Independent)

Living on Earth: wind-powered prisons, 8,000 antique bird eggs, "cap-and-dividend," and the really evil Don Blankenship.

Bangor News

Hundreds of "ghost" lobster traps were removed from Maine waters (incl. 400 around MDI) in a federally-funded cleanup.

Another large and apparently unpopular wind farm opened in Washington County.

Home-scale windmills got mixed reviews from owners [and scorn from the perpetual commenters].

CITES, Chagos Islands, car-emission standards, carbon trading

2010-04-05T09:06:00.001-04:00

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 1

Outcomes of last week's CITES meeting: bluefin tuna trade ban rejected, shark-finning regulations rejected, coral protections rejected, ivory sales rejected. (Discover; multiple articles. There are many others on this subject.)

The federal US government announced nationwide standards for greenhouse-gas emissions from cars...

... though credits for "green" cars could weaken the effect. (Christian Science Monitor)

Canada did the same. (Winnipeg Free Press)

The UK established a huge marine reserve around the Chagos Islands, miffing the islands' previously-evicted human population. (BBC)

The EPA proposed new regulations that could theoretically impede mountaintop-removal coal mining significantly. (Grist)
http://www.grist.org/article/appalachians-hail-epas-great-victory-for-clean-water-act-and-justice/

The US Supreme Court refused to consider reopening a loophole in airborne-toxin emissions standards for major polluters. (Earthjustice)

Living on Earth: Carbon trading and forest preservation in the Congo.

Assorted oceanic events and issues

2010-03-08T11:48:00.002-05:00

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 9

The International Whaling Commission denied a request by Denmark to allow aboriginal hunting of humpback whales off of Greenland. (Independent Online)

Multinational support is growing for a trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna -- but Japan doesn't care. (Washington Post)

The US will "embargo" wild-caught Mexican shrimp, after learning that some fishers there aren't using devices to prevent sea turtles from drowning in trawls. (Pretoma)

Reports from the Maine Fishermen's Forum on Friday. (Bangor News; check the paper or website on Monday for news of Saturday -- I hear it was interesting)

Ocean acidification is being recognized as a serious and growing global problem (Sydney Morning Herald)

...despite efforts to debunk it (CO2 Science Magazine). [As the speaker on this topic said at the Fishermen's Forum, "Prove me wrong and I'll be grateful.]

California may ban the use of ocean water as power-plant coolant, as sea life is sucked in with it. (San Jose Mercury News)

On the human ecology of baaaad dead zones in the Baltic Sea. (National Geographic)

Pythons, beetles, Montana, Walmart, United We Fish

2010-03-01T10:26:00.001-05:00

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 8

Florida now has a hunting season for large invasive reptiles. (Miami Herald)

Wal-Mart pledged to make its suppliers majorly reduce their greenhouse-gas emission, sparking much debate.

Montana's government intends to ban mining and drilling in its part of the trans-border Flathead Valley, following British Columbia's lead. (Missoulian)

A major cement maker promised in court to cut its emissions of airborne toxins. (Earthjustice)

Living on Earth: nuclear waste, bark-beetle battling, tennis balls, the Chagas Islands, and the intensifying fight over US fishery management. Plus some lovely prose about herons.

Penguins, treaties, Target and the Ganges

2010-02-22T09:55:00.001-05:00

Yes, my eco-news remains fish-focused. I'm relying on underwatertimes.com -- and I have a one-track mind.

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 7

113 nations signed a treaty to ban fishing for eight shark species. (United Press International)

Target announced plans to stop selling farmed salmon. (Press release)

India's government began a $4B effort to reduce sewage effluent into the Ganges River. (Wall Street Journal)

Grist
The USDA announced new pasturing requirements for organic dairy farmers.

Three big companies left the industry coalition lobbying for climate legislation.

Studies: Marine protected areas show benefits for penguins in South Africa (Independent, UK)

...and coral reefs worldwide. (Underwater Times)

Toads, LoraxAg, solar stimulus, grumpy fishermen

2010-02-09T08:23:00.000-05:00

ECO-NEWS, WEEK FIVE

The US Senate received an ambitious bill to stimulate production of rooftop solar power and heating. (Grist)

Fishermen from around the US are planning a DC rally calling for more flexibility in federal regulations. (Astbury Park Press)

A new coal-gasification company -- yes, named after the Lorax -- touted its groovy plans to make fertilizer and sulfuric acid from its byproducts. Sigh. (Wonk Room; Journal of New England Technology)

On two zoos' valiant but questioned efforts to save spray toads, a species whose only home -- a waterfall in Tanzania -- was destroyed by a dam. (New York Times)

The BBC annoyed British fishermen by airing an anti-fishing "documentary." (The Scotsman)

Living on Earth: coal ash, Cape Wind, and Obama's nuclear-power plans. Plus human-bear conflicts and the "Bird Whistler."

Jaguars, "clean energy," a plague of sharks, an oil spill

2010-02-01T09:46:00.002-05:00

And the Triple Demons of Compromise continue their wicked whirling, halting everything in their path.

ECO-NEWS, WEEK FOUR

An Exxon oil tanker sprung a serious leak on a channel in easternmost Texas. (Houston Chronicle)

Obama's State of the Union address covered climate and energy... sort of. (Grist commentary)

The USFWS announced plans to designate "critical habitat" for jaguars in the US; this op-ed critiques the move. (New York Times)

Porbeagle Sharks are on the rise in the Gulf of Maine, greatly annoying gillnet fishermen. (Gloucester Daily Times)

Living on Earth: Atrazine, the depressing promise of geo-engineering, a "recycled" power plant in Copenhagen, and more. Plus filmmaking chimpanzees.

Bangor News
New England fishery managers were pressured out of further shortening the scallop-harvest season...

...while local folks discussed an upcoming bill on the management of said fishery.

Lawsuits, false killer whales, climate shenanigans

2010-01-25T12:24:00.001-05:00

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 3

The Senate did indeed receive legislation aimed at blocking EPA regulation of greenhouse gases. (Seattle Times)

The latest climate controversy: were the experts wrong about how fast Himalayan glaciers will melt? (AOL and Grist)

Los Angeles Times
The US Supreme Court lifted corporate spending limits for election campaigns -- "a victory for Big Oil"

Safari Club International wants a federal court to re-remove grizzly bears' "Threatened" status.

NMFS announced plans to work on preventing fish longlines from entangling false killer whales.

Earthjustice
A bunch of groups sued the US government over approval of oil drilling in Alaska's Chukchi Sea.

The EPA announced new restrictions on nitrogen oxide emissions from ships.

Airplanes, lobbyists, farmed salmon, seal pepperoni

2010-01-18T11:05:00.001-05:00

ECO-NEWS, WEEK 2

The Monterey Bay Aquarium approved a certain type of salmon farming -- freshwater, incidentally -- as "sustainable," a first for the industry. (Scientific American)

Canada stepped up a campaign to market seal products in China, to make up for an EU ban. (Kelowna; British Columbia)

Wildlife-airplane collisions are rising in the US, for various reasons. (AP)

New York Times
Anticipated next week: a senator's proposed bill amendment aimed at blocking EPA regulation of carbon dioxide [or greenhouse-gas?] emissions.

Lobbyists on both "sides" of these regulations are also targeting the EPA.

Smog, WWAWWG, coyotes, backward steps

2010-01-11T09:09:00.000-05:00

No post-comment-period news yet about the proposed natural-gas drilling in upstate New York, but it could become a theme for this term. I promise to keep reporting other news as well.

ECO-NEWS, WEEK ONE

The EPA approved another mountaintop-removal coal mine in West Virginia, after reviewing its permit and hearing claims by the company to reduce the resulting environmental damage. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

A local coyote-hunting "tournament" in Jackman, Maine, has drawn much controversy. (MPBN)

In October, Congress passed a measure exempting factory farms from reporting their 2010 greenhouse-gas emissions under a recent EPA rule. I don't think I posted this at the time. (OMB Watch)

Living on Earth: Where We're At, Where We're Going. *Nods at Davis Taylor*

Grist
the EPA proposed more restrictions on ozone (smog) emissions.

Eco-villain Richard Pombo is running for a seat in the California Congress again, after getting ousted in 2006.

Pelicans, air pollution and Chinese kids

2009-11-23T10:04:00.001-05:00

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

2009-11-19T10:01:00.001-05:00

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

2009-11-16T10:26:00.001-05:00

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

2009-11-09T10:23:00.002-05:00

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

2009-11-02T10:09:00.002-05:00

...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

2009-10-26T09:57:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-19T10:18:00.001-04:00

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

2009-10-12T09:56:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-05T10:42:00.001-04:00

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

2009-09-28T10:12:00.003-04:00

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

2009-09-24T09:19:00.004-04:00

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"

2009-06-03T09:06:00.001-04:00

brought to you by Sasha Paris

Eco-News from COA

Grebes, good news, and good-bye

Corporate-enviro deals, ADHD, the oil hits land

Sea squirts, carcinogens, climate bills, oil spills

Dolphins, bottled water, more oil spill news

Oil spill updates etc.

Whaling, toxic waste, and much much more

Garbage, freshwater cod, veterans and the Amazon

Windmills, eggs, and troubled waters

CITES, Chagos Islands, car-emission standards, carbon trading

Assorted oceanic events and issues

Pythons, beetles, Montana, Walmart, United We Fish

Penguins, treaties, Target and the Ganges

Toads, LoraxAg, solar stimulus, grumpy fishermen

Jaguars, "clean energy," a plague of sharks, an oil spill

Lawsuits, false killer whales, climate shenanigans

Airplanes, lobbyists, farmed salmon, seal pepperoni

Smog, WWAWWG, coyotes, backward steps

Pelicans, air pollution and Chinese kids

Jellyfish and climate policy

Giraffes, sea lions, revolving doors, turtle tourism

Religion, Gucci, more troubled seas

Nice tries and pretty promises

350, red tides, rockweed, Marcellus, Michigan

Frog love, downed dams, sustainable seafood and more

Change is in the seas

Sharks and the Senate

Beets, grizzlies, Plum Creek, and big polluters

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

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

Strange stuff and controversial politics

Bananas, green labeling, progress and stalled progress

Obama angers enviros many times

Poisoned waters near and far

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

Sea life, soot, "renewable" coal, Australia

Fwd: Carbon-cutting projects, salty farms, Peru

NOAA, seal products, concrete, pollution controls

Van Jones, pesticides, GHGs, field biology

Milk, water, wind, wolves, light bulbs

Maine wildlife, plastic bags, more reversed rules

Poultry, pellets, paradoxes and power plants

Salamanders, pikas, many major projects

Eagles, rainforests, oil drilling, fishery changes etc.

Caterpillars, ecosystem services, beef tallow, CO2 standards

Reversed rules, wind farms, depleted fisheries

Manure, Cape Wind, many last-minute changes

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

Tarsiers, 'organic' standards, opened lands, more new rules

New rules and imperiled species: lots of both

Ivory auction, amphibians, Utah, final candidate comparison

eBay, electric cars, ethanol, orcas, mining, geothermal

Sushi, scallops, "biodiversity offsets," belugas, carbon sinks

Turtles, Galapagos, eco-kids, animal NGOs, pollution, paltry progress

Wolffish, Tom Allen, Everglades, marine reserves, deforestation

Monkeys, mercury, lakes, carbon trading

Eco-News: endangered species, energy, seaweed, Chicago and more

Offshore oil-drilling ban halfway lifted

Orangutans and solar panels

Oysters, inhalers, nuclear waste, scary news

Guano, plankton, poisons, oil, mountaintop removal and more

Wales, wolves, potatoes, preserves, power

Ants, hurricanes, "saved" land, "sustainable development"

Crows, koalas, bugs, buses, San Francisco

Fungi, fertilizer, land use, bison slaughter

Pigs, an ecovillage and dangerous trends

Egypt to Australia to Louisiana to Maine...

Salmon, methane, farming and food

Trout, Maine issues and the EPA

Lions, factory farms, Iceland, Kansas

Drugs, toxic birds, ozone, wave power

Starlings, tiny frogs, brownfields and a dead zone

Dugongs, lynx, coho, coal

Glass, pythons, dolphins, menhaden

Climate Class, pesticides, Planktos, pollutants

Flowers, wetlands, "clean coal", red snapper

Fish products, cows, imperiled areas

Gharials, cool fuels, birds, bags

Seafood: Europe, Africa, Maine

Jaguars, British fish and an airport