 |
| Modules | |
| Big Story of Today | |
|
There isn't a Biggest Story for Today, yet. | |
| Old Articles | |
| Monday, February 23 | | · | ULI Studies Cost of "Getting Home" |
| · | EPA May Regulate Carbon Dioxide |
| Tuesday, February 17 | | · | Salazar puts Expanded Offshore Drilling on Hold |
| · | Criticism of DoD Payouts to Offset Wildlife Harm |
| Wednesday, February 11 | | · | Fixed-Boundary Conservation Problematic With Climate Change |
| Monday, January 26 | | · | Increase in Tree Deaths Tied to Climate Change |
| Wednesday, January 21 | | · | Climate Coalition Agrees on Emissions Cut Plan |
| Monday, January 05 | | · | Military Bases Focus on Smarter Growth |
| Tuesday, December 16 | | · | EPA Abandons Unpopular Proposals to Revise Pollution Rules |
| · | Mountaintop Coal Mining Rules Ease |
| Monday, December 08 | | · | Government Flex-Fuel Fleet Having Problems |
| Monday, November 24 | | · | Vote for Open Space in Election |
| · | Holiday Air Space Expanded |
| Tuesday, November 18 | | · | Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Navy in Sonar Case |
| Monday, October 27 | | · | EPA Sued for Haze in National Parks |
| Monday, October 20 | | · | States Say DOD Is Making Threats Over Cleanup |
| Monday, September 08 | | · | EPA Tightens Emissions Standards for Lawn Equipment, Boats |
| Monday, August 25 | | · | BRAC-Affected Homeowners Hit Hard by Mortgage Crisis |
| Monday, August 18 | | · | Water "Dead Zones" Increasing |
| · | Wyoming Rules against Forest Road Ban |
| · | Changes in Endangered Species Act Proposed |
| Monday, August 04 | | · | Navy Sued Over Detonations in Puget Sound |
| Monday, July 28 | | · | Study Examines Widespread Air Pollution Effects on Ecosystems |
| Monday, July 21 | | · | EPA Warns that Global Warming Is a Major Threat to Humans |
| · | Executive Ban on Offshore Drilling Lifted |
| Monday, July 14 | | · | Department of Agriculture May Allow Crops on Conservation Land |
| · | EPA Enforcement of Clean Water Act Faulted |
| · | G-8 Approves Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
| Monday, July 07 | | · | Army Base Tracks CO2 Use |
| Monday, June 23 | | · | BRAC Communities Need More Help |
Older Articles
| |
| |
 | Land Conservation: Military Bases for Habitat and Species Preservation |
 Fort Stewart, GA, spends as much as $3 million a year on wildlife management to accommodate five endangered species that live on its 279,000 acres. Last year, the base’s wildlife staff built 100 artificial cavities to install 25 feet high in large pines so that the red-cockaded woodpecker would not have to build nests themselves. Although the military has argued that saving endangered species would hinder its battle preparedness, it has gradually realized that working to help species rebound is in its best interest: the more endangered species thrive, the fewer restrictions are put on training exercises to avoid destroying habitat. Today, extraordinary efforts to save threatened species are unfolding at military sites around the country. The military owns about 30 million acres of relatively pristine land that is often critical habitat for plants and animals. It needs to fulfill obligations under laws like the Endangered Species Act without curbing training exercises. The military is planning to broaden its efforts to reach beyond the 420 officially endangered or threatened species on its land to restoring ecosystems for more then 500 other species that are considered at risk. Post commanders are routinely trained on environmental responsibilities.
New York Times: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, March 02 @ 13:53:46 EST (80 reads)
(Read More... | 3353 bytes more | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Water Issues: South Atlantic Alliance Formed to Manage and Protect Coastal Resources |
In October 2009, governors of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida signed an agreement to form the South Atlantic Alliance. The Alliance pledges to work together to better manage and protect coastal resources, while ensuring economic sustainability and resiliency. The Alliance will bring together federal partners and stakeholders from academic, nongovernmental, and business communities. Four initial priority issue areas have been established: healthy coastal ecosystems; disaster-resilient communities; clean coastal and ocean waters; and working waterfronts. In the Southeast, coasts and oceans provide food, recreation, and transportation, while also supporting a wide range of natural resources. They are experiencing increasing pressure and conflict: coastal development impacts water quality and risk to human life during hurricanes and coastal storms; sea level rise and climate change alter natural and human communities; commercial and recreational uses can crowd waterways and create conflict between humans and nature.
Nature Conservancy: Press Release
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, February 16 @ 12:43:38 EST (76 reads)
(Read More... | Water Issues | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Climate Change: Global Warming Officially a Threat to U.S. National Security |
For the first time, in 2010, Pentagon planners will include climate change among security threats identified in the Congress-mandated Quadrennial Defense Review that updates Pentagon priorities every four years. The climate change reference follows the October establishment of a new Center for the Study of Climate Change at the CIA. However, this does not mean that the Pentagon and CIA have taken an official stance in the debate over the validity of data on global warming. It only means they wish to be prepared and look at the worst case scenario. Among the scenarios that concern security planners is the melting of the Himalayan ice mass—rivers fed by the glaciers would flood, then dry up as the glaciers retreat, endangering tens of millions of people in Bangladesh. Mass migrations across borders in the area could also soon involve militaries as people compete for food and shelter.
NPR: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, December 29 @ 13:45:51 EST (102 reads)
(Read More... | 1877 bytes more | Climate Change | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Transportation: Military Fuel Use Increased 175% Since Vietnam War |
Since the Vietnam War, the amount of fuel used by the U.S. military in combat operations (on a per-soldier basis) is up 175 percent, according to a new analysis. Today’s soldier consumes about 22 gallons of fuel per day, and this amount is projected to grow about 1.5 percent per year through 2017. This increase has come despite fuel economy advances for everything ranging from armored vehicles to jets. The amount of fuel used per soldier may have increased due to the use of unmanned drones.
Environemental Leader: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, December 01 @ 13:36:23 EST (112 reads)
(Read More... | Transportation | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Animal Protection: Interior Department Proposes Protected Habitat for Polar Bears in Alaska |
The Department of the Interior proposed designating over 200,000 square miles of land, sea, and ice along the northern coast of Alaska as critical habitat for polar bears. The area would be the largest single designation of protected habitat for any species and would encompass the entire range of the two polar bear populations on American land and waters (approximately 3,500 bears). Officials noted that the polar bears’ range is shrinking due to the melting of sea ice linked to climate change. The Interior Department declared the polar bear as threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act in May 2008. The bear habitat would not be set aside as a refuge; oil and gas exploration and other activities would continue. The habitat announcement was part of a settlement – conservation groups sued when DOI listed the polar bear as threatened and did not simultaneously designate critical habitat as the law requires.
New York Times: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Monday, October 26 @ 14:11:26 EDT (252 reads)
(Read More... | Animal Protection | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Obama 's Green Jobs Adviser Quits Amid Controversy |
After being put through much scrutiny for the negative comments he made about the Republican Party and for signing a petition that linked the U.S. government with the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Van Jones, “green jobs” advisor to the president, resigned this month. Jones issued a public apology for the comments he made about the GOP. He also stated that he did not agree with the petition he signed and must not have reviewed the language in the petition well enough before signing. Despite his attempts to clear his name, Republicans still demanded that he resign from the position. “His extremist views and coarse rhetoric have no place in this administration or the public debate,” said Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana. Though Jones said he has been “inundated with call all across the political spectrum asking him to stay and fight,” he then went on to say that he could not in good conscience ask his colleagues to spend time and energy defending or explaining his past.
Article: Associated Press
|
|
|
Posted by Becca on Tuesday, October 06 @ 14:36:17 EDT (312 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Climate Change: Grizzly Bears Ordered Back onto Endangered Species List |
A federal judge in Montana has ordered the Interior Department to place almost 600 grizzly bears in and near Yellowstone National Park back on the endangered species list. The judge ruled on the grounds that the bears’ food supply is shrinking due to climate change. Grizzly bears lost their federal protection in 2007 after growing in numbers back from near-extinction. However, pine beetles have devastated the whitebark pine trees the bears rely on for sustenance, causing rising mortality rates among grizzly bears. Last year 48 grizzlies in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem died, the highest mortality count since the bears were put on the endangered species list in 1975. The judge wrote that the USFWS’s decision to remove the bear’s threatened status didn’t take into account scientific studies that make a connection between the trees’ decline and the deaths of grizzly bears in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. This ruling may have larger implications for threatened and endangered species, showing that climate change is in fact a threat to their future.
Washington Post: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Monday, September 28 @ 11:26:27 EDT (348 reads)
(Read More... | Climate Change | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Water Issues: All Fish Tested in U.S. Streams Show Mercury Levels |
A USGS test of fish pulled from almost 300 streams throughout the country found each of the fish tested contaminated with some level of mercury. Approximately 27 percent of the fish had mercury levels high enough to exceed what the EPA considers safe to eat. Surprisingly, mercury levels were lower in streams in urban areas, and higher in coastal plain streams that are fed by wetlands and forests (especially in NC, SC, GA, FL, and LA). A representative from the National Fisheries Institute emphasized that the health risk relates only to recreational fish, not the normal seafood found in restaurants and supermarkets, which are caught in the ocean or raised though aquaculture. Previous research has also found levels of concern in ocean and lake fish as well.
USA Today: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Wednesday, August 26 @ 10:54:05 EDT (400 reads)
(Read More... | Water Issues | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Animal Protection: ExxonMobile Pleads Guilty to Killing Birds, Pays Fine |
ExxonMobile pleaded guilty to charges that it violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in five states over the past five years. It is responsible for the death of 85 hawks, owls, and water fowl. The company is required to pay $200,000 in community service fees to water foul preservation and rehabilitation programs and an additional $400,000 in fines. The deaths were mainly caused by exposure to hydrocarbons in uncovered gas pits, oil tanks, and waste water facilities at various Exxon plants around the country. “We are all responsible for protecting our wildlife, even the largest corporations,” said Colorado U.S. Attorney General David M. Gaoutte in the Justice Department statement. “An important part of this case is the implementation of an environmental compliance plan that will help prevent future migratory bird deaths.”
La Times:Article
|
|
|
Posted by Becca on Tuesday, August 18 @ 12:13:50 EDT (397 reads)
(Read More... | Animal Protection | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Climate Change: Climate Change Seen As a Threat to U.S. Security |
Military and intelligence analysts say that global climate change will pose “profound strategic challenges to the United States in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration, and pandemics.” For the first time, the Pentagon and intelligence agencies have been taking a serious look at the national security implications of climate change. This argument could help in the debate in the Senate next month, when it looks at the climate and energy legislation passed by the House in June. The Foreign Relations Committee is advocating the climate legislation and is hoping to help sway skeptics in the Senate. Many critical military installations are vulnerable to rising sea levels and storm surges, and the shrinking of the Arctic ice cap will pose security issues. General Anthony Zinni, a retired Marine and former head of the Central Command, served as a member of a military advisory board on energy and climate at CAN and wrote in a report: “We will pay for this one way or another. We will pay to reduce greenhouse gas emissions today, and we’ll have to take an economic hit of some kind. Or we will pay the price later in military terms, and that will involve human lives.”
New York Times: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, August 18 @ 10:55:46 EDT (394 reads)
(Read More... | Climate Change | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Land Conservation: National Forest "Roadless Rule" Restored |
A federal appeals court recently found that the Bush administration evaded environmental laws when it in effect repealed a 2001 rule that barred the construction of roads and timber cutting on almost one third of National Forest land. The “roadless rule” was issued during the Clinton presidency and was very controversial, prompting lawsuits, contradictory court rulings, and administrative maneuvers. Though the ruling was considered an important victory by environmentalists, a related case is working through another appeals court. The decision was made by a panel of three judges, who concluded that when the Bush administration replaced the 2001 rule with a regulation that gave states a say in federal roadless areas, it “took substantive environmental protections off the books.” In 2006 a similar decision was made in California that reinstated the roadless regulations, but the decision was narrowed to apply only to states within the 9th Circuit. This court ruling applies nationally.
Los Angeles Times: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, August 18 @ 10:53:34 EDT (412 reads)
(Read More... | 1575 bytes more | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Climate Change: Former Senator John Warner Says National Security Emphasis May Gain More Support |
At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, former Senator John Warner joined former high-ranking military personnel and military analysts to stress that climate change poses national security threats. Warner argued that more senators and citizens may be in support of a climate bill if the national security issues were emphasized. At the hearing, Warner and the military personnel and analysts stressed the possibility of increased conflicts over scarce resources due to climate change. He also emphasized the need to work with other nations on climate policy so that the public doesn’t think that other nations are not bearing part of the burden or costs. Swift action by Congress was urged by Warner and others. The hearing witnesses stressed that climate change could be a “threat multiplier” in unstable countries. They also cited the danger of reliance on foreign energy supplies as a threat to national security, especially since DoD is among the largest energy-consumers in the country. Senator John Kerry, chair of the committee, told reporters that he is confident there will be a national security aspect to the climate bill that is being shaped in the Senate. He is working with Barbara Boxer, chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, to author an overall climate package and will co-sponsor the legislation.
Grist Magazine: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Monday, July 27 @ 16:25:46 EDT (440 reads)
(Read More... | Climate Change | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Climate Change: U.N. Recognizes Climate Change as Possible Security Threat |
The United Nations passed a resolution that recognizes climate change as a possible threat to security. The nonbinding resolution was passed by the General Assembly and may help put climate change on the agenda for the U.N. Security Council, which deals with threats to international peace and security. The resolution is a symbolic victory for small Pacific islands that are most vulnerable to rising sea levels. This resolution was the first to directly link climate change and security, a principle that has been resisted by some Security Council members. The resolution asks Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to submit a report on possible security implications from climate change.
Reuters: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Monday, June 08 @ 15:19:42 EDT (505 reads)
(Read More... | Climate Change | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Water Issues: Some Groups Hope to Start Zoning the Ocean |
A growing number of groups, including policymakers, academics, activists, and industry officials, say that it’s time to divide up space in the overcrowded ocean. There is competition for space between fishermen, offshore wind projects, oil rigs, sand miners, recreational boaters, liquefied gas tankers, and fish farmers. A handful of states (including Massachusetts, California, and Rhode Island) have begun to essentially zone the ocean to determine which activities can take place and where. The federal government is considering a similar approach. The chair of NOAA says the issue is one of its top priorities, in order to attend to the health of the whole ocean. “Marine spatial planning” is full of challenges, since very little of the ocean has been mapped in detail.
Washington Post: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Monday, May 11 @ 10:26:18 EDT (412 reads)
(Read More... | 1446 bytes more | Water Issues | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Water Issues: Obama Trying to Reverse Mountaintop-Mining Rule |
The Obama administration has sought to reverse an eleventh-hour Bush administration rule that makes it easier for coal-mining companies to shear off mountaintops and dump waste near rivers and streams. Obama’s action is a blow to the coal industry, as mountaintop mining is touted as a safer, cheaper alternative to underground mining. The Bush rule allows companies to avoid maintaining the 100-foot buffer zone between waste dumps and nearby waters if it isn’t reasonably possible to do so. On Monday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that he had asked the Justice Department to ask a federal court in D.C. to throw out the rule and send it back to the agency. The court’s decision will have the most effect on central Appalachian surface-mining operations, which account for about 10 percent of U.S. coal production. The announcement comes one month after the EPA publicized that it will revaluate 150 to 200 mining permits because of concern about the waste dumped into rivers and streams. The EPA has already asked the Army Corps of Engineers to revoke at least one previously granted permit and to ensure more safeguards before signing off on several other permits.
Wall Street Journal: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, May 05 @ 09:19:09 EDT (423 reads)
(Read More... | Water Issues | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Air Quality: Obama to Regulate "Pollutant" CO2 |
The EPA announced recently its plan to begin to regulate carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases that are likely to endanger human health and well-being. This decision has come a long way from the days of the Bush Administration EPA, which said that CO2 could not be regulated because it was not a pollutant. The carbon-cutting legislation is currently sitting in congress, but regardless of how long it will take to reach a decision on the bill, the pending bill, called an “Endangerment Finding,” will allow the EPA to make some changes while waiting for congress to act.
BBC: Article
|
|
|
Posted by Becca on Tuesday, April 21 @ 10:53:37 EDT (367 reads)
(Read More... | Air Quality | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Animal Protection: Supreme Court Rules that EPA can Weigh Cost and Benefits in Environmental Action |
The Supreme Court says that the EPA may consider whether protecting fish and other aquatic living things is worth the cost of requiring advanced upgrades for older power plants. The court ruled that the cost-benefit decisions are allowed under the Clean Water Act. The EPA has moved to require more than 500 older power plants to upgrade their water intake systems, which kill 3.4 billion fish and shellfish annually. New technology to bring the older plants in line with new plants could cost about $3.5 billion each year. The newer closed-cooling systems would reduce the rate of killed fish and aquatic creatures by 98 percent. An environmental group noted that the court did not say that the EPA is required to use the cost-benefit analysis, just that it may do so.
Washington Post: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Monday, April 06 @ 09:58:17 EDT (320 reads)
(Read More... | Animal Protection | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Water Issues: EPA to Examine Mountaintop-Removal Mining Permits |
The EPA put mountaintop coal mining operations on notice that they will be under closer scrutiny as the EPA reviews their impact on streams and wetlands. This announcement blocked the effect of a federal court decision that made it easier for mining companies to dispose of the rubble and sludge created when they blow off the tops of mountains to get to the coal underneath. The EPA is not stopping the mining permit applications, but will take a closer look at the applications that are the focus of some recent lawsuits. The EPA also objected to two proposed mountaintop mining operations in West Virginia and Kentucky, citing that they pose a serious threat to “aquatic resources of national importance.” The Bush Administration eased a 25-year ban on dumping mine waste within 100 feet of intermittent or permanent stream; the new policy would allow such dumping if it was unavoidable and if harm was minimized and was compensated for somewhere else. Last month, a three-judge appeals panel ruled that the Corps of Engineers didn’t have to conduct extensive reviews before issuing mountaintop mining permits.
Washington Post: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Monday, March 30 @ 15:54:27 EDT (317 reads)
(Read More... | 1674 bytes more | Water Issues | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Land Conservation: Congress Approves Significant Conservation Bill |
The U.S. Congress gave final approval to a landmark land and water conservation bill that would set aside about 2 million acres in nine states as new wilderness, making them off-limits to oil and gas drilling and other development. The legislation was a package of more than 160 bills that had been disputed for years. The 2 million acres are mostly in California, followed by Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, West Virginia, New Mexico, and Michigan. In addition to the 2 million wilderness acres, the legislation will permanently protect and restore a 26 million acre system of the Bureau of Land Management’s most historic and scenic lands and waters.
Reuters: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Monday, March 30 @ 15:52:09 EDT (336 reads)
(Read More... | Land Conservation | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Plastic Bags: No States Follow Through on Curtailing Plastic Bags |
Many states and cities throughout the country have proposed fees or bans on plastic shopping bags, but despite the increased support, no state has imposed either a fee or a ban. Officials cite fear of public backlash, especially in an economic downturn, but the governments could use the revenue generated from a fee. Some officials do cite the environment as a reason for banning plastic bags. In Seattle, the plastic-bag industry lobbied hard against the shopping bag ban, but city officials ultimately approved a fee on paper and plastic bags in retail stores. The city’s voters will make the final decision this summer. In Virginia, retail groups and bag makers have resisted several bag bills, due to the increased costs and hurt business they believe will result.
New York Times: Article
|
|
|
Posted by elizabeth on Tuesday, March 03 @ 10:12:51 EST (319 reads)
(Read More... | Plastic Bags | Score: 5)
|
|
| |
|
|
