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Archive of Environment on Wednesday May 07, 2008
EPA unlikely to join state in limiting chemical
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency probably won't follow California in ridding drinking water of a rocket fuel chemical that has contaminated supplies in Rancho Cordova and in dozens of other communities around the country, a top agency official said Tuesday. Read More
Citrus owners get slim award - $34 a tree
Tens of thousands of Broward homeowners should be given more money for many of the trees destroyed by the state during the controversial citrus canker eradication program, a Broward jury decided late Tuesday. Read More
Session nears end with third coal bill
Call it Coal 3. For the third time in the 2008 legislative session, lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that would authorize the construction of two 700-megawatt coal-fired power plants and strip the state of authority to block similar projects. Read More
State lawmakers seek new polar bear study
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The state Legislature is looking to hire a few good polar bear scientists. The conclusions have already been agreed upon - researchers just have to fill in the science part. Read More
Council OKs tougher tailpipe-emissions rules
New cars and trucks sold in Arizona would have to meet stricter, California-style standards for tailpipe emissions by the 2012 model year under a new rule approved Tuesday by an executive oversight panel. Read More
Developer faces charges for permit failure
A major Wilmington-area developer faces a $5,000 penalty for failing to secure permits to operate two large boilers in a landmark office building at 11th and Market streets. Read More
More than $11.5M awarded to Florida residents in citrus case
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Florida owes more than $11.5 million to thousands of Broward County homeowners whose citrus trees were chopped down during a failed effort to control a harmful disease, a jury ruled. Read More
Ga. Biomass plant eyes Tallahassee
A Georgia company wants to build Florida's first biomass energy plant ? turning wood chips into electricity ? at a Florida State University industrial park. Before that can happen, the company, Biomass Gas & Electric LLC, needs to answer questions from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Read More
Georgia environmental officials relax water restrictions
Georgia environmental officials are relaxing some of the strict water restrictions imposed last year despite concerns that the epic drought gripping the state could grow worse. Read More
UH keeps track of its hot air
The University of Hawaii at Manoa has become the first Hawaii organization to take part in a volunteer effort to track its own greenhouse gas emissions and report to an independent third party. Read More
State campaign aims to stomp out roaches
The state will pass out hundreds of cockroach traps to residents at Kalihi Valley Homes this month in a pilot campaign to raise awareness about the danger that the insects pose to people with asthma. Read More
Superferry awaits signal from Kauai
The Hawaii Superferry, which hasn't sailed to Kaua'i since harbor protesters blocked its arrival in August, intends to resume trips there only if the community signals it wants the service restored, the company's new chief executive said yesterday. Read More
Solar water heat required in new Hawaii homes
HONOLULU - All new homes in Hawaii will be required to have solar water heaters installed starting in 2010 under a law approved by the Legislature. Read More
Lobbyist says more regular citizens should own wind turbines
A wind turbine entrepreneur says it's time for Iowa to take some of the steps taken in Minnesota in order to position the state as a leader in the wind energy industry. Ed Woolsey of Prole, president of Green Prairie Energy, lobbies legislators on behalf of the Iowa Renewable Energy Association. Read More
Anti-wolf petition drive falls short of goal
LEWISTON, Idaho -- Idaho voters will not have a chance to vote wolves out of the state in November. Read More
Coal plant bill OK'd by Kansas Senate
The Kansas Senate has passed yet another bill to authorize two coal-fired power plants in western Kansas, even as enthusiasm for the fight dimmed in the legislative session's final hours. Read More
House speaker alleges improper use of plane trips by governor
In Kansas politics, the state plane used by the governor can be an asset or a liability. House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, recently accused Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of getting people to vote against the coal-fired power project by flying them to Kansas University basketball games. Read More
Session slowly coming to end
The Legislature moved closer to a climatic ending of the 2008 session late Tuesday by debating a bill containing a cluster of economic development incentives and consent for construction of a $3.6 billion coal-fired electric plant in southwest Kansas. Read More
No tales about tails' origin
Restaurants would have to be open about the country of origin of crawfish and shrimp they use under a bill that cleared a House panel Tuesday. Read More
Committee crawfishes on imported seafood disclosure
A weakened bill prohibiting restaurants from misrepresenting that they serve Louisiana shrimp or crawfish when they use the imported variety unanimously cleared the House Commerce Committee Tuesday, the first time in almost a decade a seafood disclosure bill has made it to the full House for debate. Read More
3 states head to court to keep control over wolves
HELENA, Mont. - Three states are defending their ability to sustain a gray wolf population in the Northern Rockies, asking to be heard in a federal lawsuit that seeks to return the wolves to the endangered species list. Read More
Snowmelt scarcity forces cut in flows
Because snow is sticking tight to the high country of the Bighorn River Basin, flows through Yellowtail Dam were cut Tuesday by the Montana office of the Bureau of Reclamation. Read More
PSC delays decision on lawsuit
The Public Service Commission will continue to evaluate the possibility of suing Northwestern Energy over its plans to sell a coal-fired electric generation plant. Read More
No fuel shortages expected
Fuel - albeit costly - should be in sufficient supply this summer in North Dakota, industry officials say. Fuel shortages last summer forced North Dakotans to pay among the highest prices in the nation for gasoline and diesel. Read More
State Senate to vote on emissions bill
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Skyrocketing electric bills and lost jobs are potential outcomes of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) bill up for a state Senate vote tomorrow, business leaders say. Read More
Water tax floated for open space
A state senator said yesterday he is renewing efforts to try to win public approval this fall of a ballot question that would constitutionally dedicate a proposed new water tax to raise about $150 million annually for open space purchases. Read More
Environment: Score cards give lawmakers mixed reviews
Santa Fe-area members of the state House of Representatives have declining environmental voting records while local state senators are on the upswing, according to a state-based environmental group's "score card" released Tuesday. Read More
Reno firm pays $80,000 settlement to EPA
RENO, Nev. - A Reno manufacturer has agreed to an $80,000 fine to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its failure to required reports about toxic chemical. Read More
NY Senate expected to OK gas tax holiday
With gasoline prices nearing $4 a gallon, the Senate planned to pass a bill today that would suspend the state's gasoline taxes for the summer months. But the Republican-backed measure faces opposition in the Assembly and reservations in the governor's office. Read More
Farmer pioneers green energy practices in Ohio
BROOKVILLE, Ohio - When he was laid up in the hospital recovering from knee surgery, farmer Ralph Dull picked up a thick notebook dropped off by a friend that detailed how wind generators produce electricity. Read More
Bee population research gets $20,000 boost
Pennsylvania boosted funding Tuesday for research into the causes of the honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder that continues to jeopardize food crops from Keystone State apples to Florida oranges and California almonds. Read More
Second pipeline still tentative
No paperwork has been filed for a proposed "Keystone Phase II" oil pipeline through western South Dakota, a state official says, but representatives from TransCanada Corp. have talked with at least some legislators and have plans to meet with local governments. Read More
Texas boosting attempts to rout feral pigs
Texas is increasing efforts to get rid of hundreds of thousands of feral hogs that are mangling the state's pastures, crops and waterways. Read More
TCEQ helps plants in suit
Some Houston plant operators are getting help in their fight to block the city's efforts to regulate air pollution from an unlikely but important ally ? the Texas agency responsible for clearing the skies. Read More
Mont. releases swans raised in Wyo
OVANDO, Mont. -- Ten trumpeter swans were released this week near Ovando in a continuing effort to re-establish a migrating population in the Blackfoot River Valley. Read More
Public to comment on prairie dogs
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has begun accepting public comment on whether the white-tailed prairie dog, a squirrel-like rodent found in four states, should be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Read More
Compact may block nuclear waste
A federal lawsuit filed Monday by EnergySolutions isn't changing the mind of Utah's representative on the eight-state Northwest Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management, which may be able to decide Thursday the fate of the company's proposal to import radioactive waste from Italy. Read More
Billboard ban exemption raises concerns
For 40 years, it's been the guardian of Vermont's pastoral landscapes, keeping interstates and back roads clear of outdoor advertising. Enacted in 1968, the state's billboard ban has been a sacred cow -- in a state where few hold that distinction. Read More
Exemption to Vermont billboard ban raises concerns
For 40 years, it's been the guardian of Vermont's pastoral landscapes, keeping interstates and back roads clear of outdoor advertising. Enacted in 1968, the state's billboard ban has always been a sacred cow -- in a state where few hold that distinction. Read More
Gregoire pick for pesticide panel questioned
Gov. Chris Gregoire is appointing a scientist with ties to the Dow Chemical Co. to a state panel that tracks pesticide exposures. Read More
Wyo wants part in wolf suit
For years, Wyoming and the federal government battled against each other in court over wolf management. Now, they're fighting on the same side. The Cowboy State has joined Idaho and Montana in asking to intervene in federal court against a lawsuit seeking to return wolves in the Northern Rockies to the endangered species list. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Phantom voter stalks Ala. State House
An Alabama lawmaker says someone’s been using his voting machine. Florida’s House Speaker locks the doors and turns off Internet access to make legislators pay attention. And Mayberry’s Sheriff Taylor endorses a North Carolina gubernatorial candidate. In case you missed those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Illinois gov runs up travel tab
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s commuting costs start to add up. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds settles a dispute with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a cranky game warden. Read More |
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