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Archive of Environment on Thursday May 08, 2008
State losing money on parks
Kentucky's state park system is losing increasing amounts of money despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars on improvements in recent years, according to a report released yesterday by Auditor Crit Luallen. Read More
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
How many wolves? Lawsuit says original target was too small by sevenfold
LANDER, Wyo. -- With more than 1,500 wolves now roaming the Northern Rockies, there are five times the original goal stated in the federal government's 1994 wolf recovery plan. Read More
With billions of dollars at stake, TransCanada pitches pipeline
Gov. Sarah Palin's attempt to wrest control of development of Alaska's vast natural gas reserves away from the world's big petroleum companies may hinge on a medium-sized Canadian pipeline company. Read More
Rice hulls touted as fuel source as soy prices rise
Arkansas is still working to develop its place in the alternative fuels market, but Agriculture Secretary Richard Bell said Wednesday the state is well-positioned to use rice husks to generate ethanol. Read More
Bald-eagle protection in Arizona reviewed
Wildlife officials have until Dec. 5 to decide if Arizona's fewer than 50 breeding pairs of desert-nesting bald eagles should continue to be protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. Read More
Law would ban sale of metallic balloons
A legislative proposal would ban the sale of helium-filled metallic balloons starting in 2010. Read More
Historic SoCal land conservation deal hammered out
LEBEC, Calif. -- A group of environmentalists and the owners of a large expanse of wilderness have hammered out a deal that would result in the largest parcel of land designated for conservation in California history that could rival Yosemite National Park in its diversity of wildlife. Read More
Volusia lawmaker's intervention scuttles growth-limit bill
Ormond Beach state Sen. Evelyn Lynn says she only was trying to help rural areas around the state lure more development. But the result was that Lynn last week helped derail a proposed rewrite of Florida' growth laws in the dying hours of the legislative session. Read More
Florida to pay $11.5 million for cutting citrus trees
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A south Florida jury has ordered the State of Florida to pay $11.5 million as compensation to 58,225 residents of Broward County after the state cut down all the citrus trees in their yards in a disease-prevention effort. Read More
Ferry must pay for tugboat
The state Department of Transportation has told Hawaii Superferry it must pay for evening tugboat services at Kahului Harbor needed to accommodate the company's expanded Maui service. Read More
Senate panel approves Idaho wilderness bill
WASHINGTON -- A bill to create a wilderness in southwest Idaho's Owyhee canyonlands has cleared a Senate committee. Read More
Southwest Idaho company making millions by accepting toxic waste
Railcars loaded with 6,700 tons of radioactive waste will roll across the Treasure Valley this week, the cargo destined for a remote site south of Boise on a sagebrush-dotted plateau near the Snake River. And it won't be the first time. Read More
Feds pledge $1.3 billion for new FutureGen concept
The federal government Wednesday announced plans to offer companies $1.3 billion toward building FutureGen-style power plants across the country, taking another step away from building a single, massive project in Mattoon. Read More
Critics - Too many holes poked in plastic bag law
Chicago retailers who derive 25 percent of their gross sales from food or pharmaceuticals would be required to install plastic bag recycling bins - and distribute bags that state "Please reuse or recycle" ? under a crackdown advanced Wednesday that aldermen called a "first step." Read More
Legislature concludes work
Consider these two scenarios for the fate of the coal bill: The third time is the charm. Or, three strikes and you are out. Supporters of a coal-fired power plant were banking on the former Wednesday. They are hopeful Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will sign off on their third bill of the session authorizing expansion of the power plant near Holcomb in southwest Kansas. Read More
Legislature signs off session with coal bill
The Kansas Legislature on Wednesday sent another coal-fired power plants bill to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius before ending the wrap-up session. Read More
House roll call on bill allowing coal-fired plants
Here is the 76-48 vote Wednesday by which the House approved the latest bill allowing for the expansion of the Holcomb power plant and restricting the power of the secretary of health and environment. Supporters of the provisions tied them to economic development projects in other parts of the state. Read More
Despite fix-ups, fewer show up
Kentucky has spent more than $300 million over the past decade maintaining and enhancing its state parks to attract paying customers who -- so far -- haven't shown up, State Auditor Crit Luallen said Wednesday. Read More
Supplemental war spending bill includes levee project funding for New Orleans
WASHINGTON - Congress today will unfurl a massive emergency war spending bill expected to include $5.8 billion to secure levees in the New Orleans area. Read More
Peigneur bill going to Senate
A bill that would restrict expansion of natural gas storage caverns beneath Lake Peigneur will make it to the Louisiana Senate floor. Read More
State, county practice for big storm
What if a Category 3 Atlantic hurricane hit right at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay? Read More
Delay in pollutant ban likely
Gov. Martin O'Malley said yesterday that he is inclined to sign legislation delaying a statewide ban on dishwasher detergent containing polluting phosphorus and that he still is weighing whether to veto a bill ensuring that fruity alcoholic drinks known as "alcopops" continue to be taxed and distributed the same way as beer. Read More
Crab harvest rules aired
CAMBRIDGE, Md. - Nearly 200 watermen packed the pavilion at Sailwinds Park last night to hear details of new harvest rules that they fear will ruin commercial fishermen whose business depends in large part on catching female blue crabs, the Chesapeake Bay's signature fishery. Read More
Ethanol has arrived
Two years ago, Mike Perrino towed his 30-foot Pro-line boat from Maine to a fishing tournament in Massachusetts, topping off the gas tanks before heading to sea. Two miles out, the boat stopped. Read More
Flood damage repairs on Ozark riverways will cost $1 million
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - Flood damage to camp sites and structures along the Ozark National Scenic Riverways will cost nearly $1 million to repair. Read More
Wolf attacks leave 2 calves dead, 2 injured
Wolves have been active in southwestern Montana, killing two calves and injuring two others in three incidents. Read More
Recycling up 6 percent
Local governments across the state recycled a record amount last year, according to the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Read More
Legislature looks at closing Castle Hayne agriculture research facility
CASTLE HAYNE, N.C. -- When the Castle Hayne Horticultural Crops Research Station was established more than 60 years ago, there wasn't much surrounding the facility except for farms and fields. Read More
Meadowlands agency scraps EnCap project
After years of delays, cost overruns and diminished expectations, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission yesterday killed an ambitious $1 billion project to build golf courses, a hotel and thousands of homes atop capped garbage dumps in Bergen County. Read More
Environmentalists attack Voinovich over climate change
Preparing for debate over global warming in the U.S. Senate next month, the Environmental Defense Action Fund today is running a full-page ad in The Hill, a newspaper that covers Congress, criticizing Ohio's George Voinovich. Read More
Toxic spills in Carmen, near Edmond necessitate EPA response
The Environmental Protection Agency has responded to two environmental spills in Oklahoma this month ? a mercury spill in Carmen and a sewage leak in Oklahoma City, near Edmond. Read More
Senate committee approves buyout of cattle ranchers
WASHINGTON -- A Senate committee Wednesday unanimously approved a delicate agreement that would close 24,000 acres in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument to grazing while paying ranchers to keep their cattle off the land. Read More
Attorney general says legislator-state hunting deal legal
A hunter-access contract between a sitting legislator and the state would be legal, Atty. Gen. Larry Long says. Read More
Regulators checking huge sinkhole near Daisetta
DAISETTA, Texas - Regulators continued monitoring a massive sinkhole which has swallowed up oil field equipment, poles and some vehicles since surfacing just outside the southeast Texas community of Daisetta. Read More
Aging systems releasing sewage into rivers, streams
America's sewers are showing their age. Read More
Transit systems travel 'green' track
NEW YORK - This year, the surging current of the East River will help provide power to a nearby subway station. The lights that lace the ornate interior of Manhattan's Grand Central Station have largely been replaced by bulbs that burn brightly but save energy. Read More
New state forest coming to life in far southwest Virginia
Far Southwest Virginia boasts some of the state's most rugged and beautiful woodlands, but up until this week it has never had a patch of forest specifically protected by the state. Read More
Senate bill includes $64 million for WA flood damage
Sen. Patty Murray says an emergency spending bill headed to the Senate includes $64 million to help rebuild roads damaged in devastating floods in Washington state. Read More
Washington buys Snohomish County tree farm to ensure it stays green
Almost 1,000 acres of forest land east of Arlington will be preserved from development under a purchase agreement approved Tuesday by the state Board of Natural Resources. Read More
Communities get "clean sweep" funding
A new state grant program will help communities across the state get rid of some bad medicine. Read More
Panel OKs bill to protect Wyo Range
WASHINGTON -- Despite protests by some senators worried about world energy production, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a bill Wednesday putting 1.2 million acres of the Wyoming Range off-limits to future oil and gas production. 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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