SERC Wildlines Report #28

July 15, 2002

In this Edition:

Issue Spotlight:  Conservation Funding

Headliner: Emissions poll

Watchdog: No Right-to-Know in Kentucky

News Important to the States:

Land & Water Use

*North Carolina Governor May Force Communities to Save Water

Healthy Schools

*Massachusetts Provides Incentive for Energy-Efficient Schools

*Indiana School Finds Tainted Water

Saving Wildlife

*Biologists Fear Vietnamese Bait Could Harm Maryland

*Carcasses Pile Up As Wisconsin Kills Off Deer

Clean Energy

*New York City Low on Power

__________________________________________________________________________

Issue Spotlight:  Conservation Funding

Insufficient funding for conservation programs is often the greatest hurdle in efforts to conserve natural resources.  Even the best of conservation programs can be thwarted by a lack of money. At the state level, adequate funding is needed to protect ecologically critical natural areas and large tracts of open space that provide benefits such as improved air, soil and water quality, expanded opportunities for outdoor recreation, pristine waterways, and improved wildlife habitats. With the pressures of population growth, rising property values and rampant development always escalating, the issue of funding for environmental conservation grows more urgent every day.  To learn how to promote a successful conservation funding initiative in your state, visit our web site at http://serconline.org/conservationfunding.

____________________________________________________________________________

Headliner: Survey Finds Vast Majority of U.S. Voters Want Strict Greenhouse Gas Cuts

As reported by ENN last week, a Zogby poll, commissioned by the Union of Concerned Scientists, showed that three quarters of voters surveyed want the U.S. government to require power plants and industry to cut emissions of gases linked to global warming. Some 76 percent of those surveyed said the U.S. government should set standards requiring power plants, oil refineries, and other industries to cut greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide. Another 16 percent said they supported a voluntary approach endorsed by the White House, while 8 percent said they were undecided. The survey also showed that 78 percent believe global warming is a big problem now or in the future. For related information visit SERC’s Four Pollutants page at http://www.serconline.org/clean/index.html.

_________________________________________________________________________

Watchdog: No Right-to-Know in Kentucky

The Kentucky Farm Bureau worked closely with the Kentucky General Assembly to slash the public’s right-to-know.  The Farm Bureau endorsed HB 367 which ensures the secrecy of agricultural water quality plans submitted to local or state agencies.  Kentucky farmers are required to produce plans outlining their procedures for protecting surface and ground water from toxins such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and manure.  Under the new legislation, these records will remain confidential. The public would no longer have access to records indicating what pollutants are contained in their water and who put them there. For more, see http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/2002rsrecord/HB367.htm.

___________________________________________________________________________

News Important to the States:

Land & Water Use

North Carolina Governor May Force Communities to Save Water

The 7/15 Raleigh News and Observer reports that Governor Mike Easley is willing to make water restrictions on communities mandatory if they refuse the conservation request he made last week. On Friday, Easley became the first Southern governor to request federal disaster aid for a drought that has lingered in the Southeast for nearly five years. His request covered 54 of the state's 100 counties and is the first step toward making federal emergency credit loans and federal livestock assistance available to farmers.

Healthy Schools

Massachusetts Provides Incentive for Energy-Efficient Schools

The 7/15 Boston Globe reported that Massachusetts wants to dramatically change the way schools are built. The state has joined the Renewable Energy Trust which seeks to use financial incentives to encourage school districts to include features that save and generate energy and use more natural light in their buildings. The effort was spurred by rising energy costs and concerns about the effect of indoor air quality and lighting on student health and academic performance. To learn more about how you can promote energy efficiency in your state visit http://www.serconline.org/efficiencystandards/.

Indiana School Finds Tainted Water

The 7/15 Indianapolis Star reported that more than 450 elementary students have been drinking water tainted with MtBE, a possible human carcinogen, for at least two years. Some drinking water at the school tested as high as 350 parts per billion of MtBE. Both the Environmental Protection Agency and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) consider any water with more than 45 ppb unsafe to drink. Students and parents have been suffering from unexplained illnesses, including stomach aches, migraines, respiratory problems, rashes and nosebleeds. IDEM found that most of the MtBE in Lincoln Elementary School's drinking water originated a third of a mile away at a local service station. For more on how you can keep your school healthy visit http://www.serconline.org/chemicals/stateactivity.html.

Saving Wildlife

Biologists Fear Vietnamese Bait Could Harm Maryland Waters

Government biologists say nuclear worms, used as fishing bait, may be releasing foreign bacteria into Maryland waters.  Smithsonian scientists found that the worms, imported from Vietnam, as well as the materials in which they are packed, contain the bacterium Vibro, a cholera bacteria that attacks oysters and causes serious illness in people.  The worms are dumped from bait buckets into the Chesapeake Bay.  To learn how your state can prevent invasive aquatic species, see http://www.serconline.org/ballast/index.htm.

Carcasses Pile Up As Wisconsin Kills Off Deer

The 7/15 Wisconsin State Journal reported that state officials have yet to determine how to dispose of tens of thousands of deer carcasses. The hunt began three weeks ago to kill all of the estimated 25,000 deer in a 361-square-mile area of the state where 18 deer with chronic wasting disease were found last fall.  Officials believe that eradication is the only option to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.  For more information on chronic wasting disease and to learn what your state can do about it, visit http://www.serconline.org/CWD/.

Clean Energy

New York City Low on Power

According to the 7/12 New York Times, the New York City region may face serious power outages in the coming summer months.  While the World Trade Tower collapse and the falling economy should have slowed demand for power in the region, hot weather, an increased use of air-conditioning units and computers, and low participation in energy conservation programs are causing a strain on the area energy suppliers.  To see more on how states have used legislation to encourage energy efficiency, see http://www.serconline.org/efficiencystandards/.

              ____________________________________________________________________________ 

Do you have news about environmental legislation or regulations in your state? Please submit items to [email protected]. If   you no longer wish to receive Wildlines, simply reply to this email with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.