Current Issue

 

SERC Wildlines Report #37

September 16, 2002

In this Edition:
Issue Spotlight: Bottle Bills
Headliner: North Carolina to draft Biodiversity Land Conservation Plan
Watchdog: Efforts to Kill Bottle Bills
News From the States:
*California Requires More Efficient Washers
*West Virginia Energy Plan Includes Efficiency and Renewables
*Bill Limits Pesticide Use near Schools
*Foresters Tighten Certification Process
*Wyoming Wolf Policy Criticized
*Mississippi Upholds CAFO Air Quality Permit
*New Publication to Assist States with Invasive Species Policy
*New Jersey Law Requires Well Testing

We can save energy and protect the environment by recycling our beverage cans and bottles through beverage container deposit programs or "bottle bills." For example, recycling aluminum cans saves 65% of the energy required to make these cans from bauxite ore and other raw materials—in fact, recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for five hours! Reduced energy and raw materials consumption also means a reduction in pollution from manufacturing: pollution that causes acid rain, smog, mercury-poisoned lakes and streams, and global warming. In addition, recycling beverage containers greatly reduces litter; reduces the demand for oil drilling, damming for hydroelectricity, and environmentally destructive strip- mining for coal and other minerals. It also lessens the burden on landfills in our own backyards. Last spring, the Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment, James Jeffords, proposed a national container deposit law. The energy savings alone from such a measure would be enough to meet the annual electricity needs of 5 million households a year. Senator Jeffords bill has been endorsed by the Container Recycling Institute, Friends of the Earth, GrassRoots Recycling Network, and many other of the top recycling and environmental groups. To learn how you can implement bottle bill program in your state identical to the Jeffords model, visit www.serconline.org/bottlebill.

Headliner: North Carolina to draft Biodiversity Land Conservation Plan

The 9/12 Raleigh News and Observer reported that North Carolina officials are starting to draft a statewide plan and strategy for conserving land that will identify the types of wetlands, forests and fields they need to protect in the state. The effort, called "One North Carolina Naturally," aims to set common goals for private conservation groups and local, state and federal governments, and will be lead by Conservation and Community Affairs at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The project could revitalize attention on the state's lagging Million Acre Initiative which has so far fallen short of its preservation goals. In fact, Gov. Mike Easley used $29 million from conservation trust funds to fill a hole in last year's budget. State officials will draft their conservation plan by next spring, including a statewide map showing areas already protected from development and areas they'd like to target. For more on conservation planning, visit http://www.serconline.org/biodiversitystate.html

Watchdog: Efforts to Kill Bottle Bills

Although no state bottle bill has ever been repealed, the beverage industry’s well- funded campaigns have long attempted to stop new bottle bills and the expansion of existing ones. Although Hawaii recently passed a bottle return bill, it was the first state in 20 years to do so. Last year, the Grocery Association spent thousands to kill Iowa’s bottle bill, claiming that returning a beverage container to a grocery store was a threat to public health – an argument that was quickly refuted by the state’s department of public health. Another argument commonly used is that return- deposit system should be dumped in favor of a government-managed curbside recycling programs. Industry prefers curbside recycling because it places responsibility for recycling beverage containers out of their hands. However, in states without bottle bills, curbside recycling, drop-off, and buyback programs together recover only 191 beverage containers per person per year, compared to 490 containers per person per year deposit- return states. (The ideal system is a deposit system for beverage containers, complemented by curbside and drop-off systems for other products, including food containers, newspapers, cardboard, mixed paper, and yard waste.) To learn more, visit http://www.serconline.org/watchdogpage.htm

News From the States

California Requires More Efficient Washers

The 9/12 Christian Science Monitor reported that California Gov. Gray Davis signed a first of its kind bill last week that requires water efficiency in clothes washers. While opponents criticized the cost of new washing machines, supporters claimed that the washers' cost would be recouped in savings on water and energy. Other states such as Washington and Texas have already tightened washing-machine standards, which will affect newly purchased appliances. With drought and neighboring states putting more pressure on California’s water supply, some officials say the cost will be made up in as little as five years through lower water bills. California achieved vast savings in both water and money during the early 1990s when widespread implementation of ultra-low-flush toilets, water-saving showerheads, and other conservation steps cut water use by 20 percent. Find more water conservation legislation at http://www.serconline.org/waterconservation/stateactivity.html.

West Virginia Energy Plan Includes Efficiency and Renewables

West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise announced in late August that his Energy Task Force has produced a 20-year roadmap for developing energy resources within the state. Although the coal state's energy roadmap has an emphasis on fossil fuel resources, it also urges the development of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy resources. In fact, two of the nine goals are to improve WV’s leadership in "non- traditional energy-related technologies and products" and to promote conservation and energy efficiency across the state. Specific action items include promoting the commercial and residential use of distributed energy generation and renewable energy and establishing a green buildings program. For more on clean energy, see http://www.serconline.org/cleanenergypage.html

Bill Limits Pesticide Use near Schools

The 9/13 LA Times reported that California Gov. Davis has signed legislation that allows county agricultural commissioners to place restrictions on the use of all pesticides applied on farms within a quarter-mile of schools. In addition, AB 947 increases the maximum fine for serious pesticide-related violations from $1,000 to $5,000. It also includes language encouraging school districts to address in their safety plans steps to take in the event of pesticide drift. Assemblywoman Hannah- Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), who drafted the legislation, said in order to maintain broad support for the legislation, she narrowed the scope of her original legislation. It initially called for an increase in regulatory oversight of pesticide application within a quarter-mile of all sensitive sites, such as day-care centers, nursing homes and hospitals. For more ways to protect children’s health, see http://www.serconline.org/childrenshealth.html.

Foresters Tighten Certification Process

The Society of American Foresters has announced an enhancement of its Certified Forester® (CF) program by adding an examination component. Forester certification has emerged as one attempt to fill the void created by inconsistent or nonexistent state licensing and registration criteria for foresters. A CF agrees to abide by the program's requirements and procedures for certification and recertification, to maintain continuing professional development, and to conduct all forestry practices in a responsible, professional manner consistent with state and federal regulations governing environmental quality and forest management practices. For more on forestry, visit http://www.serconline.org/forestrystateinfo.html.

Wyoming Wolf Policy Criticized

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has issued new classifications for wolves to allow the hunters to kill wolves once they are no longer protected by the federal government, according to the Billings Gazette. Federal protection is not likely to be removed as long as wolves are classified as predators, a designation that allows indiscriminate killing. The commission hoped to satisfy the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by voting to classify some of Wyoming’s wolves as trophy game animals, meaning they could only be hunted in season and with a permit. However, classification as a trophy game animal offers little protection to wolves, which had been hunted to extinction in the state earlier this century. For more on protecting endangered species, visit http://www.serconline.org/esa/index.htm.

Mississippi Upholds CAFO Air Quality Permit

The Mississippi state Permit Board recently decided to uphold an air quality permit for an Oktibbeha County hog farmer, according to the 9/11 Clarion-Ledger. The ruling leaves in place a 4-acre holding pond full of animal waste while the state Permit Board waits for quantitative scientific measurements. The ruling was seen as a benchmark for other state Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) complaints. Some nearby residents have experienced asthma attacks, burning eyes, nosebleeds, and respiratory problems which they say is a result of the odor. The board did recommend some sort of a windbreak, a solution criticized as inadequate by the farm’s neighbors and activists. For more on confined animal feeding operations, see http://www.serconline.org/cafos.html.

New Publication to Assist States with Invasive Species Policy

The Environmental Law Institute has announced a new tool to protect your state from non-native species like the snakehead fish, the glossy buckthorn tree, and the zebra mussel. These species can displace native plants and animals, disrupt ecological processes, upset the stability of our ecosystems, and can permanently change our natural landscapes, and cost state and local governments millions of dollars to remedy the damaging effects. "Halting the Invasion: State Tools for Invasive Species Management" analyzes the current legal tools available at the state level to combat invasive species. The report identifies 17 state tools to effectively prevent, regulate, control, and manage invasive species as well as enforce and implement existing laws. It also offers three examples of model state programs and provides specific recommendations on improvements states could make to their existing invasive species tools. State-specific summaries can be accessed through ELI's website at http://www2.eli.org/research/invasives/index.cfm. For more on invasive species legislation , visit http://www.serconline.org/ballast/index.htm.

New Jersey Law Requires Well Testing

As reported in the 9/10 Philadelphia Inquirer, New Jersey has become the first state in the nation to require in-depth testing of privately owned wells. The Private Well Testing Act requires that private well owners use a state-certified laboratory to test their water for numerous contaminants and then make the results known to any buyer. The analysis will include tests for 26 different volatile organic compounds as well as for coliform, iron, manganese, nitrate and lead. In some areas of the state, tests also may be required for arsenic, mercury and radium. Legislators say the law was critical to public health in light of recent contamination found in NJ’s water supply. For more on tracking measures visit http://www.serconline.org/TrackingEnvironmentalProblemsState.html.

Do you have news about environmental legislation or regulations in your state? Please submit items to [email protected].