Current Wildlines

News from the States:

Central New York Conservation Planned (Syracuse Post-Standard 11/18)
From the sand dunes of Lake Ontario, to a northern white cedar swamp that shelters ancient trees, a new plan by the Pataki administration would purchase and preserve open space across Central New York. The Open Space Conservation Plan, updated every three years, is a blueprint for lands the state wants to acquire and protect from development. The plan prioritizes projects, identifying private holdings that could be purchased for use as public recreational areas, wilderness or wildlife habitat. The goal of the Pataki plan is to conserve 1 million acres statewide over the next 10 years, although it doesn't mandate the purchases. Little land was preserved in the last year because of political squabbling between Gov. George Pataki and legislative leaders and a deficit of billions of dollars because of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. That left the state Environmental Protection Fund unfunded for more than a year. This year, the EPF contains $76 million for open space purchases.

Montana Gated Developments Take off (High Country News 11/11)
Exclusive, gated and guarded communities are cropping up across the West. Experts estimate the U.S. has somewhere between 3,000 and 25,000 gated and guarded communities, and more appear every day. In the last few years, half a dozen high-end, gated "shared ranch developments" have begun selling lots along Montana's pristine trout streams and mountain slopes. They attract buyers from out of state by marketing a combination of expansive ranch living, a homogeneous social scene, and convenient property and recreation management. An unplanned chaos of ranchettes and rural subdivisions is taking over much of the lowland. Today's pattern of land ownership represents a significant social upheaval. According to one of Montana's leading ranch appraisers, of all land sales over 1,000 acres in western Montana last year, 80 percent went to nonresidents.

New York Activists Focus on Climate Change (Times Union, 11/21)
About 100 environmental advocates met in Albany, NY this week for a “Cool New York” summit. They discussed how to push for legislation on two top priorities: a state cap on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants (the largest contributor of the leading greenhouse gas), and the development of alternative energy sources. Though Gov. Pataki has indicated that these are also his priorities, Environmental Advocates and other groups are concerned that a report recommending steps to combat global climate change in NY from the governor’s Greenhouse Gas Task Force has been delayed. Whenever it is released, say activists, it needs “real measures to protect the climate.”

CDC Report Provides Data on Cancer Incidence (LA Times, 11/19)
The Center for Disease Control released a report this week describing the incidence of cancer in the US population. The report, based on 1999 data from 37 states and 78 percent of the population, found that breast cancer is the leading type of cancer among women and prostate cancer is the leading type of cancer in men. Although the report breaks data down by state and region, CDC officials declined to discuss patterns of cancer incidence, saying only that the report represented an improvement in data collection, and that it could help direct further research on causes, prevention and control of cancer. Of particular concern are environmental risk factors, which may vary geographically. The report can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/npcr/uscs/index.htm.

Pennsylvania a Top Air Polluter (Tribune-Review, 11/22)
Pennsylvania, which relies on coal burning power plants for 60 percent of its power, ranked within the top 10 states for emissions of mercury, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, according to the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory (http://www.epa.gov/triinter/). Other EPA data have shown that pollution from power plants contributes to the premature death of 550 people per year in PA, and 5900 people per year nationwide. Many local government officials in areas near polluting power plants are unaware of the extent of the problem. For more on preventing air pollution in your state, see http://www.serconline.org/safeair&water.html. For more on clean energy sources, see http://www.serconline.org/cleanenergypage.html.

Massachusetts Receives Smart Growth Award for Computer Program (Stateline.org 11/19)
The U.S. EPA awarded Massachusetts one of the first annual National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement. The state earned the award for a new computer program that gives civic leaders, urban planners and ordinary citizens the ability to see how their communities will grow under current policies and how they can change those policies to get better results. Hundreds of data gatherers studied local economies, population projections, tax structures, and zoning laws to collect the information required to develop software that illustrates the future fiscal and environmental impacts of various land-use policy options. Massachusetts was the only state that received the smart growth award but other recipients included Arlington, Virginia, for its "urban villages" around subway stations, a Colorado neighborhood built on reclaimed mine land, and San Mateo, California's incentives for mixed-income housing near transit hubs.

Ohio Requests Permission to Increase Vehicle Pollution (Cincinnati Enquirer 11/20)
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is asking the federal government to give four counties permission to allow vehicles to emit an extra 4 tons of pollutants each day. If the request is granted, Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties will have authorization to exceed previously established limits on emissions of pollutants from cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

Oregon Dams to be Removed (Washington Post 11/20)
Portland General Electric is planning to remove two dams on the Sandy and Little Sandy Rivers and to restore fish habitat. This is the latest in a nationwide trend towards dam removal – 60 dams will be removed this year, and hundreds more are being considered for deconstruction. Removal of dams makes sense both economically and ecologically. Migratory fish like salmon and steelhead are harmed by dams, which radically alter river habitats. Removing dams not only helps fish populations, but can also improve the tourism industry, and is often more economical than retrofitting dams to meet new environmental requirements.

Indiana Bans Invasive Fish (Indianapolis Star 11/22)
In emergency rulemaking last week, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources banned possession of three invasive fish. The Asian carp, snakehead fish, and white perch will be illegal to buy, sell or posses starting December 1st. Officials fear the spread of these fish will upset the balance of state ecosystems, quickly out-competing native fish with their voracious appetites. The Asian carp and white perch have already been found in state waterways. Hundreds of snakehead fish were discovered in a pond in Maryland this July, following the release of two snakeheads from a personal aquarium in 2000. To learn how your state can prevent and manage introductions of invasive species, see www.serconline.org/invasives/stateactivity.html.