| Reining
in Special Interests: |
Colorado:
Lawmakers Tied to Corporate Group (Denver Post 3/1)
In a new report on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC),
it was revealed that at least half of Colorado's state lawmakers
are members of the corporate-sponsored group. The report details
how corporations control what becomes ALEC's anti-environmental
"model legislation" and then utilize ALEC's well-organized
network of state legislators throughout the country to pass it.
The report can be read at: http://www.alecwatch.org. |
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| Saving
Wildlands: |
Alaska:
Boreal Buffer Bill Passes House
Alaska environmental groups were pleased by a unanimous vote on
the House floor last week in support of HB 131, the Boreal Buffer
Bill. The bill provides buffers for protection of interior lakes
and streams during logging. |
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Minnesota:
DNR Looks to Restrict ORVs in State Forests
A DNR spokesperson said last week that the agency will likely reclassify
some state forests as "limited" and would restrict ORVs
to designated trails rather than continuing to allow cross-country
riding. The state's current ORV law allows cross-country or off-trail
travel in 46 of 58 state forests. Recent Star Tribune reports have
shown widespread rutting and damage from ORV use in state forests
and wildlife management areas. |
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Michigan:
Chinese Invasive Species Threaten State's Trees
The Detroit Press reported today that the threat posed by exotic
pests and diseases is greater than ever in Michigan's nearly 20
million acres of forest. Experts say that the problem has exploded
with increasing global trade, particularly from China. In fact,
since China's latitude and climate are similar to those found in
parts of North America, there are likely to be many species of insects
and diseases that have the potential to establish in Michigan and
throughout the country. |
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| Urban
Issues: |
Nebraska:
Anti-Sprawl Property Tax Bill Advances
Last week, Sen. George Coordsen's LB 600 advanced from first-round
debate on a 25-18 vote. The bill taxes farm land on its earnings
capacity instead of its market value. Often times, as development
sprawls near farmland, the market value of the land dramatically
increases, causing property taxes to sky-rocket. These high property
taxes force many farmers near developments to go out of business
and sell their land to sprawling developers. |
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Florida:
Schools-First Growth Bill gets Senate's OK
The growth management bill, SB 382, passed the Senate 34-1 last
week. The bill requires local comprehensive plans to include schools,
one of Gov. Jeb Bush's top legislative priorities. It is seen as
an answer to overcrowded classrooms caused when development outpaces
school construction. The bill would require local governments and
school boards to enter planning agreements by 2004 or else face
losing up to 5 percent of their state funding, and would allow local
governments and school boards to levy local option sales taxes. |
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Virginia:
Light Pollution Bill Clears Senate, Dies in House
Sen. Janet Howell's SB 100 light pollution bill died in the House
Committee on Cities, Towns, and Counties last week after passing
in the Senate. This bill takes a first-step approach of granting
all localities authority to establish, by ordinance, maximum outdoor
lighting standards and regulations. |
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| Equal
Justice: |
Colorado:
Anti-SLAPP Bills Being Debated (Denver Post 3/1)
A bill on SLAPP suits was slapped down in committee last week, but
a tougher measure to protect citizens who speak before government
waits to be voted on by the full House. Strategic Lawsuits Against
Public Participation (SLAPP) occur when a business tries to silence
its opponents through lawsuits. Rep. Mark Paschall presented HB
1267, which he says will allow courts to quickly dismiss suits designed
to silence truthful opposition. Rep. William Sinclair has offered
HB 1192, which would give immunity from lawsuits to anyone testifying
or corresponding with public officials. Four business associations
supported Paschall's bill in committee last week while opposing
Sinclair's bill, and Sinclair said Paschall's bill is an attempt
to water down his legislation. |
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| Saving
Wildlife: |
Alaska:
Rabies Epidemic Confirmed
The Associated Press reported last week that state epidemiologists
say there is a rabies epizootic, an epidemic among animals, in northern
Alaska. Since Oct. 1, the state virology laboratory in Fairbanks
has tested animal carcasses and found 40 percent tested positive
for rabies. Microbiologists found rabies in 44 arctic foxes, 18
red foxes, and four dogs. |
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| Safe
Air and Water: |
New
York: Bill Bans Herbicide Use on Utility Rights-of-Way
Rep. Galef Parment has introduced A 1879, a bill that would phase
out the use of chemical herbicides on utility rights-of-way in favor
of mechanical, cultural, and biological controls. Rep. Parment contends
that the use of herbicides to clear and maintain utility rights-of-way
is a practice which is dangerous to workers and the public, and
damaging to the property of the person who owns the land. He also
said the use of herbicides often injures and kills adjacent non-target
vegetation and sickens or kills livestock and wildlife. |
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Massachusetts:
Bill Banning Mercury Thermometers Passes
Rep. J. James Marzilli's HB 3773 has passed the Senate and is headed
for the governor's desk. The bill bans the sales of all mercury
fever thermometers, except in the case of a medical necessity as
determined by a licensed physician, or by prescription. |
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| Other
News: |
EWG
Says Pregnant Women Need More Protection from Mercury
The Food and Drug Administration is failing in its public health
obligation to protect pregnant women and developing fetuses from
the toxic effects of mercury, charges the Environmental Working
Group. The conservation group warns that fish consumption advisories
issued by the agency do not reflect the true danger posed by mercury
in fish. To learn about legislation aimed at curbing mercury poisoning,
please visit our state info page at: http://www.serconline.org/mercury/stateactivity.html. |
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Top
Religious Leaders Urge Energy Conservation
More than 1,200 senior leaders of major religious denominations
have written to every U.S. Senator with specific proposals for "energy
conservation, fuel efficiency, and alternate energy development
to protect God's creation and God's children." Signatories
on the letter include leaders of such major faith communities as:
United Methodist, Presbyterian, United Synagogue of Conservative
Judaism, Greek Orthodox, Episcopal, American Baptist, Lutheran,
and Catholic bishops of major metropolitan areas. |
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