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Banning
Cyanide Use in Mining
The reckless use of cyanide by the mining industry has resulted
in billions of gallons of cyanide being spilled into the environment
since 1970. In the 1980s this misuse resulted in wildlife deaths,
extensive water pollution, and ultimately some mines being classified
as Superfund sites. The misuse of cyanide does not only result in
environmental problems, but also lingering economic problems including
forcing taxpayers to fund reclamation projects because mining companies
declared bankruptcy. Private property owners in Montana voted against
cyanide use in open-pit mining in November of 1998 after individuals
were forced to sell their property due to contamination. Cyanide
is deadly at very low concentrations, and poses undue risk to humans
and wildlife. The "benefits" of cyanide use do not outweigh
the environmental damage it causes. For more information on how
your state can ban the use of cyanide in mining visit: http://www.serconline.org/mining/index.html. |
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California
Senate Votes to Restore Clean Air Regulations (San Diego
Union Tribune 6/2)
After the Federal Environmental Protection Agency relaxed regulations
last year, states have stepped up to fill in the void created in
the Clean Air Act. SB 288, sponsored by Sen. Sher, passed through
the Senate last week and now moves on to the Assembly for consideration.
The bill adds the "new source review" to the state's clean
air regulations. The new source review calls for any increase in
production from power plants, older factories, and refineries to
be accompanied by state-of-the-art pollution controls. |
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Defense
Authorization Acts Weaken ESA, MMPA
Using the pretext of military readiness and exploiting U.S. fears
regarding terrorism, portions of the National Defense Authorization
Act for FY 2004, versions of which recently passed the House and
Senate, fundamentally weaken some of the environmental protections
contained within the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA). House bill, H.R. 1588, severely limits the
Secretary of the Interior's ability to designate critical habitat
under the ESA. It is important to note that the ESA is quite flexible
and allowing of case-by-case exemptions as it currently reads. Furthermore,
the ESA allows for exemptions based on national security needs,
but these have never been used. Additionally, H.R. 1588 weakens
the MMPA in a number of ways. The Senate bill, S. 747, is a subtler
version -- lacking the MMPA exemptions, but still limiting the designation
of critical habitat on military-controlled lands. Using the covers
of national security and military readiness, provisions of these
bills seriously, and unnecessarily, threaten many species and ecosystems,
and make it harder for states to protect their natural resources. |
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California
Assembly Tire Bill Rolls into Senate
(NRDC Activist Alert 6/2)
The California Assembly staved off fierce lobbying by tire
manufacturers to pass AB844 which now moves to the Senate
for consideration. The bill sets minimum rolling resistance
standards and would require that replacement tires sold in
California to be labeled for fuel efficiency. Newer cars are
now equipped with better tires that allow the cars to meet
federal fuel economy standards. The California Energy Commission
estimates that Californians could save about 300 million gallons
of gasoline every year if replacement tires were as fuel-efficient
as the tires sold on new vehicles. Drivers could save up to
$100 on gasoline over the tire's lifetime. |
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Three
States Sue EPA over Carbon Dioxide
(The Boston Globe 6/5)
In what one attorney called "the boldest legal move a
state attorney general has ever made," the Massachusetts
attorney general joined forces with the attorneys general
of Connecticut and Maine and filed suit against the Environmental
Protection Agency, arguing that the Clean Air Act requires
that the agency regulate carbon dioxide, which is believed
to contribute to global warming. If the suit is successful,
the EPA would need to add carbon dioxide to the list of six
pollutants already regulated by the agency under the Clean
Air Act. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal characterized
the Bush administration's current do-nothing policy, which
favors voluntary efforts by industry over mandatory regulations,
as "unacceptable." Opponents of the suit argue that
the economy would be hurt by increased regulation regarding
clean air, calling the suit "short-sighted" and
"ineffectual." Proponents counter that "doing
nothing is itself very costly." The suit is the first
filed by a state against the federal government over global
warming issues. |
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California
Senate OKs New Bid to Recycle E-waste
(San Jose Mercury News 6/3, ENS 6/4)
SB 20, legislation requiring electronics manufacturers to
establish a "free and convenient" recycling system
for old computers, televisions and other electronic devices,
was approved last week by the California Senate. Computer
monitors, televisions and other electronic devices contain
hazardous levels of lead, mercury and other toxic materials,
and their disposal in solid waste landfills is prohibited
in California, resulting in about six million obsolete electronic
devices stockpiled in California homes and businesses, a number
that increases by the thousands every day. SB 20, Sponsored
by Californians Against Waste, the state's largest recycling
advocacy organization, is the second legislative attempt to
deal with the growing crisis. Last year's bill was vetoed
by Governor Gray Davis after objections from industry lobbyists.
Davis declared in his veto message that he was prepared to
support legislation that developed a program similar to one
already established by the European Union, in which companies
have cradle-to-grave responsibility for any electronic products
deemed hazardous by authorities. SB 20 establishes such a
program. For more information on how states are dealing with
electronic waste visit: http://www.serconline.org/ewaste.html. |
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McGreevey
Pledges to Push Wind, Solar Power
(The New Jersey Times, 6/4)
Governor Jim McGreevey stated earlier this week that New Jersey
will move to use more renewable energy with the intention
of satisfying 20 percent of the state's power needs with clean
energy sources by 2020. To kick off the new energy agenda,
$60 million of low-interest investment capitol will be made
available to businesses seeking to contribute to the state's
transition to a more progressive energy portfolio -- businesses
that invest in clean energy through the development of new
technologies, construction of wind/solar farms and so forth.
New Jersey currently gets 2 percent of its electricity from
renewable sources, a number that is projected to double within
the next 5 years under the new resolution. While McGreevey's
plan falls short of the ambition that characterizes that of
New York Governor George Pataki (25 percent by 2010), it has
been deemed pragmatic by environmentalists given New Jersey's
limited number of river systems and space for wind farm developments.
For more information on how your state can integrate renewable
energy into its portfolio visit: http://www.serconline.org/RPS/pkg_frameset.html. |
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Montana
May Ban Animals from States with Chronic Wasting Disease
(Billings Gazette 6/4)
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, in an
effort to prevent chronic wasting disease from entering the
state, has proposed a new rule that would ban the importation
of dead deer and elk from countries or states containing chronic
wasting disease (CWD). CWD is caused by a malformation of
brain protein and is fatal to both deer and elk. The majority
of wild game processors and taxidermists support the proposed
rule, which would require hunters to leave the most infectious
parts of their deer and elk -- the brain, spinal cord, and
bones -- at the state lines. The proposed ban has strong support
from a group of hunters and anglers known as the Montana Wildlife
Federation. States from New York to Utah have implemented
similar bans. For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease
visit: http://www.serconline.org/CWD/index.html. |
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Minnesota
Coalition Hopes to Cut Harmful Ozone
(AP 6/3)
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued ozone health
alerts for a handful of days in the summers of 2001 and 2002,
the first time for such alerts in more than a decade. To deal
with ozone levels creeping up, Clean Air Minnesota officials,
a coalition of businesses, government and environmental groups,
were scheduled to announce their plan to decrease harmful
ozone in the Twin Cities. The idea is to lower ozone levels
before they become bad enough to merit federal intervention,
which could be costly for businesses and government and would
require an intense plan of action. Droessler, program director
of Clean Air Minnesota, said that since about half of harmful
ozone comes from vehicles, a primary focus will be teaching
the public about small things they can do: driving less frequently,
filling up cars later in the day, limiting activities such
as yard work and cookouts on pollution-alert days. The coalition
is also working with Minnesota businesses to sponsor public
education forums and urge employees to limit polluting activity
by driving shorter distances and deferring tasks such as painting
on high-ozone days. C. Ford Runge, a professor of applied
economics and law at the University of Minnesota, said changing
consumer behavior won't be easy. Runge stated that without
economic or social incentives, people aren't likely to alter
their driving behavior because they don't think their contributions
would be significant enough to solve the problem. |
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Massachusetts
Bill Would Ban Two-Stroke Engines
(Rep. Marzilli's office 5/23)
Representative James Marzilli introduced House Bill 1909 to
prohibit the sale of two-stroke recreational vehicles in Massachusetts.
According to the EPA, "a single two-stroke jet ski operated
for 7 hours emits more smog-forming emissions than a new car
driven more than 100,000 miles. The same craft can dump enough
MTBE in just two hours to contaminate 13 million gallons of
water." In addition to being a cancer causing agent,
MTBE is extremely difficult and expensive to remediate. Vehicles
with two-stroke engines have traditionally taken a backseat
to cars and other large vehicles when solutions to air quality
problems are sought; in large part, because their small size
and relatively low fuel consumption rates makes them less
visible pollution culprits. But two-stroke engines -- typically
found in jet skis, snowmobiles, ATVs and other recreational
vehicles -- allow up to 30 percent of all fuel processed to
escape uncombusted. HB1909, which would take effect immediately,
would disallow the sale of two-strokes, thereby creating a
stronger market for their less polluting counterparts, four-stroke
engines. |
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New
York's Plan for Invasive Species
(Times Union 6/2)
Across New York's land and waterways, invasive species are
threatening crops, causing billions of dollars of harm and
disrupting ecosystems. From zebra mussels starving Hudson
River fish to purple loosestrife crowding out vegetation in
New York wetlands, non-native plants and creatures are rapidly
spreading. For the first time, the state legislature is looking
to take on invasive species. This year, state Sen. Carl Marcellino
sponsored legislation to create an invasive species task force,
expected to pass later this month. It already has won Assembly
approval and has Gov. George Pataki's support. The 17-member
task force will assess the magnitude of the problem and the
adequacy of existing state and local laws, and will issue
a report and recommendations to the governor and Legislature.
Besides pulling together experts on the issue, the task force
will put the state in line with the federal government approach
toward invasive species, and could help New York secure more
money to fight the problem, said Neil Gifford, conservation
director of the Albany Pine Bush. One or two invasive species
can wipe out more than a dozen native ones, Gifford said,
altering the unique ecosystem that is home to several endangered
species. More than 30 percent of the state's flora is considered
non-native in origin, although not all are invasive or damage
local ecosystems, according to the Invasive Plant Council
of New York State. For more information on how your state
can deal with the spread of invasive species, visit: http://www.serconline.org/invasives/pkg_frameset.html
and http://www.serconline.org/ballast/index.html. |
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