 |
|
|
 |
Antibiotics
in Agriculture
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) estimates that 70% of all
antibiotics used in the United States -- more that 24 million pounds
per year -- are routinely put in the food and water of healthy livestock.
More than one half of these drugs are identical to antibiotics doctors
rely upon to treat human illness. They are given to animals to make
them grow faster on less feed and to compensate for the crowded,
unhygienic conditions typically found on today's industrialized
livestock "farms." This practice has the unintended impact
of increasing the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In a
recent move, the McDonald's Corporation announced it will ask its
meat suppliers around the world to reduce their dependence on antibiotics;
McDonald's expects its suppliers to phase out use of some antibiotics
that promote growth in healthy animals, and to significantly reduce
use of other antibiotics that typically protect animals against
disease. This repositioning is in response to growing pressure worldwide
against the practice of using antibiotics in a nontherapeutic manner.
Many federal agencies, including the CDC and the FDA, have extensive
studies that show that the use of antibiotics in this manner is
dangerous and a threat to public health. Yet the federal government
has not taken significant action, and instead is taking more time
to study the issue. Antibiotics are a critical tool in the fight
against disease, but their effectiveness is weakened by current
agricultural practices. For more information on how your state can
eliminate the practice of using subtherapeutic levels of antibiotics
in agriculture visit: http://www.serconline.org/antibiotics/index.html. |
| back
to top |
| |
 |
Maine
Climate Change Law First in the Nation (Portland Press
Herald 6/25)
The first law in the nation to set specific goals and a timeline
to reduce carbon dioxide pollution was signed by Gov. John Baldacci
last week. Elements of the Climate Change Act include the creation
of a "climate change action plan" by July 2004 to reduce
carbon dioxide levels to 1990 levels by 2010; to 10 percent below
1990 levels by 2020; and, eventually, by as much as 80 percent below
1990 levels. The Department of Environmental Quality will be working
with state agencies, businesses, and individuals to facilitate the
creation of the action plans. The new law also aims to spur at least
50 partnerships with businesses and nonprofit organizations. According
to Rep. Ted Koffman, who sponsored the legislation, "We're
not mandating a command-and-control approach as to how we're going
to get these emissions down. It could be that, in certain cases,
a regulatory approach would be the most effective and appropriate
way of achieving some piece of our overall goal. In other cases,
it may be education or technical assistance that is needed."
Other states, including Rhode Island and Vermont, have begun to
tackle the issue by issuing executive orders or forming action plans
to address greenhouse gasses. |
| back
to top |
| |
 |
Pollute
First, Get a Permit Later?
The North Carolina Senate is working on a bill that would allow
companies to almost entirely finish construction on a new plant
before receiving an air quality permit for any pollution the plant
would emit. Senate Bill 945, which was recently approved by the
Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, is now
in the Finance Committee. Proponents argue that the bill is needed
to speed up the permitting process and to attract companies to North
Carolina. Opponents counter that North Carolina already has more
lenient laws on this issue than some of its neighbors. This bill
is fundamentally flawed in several ways: To begin with, it completely
circumvents public participation and input into the permitting process.
If construction is already underway, there's no chance to improve
the design of the project or to incorporate new pollution reduction
measures as part of the permitting process. This bill makes permitting
an "all or nothing" deal, with no opportunity for compromise
on projects. Furthermore, it would put an enormous amount of pressure
on the regulators issuing permits to approve them, biasing the permitting
process and making it more likely that the project would be approved.
Similar language passed both the House and Senate last session,
but the Legislature couldn't agree on a final version. This bill
would put the cart before the horse by putting construction before
permitting, and should be opposed. |
| back
to top |
| |
 |
Midwest
Prefers Road Building to Mass Transit
(Indianapolis Star 6/26)
The "Keep it Moving" study released recently by
the Joyce Foundation reveals that the Midwest is losing the
battle against traffic congestion and air pollution because
local governments continue to focus on paving highways --
not building public transit. The study found that, since 1992,
Midwestern states spent 83 percent of $42 billion in federal
transportation dollars on road and highway projects and, yet,
traffic congestion continues to rise. Indiana received poor
marks from the study for investing relatively few dollars
into public transportation and having high levels of air pollution.
Other states in the Midwest faired similarly. In response,
Indiana's Department of Transportation reported they had not
received enough federal dollars to implement other projects
besides building roads. Another report released by The Civil
Rights Project at Harvard University said that trends toward
more highways hurt minorities in America, who are more likely
than whites to rely on public transportation. The American
Public Transportation Association on Tuesday released its
third in a series of reports on the need for relief from congestion
through improved access to public transit. These studies are
being released to coincide with the debate US lawmakers are
having over how to allocate funds for transportation for several
years. For more information on how your state can keep traffic
moving, visit: http://www.serconline.org/trafficcongestionrelief/index.html. |
| back
to top |
| |
Oregon
Moves to Take Back Bush's Big SUV Tax Break
(ENN 6/26)
Oregon SUV owners who claim their vehicles as a business expense
on their federal tax return will end up paying some of what
they save to the state if a proposed bill passes. Under President
Bush's new tax cut, small business owners can reduce their
taxable income by as much as $75,000 by claiming an SUV as
a business expense. This is costing Oregon about $750,000
a year at a time when the state faces a $2 billion budget
shortfall. The proposed bill disconnects Oregon law from federal
law, according to Jackie Dingfelder, one of the bill's sponsors.
"It makes good public policy for a number of reasons,"
Dingfelder said. "It encourages people to buy vehicles
that create less pollution, and it puts money back into the
state coffers. It's a win-win." The bill, which only
applies to larger SUVs and would not affect farmers or construction
workers, is currently in the Senate Revenue Committee. For
more information on how your state can help the environment
and the bottom line at the same time, visit: http://www.serconline.org/fiscal_issues.html. |
| back
to top |
| |
Wisconsin
DNR Votes to Require Tougher Mercury Rules
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 6/25)
State environmental officials approved new regulations designed
to make Wisconsin lakes cleaner and fish safer to eat by forcing
major utilities to cut mercury emissions from their power
plants. The Natural Resources Board voted unanimously to require
four utilities to cut emissions by 40% by 2010 and 80% by
2015 -- making Wisconsin one of the first states to impose
such rules. The Department of Natural Resources estimates
that cutting mercury emissions by 80% could cost $87 million
to $104 million -- or $18 to $21 a year for the average customers.
But the utilities say that it could cost more. Despite a 6-0
vote by the board, the rules are likely to run into trouble
in the Republican-controlled Legislature, which is expected
to echo concerns from business groups that the mercury limits
amount to overregulation that harms the business climate.
For more information on how your state can reduce mercury
poisoning, visit: http://www.serconline.org/mercury/pkg_frameset.html. |
| back
to top |
| |
California
Classrooms Can Make Students Sick
(Contra Costa Times 6/27)
California classrooms have poor indoor air quality, according
to a recent study by state health officials. The worst offenders
are California's 80,000 portable classrooms, which make up
almost one-third of its school rooms and are used by 2 million
students. Half the portable classrooms failed to meet health
guidelines for formaldehyde, which can cause respiratory illness,
asthma, and increase the risk of cancer. The formaldehyde
comes from construction materials, including wall board and
carpet, and continues to contaminate air for years after the
rooms are built. Nearly all classrooms have formaldehyde levels
that may cause long-term irritation and contribute to cancer
risk, according to the report, which may have harmful impacts
on children's and teachers' health, reduced learning and reduced
educational progress. Read the report at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/pcs/pcs.htm.
For more on how your state can protect children's health,
visit: http://www.serconline.org/childrenshealth.html. |
| back
to top |
| |
Groups
Decry Alaska's Return to Aerial Wolf Killing
(ENS 6/23)
Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski has signed into law a bill
that again allows private citizens to shoot wolves from the
air over tens of thousands of square miles in areas of Alaska
approved for predator control by the Alaska Board of Game.
The legislation overturns two statewide ballot measures in
1996 and 2000 that banned public, same-day airborne wolf shooting
in any form for any reason, including predator control. Same-day
airborne wolf hunting, also known as "land and shoot,"
is the practice of spotting wolves from a plane and then landing
and immediately shooting them from the ground. Environmental
groups condemned the legislation. The practice is controversial
even among hunters, many who consider the practice unsportsmanlike,
unethical and nearly impossible to regulate and can lead to
many other violations of hunting regulations such as chasing,
herding, and harassing wolves. For more information on how
your state can protect wolves, visit: http://www.serconline.org/wolfpreservation/index.html. |
| back
to top |
| |
Suburban
Sprawl Blamed for Obesity (The
Boston Globe 6/20)
At the 11th annual Congress for the New Urbanism, an organization
that pushes for all new development in the United States to
be more compact and walkable, researchers presented more evidence
blaming spread-out suburban development for America's obesity
epidemic, and for a variety of other public and mental health
woes. People who live in the suburbs tend to drive everywhere
and do not get exercise by walking, said Lawrence Frank, a
professor at the University of British Columbia, who has tracked
the weight, height, and home location of 12,000 people in
the Atlanta area. Fewer men and women were overweight or obese
in dense neighborhoods -- defined as eight dwelling units
per acre -- than in places with one home per acre. Suburban
culture and monotonous landscapes can also make people depressed,
Richard Jackson, Director of Environmental Health at the Centers
for Disease Control, told a gathering of planners and architects
in Washington. The researchers' assertions drew immediate
criticism from home builders and others who decried the studies
as scare tactics based on sketchy science. Health is viewed
by many planners at the conference as an ideal way to get
citizens and politicians thinking about new styles of development.
Results of two more studies linking sprawl and health are
expected in September. For more on how your state can stop
sprawl and revitalize communities, visit: http://www.serconline.org/sprawl/pkg_frameset.html
and http://www.serconline.org/community/pkg_frameset.html. |
| back
to top |
| |
US,
States Look to Eradicate Thirsty Plant in West
(AP 6/20)
A water-guzzling shrub with no natural enemies and an incredible
ability to tolerate heat, fires, flood, and drought is spreading
unchecked across the American West, while states and the Bush
administration try to figure out how to stop it. The shrub,
known as tamarisk or salt cedar, can drink up to 300 gallons
of water per day. Across the West, the plants suck up nearly
800 billion gallons more than the native plants they have
replaced -- enough water for 4.8 million people. The 10-foot
tall shrub is native to Asia and the eastern Mediterranean
and was imported to the US in the 1830s to serve as ornamentals,
windbreaks, and erosion control. Its recent unchecked domination
began when two tamarisk species formed a hybrid and spread.
Each shrub can produce 500,000 to 1 million seeds per year,
allowing it to spread over tens of square miles in a single
season. Experts estimate that replacing tamarisk with native
cottonwood, mulefat, or willows along the Colorado River alone
would save up to 150 billion gallons of water annually. Such
a project, however, would cost up to $500 million and could
present additional problems. Scientists have been exploring
the use of Chinese leaf beetles since the mid-1980s, but have
not confirmed that the beetles will target only the tamarisk
shrubs. For more on how your state can stop invasive species
before they get started, visit: http://www.serconline.org/invasives/pkg_frameset.html. |
| back
to top |
| |
Whitewater
Sports Gain Recognition in Water Rights Battle
(AP 6/20)
Typically ignored in favor of farmers, cities, and miners,
whitewater enthusiasts and other recreational water users
are gaining a foothold in the water rights battle. Administrative
rulings and other provisions have guaranteed adequate river
water levels for kayakers and rafters. In Texas, for example,
conservation groups are utilizing a new state water management
plan to guarantee minimum water flows for fish and wildlife.
Recreational water rights have also been secured through court
decisions. In Colorado, the cities of Golden, Vail, and Breckinridge
recently won guarantees of water amounts for recreational
use. In each of the cases, the state argued that such guarantees
could inhibit future development through denial of water to
new subdivisions, but the judges sided with the cities. Nationwide,
conservation and recreation groups are working to guarantee
river flows, and that effort is expected to expand in the
next 15 years as hydroelectric dams require relicensing. |
| back
to top |
| |
California
Taking Aim at Cruise Ships
(Sacramento Bee 6/23)
Cruise ships are the target of three California Senate bills
aimed at reducing air and water pollution off the California
coast. AB121 prohibits ships from dumping sewage, sewage sludge,
or oily bilge water into state waters. AB471 prohibits ships
from using onboard waste incinerators within 90 miles if the
coast and would, eventually, require ships within 25 miles
of the coast to use cleaner-burning diesel fuel. AB906 would
prohibit the dumping of gray water and hazardous waste within
state waters. Cruise ships visiting Monterey, CA, are still
feeling the effects of an October mishap, when a ship discharged
more than 34,000 gallons of gray water (from sinks, showers,
kitchens), 260 gallons of treated black water (sewage), and
2,000 gallons of processed bilge water in a nearby marine
sanctuary. The three bills attempt to standardize the law
regarding dumping in California, which is currently regulated
by a hodgepodge assortment of federal, international, and
industry rules. The bills have already advanced through the
Assembly. |
| back
to top |
|
|
