A $7.8 million conservation easement and land purchase agreement will be used to protect one of the Northeast's least developed river systems and stems from the cooperation of a number of organizations, including International Paper (IP). The agreement will protect approximately 25,000 acres along the Machias River and several of its down east tributaries. Eighteen thousand four hundred forty-three acres will be protected under the conservation easement and the remaining 6,400 acres will be purchased outright. IP will continue to own the forest land and lease lots, but allow the public access to the land. A number of species are being protected under the deal including moose, wild turkeys, and black bears. Additionally, 86% of the Atlantic salmon habitat within the Machias River system, one of the country's most important spawning and nursery habitats for the federally recognized endangered species, will be protected. For more information on how your state can protect valuable habitat, visit: http://www.serconline.org/conservationfunding/index.html.

As the Bush Administration refuses to participate in Kyoto Protocol negotiations and Congress is considering a revision to the Energy Policy Act that would greatly expand fossil fuel production and greenhouse gas emissions, states are creating their own programs to combat global warming. Ten states are even taking the federal government to court for its failure to effectively and comprehensively address greenhouse gases. California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont are expected to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its decision not to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act. California is leading the effort in part because it feels that the EPA's decision will make it easier for the automobile industry to attack the state's innovative law restricting vehicle emissions. For more information on how your state can craft a clean and sustainable energy policy, read our report at http://www.serconline.org/cleanenergy.pdf.

At the first annual meeting of GrowSmart, a statewide organization dedicated to reducing sprawl, Governor John Baldacci of Maine announced his campaign to curtail sprawl in the state. According to Gov. Baldacci, sprawl poses a threat to the state's waterfronts, coastlines, forests, farms, countryside, and "Maine's way of life." Along with the environmental dangers which sprawl poses, it also costs the state an estimated $50 million each year to expand public services to the new developments. In order to combat the problem of sprawl, Gov. Baldacci has directed the State Planning Office to produce a smart growth agenda by January. The agenda will include programs to create affordable housing, prevent the loss of additional farm and forest land, and encourage centralized growth. Acknowledging that growth is important for Maine, Gov. Baldacci said, "We simply need to guide where it occurs... to promote the Maine way of life." For more information about suburban sprawl, visit: http://www.serconline.org/sprawl/pkg_frameset.html.

Montana Sued over Coal-Bed Methane Drilling (Missoulian 10/7)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2003/10/08/mtracker/news/68methane.txt

Massachusetts: Land Preservation Funds Threatened (Boston Globe 10/6)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/10/06/senator_says_funds_for_land_threatened/

On October 6th, New Hampshire's Attorney General filed suit against 22 of the largest oil companies in the U.S., alleging that they are responsible for contamination of the state's groundwater supply. The state claims that a chemical component of gasoline added in order to reduce air pollution, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MtBE), is seeping into its groundwater. The suit seeks unspecified clean-up costs and damages. MtBE is a bigger problem for New Hampshire than other states for two reasons: 60 percent of residents get their drinking water from groundwater supplies, and the state's geology -- abundant fractured rock -- increases the rate at which and likelihood that pollutants will seep into groundwater. The New Hampshire lawsuit was filed as the U.S. Congress debates an energy bill containing an exemption for oil companies from liability if gasoline additives like MtBE pollute groundwater supplies. But state officials say they're not trying to influence national policy. New Hampshire senior assistant attorney general Maureen Smith stated simply, "MtBE does not belong in our drinking water."

Wisconsin's Smart Growth program has the support of environmentalists, real estate agents, builders, and town and city governments. But at least one state legislator wants to abolish it. Representative Mary Williams recently introduced AB 435, which would repeal Smart Growth without offering any alternative for statewide planning. Williams says the program is intrusive and expensive for small, rural towns. "They want to plan when they're good and ready to plan," she stated. Since 2000, the Smart Growth program has awarded communities across the state a total of 546 grants to implement local plans containing nine elements, including housing, transportation, agriculture, land use, economic development, and natural and cultural resources. Under the program, most local governments are required to have comprehensive plans in place by 2010. Smart Growth supporters are willing to make changes to accommodate smaller towns; Representative Sheryl Albers will introduce legislation reducing planning requirements for communities with less than 22 people per square mile. For more information on planning to avoid sprawl, visit: http://www.serconline.org/sprawl/pkg_frameset.html.

California: Restricting State Use of SUVs (San Jose Mercury News 10/2) http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/6919929.htm