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State
and Municipal SUV Fleets
Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) became incredibly popular during the
past decade -- to the point where even state and local governments
bought or leased SUVs in lieu of regular passenger cars. This trend
continued despite evidence that SUVs use more fuel and produce more
air pollution than cars and are actually less safe, both for their
occupants and for other cars on the road. Because SUVs are built
on truck chassis, they are subject to less stringent emissions standards
than cars. Their lower-than-average fuel economy combined with a
rising market share pushed the carbon burden share of SUVs from
7% in 1990 to 24% of the overall new light-duty fleet carbon burden
as of 2000. Additionally, the cost of owning an SUV is significantly
more than the cost of owning even a midsized sedan. This fact may
have an impact that safety and environmental arguments do not. Increasingly,
cash-strapped states and cities are rethinking the presence of SUVs
in their fleets. Five states and a handful of municipalities have
taken steps to reduce the presence of SUVs in their fleets. For
more information on how your state can reduce the number of SUVs
from its state fleets, visit: http://www.serconline.org/suvFleets.html. |
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Michigan
Gov., Legislators Reach Deal on Water Pollution Permit Fees (Ann
Arbor News 3/25)
http://www.mlive.com/news/statewide/index.ssf?/base/news-4/108021301471960.xml
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the state legislature recently
agreed on a plan to allow the Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ) to begin collecting water pollution permit fees. Designed
to improve the environment and help balance the budget, the fees
were approved last year but the bills to implement them spurred
legislative battles. The negotiated deal will impose $3 million
in permit fees in lieu of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System, which requires anyone who discharges pollution into state
waterways to apply for a detailed permit. Those fees would be paid
by municipal sewer plants and private companies that discharge treated
wastewater, and was previously paid for entirely by taxpayers. The
plan would also impose fees of $1.2 million in a related storm water
discharge program. Michigan lawmakers indicate that they may be
close to approving $1.7 million in fees for a separate program to
regulate the disposal of liquid sewage on land, which could be shut
down if fees aren't approved by April 1. Even though the water permit
fees are close to final approval, there's still some question of
exactly how much rule-making authority the state's DEQ will retain.
Last month, lawmakers gave the green light to the fees but with
a provision to block the DEQ from issuing new rules to enforce the
program; a recent compromise would restore the DEQ's authority,
but only until December 2006, which could still be extended in upcoming
negotiations. |
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Missouri
Pushes "Polluter Protection" Law
Missouri SB 989 and its companion, HB 933, both of which have passed
out of committee, are the most recent in a years-long effort to
pass environmental audit privilege legislation in Missouri. Similar
bills have been introduced every year since 1995. This bill would
enable polluters to waive state penalties and keep their records
sealed when they conduct "self-audits" and report their
own violations of environmental laws. It would grant privilege and/or
immunity to corporations who conduct self-audits, preventing such
documents from being used against them in court or to assess fines.
The stated intent of Missouri's audit privilege bill is to encourage
the voluntary reporting of noncompliance with environmental regulations,
and supporters say that companies will be less likely to hide pollution
and more likely to correct it if they can avoid punishment and public
scrutiny. But the bill includes unfair restrictions on the public's
right-to-know about environmental dangers in their communities and
their ability to take actions against the companies responsible
for the damage. This bill puts the public's right-to-know about
environmental, workplace, and industrial hazards far behind protecting
the secrecy of polluters and other corporate wrongdoers. Opponents
of the bill include the Sierra Club, the Missouri Coalition for
the Environment and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Advocates
of the bill include Anheuser Busch and companies with mining interests,
and the House bill's sponsor is a former Dow Chemical Company employee.
Read complete report at: http://www.serconline.org/watchdog/watchdog2004/watchdog5.html. |
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States
Set Example with Green Policies (Stateline.org 3/26,
Bangor News 3/23)
http://www.stateline.org/stateline/?pa=story&sa=showStoryInfo&id=360123
http://www.bangornews.com/editorialnews/articles/419376_032304billtorequirerene_medgecomb.cfm
Currently, fifteen states have mandates called Renewable Portfolio
Standards (RPS) and Colorado is looking to become the 16th.
RPS set a minimum amount of power (usually a percentage) that
must come from renewable sources such as wind and solar. According
to the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE),
Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico,
Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin all have RPS. Maine leads
the way by requiring 30% of its energy to come from renewable
energy and current legislation looks to strengthen that requirement.
LD 1929 would require a portion of Maine's energy -- 1 percent
in 2005 and growing incrementally to 5 percent in 2013 --
come from small producers that use fuel cells, tides, solar
power, wind, geothermal energy, methane gas from landfills,
biomass, or trash incinerators, or hydroelectric generators.
Maine currently receives more than 30% of its energy from
renewable resources because of the use of hydroelectric power.
The Colorado bill, which would force utilities to get 8 percent
of the state's electricity from renewable sources by 2010,
has passed the House, but not the Senate. An amendment has
been attached to allow unlimited amounts of hydroelectric
power to be produced. Both power companies and environmentalists
have come together in Colorado to support the increased use
of renewable energy. For more information on how your state
can increase its use of renewable energy, visit: http://www.serconline.org/RPS/pkg_frameset.html. |
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Maryland:
Debate over Plan to Fine Excessive Polluters (CNS
3/24)
http://www.journalism.umd.edu/cns/wire/040324-Wednesday/EmissionMission_CNS-UMCP.html
Last week, Maryland officials again asked for the authority
to fine excessive polluters in order to avert the loss of
federal funds. The Environment Department must have permission
to fine the 22 major facilities emitting about 25 tons of
ozone-depleting volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides
annually, or face the loss of funds. The major facilities,
including power plants, manufacturers, and state and federal
institutions, would pay about $7,500 per ton on emissions
exceeding a baseline amount, if the Washington Metropolitan
area fails to meet federal ozone standards by November 2005.
Fees could reach as high as $25 million for larger polluters,
according to the department. The estimated $68.5 million per
year would be used to reimburse facilities that implement
pollution-reducing technologies and measures. More than $300
million in transportation funds and other federal dollars
hinge on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval
of the plan, which is required under the 1990 Clean Air Act,
said Thomas Snyder, the Environment Department's director
of the Air and Radiation Management Administration. While
the state's Department of Business and Economic Development
supports the measure, it generally opposes penalizing Maryland
businesses, especially since between 50 to 95 percent of area
pollution comes from other states, said Associate Deputy Secretary
James Rzepkowski. He further commented that the lack of an
approved plan would be a "significant deterrent to manufacturing
expansion in Maryland," and would put the state at "a
competitive disadvantage with other states." |
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Florida
House Committee Approves Bill to Reduce Emissions (Palm
Beach Post 3/24)http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/auto/epaper/editions/wednesday/business_
041660f8f02d50c800a0.html
A Florida House Committee on Natural Resources approved the
Air Quality Improvement Act (HB 1631, SB 2798) last week.
If passed by the full House and signed by the governor, the
bill is expected to bring the state into compliance with federal
air quality standards by requiring significant emissions reductions
from state power plants. The House panel was largely in favor
of more stringent emissions controls, but was concerned about
the consumer impact in terms of potential rate increases.
The Juno Beach-based FPL Group, Inc., which operates seven
plants that would be affected by the bill, has said that the
bill, if passed, will likely force them to increase rates
for consumers. The bill would allow utility companies to request
that the state Public Service Commission to recover costs
incurred while complying with the law and would implement
a seven-year rate freeze for consumers. If the bill passes,
Florida will be the second state in the nation, after North
Carolina, to implement voluntary reductions ahead of federal
regulations. For more on how your state can clean up its air,
visit: http://www.serconline.org/clean/index.html. |
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Wisconsin
Removes Wolves from Threatened List (Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel 3/24)
http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/mar04/217145.asp
The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board approved plans last
week to remove timber wolves from the state's list of threatened
species, and is now listed as a protected non-game species.
The species is still listed as threatened at the federal level,
but is expected to be delisted next year. If so, Wisconsin
would have complete control over wolf regulation in the state
and could issue shooting permits to landowners for wolves
that threaten their livestock. The timber wolf disappeared
from Wisconsin years ago, and the state began a wolf reintroduction
program in the mid-1970s. According to the DNR, the state
had only 57 wolves in 1994; today, just 10 years later, that
number is around 350. Wildlife biologists estimate that the
current population would be a good level at which to maintain
the species to avoid it becoming a nuisance to farmers, deer
hunters, and livestock owners. The neighboring state of Minnesota,
which now has a wolf population over 1,000, has received many
nuisance complaints from state residents. For more information
on wolves, visit: http://www.serconline.org/wolfpreservation/index.html. |
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In-State
Water Transfers Controversial (Atlanta Journal Constitution
3/23, Las Vegas Review-Journal 3/23)
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/legislature/0304/24water.html
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Mar-23-Tue-2004/news/23495956.html
Around the country, states are dealing with conflicts over
water use, as urban areas look to their rural neighbors for
water sources. In Georgia, Atlanta's search for water has
prompted a bill banning wholesale water transfers across the
state, which passed a Senate committee. HB 1615 closes a loophole
in current law that could allow metro Atlanta to draw water
from North Georgia and South Georgia. But it also exempts
16 counties in metro Atlanta from the prohibitions on transferring
water within the area. The problem, environmentalists say,
is that metro Atlanta crosses six of the state's 14 major
river basins. If water can be moved inside the area to supply
2 million to 4 million more Atlantans, the impact downstream
could be devastating, they say. Nevada is facing a similar
situation. The Las Vegas Valley Water District recently reactivated
seven applications for groundwater. The water authority wants
State Engineer Hugh Ricci to approve the permits for plans
to pipe the groundwater to Las Vegas and satisfy the area's
growing demand for water. Opponents argue that not enough
is known about Southern Nevada's deep water aquifers, including
their capacity and interconnections, to approve water exportation
permits. "This area is one of the driest in the United
States," said Dennis Ghiglieri, representing the Toiyabe
Chapter of the Sierra Club. "There may be no excess groundwater
in these basins on a sustainable basis." Withdrawals
of the 17,000 acre feet of water annually from the Three Lakes
and Tikaboo valleys could dry up springs and seeps that are
used by endangered plants and animals in Death Valley National
Park and nearby wildlife refuges. Ghiglieri said Las Vegas
should do more to conserve existing supplies to accommodate
growth. For more information on how your state can conserve
water, visit: http://www.serconline.org/waterconservation/pkg_frameset.html. |
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Iowa
House Blocks New Air Quality Rules (Quad-City Times
3/24)
http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_id=1026058&t=Iowa+%2F+Illinois&c=24,1026058
The Iowa House voted last week to block new state air quality
rules for livestock facilities until further studies on the
airborne pollutants and odor they cause are completed. Backers
of the bill said it would help reach a balance between protecting
public health and protecting livestock producers who fear
they are being driven from the industry, while others contend
it is an attempt to delay putting any rules in place and would
further endanger public health. Legislation passed two years
ago gave the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) authority
to set standards for ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Rules announced
last year by the DNR were quickly nullified because they were
seen as too strict and their scientific validity was questioned.
The bill would put in place state emission limits for hydrogen
sulfide and ammonia that mirror federal levels. The DNR, which
already has been studying the effects of hydrogen sulfide
and ammonia, would have to extend its study up to three years
before establishing new state standards. The agency would
be prohibited from adopting rules that are stricter than federal
regulations. The bill creates a health effects panel made
of state and national experts to study odor from livestock
confinements and make a report to the legislature by December
31, 2006. For more information on air quality from livestock
facilities, visit: http://www.serconline.org/cafoAirEmissions.html. |
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Washington
State, Cruise Lines Strike Agreement on Dumping (Seattle
Post Intelligencer 3/23)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/165929_cruiseship23.html
The state Department of Ecology has negotiated a voluntary
agreement with cruise ship lines aimed at keeping the massive
ships from dumping wastewater in Washington's inland marine
waters. But the agreement has critics complaining that the
ships face negligible penalties if they violate the deal.
The agreement bars all wastewater discharges in state waters
except from vessels equipped with advanced treatment systems
certified by the U.S. Coast Guard. Regulating the waste produced
by ships that can carry as many as 5,000 passengers and crew
has been the subject of recent laws in Alaska and California,
both busy cruise destinations. The upcoming memorandum of
understanding helped derail a tougher discharge ban proposed
by Washington lawmakers earlier this year after the Norwegian
Sun dumped 40 tons of human waste into the Strait of Juan
de Fuca in May. Cruise lines opposed the bill, and Ecology
officials said it might disrupt a process that would provide
protections this year. Critics, however, denounced the agreement
as toothless. It's "worse than nothing because it provides
a false sense of protection," said Fred Felleman of Ocean
Advocates in Seattle. "The fact that there is no consequence
to breaking this agreement makes it meaningless." In
a one-week voyage, a ship generates about 1 million gallons
of gray water, 210,000 gallons of sewage, and 35,000 gallons
of oil-contaminated water, according to the Bluewater Network,
an environmental group in Seattle. Most of that waste -- some
treated, some not -- goes into the water at some point. |
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MA:
Task Force Wants to Zone the Ocean (Boston Globe
3/23)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/03/23/state_panel_to_recommend_
zoning_ocean_and_its_uses/
After a decade of mounting pressures on Massachusetts' coastal
waters, with industries from fishing to wind farms competing
for a resource once seen as virtually limitless, a state task
force will recommend zoning the ocean much like private land.
The state's 23-member Ocean Management Task Force is expected
to call for a sweeping new state law to revamp and better
oversee coastal water uses. The proposal would set rules governing
competing uses of the sea, such as wind farming and fishing,
and identify critical areas such as fish spawning regions
that may need outright protection. Although short on specifics,
the report is one of the first attempts by any state to coordinate
the often jumbled management of state waters, which generally
extend 3 miles from the U.S. shoreline. While other states
such as Oregon, Hawaii, and North Carolina have created ocean
authorities to better manage state waters, most are in their
infancy. Authority in Massachusetts is currently spread out
among many state agencies that do not necessarily follow the
same overarching philosophy. To sort out the state's priorities,
state Environmental Affairs Secretary Ellen Roy Herzfelder
convened the task force last year, with a membership made
up of scientists, policy makers, environmentalists, and fishermen.
The report has already generated controversy among the commercial
and recreational fishermen. Worried about being shut out of
prime fishing grounds, fishing groups helped jettison a recommendation
that would have given the state environmental affairs secretary
authority to create "marine protected areas." |
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California
Clean Air Rule for Diesel Engines Made Optional (LA
Times 3/25, Detroit Free Press 3/25)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-trucks25mar25,0,763773.story?coll=
la-news-politics-california
http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw95145_20040325.htm
In 1998, regulators discovered that diesel truck engine manufacturers
had programmed a computer chip to tell emissions testing equipment
that their engines were emitting fewer pollutants than they
really were. This discovery led California to strike an agreement
with engine manufacturers to replace the chips with ones that
would accurately reflect emissions data. Last year, when the
California Air Resources Board discovered that the program
wasn't moving as quickly as they had anticipated, the board
revised its policy and the program, and made chip replacement
mandatory. Now California has been forced, under threat of
suit for contract violations, to revise the program once again
by making the replacement program voluntary. Regulators are
making this concession because they want chip replacement
to begin immediately, and they fear that, if they press for
continued mandatory compliance, the program will be stalled
while the matter is resolved in courts. Diesel engines emit
high levels of nitrogen oxides, pollutants known to cause
smog. An aggressive marketing campaign pushing the "chip
reflash" program will be backed by the California Trucking
Association. |
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Maine's
New Rules Limit Liquidation Tree Harvesting (Kennebec
Journal 3/22)
http://www.kjonline.com/news/local/518753.shtml
Maine's Forest Service is taking steps toward developing sustainable
forestry practices in its state, by revising its logging rules
to prevent liquidation harvesting -- the practice of purchasing,
clear-cutting, and reselling a plot of land within five years.
The proposed rules are backed by foresters, who practice sustainable
harvesting, and forestry economists, who claim that companies
that clear-cut land flood the market with cheap wood, tarnish
the state's land legacy, fragment habitats and ecosystems,
and damage the future of forestry in the state. Supporters
also argue that there is a significant market for sustainable
forestry wood products. Although the new rules still have
loopholes, such as for foresters who own only smaller plots
of land, they are a vast improvement upon the current policy,
which puts no restrictions on clear-cutting. The proposed
rules are currently in a public comment period. |
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Illinois
Gov. to Include Conservation Funds in Budget (State
Journal-Register 3/22)
http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/20614.asp
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich includes $30 million in his
capital budget for natural resources conservation and recreation
purposes -- $10 million to buy land to connect bicycle paths
and improve access to forest preserves and recreational areas,
and $20 million to be split up among three other land conservation
programs. One is Conservation 2000, in which conservation
groups can apply for money to keep lakes and rivers clean.
The Fox River has benefited from this program in the past.
One of the other programs will clean up the Illinois River
in central Illinois, and one invites park districts to apply
for federal matching grants for local programs. State lawmakers
must approve Blagojevich's regular and capital budgets by
the end of May or face an overtime session. For information
on how you can conserve land in your state, visit: http://www.serconline.org/conservationfunding/index.html. |
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