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School
Bus Diesel Emissions
Over 99% of our nation's 600,000 school buses run on diesel fuel,
placing millions of children at risk each day from the hazardous
health effects of diesel emissions. These emissions have been directly
linked to such serious health problems as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia,
retarded lung development, and increased emergency room visits for
respiratory illnesses. After long-term exposure, diesel exhaust
can cause cancer. In an era where there are cleaner and less toxic
alternatives, states must act to protect our children from exposure
to these dangerous pollutants on their trips to and from school.
Diesel legislation can be found in many states, and these states
have taken a wide variety of approaches to addressing the problem,
including educating citizens about the hazards of diesel exhaust,
reducing heavy-duty diesel vehicle emissions, and establishing tax
breaks for alternative fuel use. As more states address the issue,
the spotlight shines more brightly on those states, which are unwilling
to place the safety of our school children first. For more information
on how your state can regulate school bus diesel emissions, visit:
http://www.serconline.org/schoolbus/index.html. |
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Rhode
Island Adopts CA Vehicle Emissions Standard (The Providence
Journal 5/6)
http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20040506_cars6.1d65ab.html
Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri announced last week the state's
adoption of California's clean car emission standards, currently
the toughest in the nation. By law, states are required to adopt
either federal or California clean air standards. Carcieri's announcement
makes Rhode Island the last state in New England to adopt California
standards. According to Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use
Management, motor vehicles are responsible for at least 30 percent
of the northeast region's greenhouse gas emissions. The new clean
car standard will require 10 percent of all new cars and trucks
be classified as zero-emissions vehicles by a date yet to be determined
by the state Department of Environmental Management; California's
set date for the same mandate is 2012. In addition, Rhode Island
auto manufacturers will be required to sell approximately 14,400
hybrid vehicles and more than 78,000 clean conventional cars by
2011. Sales of hybrid and other low-polluting motor vehicles may
be used as credits by auto dealers to meet the 10 percent zero-emissions
standard once a target date is set. The manufacturers of low-emission
and hybrid vehicles are welcoming the changes, while auto associations
and the oil industry have raised objections to the phase-in timeline
of low-emission vehicles. |
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Illinois
Hunting Heritage Protection Act
The Hunting Heritage Protection Act, Illinois SB 2156, passed both
state houses last week and is now eligible for Gov. Blagojevich's
signature. However, if this bill is signed into law, public land
management in Illinois would be severely compromised. The bill calls
for "no net loss" of public land available for hunting.
If the bill becomes law, any area closed to hunting would have to
be compensated for by opening other public lands to hunting. The
legislation, developed by the United States Sportsmen's Alliance
(USSA), is based on federal legislation of the same title that was
introduced three times with little success. The most recent version,
S 1204, has remained in committee since June 5, 2003. The Bureau
of Land Management, in testimony opposing HR 4790, a previous version
introduced on June 29, 2000, cited a number of shortcomings with
the language. One shortcoming is the impracticality of administering
the "no net loss provision." It would unnecessarily complicate
federal land management, and the bill could be construed as placing
hunting above all other recreational concerns. Since there is little
change made to the state language, the same arguments still apply
and can be taken a step further. Even though SB 2156 states that
hunting will be given no preference above other recreational uses,
it is not difficult to conclude activities such as bird-watching
and hiking would be affected. The bill would unnecessarily tie the
management and financial hands of the Department of Natural Resources
(DNR). The additional burdens would be costly and could compromise
and harm other programs administered by the DNR. Further complicating
the management of states lands is that they are held in trust for
the public. Public lands are and should be available to all citizens,
and no preference should be given to one special interest. This
shortsighted, special interest-driven bill should be vetoed by Gov.
Blagojevich, in order to protect the public lands of Illinois for
all of its citizens. |
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CT
and MA Announce Plans to Curb Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Greenwire
5/6; Boston Globe 5/6)
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/Backissues/050604/050604gw.htm#7
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/06/state_aims_to_cut_greenhouse_gases/
The Connecticut legislature has passed a bill calling on Gov.
Rowland to create a plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
to 1990 levels by 2010. The legislation requires Rowland's
Steering Committee on Climate Change to create a plan that
will help Connecticut meet the 1990 CO2 targets, along with
achieving a 10 percent reduction below 1990 GHG emissions
by 2020. The plan, due by January 2005, would then be reviewed
by environmental committees in the state legislature. Facilities
that are already required to report air emissions to state
and federal environmental agencies under the Clean Air Act
would have to report GHG emissions as well, beginning April
2006, according to the law. And, the Connecticut Department
of Environmental Protection would have to publish an inventory
of GHG emissions, starting in 2006. The measure would also
require state officials to create a list of "climate
friendly" products and services for use by the state
government and universities. In addition to Connecticut's
action, Massachusetts Gov. Romney announced plans that would
make his state the first to consider the impact on greenhouse
gases when state regulators evaluate highway projects and
other public construction plans. The plan also calls for the
state, through better planning, to curb sprawl, thus reducing
motorists' time on the road, and to promote higher mixed-use
development at transit stations. It also suggests giving the
owners of hybrid cars tax breaks and the right to use high-occupancy
vehicle lanes even without passengers. |
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TN
Looks to Expand Emissions Testing While MO Might Quit (Post
Dispatch 5/3; The Tennessean 5/6)
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/Election+2004/18CA27B6101B2EF686256E8A00
136C4F?OpenDocument&Headline=Ending+emissions+tests+gets+initial+approval
http://tennessean.com/government/archives/04/04/50853237.shtml?Element_ID=50853237
Missouri lawmakers, looking to stop clean air emissions testing,
won a preliminary victory last week with House approval of
a bill, HB 1181, to end the program. Although the bill had
bipartisan support, it squeaked by the House by a margin of
just seven votes. Proponents of the bill, including its sponsor,
Rep. Lembke, argue that the vehicle emissions testing requirement
is unnecessary, unpopular, and a burden to the elderly and
the poor. As evidence, they point to the fact that more than
90 percent of vehicles, required to take the test, pass it,
and the state's biggest vehicle polluters are exempt from
the law. Opponents of the proposal say that ending the program
could contribute to a rise in allergy aggravation of state
residents and have serious environmental consequences. In
addition, the decision could leave more than 250 emissions
testers unemployed and, if ending the program leaves the state
out of compliance with federal clean air standards, mean the
loss of millions of dollars in federal highway funds. In addition,
breaking the contract between the state and the testing administrative
company could cost the state $40 million. Meanwhile, Tennessee
is considering expanding its emissions testing program to
more state counties. A bill being proposed by Tennessee lawmakers
would require tailpipe emission testing in counties that either
do not meet federal standards for air quality or have 50,000
or more registered vehicles. The bill would also require testing
in counties that have had air quality issues in the past but
are currently in compliance with federal standards. In addition,
testing could be required in areas that do not have high levels
of emissions themselves but are found to contribute to air
quality issues downwind and have 60,000 or more registered
vehicles. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently
reported that 18 counties in the state are violating federal
ozone standards, and an expanded emissions testing program
has been proposed as one way to begin dealing with that problem.
The state has three years to develop a control strategy and
plan of action to comply with federal standards. |
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Pollution
Settlement to Fund Solar Projects in New York (Times
Union 5/5)
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=245170&category=STATE&newsdate=5/5/2004
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced that New York will
dedicate the $1.8 million it won from a polluting Virginia
power company to fund solar energy projects. The money arises
from a 2000 lawsuit when Spitzer and other Northeast attorneys
general sued Virginia Electric Power Co. for violating the
federal Clean Air Act. The company soon settled, pledging
to spend $1.2 billion over 12 years to clean up emissions
from eight of their coal-fired power plants. They also paid
$5.3 million in penalties and agreed to spend $13.9 million
on environmental projects. Spitzer announced New York's share
of that money will be used to install solar energy equipment
on government buildings, whether it be a town hall or a school.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority,
which will administer the program, will consider applications
from counties, cities, towns, and villages for any solar system
on a building or land, owned or leased by government. "Government
can lead by example," said Judith Enck, an environmental
policy adviser for Spitzer. For more information on how your
state can promote clean energy, visit: http://www.serconline.org/cleanenergy.html. |
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Renewable
Energy Bill Defeated in Colorado (Denver Post 5/5)
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~61~2127591,00.html
A bill to increase Colorado's supply of wind, solar, and renewable
energy died in the Senate, opening the door to a vote by state
residents this fall. Supporters of renewable energy have already
begun the initiative process to secure funding and get signatures
on petitions that would put the measure on November's ballot.
The unexpected defeat marked the fourth year in a row that
the Colorado legislature killed renewable energy legislation.
The legislation would have required the state's largest electricity
providers to get 900 megawatts -- enough to supply 300,000
homes under normal operation -- from renewable energy sources
by 2010. "I think the Senate made a mistake," said
Matt Baker, executive director of Environment Colorado, which
is heading up the coalition of groups pushing for a ballot
initiative in November. "The bill was in the best interest
of Colorado, and the legislature missed a chance to respond.
I hope the voters of Colorado will answer this question for
themselves." Colorado would become the first state in
the country to allow voters to decide the sources of their
electricity. For more information on renewable power standards,
visit: http://www.serconline.org/RPS/pkg_frameset.html. |
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CA's
Newest Clean Air Initiative: Ditch the Junkers (Los
Angeles Times 5/4)
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-smog4may04,1,5251321.story?coll=la-news-environment
California continues its attempts to reduce air pollution
from mobile sources, this time with a proposal to offer financial
incentives for owners to replace their older, higher-polluting
vehicles with more environmentally friendly ones. Mobile sources
of pollution contribute to about 70 percent of the smog in
California, and older cars tend to be heavier polluters; just
five percent of California's vehicles are responsible for
about half of the state's air pollution from motor vehicles.
Most of these older vehicles are exempt from smog tests and
other emission controls. Gov. Schwarzenegger and his administration
are backing the proposal but have yet to approve a proposal
to fund and implement it. The administration is considering,
and various state legislators are proposing, several different
funding sources for the program, which they expect to cost
the state $200 million to $400 million per year. Some policymakers
are arguing for a wholesale gasoline fee of about one cent
per gallon, while others suggest an increase in vehicle registration
fees of about $2 per vehicle. While businesses operating in
the state have been fairly supportive of the plan, truckers
and the oil industry are opposed to a gasoline fee; car dealers
oppose an increase in registration fees. Oil and gas suppliers
like the idea of additional registration fees because it would
cause motorists to share the cost of cleaning the air, but
some consumers are arguing that such a fee would be unfair
to owners of low-emission vehicles. California has cut harmful
exhaust by more than 100,000 tons per year with its established
programs to replace older diesel-powered school buses, farm
equipment, and other heavy-duty engines. These new plans follow
on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Southern
California air quality officials overstepped their authority
by enacting rules requiring operators of large vehicle fleets
to buy low-polluting vehicles. |
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State
Officials Oppose Mercury Plan (Chemical and Engineering
News 5/3) http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/8218/8218notw3.html
A federal proposal to reduce mercury air emissions was roundly
criticized by state environmental officials in a resolution
passed in late April by the Environmental Council of the States
(ECOS). The resolution urges the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) to toughen its proposal by making mercury emissions
reductions faster and deeper. Mercury, ECOS notes, is neurologically
toxic, particularly for children. The group says EPA's December
2003 proposal is too weak, does not reflect readily available
emissions reductions technologies, and is not consistent with
provisions in the Clean Air Act. ECOS members were among stakeholders
who, together with EPA and industry, developed an earlier
proposal that would have required 40-96% reductions in mercury
emissions from coal-fired power plants by 2007. EPA nixed
that deal, however, and substituted its new proposal, calling
for either a 29% reduction by 2007 or a 69% reduction by 2018.
Coal-fired power plants are the largest unregulated source
of mercury air emissions. While the EPA proposal is supported
by coal interests, it has generated lawsuits and thousands
of critical comments from environmental activists, health
officials, and state and local air regulators. Also, early
in April, attorneys general from 10 states and 45 senators
urged EPA Administrator Michael O. Leavitt to withdraw the
proposal. EPA is under court order to finalize a long-delayed
mercury regulation by the end of the year. For information
on how your state can reduce mercury pollution, visit: http://www.serconline.org/mercury/pkg_frameset.html. |
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Ohio
Investigates Dam Removal (Plain Dealer 5/3)
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/summit/108358170721050.xml
The Gorge Park Dam stands as the largest dam on the Cuyahoga
and a major obstacle to improving water quality. The Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) wants to study
whether it is feasible to remove the 58-foot-tall dam, which
was built in 1912. Last month, the state sent a letter to
the dam's owner, Akron-based FirstEnergy Corporation, raising
the idea. Ohio EPA officials will meet later this month with
company representatives to begin evaluating the dam's removal.
"From an environmental standpoint, there would be benefits,"
said Steve Tuckerman, the Ohio EPA's Cuyahoga River specialist.
"But there are other factors that must be considered,
such as economic and social." The dam blocks fish and
creates conditions that contribute to extensive algae growths
downriver, Tuckerman said. The major problem facing removal
is cost. Behind the dam sits tons of accumulated silt. This
sediment could be contaminated with toxic chemicals, such
as polychlorinated biphenyls, which would be costly to clean
up. The Ohio EPA also is considering modifying or removing
three other dams on the Cuyahoga River, one in Brecksville
and two others in Cuyahoga Falls. "Dam removal is certainly
an important part of the overall puzzle of restoring the river,"
said Jim White, who heads the Cuyahoga River Remedial Action
Plan, a group dedicated to cleaning up the river. "The
river needs free-flowing water to sustain the river ecosystem." |
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Michigan
State Senate Approves Plan to Certify Forests (Ann
Arbor News 5/6)
Three bills designed to certify Michigan's 4 million acres
of state forest land passed the senate last week. H 5554 initiates
the certification process, SB 1023 allows forestry pilot projects,
and S 1024 changes membership of the forest finance authority.
Proponents of the bills say they could result in independent
verification of state forest lands and make Michigan's timber
industry more competitive. Opponents say that the state Department
of Natural Resources already has the capability to assess
forest land, and putting the job into the hands of private
interests is suspect. Michigan's $9 billion forest products
industry has about 150,000 workers. More than 30 Michigan
pulp and paper mills have closed in recent years because of
increased foreign competition, consolidation of companies,
and improved technology making individual mills more productive.
Forest-based tourism and recreation provides 50,000 jobs and
pumps more than $3 billion into the state economy, according
to the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency. H 5554 has been approved
by the Senate; S 1023 and S 1024 have been sent to the House. |
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Massachusetts
State to Replace SUV Fleet with Hybrids (Boston Herald
5/6)
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=19213
SUVs in Massachusetts's state vehicle fleet will be replaced
by hybrids when their leases run out, according to the state's
"Climate Protection Plan," unveiled on May 6. The
plan codifies pledges made in 2001 by the New England governors
and Eastern Canadian premiers, and vaults Massachusetts into
the vanguard of efforts to arrest worldwide rising temperatures
that could spark violent weather patterns, swamp the coastlines,
kill marine wildlife, and hamper the tourism industry. SUVs
have been the vehicle of choice for politically connected
public workers, but their terrible fuel economies make them
poor choices for state officials who are trying to craft policies
to help curb climate change. For more information on how states
are curbing SUVs, visit: http://www.serconline.org/suvFleets.html. |
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Texas
Legislator Proposes Environmental Sin Taxes (TEXPIRG
Email Alert 4/30)
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=732&id4=ES
During an emergency legislative session to find appropriations
for Texas schools, Rep. Lon Burman introduced HB 34 and HB
35, which propose environmental sin taxes. HB 34 would add
a tax to large, gas-guzzling SUVs; HB 35 would add a tax to
coal and inefficient power plants. If they pass, the taxes
could generate up to $1.2 billion in revenue. For more information
on the dangers of SUVs, visit: http://www.serconline.org/suvFleets.html.
For more information on clean energy, visit: http://www.serconline.org/cleanenergy.html. |
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NY:
Proposed Real Estate Tax Increase Would Fund Conservation
(Democratic and Chronicle 5/5)
http://www.rochesterdandc.com/news/05051S451DC_news.shtml
Under a bill introduced on May 4, communities in New York
would have the option of adding a tax to real estate transactions
to fund environmental preservation projects. Communities could
adopt a tax of up to 2 percent on a portion of real estate
sales. The state currently charges a 0.4 percent transfer
rate. The proceeds would go in an open space conservation
endowment and be used to buy land or acquire land easements.
Other open space projects would include parkland development,
historic site preservation, and watershed and farmland protection.
The Brookings Institution and Cornell University reported
that, between 1982 and 1997, upstate urbanized land increased
30 percent while the population grew only 2.6 percent. This
type of development results in lost farmland, more vehicle
miles traveled, and urban decay. The model for the plan is
the Peconic Bay Community Preservation Fund, adopted by five
towns on eastern Long Island. The fund topped $100 million
in its first three years. The legislators are looking to provide
towns across the state with the same option. For more ideas
on how you can raise money for conservation in your state,
visit: http://www.serconline.org/conservationfunding/index.html. |
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