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2004
Ballot Report
This fall, citizens in twenty-four states will vote on over one
hundred ballot measures, some of which will have an impact on our
energy, water, air, and wildlife, and the habitat upon which they
depend. While the number of both legislative and citizen-based initiatives
has significantly decreased in recent years, ballot measures remain
an important tool for our democratic system of government. Ballot
measures give citizens the power to propose bills and laws, and
to enact or reject them at the polls. Twenty-four states allow some
form of a ballot action by state citizens. A large number of these
states provide that ballot measures can only be decided in the state's
general election, typically held in even-numbered years. However,
some states have general elections every year, and a few others
allow measures in any general, primary, or special election. This
year, in November, ten states are holding elections which include
environmental and wildlife ballot initiatives: Alaska, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and
Washington. Included in this report is a summary of ballot measures
that relate to the environment and will appear on the 2004 ballots.
This report also includes ballot measures being considered for 2006.
To view the ballot report, visit: http://www.defenders.org/states/factsheets/04ballots.html. |
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Conservation
Tax Incentives
Ecosystems and watersheds cover public and private lands and, excluding
Alaska, there are about 1.5 billion acres of privately held land
in America. Preserving privately-owned natural lands, agricultural
lands, and water rights is important because these properties, when
added to existing preserves and water rights, can make an enormous
difference to air and water quality, to a state's capacity to manage
growth, and to local economies. The preservation tax credit is a
simple idea. Citizens and corporations who donate land for conservation
purposes get an income tax break. However, in order to qualify for
the tax credit, the land donated must fulfill specific conservation
purposes, with priority placed on lands that harbor threatened habitats
or endangered species. This approach helps prevent habitat fragmentation
and is cost effective. For more information on implementing conservation
tax incentives in your state, visit: http://www.serconline.org/conservationTaxIncentives/index.html. |
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Green
Building
The construction, maintenance, and demolition of buildings is one
of the most resource-demanding industries in the United States.
Buildings account for 45% of worldwide energy use, 80% of potable
water use, and 50% of the timber harvest in North America. They
also account for about 40% of municipal solid waste and 30% of U.S.
emissions that contribute to global warming and acid rain. Our demand
on natural and finite resources such as energy, water, and building
materials can be reduced and our contribution to environmental quality
enhanced by incorporating green building principals into the design,
construction, and renovation of buildings. Green buildings are designed
and constructed to maximize whole life-cycle performance, conserve
resources, and enhance the comfort of their occupants. This is achieved
by the smart use of technology such as fuel cells and solar heated
water tanks, and by attention to natural design elements such as
maximizing natural light and building orientation. The result is
a highly efficient building that saves money, is aesthetically pleasing,
and contributes to the comfort and productivity of its occupants.
The architectural community has been increasingly supportive of
green building, and more and more educators and practicing professionals
are recognizing its environmental and economic potential. Leaders
in this exciting new field, including builders, architects, nonprofits,
and states that encourage its practice, are being recognized for
their contribution to environmental quality and occupant health
and safety. For information on how your state can promote green
buildings, visit: http://www.serconline.org/grBldg/index.html. |
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Regulating
Pesticides
There is mounting public concern regarding pesticide exposure. Studies
have shown that people with compromised immune systems, children,
pregnant women, and the elderly all suffer from exposure to pesticides.
There is also evidence that pesticide exposure reduces sperm count
in men. Pesticides are widely used in our environment to control
pests, often without our knowledge of their presence. Many solutions
exist to reducing pesticide exposure. Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) is an approach that combines traditional, or "common
sense," non-chemical control techniques with the limited use
of pesticides. The term integrated means that all available tools
are used in a mix of strategies that includes chemical controls
(such as pesticides), biological controls (such as the maintaining
of a population of the pest's natural enemies), cultural control
(such as public education), physical control (such as traps or hand-weeding),
and regulatory control (such as public policy legislation). IPM
is a compromise -- it strives to prevent pesticide use by using
pro-active measures; yet, if these measures prove ineffective, the
least toxic pesticide in low doses is applied using a target-specific
method as a last resort. IPM is already a part of many extension
office programs, but it is not required to be a part of government
pest management programs in all states. For more information on
integrated pest management and regulating pesticide use in your
state, visit: http://www.serconline.org/pesticides/index.html. |
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Last
Issues of Wildlines
As of October 1, 2004, the State Environmental Resource Center (SERC)
will cease operations and the SERC office will become the Wisconsin
office of Defenders of Wildlife. Our focus in the future will be
directed primarily to state conservation issues rather than broad
environmental issues. Due to this change, we will not continue to
publish Wildlines. We hope that SERC has been useful to you in the
past, and that you will continue to make use of the resources posted
on the SERC web site, which will remain online. We encourage you
to sign up for the Defenders Environmental Network (http://www.defenders.org/den/denform.html)
to continue to receive email updates on conservation issues. For
further information on progressive environmental state policy, please
contact the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (http://ncel.net/index.cgim)
and the Center for Policy Alternatives (http://cfpa.org/index.cfm). |
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NJ
Assembly Committee Restricts Access to Info on Area Businesses
(Star Ledger 9/14)
http://www.nj.com/statehouse/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1095139412150430.xml
A New Jersey assembly committee has endorsed a bill that would
make obtaining information about businesses through the Open Public
Records Act more difficult, despite objections from government
watchdog groups, the press, and environmentalists. The proposed
changes, according to the bill's sponsor, are intended to protect
businesses from terrorism. The bill allows the Attorney General
to deny the release of information about businesses, if the business
could be the target of a terrorist attack or if the release of
information would increase the chance of an attack. Opponents
of the proposal argue that restricting access to records will
keep people in the dark about environmental and occupational safety
issues. For more information, read SERC's Freedom of Information
Policy Issues Package at: http://www.serconline.org/FOIA/pkg_frameset.html. |
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California
Extends Grant Program to Reduce Chemical Use on Farms (Daily
Democrat 9/14)
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/Stories/0,1413,136~32730~2401067,00.html
Gov. Schwarzenegger has signed AB 2054, extending the University
of California Biologically Integrated Farming Systems program
until 2010. Sponsored by the Community Alliance of Family
Farmers and supported by multiple groups, including the Defenders
of Wildlife, the bill enjoyed bipartisan support in the legislature.
The competitive grant program funds on-farm demonstrations
of environmentally-sound, biologically-based farming methods
designed to reduce use of chemicals. The program has established
biological farming practices as beneficial for both the economy
and environmental in a variety of crops. Demonstration projects
have included a diverse range of crops and farming systems,
including rice, wine grapes, dairy, prunes, tomatoes, cotton,
strawberries, and citrus. Nine multi-year projects have been
funded since 1995. The grant program is administered by the
University of California's Sustainable Agriculture Research
and Education Program. |
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New
Jersey Governor Classifies CO2 as Pollutant (Herald
News 9/17)
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=
eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NTg2MzY5
Governor McGreevey paved the way for a stepped-up fight against
global warming last week, making New Jersey the first state
in the nation to declare heat-trapping carbon dioxide a public
hazard. The step allows New Jersey to join a campaign with
eight other Northeastern states to crack down on carbon emissions
from power plants. How much that will affect consumers and
power rates is unclear, since the states still haven't fleshed
out their plan. Environmentalists and some local power producers
said it might have little effect on bills, but an industry
spokesman in Washington was less optimistic. Supporters, however,
said the potential costs paled in comparison with the dangers
climate change poses for New Jersey: more coastal flooding,
more violent storms, extended droughts, and billions of dollars
in spending to cope with the changes. Carbon dioxide -- from
burning coal, oil, and gas -- accounts for the majority of
greenhouse emissions. Those gases trap heat in the air, contributing
to the slow warming of the earth's atmosphere that scientists
have documented over the last century. New Jersey produces
about 160 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. New Jersey's
announcement, coupled with new rules in California and other
states, could add momentum for addressing global warming,
environmentalists said. "It sets a precedent for other
parts of the country and the country as a whole," said
David Doniger, a climate expert with the Natural Resources
Defense Council, a national conservation group. "Basically,
the country's beginning to move on and leave the Washington
stalemate behind." New Jersey and the other eight states
-- New York, Delaware, and the six New England states -- are
drafting a trading program to reduce carbon dioxide from power
plants, which account for a third of the emissions. Under
the system, each plant would get a cap on its annual carbon
output. Utilities that reduce carbon dioxide emissions would
earn "credits" that could be sold to dirtier plants
that go over the limit. For more information on how your state
can deal with greenhouse gases, see http://www.serconline.org/ghg/index.html. |
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Iowa's
New Livestock Rule Doesn't Clear the Air (Des Moines
Register 9/15)
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040915/NEWS10/409150350/1011
Iowans have been bitterly divided over odors and other emissions
from the state's large-scale livestock facilities. Iowa
is the nation's largest hog producer, and its 10,000 hog
farms account for 86,000 jobs alone. Neighbors downwind
from these large-scale farms have led the effort to limit
gas and other emissions from the farms, many stating that
their quality-of-life has been ruined by the emissions and
citing fears that their property values would decline. Livestock
producers fear regulations will make raising livestock economically
unfeasible and, until now, the Iowa legislature has refused
to limit emissions from the farms. The new law regulates
only the toxic lung irritant, hydrogen sulfide, and does
not address emissions such as odor and ammonia. The new
limit is set so high that it is unlikely violations will
occur; in almost 18 months, only a few readings above the
new limit have been recorded at 10 monitoring sites scattered
near livestock farms. The new rule allows seven violations
per year at each site, and does not include penalty provisions.
For more information on how states are regulating air pollution
from factory farms, see http://www.serconline.org/cafoAirEmissions.html. |
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California
Bill Would Increase Smog Checks (Los Angeles Times
9/14)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-smog14sep14,0,7694429.story?coll=la-news-politics-california
Legislation, sponsored by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, and
passed by the House and Senate, would end a California exemption
that spares many old cars from smog checks. Currently, when
a car turns 30, it no longer has to be smog-checked. Each
year, more cars become exempt. Under the proposed law, the
cutoff would be fixed in time -- all cars from the 1976 model
year on would have to be checked -- and the ranks of exempt
cars would thin as older cars are taken off the road. State
officials estimate that, if the governor signs the bill, by
2010, about 340,000 passenger vehicles that would otherwise
have aged out of the smog-check program will have to be inspected.
The measure is supported by an unusual alliance that includes
the American Lung Association, environmental groups, oil companies,
and farmers. Supporters of the bill say that older cars, most
of which would be considered clunkers rather than classics,
make up a disproportionate share of the smog problem in California.
Limiting the exemption would remove 12 tons of smog-forming
pollutants per day by 2015. By 2010, cars made before 1983
are expected to account for 22% of the hydrocarbons and 11%
of the nitrogen oxides emitted by passenger cars and light
trucks, according to state officials, even though the older
models will constitute just 2.6% of the vehicles on the road.
"We would argue there are no issues with this bill and
classic cars," said Tom Addison, a lobbyist for the Bay
Area Air Quality Management District. "It's very simple:
If your car is in the smog-check program today, it should
stay in the program. That's all the bill does." |
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States
Sue to Cut Pesticide Use in Public Housing (ENS 9/13)
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2004/2004-09-13-10.asp
Six state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in
an attempt to reduce the use of pesticides in public housing.
The suit charges the federal agency is failing to comply with
a 1996 law that requires the use of safer pest management
practices in thousands of public housing developments across
the United States. The lawsuit was filed in federal court
in Brooklyn by attorneys general from New York, Connecticut,
Illinois, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The suit aims to force HUD to require housing authorities
to use integrated pest management, a method that eliminates
pests without toxic pesticides. The practice relies on regular
inspections and traps as well as preventative actions, such
as installing screens, repairing structural damage, and improved
sanitation. It calls for chemicals to be used as a last resort
and in limited quantities to minimize toxicity and damage
to human health. The suit comes a year after 11 attorneys
general petitioned HUD to order federal housing authorities
to use Integrated Pest Management techniques. HUD denied the
request in December 2003 -- it argued that it is only required
to promote the use of Integrated Pest Management methods and
is meeting its obligations under the law. For more information
on alternatives to pesticides, visit: http://www.serconline.org/pesticides/index.html. |
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Report
Finds NJ Development Pattern Wasteful and Costly (New
Jersey Future 8/30)
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=4268&state=31&res=1024
A new report released by the New Jersey Future warns the state
is wasting too much land, infrastructure money, and commuter
time with its sprawling development pattern. By 2024, New
Jersey's population -- about 8,414,000 in 2000 -- is expected
to boom by another million. The report finds the present development
pattern not only wasteful, but unsustainable. Low-density
subdivisions use two to three times more land area than older,
compact communities, such as Princeton. Sprawling land use
increases the costs of services and infrastructure. For example,
in densely-populated Hudson County, one mile of road serves
1000 residents; whereas, in sprawling Hunterdon County, it
takes eleven miles of road to serve the same number of residents.
The report includes numerous recommendations, such as reforming
the current property tax system to encourage higher-density
development; changing zoning to encourage higher-density development
and preservation of important natural areas and agricultural
lands; and, making multiple changes to the Municipal Land
Use law and a combination of local impact fees with a proposed
''smart growth tax credit bill.'' For more information about
suburban sprawl and other urban issues, visit: http://www.serconline.org/urbanissues.html. |
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