Posts Tagged ‘Regulations’
EU Targets Drug Water Contamination
For the first time the European Union (EU) is proposing to test pharmaceutical products in EU waters. The Commission is proposing to add 15 chemicals to the list of 33 pollutants that are currently monitored and controlled in EU surface waters. The popular pain-relieving drug Diclofenac is one of three. . .
Atlantic Sturgeon Declared Endangered
The Atlantic sturgeon is a species of fish that has been with us since the last ice age. It’s what most scientists would call prehistoric looking. The sturgeon can live for sixty years, grow to 14 feet, and weigh 800 pounds. Despite its historical longevity, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric. . .
Forest Service Tries to Weaken Protections
The U.S. Forest Service today released a new proposal for the nation’s 193-million-acre national forest system that will weaken rules protecting fish and wildlife from logging, livestock grazing, mining and off-road vehicles. The new proposal, which was released as part of the final environmental impact statement for the rule, is. . .
U.S. Bans Mining From Grand Canyon For 20 Years
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the U.S. would enact a twenty-year ban on uranium mining claims near the Grand Canyon. The ban affects one million acres by the Grand Canyon. The current administration had been issuing temporary bans since entering office, but today marks a significant departure from past. . .
Endangered Species Act Reinstates Grizzlies
In a good news legal decision for the grizzlies of Yellowstone National Park, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that reinstated Endangered Species Act protections for the bears. The issue of keeping the bears on the Endangered Species Act has been battled in the courts since 2007,. . .
Great Lakes Wolves Lose Federal Protection
Roughly 4,000 wolves in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota will lose their status as an endangered species on January 27, 2012, under the newly issued U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Rule. The announcement comes nearly eight months after a separate population of some 1,200 wolves in Montana and Idaho were removed. . .
Canada Quits Kyoto Protocol
Despite having all previous signatory country’s agreeing to extend the Kyoto protocol on climate change at the Durban climate talks, Canada’s Environmental Minister Peter Kent on his return from the talks, announced that Canada is withdrawing from the Kyoto protocol. Canada will be the first country to do so. Canada,. . .
Durban Climate Talks End Mixed
Who really won at the Durban, South Africa climate talks, the planet, or the governments involved? Despite the politically correct theme of, “Working Together, Saving Tomorrow Today”, the climate talks may not have really helped out the planet. But, it may have averted a politically embarrassing episode for the 194. . .
Global Fossil Fuel Emissions Continue Unabated
A recently published article in the journal Nature Climate Change highlighted a new analysis by the Global Carbon Project, that shows fossil fuel emissions increased by 5.9 percent in 2010 and by 49 percent since 1990. Ironically 1990 was the first year of the Kyoto protocol. On average, fossil fuel. . .
Coal Sulfur Emissions Halved In Eastern U.S.
According to recent NASA satellite data sulfur dioxide levels in the vicinity of eastern seaboard coal power plants has halved since 2005. Scientists from NASA using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite confirmed major reductions in the levels of a key air pollutant generated by coal power. . .
EPA To Expand Federal Oversight On Fracking Chemicals
The Environmental Protection Agency has finally announced plans to develop rules governing the use of the chemicals used in “fracking” operations. The rules will require the gas and oil industry to submit records on the use of these chemicals. Rule requirements will include divulging the types of chemicals being used. . .
“Fracking” Ban Upheld In Delaware River Basin
The Delaware River basin provides water to people in four states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware. The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) regulates water use across this region. Last week they voted to postpone the lifting of a ban on drilling for natural gas in the Delaware River. . .
Republicans Using Security To Circumvent Enviro Regs
If you’re a conservative Republican Congressperson, how do you come up with ways to circumvent our current environmental laws? How about trying to pass a law that gives border patrol agents the right to ignore all environmental laws in protected areas, such as our National Parks. It seems that certain. . .
Coke Moves To Stop Ban Of Plastic Bottles At Grand Canyon
It seems that Coca Cola was not too happy with a decision made by officials at the Grand Canyon to ban plastic bottles on the parks lands. Park officials were looking to find a way to keep plastic bottles from damaging the pristine eco system found at the Grand Canyon,. . .
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