And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
RESTORING THE FLORDIA EVERGLADES: AN ENS TWO PART SPECIAL REPORT: PART II
By Catherine Lazaroff
NAVIGATING THE POLITICAL WATERS
WASHINGTON, DC, July 2, 1999 (ENS) - Vice President Al Gore presented
Congress yesterday with a plan to overhaul the water system that has choked
the Florida Everglades, the world’s second largest wetland. The sweeping,
$7.8 billion long range plan has bipartisan support and the full backing of
nearly every major environmental group.
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 1999
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jul99/1999L-07-02-01.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JULY 2, 1999
American Eagle Flying Off Endangered Species List
Eagle Chicks Take Wing On Independence Day
Bills Would End Fees to Enter National Forests
Northeast Drought Blamed for Massive Fish Kill
Nevada Utility Fined for Late Installation of Pollution Controls
Los Alamos Plans Outdoor Tests of Biological Weapons Detectors
EPA to Crack Down on Hand Held Engines
Hog Farm Pleads Guilty to Polluting Water
Tiny Endangered Owl Gets 1% of Arizona as Critical Habitat
Next: Dwarf Partridges?
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 1999
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jul99/1999L-07-02-09.html
AMERICAN EAGLE FLYING OFF ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST
President Bill Clinton announced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) plans to remove the bald eagle from the federal endangered
species list. "The American bald eagle is now back from the brink of
extinction, thriving in virtually every state of the union," President
Clinton said. "I can think of no better way to honor the birth of our
nation than by celebrating the rebirth of our proudest living symbol." In
1963, only 417 nesting bald eagle pairs were found in the lower 48 states.
Today, there are an estimated 5,748 nesting pairs. "America was the first
nation on earth to pass a comprehensive law protecting endangered species,
the Endangered Species Act, and once again we have shown that this landmark
law works," Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said. The eagle was listed as
endangered in all but five of the lower 48 states in 1973. In 1995, the
eagle was downlisted to threatened. If the species is delisted, it will
remain protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden
Eagle Protection Act. The USFWS would work with state wildlife agencies to
monitor the status of the species for a minimum of five years. Some
biologists at USFWS and elsewhere fear delisting will allow developers to
destroy bald eagle wetland habitat. In Arizona, Dr. Robin Silver of the
Southwest Center for Biological Diversity said today, "You remove any
enforceable incentive to protect eagles and they are gone." Only 50 nesting
pairs of bald eagles live in Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas. Public
comment on the delisting is welcome by October 5. Contact the USFWS website
at: www.fws.gov. A final decision is expected in July 2000.
* * *
EAGLE CHICKS TAKE WING ON INDEPENDENCE DAY
On July 4, two twelve week old bald eagle chicks will be released in the
Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee by the National Foundation to Protect
America’s Eagles (NFPAE). The eaglets, named Independence and Spirit, were
hatched at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio in early April and have been cared for
by the NFPAE with minimal human contact for the past seven weeks. The
birds, now fully grown, are ready to be released from an artificial nesting
tower. "We have good reason to celebrate the bald eagle's return to
America's skies," said NFPAE president Al Cecere. "It's recovery is well
underway thanks to the strong protection it has been afforded by the
Endangered Species Act." Cecere was in Washington, DC on Friday with a
captive bald eagle named Challenger to help President Clinton announce the
planned removal of the species from Endangered Species Act protection.
"They will continue to receive ESA protection as a threatened species until
next July, but then the clock runs out," says Cecere. "Bald eagle habitat
on private lands then becomes more vulnerable to human and commercial
development." The NFPAE, based in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is a non-profit
organization with the goal of restoring threatened bald eagles throughout
the United States.
********
BILLS WOULD END FEES TO ENTER NATIONAL FORESTS
U.S. Representative Lois Capps, a Democrat from California, introduced new
legislation June 22 to end the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) participation
in the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program. The trial program charges
forest users a fee to park on certain National Forest lands, and is opposed
by a many grassroots groups. The Forest Access Immediate Relief (FAIR) Act
would stop the $5-per-day "Adventure Pass" user tax at participating
National Forests and offset the lost revenue by eliminating subsidies to
timber companies for road construction to log in national forests. "While I
wholeheartedly support funding the U.S. Forest Service, I strongly believe
we can and should find more equitable sources of revenue," said Capps.
"American families already pay some of their hard-earned money to the
Federal government to maintain our national parks and forests. The misnamed
Adventure Pass represents a double tax that should be eliminated in areas
where it's opposed." Capps is cosponsor of similar legislation introduced
in February by Representative Mary Bono, a California Republican. "Along
with many of my constituents and colleagues in Congress, I am opposed to
this program which essentially charges a double tax on those interested in
visiting our National Forests," Bono said in February. Bono’s bill, the
Forest Tax Relief Act, would end the fee program, but would not replace the
lost revenue. The USFS implemented the trial fee program as part of the
1996 Interior Appropriations Act.
* * *
NORTHEAST DROUGHT BLAMED FOR MASSIVE FISH KILL
More than 200,000 fish have died in two Maryland tributaries of the
Chesapeake Bay in the past week. Officials at the Maryland Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) say the massive fish kill is the largest in ten
years. Depleted oxygen levels are blamed for the deaths of the young yellow
perch, menhaden, mummichogs, silversides, pickerel, catfish and sunfish.
"These fish did not have lesions or any other type of anomaly," said
Charles Poukish, environmental specialist for the Maryland Department of
the Environment. "It's important to note that this problem is the result of
drought associated conditions, not Pfiesteria." Robert Magnien, chief of
resource assessment for the DNR, said, "Drought conditions have probably
allowed algal blooms to proliferate in the upper ends of creeks, which
often receive large amounts of nutrient runoff. When this algae dies, or
stops producing oxygen during daylight hours, oxygen can drop to lethal
levels." Fish need adequate amounts of dissolved oxygen to survive. Recent
dissolved oxygen levels in these areas have been near zero. Typical levels
would be in the 5 to 8 parts per million (ppm) range. Fish begin to
struggle for oxygen when levels fall below 5 ppm. DNR water quality crews
have stepped up their monitoring of water conditions. "It's likely these
conditions will persist until we receive steady rain and cooler weather for
more than several consecutive days," added Magnien.
* * *
NEVADA UTILITY FINED FOR LATE INSTALLATION OF POLLUTION CONTROLS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has fined Nevada
Cogeneration Associates $200,000 for delaying the installation of pollution
control equipment at two power plants near Las Vegas, Nevada. The company
violated the Clean Air Act by failing to install devices to reduce levels
of nitrogen oxides from its gas-fired turbines and heat recovery boilers.
The company needed to install the pollution reduction technology because
its plants are major sources of nitrogen oxides in an area that currently
meets air quality laws for this pollutant. The controls will help the area
continue to meet clean air goals. "The battle for clean air is far from
over and companies must take the proper steps to reduce pollutants and
protect air quality in the Las Vegas Valley," said Dave Howekamp, EPA
regional air division director. EPA issued a notice of violation and
complaint against the facility in 1996 for failing to install the controls.
Since then, Nevada Cogeneration has installed the necessary controls.
* * *
LOS ALAMOS PLANS OUTDOOR TESTS OF BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS DETECTORS
The DOE's Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico plans to release a
bacterial spore outdoors to test new detectors of airborne biological
weapons. The bacterium, Bacillus globigii or Bacillus subtilis is found in
most soils. The state of New Mexico's Public Health office says the
bacterium has little effect upon humans and animals. The spore is
recommended as a dietary supplement by some health food organizations, and
is sold in Asian specialty food stores under the name natto. It is used
commercially to test airflow and sterilization measures in hospitals and
industry. Congress and the DOE have asked Los Alamos to develop
technologies to counter terrorist attacks. Scientists there are developing
sophisticated biodetectors that could detect the presence of airborne
biological substances like anthrax in time to save lives. Terrorists using
anthrax count on its invisibility, and the fact that no symptoms appear in
its victims for several days. Using tools such as the Los Alamos detectors,
an alert could be provided within minutes of a terrorist's bacterial
release, allowing quick treatment of the exposed citizens or soldiers. To
ensure that the spore detectors are effective in real world situations,
they must be tested outdoors, where they are challenged by dust, pollen and
other natural contaminants in the air. Lab officials are coordinating with
local communities and organizations to provide information on the tests
before they begin.
* * *
EPA TO CRACK DOWN ON HAND HELD ENGINES
The EPA has proposed tougher pollution standards for small handheld engines
used in trimmers, brush cutters and chainsaws. In January 1998, the agency
proposed new standards for small spark ignition engines, which produce
about a tenth of all mobile source smog and soot emissions and are the
largest single contributor to non-vehicle emissions. Since then, advances
in emission control technologies for handheld engines have rendered the
1998 rules obsolete. The new rules would reduce smog, soot and nitrogen
oxides by an additional 78 percent beyond the current program. The revised
rules would also ensure that engines continue to comply with the standards
through their useful life. The new standards would be phased in between the
2002 and 2008 model years. Most of these engines are used during hot summer
months when ozone levels are high. Ozone irritates the respiratory tract
causing lung inflammation and aggravates existing respiratory conditions
such as asthma.
* * *
HOG FARM PLEADS GUILTY TO POLLUTING WATER
The first criminal case brought against a hog farm under the Clean Water
Act, has ended with a guilty plea by Trace Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota
in U.S. District Court. Trace violated the Clean Water Act in 1997 by
illegally discharging wastewater containing hog manure from a hog farm near
Saratoga, Iowa. The discharge entered Crane Creek where it polluted an 8.5
mile stretch of the creek and killed about 109,000 fish. Eric Souhrada of
Madrid, Iowa, a concerned citizen, videotaped the fish kill, traced the
pollution to the hog facility and alerted law enforcement authorities.
Souhrada received a Community Crime Spotter award for his actions. As part
of the plea, Trace has agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and $30,000 in
compensation to the state. Iowa intends to use the money to improve fish
habitat on Crane Creek.
* * *
TINY ENDANGERED OWL GETS 1% OF ARIZONA AS CRITICAL HABITAT
In response to a federal court order, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
designated 731,712 acres - one percent of the state of Arizona - as
officially protected critical habitat for the endangered Cactus ferruginous
pygmy owl. The desert habitat for the miniature owl was set aside by the
Service Wednesday. The Tucson based Southwest Center for Biological
Diversity petitioned to list the pygmy owl as endangered in 1991, following
up with five successful lawsuits to get the species onto the endangered
list and its habitat protected. Kierán Suckling, the Center's executive
director, says the habitat designation includes a large stretch of the
middle Gila and lower San Pedro Rivers, and the heart of the urban sprawl
zone in west and northwest Tucson. It also includes large area next to
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. The federal government is not
allowed to permit, authorize, or fund any action which "adversely modifies"
critical habitat. This includes issuing grazing permits to the livestock
industry, Clean Water Act permits to developers, and allocating highway
construction funds. Formerly common throughout southern Arizona, now there
are only 40 known pairs of pygmy owls left in the state. Its preferred
habitat, riparian forests and lush Sonoran desert uplands, has been
decimated by dams, overgrazing, urban sprawl, and water diversions. On
Wednesday, Arizona Governor Jane Hull, a Republican, used her bimonthly
radio program to attack the critical habitat designation. She complained
that habitat protection might be a disaster for state trust lands.
"Obviously," she said, "state land is one of big resources that we want to
use up."
* * *
NEXT: DWARF PARTRIDGES?
Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have developed the
first genetically engineered dwarf pear tree. ARS horticulturists Ralph
Scorza and Richard Bell dwarfed Bosc pear trees by inserting a gene
originally isolated from a bacterium. The new dwarf trees are growing in
greenhouses at the lab, and the scientists expect the trees to bear fruit
in about two or three years. According to Bell, the pear industry relies on
only a few major varieties and needs to improve them. Dwarf fruit trees are
more productive, and allow high density plantings that can produce more
fruit in the same area of land than standard size trees. Fruit from a dwarf
tree is the same size as fruit from a normal tree. The new trees are
expected to be available to home gardeners within the next few years. ARS
is the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
doctrine of international copyright law.
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Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
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