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President Bush About to Secure Legacy of Conservation (It's True!)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
contributed by Matt Kirby
Despite being the worst environmental president in history, Bush is maneuvering to leave behind a conservation legacy. And that legacy could very well be protecting more of the Earth’s surface than anyone in history. This is an astounding realization, almost unbelievable. But it is a realization that we must embrace and that we must applaud. Bush created the largest protected marine reserve in the world in 2006 when he created The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. At 140,000 square miles, the move created the largest single area dedicated to conservation in our country’s history.
Yesterday, however, Bush hinted that he may go further, much further. He announced that three new areas in the Pacific are being considered for protection as national monuments. The areas under scrutiny include waters surrounding the Rose Atoll in American Samoa, the Mariana Islands, and various other coral reefs and atolls dotting the Pacific. The levels of protection these places will eventually receive is still unclear, but this is a promising first step. Combined, the places could add up to as much as 891,000 square miles. The scope of that protection for fragile coral reefs, seabirds, nesting turtles, the highest density of sharks in the Pacific, and Mariana Trench (the deepest canyon in the world), cannot be underestimated.
For more information:
Washington Post
Grist
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California to Pass Legislation Curbing Sprawl
Thursday, August 21, 2008
contributed by Matt Kirby
California is on the verge of passing the nation's first legislation to control sprawl. This ambitious bill, SB 375, will require the state’s 17 metropolitan planning organizations and regional transportation plans to meet strict greenhouse gas standards. The legislation was first introduced last year and quickly killed by developers and local officials who were reluctant to give up zoning powers. This version, however, has been reworked and approved by developers, city officials, and environmentalists. It is expected to go before the state Assembly today, the Senate on Friday, and Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk on Monday.
The beauty of this bill is its acknowledgment that many environmental problems our country faces are deeply intertwined and ultimately stem from our way of life. The legislation was conceived not to curb sprawl, per se, but to help California meet its stringent global warming standards. In 2006, California passed a law decreeing that greenhouse gas emissions be cut to 1990 levels by 2020. And to accomplish that, it’s not enough to merely put fuel efficient cars on the road and regulate factories. State officials recognized the need for smart development that encourages people to drive less.
For more information:
LA Times
Treehugger
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Americans Don't Want to Drill
Thursday, August 14, 2008
contributed by Matt Kirby
A new report released this week definitively shows that Americans prefer investment in renewable energy over increased drilling. The significance of this poll cannot be underestimated as the Drill Here, Drill Now crowd keeps harping on the statistic that a large majority of Americans favor increased drilling. This poll, unlike several previous ones, presented all the energy options and asked participants to compare clean energy options with fossil fuel options.
The report, which was released by the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund, shows that 83% of Americans support reducing our dependence on oil by investing in renewable energy. This is a full 20% more than favor increased drilling. Almost as many, 80%, believed that we should end oil subsidies and put that money toward more reasonable and sustainable energy investments. Americans, when given the choice, don’t want to drill. They want real solutions to a very real problem.
For more information:
Sustainable Business
Read the Poll
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Roan Plateau to Be Leased Tomorrow
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
 contributed by Matt Kirby
Tomorrow, the Bureau of Land Management will hold its controversial oil and gas lease sale of Colorado’s Roan Plateau. Despite outcry from a public that supported legislation in Congress that would have required the BLM to take a more protective approach to development on the plateau, the agency firmly announced in March that it would go through with the sale. And, as always true to their word when it comes to land giveaways, tomorrow it happens. The sale will include 55,186 acres in 31 parcels, 34,000 acres of which are actually atop the plateau. The few undeveloped tracts of the Roan Plateau that remain are prime wildlife habitat, provide bountiful opportunities for hunters and anglers, and have unparalleled recreational opportunities. But despite these facts, despite unprecedented vocal outrage, and despite opposition from Sen. Salazar, Rep. Udall, Rep. Salazar, and Gov. Ritter, the BLM has chosen to give the area over to special interests. For more information: BLM Press ReleaseSave Roan PlateauMap of Proposed Lease Sales
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Endangered Species Act Becomes Endangered
Monday, August 11, 2008
contributed by Matt Kirby
In the coming weeks, the Bush administration is expected to propose drastic new rules that would further gut the Endangered Species Act. According to the Associated Press, the new regulations would reduce the mandatory and independent scientific reviews that government scientists perform for other agencies. They would allow federal agencies to decide for themselves the impacts of proposed projects on wildlife and plants instead of mandating the government experts from the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service to perform assessments. This would be the most significant and horrendous change to the ESA since 1988.
A federal handbook from 1998 has called these review processes “some of the most valuable and powerful tools to conserve listed species.” Unfortunately, this doesn’t matter to developers and certain federal agencies that complain of increased costs and delayed projects. And now, if the proposed rules go through, they won’t have to worry any more since they’ll be handed the very power that find so tedious and expensive. Senator Barbara Boxer, D-California, has gone so far as to call the proposed changes illegal. "This proposed regulation is another in a continuing stream of proposals to repeal our landmark environmental laws through the back door," she said. "If this proposed regulation had been in place, it would have undermined our ability to protect the bald eagle, the grizzly bear and the gray whale."
Once the regulations are formerly announced there will be a 30-day public comment before being finalized by the Interior Department. Just in time for the November election.
For more information:
AP Story
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Monsanto Tries to Ditch Bovine Growth Hormone
Monday, August 11, 2008
contributed by Matt Kirby
In a symbolically significant move that many are calling a victory for consumers, last week Monsanto announced that it would attempt to sell its business that produces bovine growth hormone. The hormone, marketed as Prosilac, has been banned in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and parts of the EU. Its effects on human health have long been debated and remain unclear, but what is clear is that Monsanto threw an awful lot of force behind trying to convince the public that the hormone was harmless. It even went so far as to sue producers that labeled their food as “rGBH free.” And in the very real sense that consumers have a right to know what they are consuming, the announcement is a clear victory.
But the other victory is for the cows that are one step closer to not being subjected to the growth hormone any longer. Public opinion has clearly turned in their favor and will most likely continue to do so. Studies show that use of Prosilac results in a 25% increase in the risk of mastitis, a 40% drop in fertility, and 55% increased risk of developing clinical signs of lameness. Additionally, the European Union commissioned a report on the welfare of animals treated with the hormone. The group concluded that on the basis of the health and welfare of the animals the the hormone should not be used. For the cow, this victory represents a step closer to not being treated like a producing machine but rather like the breathing animal that it is.
For more information:
New York Times
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Western Lowland Gorilla Scores a Win
Friday, August 8, 2008
contributed by Matt Kirby
 It is rare in these times to find that a large mammal’s population is doing better than previously expected. It is practically unheard of that the mammal in question is a primate. This means that it’s worth celebrating the announcement earlier this week that a recent survey has estimated that there are 125,000 western lowland gorillas thriving in the northern Republic of Congo. This is one of the highest gorilla densities ever recorded. According to the New York Times, the last estimate was put at around 100,000 in the 1980s and the numbers were thought to have decreased dramatically since then due to hunting and outbreaks of Ebola.
The estimate comes from the Wildlife Conservation Society, which examined a largely unstudied area of around 18,000 square miles. The population is secure for now and is a much-needed sliver of good news to conservationists the world over, especially among primate specialists for whom bad news is the order of the day. This should not, however, be taken as any consolation or lead to any complacency that the danger is over. Far from it. 48% of primate species still face extinction at the global level with places like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia leading the charge. So this news should be celebrated without question but the primates still wage a very difficult, uphill battle.
For more information:
Treehugger
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