http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/environuts/ en-us Fri, 4 Jul 2008 02:27:22 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040576/posts Top federal judges ruled this week that their own court has gone too far in holding up logging projects, saying western judges from now on must show more deference to the agencies planning the cutting. The ruling involving an Idaho timber sale is a blow to environmental groups that have increasingly relied on federal courts to block projects they see as unsound. The decision is especially striking because it comes from the federal appeals court that encompasses most national forest land in the West and is known for its liberal bent and for often siding with environmental interests. The... The Oregonian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040576/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jul 2008 02:27:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019274/posts ANCHORAGE — Conservation groups said Tuesday they are challenging Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne's attempt to limit collateral economic damage from listing polar bears as a threatened species. The Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council will seek court intervention to address what they say in the No. 1 threat to polar bears: greenhouse-gas emissions that cause global warming and melt Arctic sea ice. Kempthorne, echoing President Bush, said last week the Endangered Species Act was the wrong tool to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Kempthorne that he would propose "common-sense modifications" to make sure the polar-bear listing would... Seattle Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019274/posts#comment Wed, 21 May 2008 19:09:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016358/posts Stoked by surging natural-gas prices, San Diego's Sempra Energy has completed its new Baja California liquefied-natural-gas terminal – opening the first LNG import facility on the western coast of North America. JOHN GIBBINS / Union-Tribune Sempra Energy's new Baja California liquefied-natural-gas terminal, known as Energia Costa Azul, was completed at an estimated cost of $1 billion. JOHN GIBBINS / Union-Tribune The startup of Energia Costa Azul is part of Sempra Energy's corporate strategy that has placed a premium on being one of the top players in natural-gas infrastructure. The isolated docking facility known as Energia Costa Azul, 14 miles north... SIGN ON SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016358/posts#comment Thu, 15 May 2008 15:40:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004769/posts Josh Gerstein, a reporter for The New York Sun, has taken scare journalism to a new low. He reports that food rationing is now occurring in the United States. It happens insidiously as we sleep. He even accuses us of hoarding food when we shop at Costco. Gerstein samples the panic and desperation that stampedes voraciously through the panic-stricken masses of Mountain View, California. At a Costco Warehouse in Mountain View, Calif., yesterday, shoppers grew frustrated and occasionally uttered expletives as they searched in vain for the large sacks of rice they usually buy."Where's the rice?" an engineer from Palo... THE MINORITY REPORT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004769/posts#comment Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:14:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002348/posts Is the non-principle of “sustainability” about to collapse under the weight of its own mushy contradictions? News this week from the seemingly unrelated areas of biofuels and health policy provide some hope. Sustainability has been smuggled into the policy lexicon as an Orwellian dumber-down of debate. Who would promote unsustainability? It has become the weasel word and policy tic of our time. Corporate chieftains, politicians, consultants and public intellectuals all bow the knee before this founding concept of environmental Newspeak. Its origins as a subversive political principle lay in the United Nations’ Brundtland report, which coined “sustainable development” as a... Financial Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002348/posts#comment Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:41:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2001933/posts Never mind the economic crisis. Focus for a moment on a more urgent threat: the great food recession that is sweeping the world faster than the credit crunch. You have probably seen the figures by now: the price of rice has risen by three-quarters over the past year, that of wheat by 130%. There are food crises in 37 countries. One hundred million people, according to the World Bank, could be pushed into deeper poverty by the high prices. But I bet that you have missed the most telling statistic. At 2.1bn tonnes, the global grain harvest broke all records... The Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2001933/posts#comment Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:08:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1921399/posts (This is the second in a three-part series on the border fence.) BISBEE — Bill Odle and his wife, Ellen Logue, moved to their home on Border Road near Palominas seven years ago. They liked the remoteness of the site, the abundance of wildlife, the quiet atmosphere and the beautiful terrain. They decided to place a conservation easement on their 50 acres of land, which is located next to the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. Now they are concerned a federal fence being constructed nearby along the border with Mexico will disrupt the view and prevent wildlife from migrating... Sierra Vista Herald/Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1921399/posts#comment Mon, 5 Nov 2007 23:52:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1909411/posts All current plasma TVs and many LCDs could be removed from sale by 2011. (File photo) (Reuters/Las Vegas Sun: Steve Marcus) A report commissioned by the Federal Government says there is a growing demand for plasma and LCD televisions, which use more power than traditional TV sets. It says energy rating labels are needed to tell consumers about the performance of the TVs. But under a proposed six-star rating system, most current plasma TVs do not meet the requirements and could be removed from sale. The report also suggests "minimum energy performance standards" be introduced which would eliminate the worst... Australian Broadcasting Corporation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1909411/posts#comment Wed, 10 Oct 2007 21:30:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1879326/posts “It’s nature. I’m sorry it’s negatively affecting you,” STERLING, MA - A sump pump rumbled in the cellar of her Sterling home and a hose gurgled in the front yard as Mary B. Honan waited for a state Department of Conservation and Recreation official to arrive at her house earlier this week. The feisty Irish lilt in her voice falling flat, Ms. Honan declared herself the loser of a four-year war. “The beavers have won,” she said before the deputy director arrived. A native of Ireland, Ms. Honan fell in love with the energy of the United States in the... Worcester Telegram http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1879326/posts#comment Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:10:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1865851/posts Cheered on by fellow Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gov. Charlie Crist signed tough -- if general -- orders to combat global warming. The silver-haired governor of Florida stood arm-in-arm Friday with the silver-screen governor of California, joked about being recast in Twins, and then -- as the cameras rolled -- signed a groundbreaking set of environmental protection orders. Gov. Charlie Crist described the mandates as a framework for a new, more future-friendly way of living and conducting business in Florida. ''State government is leading by example,'' he said. ``It is the right thing to do.'' It also is a popular thing... MiamiHerald.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1865851/posts#comment Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:01:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1816307/posts LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday agreed to study a ban on petroleum-based plastic shopping bags that cause pollution and can be harmful to marine creatures. Supervisors Yvonne Burke and Zev Yaroslavsky asked the Department of Public Works to determine the pros and cons of adopting a policy and to assess how paper and plastic bags are recycled within the county. "It is a very interesting and a very challenging problem that we have," said Donald Wolfe, director of Public Works. Biodegradable plastic bags, typically made from corn or potato starch, are considered to have less of an... AP vis Presstelegram.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1816307/posts#comment Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:52:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1799875/posts Folks, you can’t make this stuff up. However, I sincerely beg all readers to properly stow potables, combustibles, and sharp objects before proceeding further. An expedition to the North Pole to bring attention to global warming was cancelled due to the extraordinarily cold weather. I kid you not. As reported by the Associated Press Monday (emphasis mine throughout): The explorers, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen, on Saturday called off what was intended to be a 530-mile trek across the Arctic Ocean after Arnesen suffered frostbite in three of her toes, and extreme cold temperatures drained the batteries in some of... NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1799875/posts#comment Tue, 13 Mar 2007 03:31:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1791331/posts LOS ANGELES - "An Inconvenient Truth," the documentary that turned former vice president Al Gore's power-point presentation on global warming into an engaging and entertaining film, won the Oscar Sunday night. The best-documentary win was a triumph for Gore, who has kept a sense of humor about his loss in the 2000 election that was decided in George W. Bush's favor by a U.S. Supreme Court decision. "I am Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States of America," Gore says in the film, repeating a line he has used often. Sunday, Gore used the... AP/Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1791331/posts#comment Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:08:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776642/posts A new worldwide movement backed by celebrities, musicians, politicians and business leaders is aiming to reverse the effects of global warming over the next decade. Global Cool launched in London and LA today and is calling on one billion people to reduce their carbon emissions by just one tonne a year, for the next 10 years The Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776642/posts#comment Wed, 31 Jan 2007 12:39:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1770196/posts We fully expect people to get pretty hot under the collar about hot-button social issues like abortion, gay marriage and affirmative action. It’s not even surprising when people on one side of the debate try to shut up people on the other side. The gay lobby is particularly likely to do this, as cases in Canada, in the U.K., in U.S. schools of Social Work, and indeed from the Gay/Straight Alliance right here at Marquette. But what about an issue like supposed “global warming?” That’s an arcane scientific issue, right? People should be tolerant of differing views, right? Apparently not.... Marquette Warrior http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1770196/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:02:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1723213/posts Stars and politicians are battling big business in California's multi-million-dollar green crusadeIT IS a bitterly fought campaign that is pitting Hollywood against big oil; environmentalists against businessmen and millions of dollars against even more millions. As Americans prepare to vote in congressional elections, the most expensive campaign battle is taking place in California. But the nearly $110 million (£58 million) spent to date is not about a seat in Congress. It’s about oil. California has long been a pioneer state for environmental issues, so it was little surprise that it should come up with Proposition 87 — a tax on... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1723213/posts#comment Fri, 20 Oct 2006 23:04:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1722275/posts The human impact on earthHumans are undoubtedly the most dominant species the Earth has ever known. In just a few thousand years we have swallowed up more than a third of the planet's land for our cities, farmland and pastures. By some estimates, we now commandeer 40 per cent of all its productivity. And we're leaving quite a mess behind: ploughed-up prairies, razed forests, drained aquifers, nuclear waste, chemical pollution, invasive species, mass extinctions and now the looming spectre of climate change. If they could, the other species we share Earth with would surely vote us off the planet. From issue 2573 of New Scientist magazine, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1722275/posts#comment Thu, 19 Oct 2006 15:35:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1627671/posts Cattle ranchers in the Paradise Valley say shipping weights have declined since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. They say their cattle stay close to gates instead of grazing entire pastures. Wary animals tend to eat less than relaxed animals. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1627671/posts#comment Sat, 6 May 2006 02:46:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1613591/posts There have been repeated claims that this past year's hurricane activity was another sign of human-induced climate change. Everything from the heat wave in Paris to heavy snows in Buffalo has been blamed on people burning gasoline to fuel their cars, and coal and natural gas to heat, cool and electrify their homes. Yet how can a barely discernible, one-degree increase in the recorded global mean temperature since the late 19th century possibly gain public acceptance as the source of recent weather catastrophes? And how can it translate into unlikely claims about future catastrophes? The answer has much to do... The Opinion Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1613591/posts#comment Wed, 12 Apr 2006 10:32:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1589239/posts Story Url for photos of this: http://www.timesunion.com/aspstories/story.asp?storyID=456643 Spare pines, protesters say Vigil urges officials to give public say on fate of park's trees   By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Friday, March 3, 2006 SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Clutching candles and signs, five protesters stood at the entrance to the Avenue of the Pines on Thursday to oppose the chopping down of trees along the Saratoga Spa State Park's signature entranceway. They called on park officials to hold off on removing trees wrapped in yellow tape, the mark of condemnation, for... Albany Times Union http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1589239/posts#comment Fri, 3 Mar 2006 15:22:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1579289/posts Six animal rights advocates, arrested in December during a protest at Wawayanda State Park on the final day of the 2005 black bear hunt, went on trial Tuesday in Vernon Municipal Court. The six -- Lynda Smith, Elenor Hoffman, William Crain, Catherine McCartney, Kristen Sondej and David Stewart -- are all charged with obstruction for allegedly jumping a plastic fence that park police had set up to corral demonstrators, then sitting down on the pavement before being led away in handcuffs. The trial began after all six pleaded not guilty before Municipal Court Judge C. William Bowkley Jr. The state... NorthJersey.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1579289/posts#comment Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:52:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1575667/posts confirmed killed by wolves... the confirmed kills varied from the reported animal deaths and values, which came to 40 animals valued at roughly $40,000. He cautioned people not to draw conclusions about the confirmed numbers, because unconfirmed kills are often those in which the livestock is discovered too late to actually identify, by tracks, tooth marks or other means, the actual cause of death. Their agency is part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, though they often are mistaken for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is part of the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1575667/posts#comment Fri, 10 Feb 2006 04:49:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1561110/posts An Ashland area man faces 20 years in federal prison after an FBI investigation determined he aided in the 1997 firebombing of a horse meatpacking plant in Redmond. Jonathan Mark Christopher Paul, 39, of the 2000 block of Soda Mountain Road, was arrested Tuesday by FBI agents on charges of arson in connection with the July 21, 1997, nighttime fire at the Cavel West plant. The FBI connected Paul to the fire during an investigation into what the FBI describes as domestic terrorism involving arson — also known as ecosabotage — by members of the Animal Liberation Front and the... Medford Mail Tribune (Oregon) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1561110/posts#comment Thu, 19 Jan 2006 19:56:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1537098/posts Montreal (CNSNews.com) - A founding member of Greenpeace, who left the organization because he viewed it as too radical, praised the United States for refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. "At least the [United] States is honest. [The U.S.] said, 'No we are not going to sign that thing (Kyoto) because we can't do that,'" said Patrick Moore, who is attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal. Moore noted that many of the industrialized nations that ratified the treaty limiting greenhouse gas emissions are now failing to comply with those emission limits. Moore, who currently heads the Canadian-based... CNSNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1537098/posts#comment Fri, 9 Dec 2005 15:11:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1536778/posts SEATTLE — Six people were arrested in a string of ecoterrorism attacks in the Pacific Northwest dating to 1998 -- four fires that caused millions in damage and the toppling of an 80-foot power transmission tower, federal prosecutors said Thursday. The arrests were made Wednesday in Arizona, New York, Oregon and Virginia. The radical groups Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front had claimed responsibility for most of the acts. In the transmission tower attack, bolts were removed from guy wires near Bend, Ore., on the eve of the millennium. The fires were set at a federal agricultural research facility... FN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1536778/posts#comment Fri, 9 Dec 2005 00:46:04 GMT