|
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Court Ruling Reins In Navy's Planned Sonar Deployment SAN FRANCISCO, California, August 27, 2003 (ENS) - A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Navy's plan to deploy a new high intensity sonar system violates numerous federal environmental laws and could endanger whales, porpoises and fish.In a 73 page opinion, U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Laporte ruled that a permit issued to the Navy by the National Marine Fisheries Service to deploy the sonar system violates the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act because it does not adequately assess or take steps to mitigate the risks posed by the system to marine mammals and fish. In October, Laporte granted a request by conservation groups for a temporary injunction to restrict deployment under the permit. Tuesday's ruling orders the Navy to negotiate with the conservation groups on terms of a permanent injunction that would limit where, when and how the Navy can use the sonar system for testing and training. The injunction would not prevent the Navy from using the system during war or "heightened threat conditions," as determined by the military. "Today's ruling is a reprieve not just for whales, porpoises, and fish, but ultimately for all of us who depend for our survival on healthy oceans," said Joel Reynolds, senior attorney and director of the Marine Mammal Protection Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council, the lead plaintiff and counsel in the case. "The decision recognizes that both national security and environmental protection are essential." The sonar system, known as Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active sonar (LFA), relies on very loud, low frequency sound to detect submarines at great distances. According to the Navy's own studies, LFA generates sounds up to 140 decibels even more than 300 miles away from the sonar source. Many scientists believe that blasting such intense sounds over large expanses of the ocean could harm entire populations of whales, porpoises and fish. During testing off the California coast, noise from a single LFA system was detected across the breadth of the North Pacific Ocean. Scientists have been increasingly alarmed in recent years about undersea noise pollution from high intensity active sonar systems, which have been shown to harm and even kill whales and other marine life. "The science is clear - intense active sonar can kill whales, porpoises and fish," said Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Humane Society of the United States, one of the coplaintiffs. "The Navy must find ways to test and train with the LFA system that do not needlessly damage marine life."
Violence Against Federal Resource Employees Rose in 2002 WASHINGTON, DC, August 27, 2003 (ENS) - Federal environmental employees faced an increasing threat from bombs, assault weapons and other types of violence in 2002, according to a compilation of agency records released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).Agency incident reports, obtained by PEER through the Freedom of Information Act, document a growing danger to employees of the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as crime and anti federal sentiments intensify on public lands. PEER's analysis finds that attacks on Forest Service employees spiked by nearly 20 percent in 2002, including incidents involving pipe bombs and assault weapons. Violence against BLM agents, rangers and range specialists rose by some 24 percent, including death threats, assaults and stalking. Incidents against Fish and Wildlife Service employees were up nine percent, including growing reports of disputes with property owners living on or near federal refuges. Commissioned Park Service law enforcement rangers were victims of violent attacks 98 times in 2002, about one third of which resulted in injury. This figure parallels the 2001 high of 104 violent incidents. Two Park Service employees were killed in the line of duty in 2002 "These numbers may be only the tip of the iceberg, as many people in the field are discouraged from reporting threats and assaults," said PEER's National Field Director Eric Wingerter, whose group is a service organization for embattled environmental specialists. PEER maintains the nation's only database of incidents against federal resource employees. Despite the passage of the 1996 Anti-Terrorism Act after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, requiring the U.S. Attorney General to collect and report data "relating to crimes and incidents of threats...and acts of violence" against government employees in the performance of official duties, no such reports have been made. PEER began its reporting system in 1995. "While Attorney General Ashcroft is spreading alarm about foreign terrorists, his Justice Department continues to ignore threats coming from the radical property rights community," Wingerter said. "None of the federal environmental agencies devote resources to studying or preventing violence directed against their own workforces."
Transportation Department Will Study Impact of Mexican Trucks WASHINGTON, DC, August 27, 2003 (ENS) - The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that it will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the impact of Mexican trucks on U.S. highways. The decision comes in response to a ruling in April by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordering the department to take such action.The EIS will be developed by the Transportation Department's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which is responsible for ensuring the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles within the United States. "FMCSA is ready now, and will be ready whenever the Mexican border is opened, to ensure the safety of border operations," FMCSA Administrator Annette Sandberg said. "We will begin work to comply with the court's ruling but not to the exclusion of other legal avenues, including the possibility of asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the lower court's decision." FMCSA conducted a programmatic environmental assessment (EA) of the proposed rules, which found they would not have a significant environmental impact. The agency concluded that a full EIS was not necessary and issued a finding of no significant impact and interim final rules in March 2002. Environmental and public health groups filed suit and were successful in federal court. In April, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling that found the Bush administration had violated environmental law by announcing in November 2002 that it was opening U.S. highways to long haul trucks from Mexico. Bush administration officials argued their policy was designed to comply with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The administration's plan would allow some 30,000 diesel trucks from Mexico onto U.S. roads, trucks that the suit's plaintiffs contend are mostly older, more polluting models. They cite a study that indicates by 2010 trucks from Mexico will emit twice as much particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, both harmful air pollutants, as U.S. trucks. FMCSA awarded a $1.8 million contract to ICF Consulting, Fairfax, Virginia, to prepare a fully developed environmental impact statement that analyzes the short- and long-term environmental impacts of Mexican trucks operating beyond the border zones. The agency estimates that the EIS will be completed in 12 to 18 months.
Feds Aim to Give States Flexibility to Manage Canadian Geese WASHINGTON, DC, August 27, 2003 (ENS) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed providing state wildlife agencies more flexibility in controlling resident Canada goose populations. Under its proposal, the federal agency would hand over much of the day to day management responsibility to states while maintaining primary authority to manage these populations.Presently, state wildlife agencies need a federal permit issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service to control resident Canada geese. This rule would provide for opportunities to eliminate the need for most individual permits for resident Canada goose control activities. "Since this bird's population is increasing and they have been shown to cause local impacts to natural and economic resources, we believe local management with national oversight is the best approach to reduce conflicts," said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Steve Williams. The federal agency estimated the current resident Canada goose spring population at 3.2 million in the United States, about 30 percent to 35 percent above the number states believe to be acceptable based on their need to manage conflicts and problems caused by excessive numbers of resident Canada geese. The rapid rise of resident Canada goose populations has been attributed to a number of factors, in particular stable breeding habitat conditions and low numbers of predators. Overabundant populations of resident Canada geese can affect or damage several types of resources, including property, agriculture, and natural resources, the Fish and Wildlife Service says. The proposed rule would authorize population control strategies such as aggressive harassment, nest destruction, gosling and adult trapping and culling programs, increased hunter harvest, or other general population reduction strategies. The rule will also offer guidelines for other activities such as special take authorization during a portion of the closed hunting season; control for the protection of airport safety, agriculture, and public health; and the take of nests and eggs without permits. Resident Canada goose populations will be monitored annually by the states and the Fish and Wildlife Service under the proposed rule. The estimated take of birds must be provided by participating states.
Officials Probe Greenwich Bay Fish Kill PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, August 27, 2003 (ENS) - Rhode Island state officials say an algae bloom caused by excess nutrient runoff is behind a massive fish kill in Greenwich Bay last week.State officials believe the event was likely caused by a recent bloom of algae in the bay. This growth was spurred by excess nutrients in the bay resulting from this summer's high rainfall, along with the relatively sunny and warm recent weather. As the algae bloom ended, the dying algae decayed - a process that consumes the dissolved oxygen in the water column that animals breathe. Officials believe this cause a lack of oxygen in the bay's waters, known as an anoxic event. Two dissolved oxygen meters monitored Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management show a sharp drop off in oxygen levels in the days proceeding the fish kill. Some one million fish, primarily juvenile menhaden - also known was bait fish - washed ashore along the bay in Warwick, Rhode Island. The majority of the dead fish were found in Apponaug Cove and Greenwich Cove. When water becomes anoxic, smaller fish, shrimp and crabs can not easily escape and are more likely to perish than larger fish. Quahogs also fare better than other species because they can sustain brief periods with little or no oxygen. The decaying algae also produce the noxious odors and discolored water currently present in the western portion of Greenwich Bay, state officials said. They caution that the impact of the crashed bloom and the subsequent recovery of this area will be further hampered by the relatively slow flushing characteristics of western Greenwich Bay. Under typical conditions, excess nutrients enter the water from a variety of sources that include the East Greenwich wastewater treatment facility, tributary streams, and groundwater. Heavy rains worsen the situation by washing large quantities of nutrient laden runoff from a slew of nonpoint urban sources, such as malfunctioning septic systems, lawn fertilizers and pet wastes. Upgrades to the East Greenwich wastewater treatment facility are on schedule, according to state officials, with an anticipated two year completion date. Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri has ordered an investigation into the fish kill and has asked the DEM to submit a report on the event by the end of the month. The state has suffered problems with oxygen levels and fish kills for years, Carcieri said, but this incident "dramatically demonstrates the importance of developing a comprehensive solution to this problem."
Animal Rights Groups Slam NY Governor for Canned Hunts ALBANY, New York, August 27, 2003 (ENS) - Animal rights groups are criticizing New York Governor George Pataki's veto of a bill that would have banned the "canned hunting" of non native mammals held captive in fenced property. The bill passed both chambers of the state legislature by a two to one margin.Pataki had previously signed a bill in 1999 that banned canned hunts of ten acres or less, but the bill he vetoed would have closed a loophole in the law that has allowed the same canned hunts to continue operating if they are within areas larger than ten acres. "Governor Pataki has thumbed his nose at New Yorkers, including animal advocates, hunters, and upstate newspapers that called for passage of this humane bill," said Michael Markarian, president of The Fund for Animals. "He has aligned himself with the handful of unscrupulous individuals who would pay big bucks to shoot a zebra ambling up to a feed truck or a Corsican ram trapped in the corner of a fence." The Fund for Animals - along with The Humane Society of the United States - say that canned hunts violate the ethic of sportsmanship and "fair chase" held by most hunters, and pose a threat of spreading dangerous diseases such as chronic wasting disease and tuberculosis to native wildlife. The organizations say Pataki mistakenly believes that a ban on canned hunts would devastate white tailed deer farms because the legislation is consistent with the current law which only deals with non native mammals. The legislation would not have changed the current exemption for domestic game breeders who raise white tailed deer and have shoots on their properties, and would also not apply to bird shooting preserves. "The animal protection community in New York will long remember his pardon of animal abusers and his rebuke of humane advocates," said Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president of The Humane Society of the United States. "Governor Pataki has embarrassed himself with this appalling veto of a bill to stop the repugnant and inhumane practice of shooting animals for a fee in fenced enclosures."
Researchers Gear Up to Save Carolina Hemlock RALEIGH, North Carolina, August 27, 2003 (ENS) - For more than two decades, scientists at North Carolina State University (NC State) have worked with the Central America and Mexico Coniferous Resources (CAMCORE) Cooperative to conserve the genetic stock of 38 different forest species from Central America and Mexico, but their sights have now turned closer to home. The group will analzye the fate of the Carolina hemlock, which is being decimated by a tiny Asian insect known as the woody adelgid.This fall, CAMCORE researchers will explore the western North Carolina mountains to collect seed of Carolina hemlock - throughout the range of the species - before stands are killed by the adelgid. The project is supported by a U.S. Forest Service grant, and the NC State team will work closely with Forest Service scientists. In line with CAMCORE's global mission, some Carolina hemlocks will be grown in South Africa, in areas where the terrain resembles the species' North Carolina mountain habitat. NC State entomologists are exploring how best to deploy natural predators - such as the Japanese ladybird beetle - as well as the development of improved hemlock varieties that are resistant to insect infestation. All the work CAMCORE has done abroad should help with the effort to save the hemlock, says Dr. Gary Hodge, associate professor of forestry. The program has 25 participating institutions on four continents, more than 2,500 hectares of conservation banks and field trials, and maintains the largest database in the world on tropical and subtropical pines. Working with local scientists and foresters, the NC State researchers collect seeds from threatened forest stands, often driving and hiking into remote regions. These seeds are then grown off site - often in another country entirely where the stands can be protected - and their genetic characteristics are examined and documented. Seeds from those plots can in turn be used to reintroduce trees into their native environments, and to develop improved varieties for long-term sustainable forests in both native environments and new regions. "Some of the coniferous trees in North America appear to have originated in Central America," said Hodge, "and we may find genetic strengths or benefits in Guatemalan tree species, for example, that our trees have gradually lost. Appropriately, by helping other nations protect and conserve their forests, we are helping preserve our own."
Scientists Unveil the Secret of Spider Webs MEDFORD, Massachusetts, August 27, 2003 (ENS) - The secret to how spiders and silkworms are able to spin webs and cocoons made of incredibly strong fibers lies in how they control the silk protein solubility and structural organization in their glands, according to bioengineers at Tufts University.The finding could lead to the development of processing methods resulting in new high strength and high performance materials used for biomedical applications, and protective apparel for military and police forces, says David Kaplan, professor and chair of biomedical engineering, and director of Tufts' Bioengineering Center. Kaplan, who is also a professor of chemical and biological engineering, and former postdoctoral fellow Hyoung-Joon Jin published their findings, "Mechanism of Processing of Silks in Insects and Spiders," in the August 28 issue of the international science journal "Nature." "We identified key aspects of the process that should provide a roadmap for others to optimize artificial spinning of silks as well as in improved production of silks in genetically engineered host systems such as bacteria and transgenic animals," said Kaplan. Silk is the strongest natural fiber known, but its strength has yet to be replicated in a laboratory. One reason may be the previous lack of understanding how spiders and silkworm process the silk. The Tufts team has identified the way that spiders and silkworms control the solubility, concentration and structure of the proteins in their glands that spin the silk. According to Kaplan, silk proteins are organized into pseudo micelle or soap like structures that form globular and gel states during processing in the glands. This semi stable state, with sufficiently entrapped water and liquid crystalline structures, prevents the proteins from crystallizing too early, until the spinning process. The structures formed in the process can be easily converted artificially into fibers by moving the silk gel between two plates of glass or during fiber spinning in the native process. The control of water content and structure development are essential, the researchers explain, because premature crystallization of the protein could cause a permanent blockage of the spinning system, leading to catastrophic consequences for the spider or silkworm. This process, when combined with the novel polymer design features in silk proteins, retains sufficient water to keep the protein soluble, while allowing the protein to self organize and reach spinnable concentrations. |
