NEWS ROUNDUP


GOP Rep. Pombo loses to little-known Democrat Little-known Democrat Jerry McNerney beat GOP Rep. Richard Pombo, the powerful chairman of the House Resources Committee, in a stunning victory for environmentalists and surging Democrats. McNerney, a wind-energy consultant, novelist and political neophyte, lost badly to Pombo two years ago. This time he roared back in the campaign's final weeks, as the national mood shifted toward Democrats and environmental groups spent heavily to make the race a referendum on Pombo's ethical issues and industry-friendly legislating. "Sierra Club declares victory as Pombo goes down," read a release from the group that spent more than $500,000 on the effort. Defenders of Wildlife, League of Conservation Voters and others also joined in, opposing Pombo for efforts to rewrite species protections and increase oil drilling in Alaska and off-shore while fundraising from industry groups. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, McNerney had 53 percent to Pombo's 47 percent....
Editorial - The environment should be a top priority for new Congress When Congress returns to work after the elections, the environment should be high on the list of unfinished business. Much of the work unfortunately requires stopping proposals that would harm national forests and other natural resources. Congress also should take steps to protect the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, the world’s largest temperate rain forest, from logging. The forest — home to grizzlies, bald eagles and 800-year-old trees — is not protected by a federal rule that limits logging and road building in pristine areas of national forests. That rule, instituted by former President Clinton, has been under attack by President Bush. A federal court recently reinstated it. Congress should make sure this protection remains in place, with the Tongass added. No matter the political party, polls show, voters care about protection of natural resources. Congress should respond favorably....
Environment Wins in Democratic Landslide Democrats upset Republicans across the country Tuesday to win control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994 - spelling an end to the terms of some of the legislators most disliked by conservationists. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California will move into the Speaker's seat, becoming the first woman Speaker of the House in U.S. history. Her environmental views match those of conservationists, particularly on climate and energy issues. Pelosi supports legislation to control global warming introduced by Democrats earlier this year. The measure would establish a market-based emissions trading system for the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Her position is opposite to that of the Bush administration and the Republican Congressional leaders who have attempted to deny and suppress evidence of climate change. Pelosi opposes drilling for oil in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. "We should not sacrifice the Arctic coastal plain, one of America’s last truly wild places, for the sake of a small amount of oil," she said....
Humane Farms leading in Arizona With 83.6 percent of precincts reporting, the Humane Farms initiative is commanding a strong lead with 61.3 percent of voters supporting the measure, compared to 38.7 percent in opposition. Supporters of the initiative are seeking an end to what they say is an unnecessary and cruel business practice, while detractors argue Prop 204 is the product of radical animal rights activists intent on disrupting meat production in Arizona by adding costs to a strained industry. Arizonans for Humane Farms includes members of the Animal Defense League of Arizona, Arizona Humane Society, Humane Society of the United States, and the Farm Sanctuary, a national non-profit group has also contributed to help the proposal reach the ballot. Cheryl Naumann, chairman of Arizonans for Humane Farms, said she’s excited and sure of victory. "We’re thrilled Arizona voters voted on behalf of these animals…even those raised for food,” she said before taking the stage at a Phoenix hotel to congratulate a jubilant crowd." Prop. 207 is opposed by the Campaign for Arizona Farmers and Ranchers which includes the Arizona Farm Bureau, Arizona Pork Council, Arizona Cattlemen’s Association and the Arizona Dairymen Political Action Committee....
Scientists warn of soil damage Two soil scientists on the faculty of the University of Wyoming are voicing grave concerns over less protective coal-bed methane water standards proposed last month by the Wyoming Water and Waste Advisory Board. The board had accepted electrical conductivity and sodium adsorption ratio default standards proposed by Montana soil scientist Kevin Harvey, who has worked extensively for Powder River Basin energy companies. Ginger Paige and Larry Munn, UW soil scientists, said that if these looser standards are adopted by the state’s Environmental Quality Council, the result will be more discharges of heavily salted water, more soil and plant damages and more litigation. Of all the states engaged in coal-bed methane development -- Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and New Mexico -- only Wyoming is considering less stringent standards, Paige said....
DEQ rejects water standards The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality has criticized an advisory board’s recommendations for setting looser standards for salinity in coal-bed methane water. John Wagner, administrator of DEQ's water quality division, wrote to members of the Wyoming Water and Waste Advisory Board in late October that the department disagrees with the board’s action to relax the default limits on electrical conductivity and sodium adsorption ratio measurements. Electrical conductivity is a measure of the amount of dissolved salts in water. At a certain point, increases in the conductivity can cause decreases in plant growth. The sodium adsorption ratio is a measure of the abundance of sodium in water. A high ratio has the potential to impair soil structure and the permeability of the soil, leading to a chronic lack of soil moisture. “The (water quality division) believes that it must take a conservative approach to insure that irreparable damage to land does not occur,” Wagner wrote. Large volumes of groundwater are pumped to the surface during coal-bed methane production. In some instances, coal-bed methane water is put to beneficial use, such as agricultural irrigation and livestock watering. However, a majority of the water isn't put to a specific beneficial use and often overruns low-lying grazing lands....
Forest fire strategy: Just let it go In the worst year for wildfires in nearly half a century, it may seem odd to celebrate how well some of them burned. But the Payette National Forest in central Idaho is doing just that. "It was a real long season, but we got some nice fire effects," says Sam Hescock, a fire management officer on the 2.3-million-acre forest where more than 150 fires this summer and fall burned about 70,000 acres. "We're pretty happy with what we got." Hescock's satisfaction reflects a shift in how the federal government approaches fire management. That shift began in earnest a decade ago and is gaining momentum. Land managers at the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies are becoming more comfortable co-existing with fire rather than reflexively trying to stomp it out with all the men and materiel at their command. Their reasoning is that fire is a natural part of the landscape that clears out underbrush and small trees and creates forest openings in a mosaic pattern. Such conditions help keep small fires from growing into the kind of large, catastrophic blazes that have become increasingly common in recent years. They now say that decades of aggressively fighting fires was a mistake because it allowed forests to become overcrowded and ripe for fires nearly impossible to control....
Many public lands targeted for trimming A forest west of Washoe Valley is on a growing list of public lands to be thinned out to prevent forest fires, land managers said. From central Nevada to Lake Tahoe Basin, overgrown landscapes ripe for catastrophic fire are being targeted for treatment. It's a critical step for Nevada to avoid more fire seasons like the last one, when more than 1.3 million acres burned across the state, said Nevada State Forester Pete Anderson. "This truly was one of the worst fire seasons on record," Anderson said. Since 1999, 7 million acres have been lost to wildfire across the Silver State, he said. More disastrous fire seasons are likely. Federal land managers are increasingly fighting fire before it starts by thinning forests and using controlled fire....
Federal investigators looking into Arizona wolf death U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigators are seeking information about the death of an endangered Mexican gray wolf near Alpine, Ariz. A necropsy was ordered on the body of the female wolf, found dead Sept. 23. A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information. Killing one of the endangered wolves is a violation of the Endangered Species Act that is punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 and six months in jail. The Fish and Wildlife Service began releasing wolves into the wild on the Arizona-New Mexico border in 1998 to re-establish the species in part of its historic range.
Column - Conservation Easements Recent amendments to our tax laws provide conservationists with additional incentives to protect the natural beauty of their land. Landowners who relinquish their land development rights by donating a conservation easement can ensure that the natural beauty of their land is preserved in perpetuity. Currently, donors also receive tax breaks at the federal and state levels. For those who have already achieved their financial goals, donating their land development rights can bring additional the tax benefits. On August 17, 2006, President Bush signed into law H.R. 4, a bill that significantly expanded the federal tax incentives for landowners who voluntarily give up the development rights to their property by placing their land under a conservation easement. A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a conservation organization that protects the natural, historic, scenic, and agricultural values of a property by placing permanent limits on the future development of the property. Giving these rights to a non-profit organization is similar to making other gifts to charity. As with gifting to a non-profit organization, taxpayers reap not only the benefit of donating to worthy cause but they also gain some tax relief....
Toyota and Lexus Salute 'Green' Celebrities at the 16th Annual Environmental Media Awards Toyota and Lexus are Presenting Sponsors of the Environmental Media Awards. This star-studded gala event recognizes the creative teams behind television, film and music productions that raise public awareness of environmental issues by incorporating positive environmental messages in their work. Previous honorees include Daryl Hannah, Edward Norton, and Cameron Diaz, and programs such as Grey's Anatomy, The Simpsons, and Lilo & Stitch. "Entertainment is a potent vehicle for raising awareness of environmental issues," said Dian Ogilvie, senior vice president and chief environmental officer of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "The creative teams who are honored with an Environmental Media Award are inspiring people to think and act in ways that benefit our planet." Toyota's commitment to the environment goes beyond the hybrid story. The company's initiatives in North America include recycling, reducing landfill waste, conserving natural resources, using renewable energy, and nurturing strong partnerships with organizations like the U.S. National Parks Service, National Public Lands Day, National Arbor Day Foundation, Audubon Society the American Lung Association, and EMA. The Environmental Media Association is a non-profit created in 1989 by producers Norman Lear and Alan Horn and their wives Lyn Lear and Cindy Horn. EMA is guided by top Hollywood talents and leading environmentalists....
U.S. defends stance on global warming The chief U.S. climate negotiator on Monday defended Washington‘s stand against compulsory caps on global-warming emissions, and said the Bush administration was unlikely to change its policy. "With few exceptions you‘re seeing those emissions rise again," Watson said of countries bound by Kyoto. Developing nations, the European Union , environmentalists and others are urging Washington to sign onto obligatory cuts after 2012 — when Kyoto expires — in emissions of heat-trapping gases blamed by scientists for global warming. Here in Nairobi, the Kyoto countries will continue talks on what kind of emissions targets and timetables should follow 2012. But many, before committing, are waiting to see whether the United States, accounting for 21 percent of the world‘s greenhouse gases, will submit to a mandatory regime of cutbacks. Watson‘s words seemed to rule that out for the next two years....
RFK, JR.: Wilderness Crucial, Press Clueless, Bush A Bitter Pill The Bush White House is the worst in American history and the press has let America down, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. told a quiet standing-room-only crowd of about 500 in a Yosemite conference hall Friday morning. Scion of a Democratic political family, Kennedy preached to the choir for 65 minutes to about 450 Sierra Business Council attendees and some Park Service employees at the famed national park. Kennedy called the people Pres. George W. Bush has appointed to run agencies designed to protect natural resources as "bottom feeders" and "indentured servants" responsible "for the diminution of the quality of life over the last six years." Kennedy closed with a saying he credited to the Lakota - "We don't inherit the world from our ancestors: We borrow it from our children." - and got a standing ovation....
One Down Trevor Brazile's three world champion all-around gold buckles finally have some company. Brazile, who finished second in the final world steer roping standings six times (1998, 2000-04), finished the 2006 season on top at the conclusion of this weekend's National Finals Steer Roping in Hobbs, N.M. Entering the event with a lead of some $17,000, Brazile (Decatur, Texas) erased any doubts by placing in five of the first six rounds and finishing the season with earnings of $87,090, easily outdistancing former team roping partner J.P. Wickett (Sallisaw, Okla.), who earned $69,824. Overall, Brazile earned $18,750 in two days in the Lea County Event Center, placing in five rounds and finishing fourth in the average. Overall, Brazile earned $18,750 in two days in the Lea County Event Center, Nov. 3-4. He placed in five rounds and finished fourth in the average — a clean run in the 10th and final round would have given him the average title, but his steer got up, giving the Texan a no-time. Instead, J.R. Olson (Sheridan, Wyo.) claimed the average title, recording a total time of 127.0 seconds on nine head. "There are some things I could have done differently, but all in all, it's the end result that matters," Brazile said. "I'm tickled to death. This is my first event title, and it means a lot to me. This is the event I started watching my dad compete in. I'm just so thankful for what I've got." Brazile, who won world all-around honors from 2002-04 but finished second last year, finally achieved his longtime goal to claim a single-event title. He finished second to 18-time world champion and 30-time NFSR qualifier Guy Allen five times (1998, 2000-01, 2003-04) and was runner-up to Buster Record Jr., when he claimed the gold buckle in 2002....