Dems cite manipulation in climate report The White House has systematically tried to manipulate climate change science and minimize the dangers of global warming, asserts a Democratic congressional report issued after a 16-month investigation. Republicans called the report, issued Monday by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., a "partisan diatribe" against the Bush administration. The report relies on hundreds of internal communications and documents as well as testimony at two congressional hearings to outline a pattern where scientists and government reports were edited to emphasize the uncertainties surrounding global warming, according to Waxman. Many of the allegations of interference dating back to 2002 have surfaced previously, although the report by the Democratic majority of the House Oversight and Reform Committee sought to show a pattern of conduct....
DOJ: Don't blame Whitman for 9/11 speech A former Environmental Protection Agency chief should not be held personally liable for telling residents near the World Trade Center site that the air was safe to breathe after the 2001 terrorist attack, a government lawyer argued Monday. Holding Christine Todd Whitman liable will set a dangerous precedent, leaving public officials to worry that their words to reassure the public after disasters will open them up to personal liability, Justice Department attorney Alisa Klein told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "If you speak, you will be potentially held liable," she said. "Then the clear message for government officials is to say nothing." The plaintiffs' lawyer Sherrie Savett said Whitman "made false statements to the public, inducing them, seducing them to go back to their homes and to send their kids back to school." Residents, students and workers in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn filed a lawsuit claiming they were exposed to hazardous dust and debris from the fallen twin towers. They say Whitman should be forced to pay damages to properly clean homes, schools and businesses and be forced to create a fund to monitor the health of victims, some of whom claim they suffer from asthma, lung disease and other ailments....
US states at climate meeting in Bali A second wave of Americans has landed on this tropical island, envoys of state and local governments who have come to tell the U.N. climate conference that not all U.S. leaders oppose mandatory cuts in global warming gases. "We are laying the groundwork for what we feel will soon be a national policy," said California's environmental protection secretary, Linda Adams, whose state has led the way with legislation paring down emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for rising temperatures. Adams was referring to expected changes in U.S. national policy after the January 2009 end of the Bush administration, which has opposed emissions caps under a legally binding treaty. The "other American" message will be delivered by headline spokesmen: a larger-than-life California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, addressing the conference by live video link on Friday, and a life-size New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking in person that same day....
Off-Road Violations Out of Control, Say Federal Rangers Reckless off-road vehicle abuse of public lands is spinning out of control, say federal law enforcement rangers in a first-ever survey released today by Rangers for Responsible Recreation. Tougher penalties and a new enforcement emphasis are critically needed, according to vast majority of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rangers polled in the five-state Southwest region. This survey of federal rangers' views on off-road vehicle (ORV) issues leaves little doubt that law enforcement officers on the ground perceive the situation as extremely serious and worsening: * More than nine out of ten (91%) of respondent rangers agree that "off-road vehicles present a significant law enforcement problem in my jurisdiction"; * More than half (53%) feel "off-road vehicle problems in my jurisdiction are out of control"; and * Nearly three out of four (74%) say that off-road abuses "are worse than they were five years ago" while fewer than one in six (15.2%) believe the situation is improving....
Conservation groups accuse BLM of allowing drilling waivers Conservation groups have accused the Bureau of Land Management of allowing nearly 1,000 waivers since 2000 to seasonal closures and restrictions designed to protect wildlife from being disturbed by oil and gas drilling. Forest Guardians and groups and individuals representing hunting, conservation and business interests are asking the federal agency to enforce winter and spring closures and are asking Gov. Bill Richardson, the state Department of Game and Fish and the Game Commission to pressure the bureau to do so. Forest Guardians, which released the report on the waivers Monday, said the BLM's Farmington and Carlsbad offices adopted restrictions but allowed them to be systematically violated, making them meaningless. Forest Guardians said the Carlsbad office allowed at least 516 exceptions to restrictions to protect the lesser prairie chicken since 1997. The pace of exceptions has slowed, with three each in 2005 and 2006 and eight this year, according to the report, compiled from a Freedom of Information Act request. The office allowed 26 waivers in 2004 and a high of 237 in 2001. A settlement the BLM signed in April 2006 with Forest Guardians and other groups requires a public process and surveys of lesser prairie chickens before waivers are granted. The Farmington office has averaged 110 waivers a year since adopting restrictions in September 2003 to protect mule deer, elk, pronghorn and other animals, Forest Guardians said. Waivers there also have dropped, from 116 in 2005-2006 to 54 in 2006-2007, the report shows....
Drilling operations reshape landscape Atop this hulking castle of shale and splendor, within the hunter's paradise that is the Roan Plateau, the country's craving for energy is leaving a gash. Here, 3,000 feet above the lush Colorado River valley near Rifle, an Oklahoma-based oil and gas company has carved the hill out of the hillside, scraped away acres of sagebrush and aspen, moved untold tons of rock and soil, and flattened off what's left. A blaring drilling rig lords over a site strewn with hydrocarbon tanks, a plastic-lined pit for polluted water, powerful engines, steel debris, portable trailers and a row of porta-potties. Stone, dirt and uprooted trees have been bulldozed over the side, making a gray-brown ring around the site — a jarring contrast to the green and gold of the Roan in early fall. It's the startling signature of the latest, and perhaps greatest, natural resource boom in Colorado's history, a gas rush that is transforming the natural environment of the state....
Federal wildlife authorities kill three Wolves near Alice Creek Federal wildlife authorities have killed three members of a new Rocky Mountain Front wolf pack that's been killing livestock on a private ranch south of Augusta since January. The alpha female was shot and killed Saturday, said Kraig Glazier of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services. Two male subadults were killed Monday. Based on their age, Glazier estimated the weight of the young wolves at 60 to 70 pounds. The remaining Monitor Mountain Pack is now five individuals — the alpha male and four 8-month-olds. The wolves were shot from a helicopter after being located near Alice Creek, which is 10 to 12 miles southwest of the ranch where the cows were killed. The Alpha male is fitted with a radio collar....
Judge rips latest plan to help salmon The federal judge holding the government's feet to the fire to restore Northwest salmon says the latest federal strategy to help fish falls so far short it may be worse for salmon than the plans he's already rejected. In a blunt letter to attorneys who will appear in his Portland courtroom Wednesday in a landmark salmon lawsuit, U.S. District Judge James A. Redden signaled that the government is close to fumbling its last chance to help fish hammered by federal hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. He also offered an unsettling glimpse of what that would mean for the Northwest: a dam system that suddenly becomes illegal to operate and is taken over by the courts, with orders to divert extra water for protected fish and perhaps even drain reservoirs at what would likely be tremendous cost to the region. Such action would compromise the capacity of hydroelectric dams to supply inexpensive electricity to the Northwest and could have repercussions on everything from irrigation to recreational fishing....
States agree on plan to make water last Water users from the seven Colorado River states are expected to ratify a regional drought plan this week in Las Vegas, ending years of bickering over how to balance uncertain resources with growing demand. The heart of the plan is the heart of the river system, its two largest reservoirs along Arizona's northern borders. Lake Powell and Lake Mead hold not only the water needed to survive long dry periods but also the key to a landmark deal meant to give the states a chance to find longer-lasting solutions. Drought has drained the two reservoirs to below half capacity, increasing the threat of water shortages upstream and in Arizona, along with the loss of cheap hydropower and damage to riparian habitat and recreation sites. With that much at risk, some of the states were prepared to fight costly legal battles. The drought plan can't keep the lakes from shrinking further if dry conditions persist and could trigger the first shortage as early as 2010. But by focusing on the reservoirs and the way they help manage the river's limited supply, the states hope to protect users from the worst effects of drought....
Man mauled by bear believes spray wouldn't have deterred charge Grand needed surgery and bunches of stitches to close wounds on his head, face, throat, hands, arms, back and leg. His flesh was torn open to the bone in some spots. He may have permanent nerve damage in his right hand, which was broken, but he's foregoing physical rehabilitation as well as counseling. Grand, 39, a California native who moved to Montana nearly 20 years ago, often ventures into grizzly country in pursuit of birds, elk and other game. He's carried bear spray in Alaska and Canada, but says he now believes that grizzlies charge too quickly for the spray to be effective. He wasn't carrying bear spray or a sidearm when he was mauled, and he won't carry them in the future. If fate decides the bear is going to get you, it's going to get you, Grand says. But he may carry a shotgun that takes not only birdshot but some heavy slugs that might tip fate his way if another bear charges. He says he and his hunting partners followed all the rules of being “bear aware” - making noise, looking for signs of bears, putting bells on their dogs - while they bagged a dozen pheasants before the grizzly attacked. He says he's not angry at the bear, but he bristles at state and federal bear biologists, who he says are downplaying the increasing danger that grizzlies pose to people in Montana....
Biologists revert farmland to wetland to sell credits As Canada geese bank westward above the green and blue expanse of Muddy Creek Wetland, wood ducks, mallards, pintails and northern shovelers paddle on the shallow ponds below. The 108 acres near Monroe used to be a rye grass farm and was a cattle ranch before that. Now low soil berms hold rainwater in ponds and indigenous prairie grasses poke up through the mud. It’s the work of two wildlife biologists, Chris Kiilsgaard and Jeff Reams who have pooled their money and experience to return this patch of Willamette Valley to its former function. They’re avid environmentalists, but hope to make some money as well. If done right, it could pay off in millions of dollars. Muddy Creek is part of Oregon’s growing bank of mitigation banks, wetlands that developers and land managers can buy into when they can’t avoid damaging wetlands themselves....
The border, the environment and the illegal crossers Before sealing off the border became the priority it is today, a visitor would have gotten a different picture of this area where the last free-flowing river in the Southwest trickles between tree-lined banks. The San Pedro River still moves lazily northward below a canopy of willows and cottonwoods. But on a recent day, a bulldozer mounding dirt only 50 yards from its elevated eastern bank in preparation for the advance of a border fence presented a stark contrast to its serenity. The federal government contends the fence is needed to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and drug-runners through the area. Environmentalists say it may slow some illegal crossers but will have a devastating impact on wildlife and the environment in the riparian area that encompasses the river. Mountain lions, jaguars, white-tailed deer, black bears and some ground birds will be among wildlife especially affected by the fence, which is just some 400 yards from the river at this point, said Matt Clark, a spokesman for Defenders of Wildlife....
Antarctica's penguins threatened by global warming Antarctica's penguin population has slumped because of global warming as melting ice has destroyed nesting sites and reduced their sources of food, a WWF report said on Tuesday. The Antarctic peninsula is warming five times faster than the average in the rest of the world, affecting four penguin species -- the emperor penguin, the largest and the grandest in the world, the gentoo, chinstrap and adelie, it said. "The Antarctic penguins already have a long march behind them," Anna Reynolds, deputy director of WWF's Global Climate Change Programme, said in a statement at the Bali climate talks. "Now it seems these icons of the Antarctic will have to face an extremely tough battle to adapt to the unprecedented rate of climate change." The report, "Antarctic Penguins and Climate Change", said sea ice covered 40 per cent less area than it did 26 years ago off the West Antarctic Peninsula, leading to a fall in stocks of krill, the main source of food for the chinstrap and gentoo penguins....
Skeptical Scientists Urge World To ‘Have the Courage to Do Nothing' At UN Conference An international team of scientists skeptical of man-made climate fears promoted by the UN and former Vice President Al Gore, descended on Bali this week to urge the world to "have the courage to do nothing" in response to UN demands. Lord Christopher Monckton, a UK climate researcher, had a blunt message for UN climate conference participants on Monday. "Climate change is a non-problem. The right answer to a non problem is to have the courage to do nothing," Monckton told participants. "The UN conference is a complete waste of our time and your money and we should no longer pay the slightest attention to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,)" Monckton added. Monckton also noted that the UN has not been overly welcoming to the group of skeptical scientists. "UN organizers refused my credentials and appeared desperate that I should not come to this conference. They have also made several attempts to interfere with our public meetings," Monckton explained. "It is a circus here," agreed Australian scientist Dr. David Evans. Evans is making scientific presentations to delegates and journalists at the conference revealing the latest peer-reviewed studies that refute the UN's climate claims. "This is the most lavish conference I have ever been to, but I am only a scientist and I actually only go to the science conferences," Evans said, noting the luxury of the tropical resort....