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While the board members of the University of Alabama system were meeting at UAB’s Alumni Hall on Thursday, Feb. 2, a coalition of environmental, civic and student organizations gathered across the street to demonstrate opposition to a proposed coal mine along the Shepherd’s Bend portion of the Black Warrior River.
Thirteen whooping cranes follow an ultra-light through West Jefferson County three years ago as they passed over Alabama Power’s Miller Steam Plant on the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River
The ultralight-led migration of nine whooping cranes, on hold in Franklin County, Alabama, pending clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration, has been given the green light, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Operation Migration, a member of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, is now mobilizing resources to continue guiding the young cranes to their wintering sites at St. Marks National and Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuges in Florida.
“As soon as the weather clears, we will be back flying,” said David Sakrison, Operation Migration Board Member. “We appreciate the work FAA has done to help us get back in the air.”
A close view of the growing coal ash mountain in Perry County, Alabama (click on image for more photos)
by Glynn Wilson
Attorney David Ludder has filed an administrative complaint against the Alabama Department of Environmental Management that could result in a federal takeover of the state’s enforcement of national environmental laws by the Environmental Protection Agency and result in a loss of federal funding for the state.
The formal complaint was filed with EPA’s Office of Civil Rights on behalf of the people of Perry County in Alabama’s Black Belt. According to Ludder, they have been the subject of an environmental injustice due to their racial and economic disadvantage by the permitting and placement of a landfill near them that is now full of toxic coal ash from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s major environmental disaster in the Cinch River in 2008.
Ludder’s complaint alleges that the landfill and its contents pollute the environment in a poor, minority area without the means to fight it politically. In addition to potential health problems from the air and water pollution, the landfill exposes local residents to a constant bad odor, lowers property values and causes dangerous traffic problems in the area.
“If EPA determines that ADEM did violate EPA’s regulations without ‘justification,’ EPA must initiate proceedings to deny, annul, suspend or terminate EPA funding to ADEM,” Ludder said in an e-mail interview. “This could cripple ADEM, and no doubt would require ADEM to surrender EPA-authorized programs.”
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| Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar |
WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced $20.5 million in grants on Tuesday to support 24 projects in 13 states to conserve and restore coastal wetlands and their fish and wildlife habitat.
The grants, awarded under the 2012 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program, will be matched by nearly $21 million in partner contributions from state and local governments, private landowners and conservation groups.
“Coastal wetlands serve as some of nature’s most productive fish and wildlife habitat while providing storm protection, improved water quality, and abundant recreational opportunities for local communities,” Salazar said. “I am pleased that with these grants we are able to help our state partners implement some of their high-priority projects that support both conservation and recreation along their coasts.”
The grants will be used to acquire, restore or enhance coastal wetlands and adjacent uplands to provide long-term conservation benefits to fish, wildlife and their habitat. States receiving funds include Alaska, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
Alabama Power’s Miller Steam Plant on the Locust Fork River emits more mercury into the air than any other power plant in the country.
by Glynn Wilson
Much anticipated national standards limiting the output of mercury and other toxic air pollutants from the nation’s power plants were unveiled on Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, the first national standards designed to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic air pollution like arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium, and cyanide, will slash emissions of these dangerous pollutants by relying on widely available, proven pollution controls that are already in use at more than half of the nation’s coal-fired power plants, according to an EPA press release announcing the decision.
The long-delayed final standards have been the subject of a ferocious lobbying battle pitting environmental groups against industry lobbyists, and the unveiling of the standards is being hailed as a victory for environmental groups, some of which are still recovering from the bitter disappointment of the White House’s decision to delay new air pollution regulations.
EPA estimates that the new safeguards will prevent as many as 11,000 premature deaths and 4,700 heart attacks a year. The standards will also help America’s children grow up healthier – preventing 130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and about 6,300 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year.
“By cutting emissions that are linked to developmental disorders and respiratory illnesses like asthma, these standards represent a major victory for clean air and public health –- and especially for the health of our children. With these standards that were two decades in the making, EPA is rounding out a year of incredible progress on clean air in America with another action that will benefit the American people for years to come,” EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said in a statement. “The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards will protect millions of families and children from harmful and costly air pollution and provide the American people with health benefits that far outweigh the costs of compliance.”
Wrenched: The Legacy of The Monkey Wrench Gang from ML Lincoln Films on Vimeo.
Edward Abbey’s riotous novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, is the unifying thread of this character driven feature-length documentary nearing post-production. “Wrenched” offers a penetrating look at the environmental plight of the American Southwest, with a caustic sense of humor reminiscent of Abbey himself. This film is a lyrical tour de force of environmental activists, designed to give a voice to those both young and old.
How far does one go in defense of Wilderness? The split over direct action in the environmental movement, from its beginning to the current crackdown as seen through the lens of Edward Abbey’s groundbreaking novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang. The story of four ordinary people who were forever transformed by the degradation of the West, crossing a legal and ethical line — and inspiring generations of activists to do the same.
Watch for news of this new film’s release from ML Lincoln Films.
State and federal Trustees unveiled the first set of early environmental restoration projects that are proposed for funding under the landmark agreement BP signed with the Obama administration in April 2011. The eight proposed projects are located in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.
“The Trustees selected projects that are ready to implement quickly and will bring long-term benefits to the region,” said Mike Utsler, Head of BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization. “BP is committed to the Gulf, and we look forward to working with state and federal Trustees to identify additional early restoration projects that benefit the Gulf ecosystem and the people who live, work or visit the region.”
The two proposed initial Alabama projects involve an Alabama Dune Restoration Cooperative Project to restore 55 acres of coastal sand dune habitat with native vegetation, protective fencing and informative signs across the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, the Bureau of Land Management Fort Morgan properties, the City of Gulf Shores and the City of Orange Beach.
The second is an Alabama Marsh Island Restoration Project to protect 24 acres of existing salt marsh habitat and create 40 acres of additional salt marsh habitat in Portersville Bay. A permeable breakwater will be constructed in front of the island to reduce erosion of the existing marsh and the additional marsh habitat will be created adjacent to the island.
Don Blankenship was head of Massey Energy when 29 coal miners lost their lives in a massive explosion on April 5, 2010. Forced to resign, he has been largely invisible since, according to the AFL-CIO.
Now he’s filed papers to start another coal mine venture, according to BusinessWeek.
“Public records show that Blankenship has incorporated a new venture in Kentucky. Paperwork for McCoy Coal Group Inc. of Belfry, Ky., has been on file since January, though, and it has yet to seek a single mining permit,” says Kentucky Energy and Environment spokesman Dick Brown.
Following the April 2010 the explosian at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine, a United Mine Workers report on the disaster summed up the tragedy in its title: Industrial Homicide.
Harper’s No Comment
