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WCAP Clears Senate
EPA/Interior Funding Bill
Congratualtions
to watershed groups for getting this language included in the 2010
Federal Appropriations bill. Yesterday the U.S. Senate passed
a bill 3 to 1 in favor of increasing the funding for the EPA,
Department of the Interior and the Forest Service. WCAP funding is
included in this bill and is the Watershed Cooperative Agreement
Program that allows non-profit organizations to use AML monies as match
for programs such as the 319 program. The bill is pending the
President's signature. But it would not have gotten this far
without the help of watershed groups like you.
CONFERENCE
REPORT
ITo accompany H.R.2996]
The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses
on the amendment of the Senate to the bill (H.R. 2996), making
appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and
related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for
other purposes, having met, after full and free 'conference, have
agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as
follows:
That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the
Senate and agree to the same with an amendment as follows:
In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the Senate amendment,
insert the following:
ABANDONED MINE RECLAMATION FUND
For necessary expenses to carry out title TV of the Surface Mining
Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, Public Law 95-87, as amended,
$35,588,000, to be de~ rived from receipts of the Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Fund and to remain available until expended: Provided, That pursuant to
Public Law 97-365, the Department of the Interior is authorized to use
up to 20 percent from the recovery of the delinquent debt owed to the
United States Government to pay for contracts to collect these debts:
Provided further, That funds made available under title IV of Public
Law 95-87 may be used for any required non-Federal share of the cost of
projects funded by the Federal Government for the purpose of
environmental restoration related to treatment or abatement of acid
mine drainage from abandoned mines: Provided further, That such
projects must be consistent with the purposes and priorities of the
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act: Provided jurther, That
amounts provided under this heading may be used for the travel and per
diem expenses of State and tribal personnel attending Office of Surface
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement sponsored training.
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NEWS
Maryland's Waters
Still a Toxic Dumping Ground?
By
Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun
Factories and power plants discharged more than 2 million pounds of
toxic chemicals into Maryland waterways, according to a new report by
Environment Maryland. And three-fourths of that wound up in Baltimore's
Curtis Bay, ranking it among the top 50 waterways nationally for toxic
discharges.
Drawing
on toxic chemical releases reported by industries for 2007, the most
recent year available, the environmental group argues that government
has not done enough to minimize the health and environmental threats
posed by allowing such discharges into the nation's waters.
In
the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the group notes, the Susquehanna River
ranked in the top 20 nationally for receiving toxic discharges, with industries
reporting more than 2.6 million pounds released into the water body
that supplies half the bay's fresh water. And at the other end of the
bay, Virginia's James River received the 6th largest amount of toxic
chemicals linked with developmental problems in children.
Toxic
discharges are far higher in other parts of the country, the group's
report reveals, with the Ohio, New and Mississippi rivers on the
receiving end of the most pollution. And the amounts industry
reports discharging have been greatly reduced overall, since they first
began reporting such releases two decades ago.
But
there's still plenty that could be done in Maryland and the rest of the
bay region to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals, argues Environment
Maryland's Tommy Landers. He urged state and federal leaders not to
skip over toxic pollution as they draw up plans for ramping up the bay
restoration effort.
Wheeling Approves Oil, Gas Drilling in City Parks
By Keri Brown, West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Wheeling City
Council approved a resolution Tuesday night that will allow Chesapeake
Appalachia to drill for natural gas on city property near Oglebay and
Wheeling parks.
Some residents are worried however about the environmental
impacts drilling could have on the parks and their community.
Earlier this month, Wheeling City Council tabled a similar
motion to give the Wheeling Park Commission approval to move forward
with allowing Chesapeake to drill in the parks.
Wheeling mayor Andy McKenzie says he voted for the
proposal, but with reservations.
"It is a very emotional issue because it is Oglebay
Park and if we had not moved forward, the drilling still would have
moved forward without any control by the city of Wheeling or the
Wheeling Park Commission," McKenzie said.
One council member, Robert "Herk" Henry, voted
to table the issue for another week.
He says he's getting calls from residents concerned about
how the drilling will affect their drinking water.
"My concern is whether it is going to pollute their
wells, because I imagine some people have well water up there,"
Henry said.
One of those residents concerned about the environmental
impacts of Marcellus shale drilling in the parks is Wheeling resident
Bruce Edinger. He is a former biology professor at West Liberty
University and Glenville State College, and has studied the impacts of
acid mine drainage in Harrison County.
Click here for full article.
Blasting Begins on Coal River Mountain
October 27, 2009
We have been told,
and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has
confirmed, that blasting has begun at Coal River Mountain. Coal River
Mountain is the tallest mountain ever slated for mountaintop removal,
and remains the very last mountain in the Coal River Valley that is
still in tact. This is Coal River Mountain (intact) as viewed from
Kayford Mountain, one of the largest mountaintop removal sites in
Appalachia.
Enormous and intensive blasting will take place directly
adjacent to the Brushy Fork impoundment, the largest of its kind in the
world, which holds 8.2 billion gallons of toxic sludge. The dam holding
back the contents of the Brushy Fork impoundment is a Level C dam,
which places it on Standby Alert, and means the "dam has specific
problems that could lead to failure." Residents of Pettus,
WV - the nearest town - if timely notified, will have only 12 minutes
to evacuate in the event of a catastrophic failure.
Mountaintop removal has already buried and polluted nearly
2000 miles of America's headwater streams according to government data.
EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and scores of stream ecologists have
acknowledged the immense and irreversible damage which comes from
destroying these headwater streams and filling them with arsenic,
selenium, mercury, and other heavy metals and chemicals.
DEP Revokes Erosion and Sedimentation Control Permits for
Two Gas Companies
October 28, 2009
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Williamsport - The
Department of Environmental Protection has revoked three erosion and
sedimentation control general permits previously issued to Ultra
Resources Inc. and Fortuna Energy Inc. due to technical deficiencies,
and has sent notice of violation letters to the three licensed
professionals who prepared the applications.
"DEP took this action because of numerous technical
deficiencies discovered after our approval of the permits," said
DEP Northcentral Regional Director Robert Yowell.
The erosion and sedimentation control general permits are
required whenever more than five acres of earth will be disturbed
during construction of natural gas well drilling pads or natural gas
pipelines.
As part of an expedited permit review process that DEP
announced earlier this year, a licensed professional engineer,
surveyor, geologist or landscape architect must submit a notice of
intent and supporting documentation to DEP, including a certification
that the information submitted meets the permit requirements.
DEP staff performs an administrative completeness review,
but relies on the professional's certification that the application is
technically correct and meets all the permit requirements.
The technical deficiencies in both permits included
inaccurate calculations, failure to provide best management practices
where required, and lack of proper technical detail.
The permit revocations mean that Ultra Resources and
Fortuna Energy must immediately halt all earth disturbance activities
at the sites except those necessary to install or maintain erosion and
sediment control or post-construction and site restoration best
management practices.
The Ultra Resources permit was for sites in Gaines and Elk
townships, Tioga County, and Pike and Abbott townships, Potter County.
The Fortuna permit covered sites in Ward and Jackson townships, Tioga
County.
Neither company is eligible to re-submit notices of intent
requesting the expedited permit process for those locations.
The three permits were appealed to the state Environmental
Hearing Board by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in August and September,
prompting DEP officials to re-examine the permits to determine if they
met the regulatory requirements.
In its letter to the three licensed professionals, DEP
warns that additional enforcement action may be taken against them,
including possible referral to the Department of State, Bureau of
Professional and Occupational Affairs for disciplinary action.
The licensed professionals receiving the letters include
James Gensel of Fagan Engineers in Elmira, N.Y.; Karl Matz of Larson
Design Group Inc. in Williamsport; and K. Robert Cunningham of
Cunningham Surveyors in Wellsboro.
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EVENTS
Global Health
& Innovation Conference
Unite
For Sight, 7th Annual Conference
Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Saturday, April 17 - Sunday, April 18, 2010
200 speakers, including keynote addresses by Seth Godin, Jacqueline
Novogratz, Jeffrey Sachs and Sonia Sachs. Social innovation sessions by
CEOs and Directors of Acumen Fund, Partners in Health, WaterPartners,
Save The Children, HealthStore Foundation, and many others.
The Global Health & Innovation Conference convenes more than 2,200
students and professionals from 55 countries who are interested in
global health and international development, public health, medicine,
social entrepreneurship, nonprofits, philanthropy, microfinance, human
rights, anthropology, health policy, advocacy, public service,
environmental health, and education.
"Using The Power of Stories and Tribes to Spread Your Messages and
Change The World," Seth Godin, MBA, Agent of Change; New York
Times Bestselling Author of Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us; Founder,
Squidoo.com
Jacqueline
Novogratz, MBA, Founder and CEO, Acumen Fund
Jeffrey
Sachs, PhD, Director of Earth Institute at Columbia University;
Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, Professor of Health
Policy and Management, Columbia University; Special Advisor to
Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon
Sonia
Ehrlich Sachs, MD, MPH, Health Coordinator, Millennium Village Project
9th Annual Great Lakes Conference
Historically, water
law has been the province of lawyers and policymakers in the arid
western United States. In recent years, however, lawmakers in the Great
Lakes region have come to recognize the critical role that water
management plays in securing a healthy and vibrant society over the
long term.
In recognition of this development, the University of Toledo College of
Law and its affiliated Legal Institute of the Great Lakes sponsor an
annual conference on water issues of importance to the Great Lakes region
and the nation. This year's 9th Annual Great Lakes Water Conference
will be held on November 13 at the University of Toledo College of Law.
Keynote speakers will be U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak of
Michigan and Cameron Davis, Senior Advisor to the USEPA Administrator.
The Ohio Environmental Council's Kristy Meyer, Director of Agricultural
& Clean Water Programs, and Ohio EPA Director Chris Korleski will
discuss "Stimulating and Restoring the Great Lakes." Other
topics include "The Reach of the Clean Water Act" and
"The Compact in Action."
Baitfish Culture Workshop
The Ohio State
University Aquaculture Research and Development Integration Program is
hosting a Baitfish Culture Workshop
Thursday, November 12, 2009, 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm at the Agricultural
Incubator Foundation Center in Bowling Green Ohio.
Highlights:
* Two renowned baitfish research and extension specialists, Dr.
Carol Engle and Dr. Nathan Stone, from the University of Arkansas -
Pine Bluff Aquaculture and Fisheries Department will be presenting
topics on baitfish culture.
* A tour of the OSU Baitfish Research
Culture systems and the Aquaponics project
* Presentations on pond fertilization for baitfish,
report on a recent Baitfish Markets Survey, and review of baitfish
culture techniques developed at OSU
Cost: $15.00 per person
Foundation website at: http://www.kwestcommunications.com/AIF/
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RESOURCES
The
EPA offers a website that will allow people to access environmental
facts and statistics in their area. What first caught out
attention was the database of NPDES permits available for each
zipcode. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) permit program controls water pollution by regulating point
sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United
States. By searching your local zip code, you can determine which
companies or organizations have NPDES permits for discharging into
surface water as well as violations. All the information can be
found here.
New IRS Video Series on the 990
This series of
videos, each between five and ten minutes long, are part of The New
Form 990 Getting Started case study. Each video covers a key area of
the Form 990, using facts from the case study. They include such
topics as: Revenue and Expenses; Balance Sheet, Supplemental Financial
Statements and Schedule D; Program Services, Other IRS Filings and Tax
Compliance; Compensation; Governances; and Summary, Schedules and
Signatures. These videos can be accessed here.
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Closing Headline
Thank your customer, tell them how valuable they are to you,
but don't go overboard. Insincerity is easy to spot.
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Contact Info
Outreach Coordinator
Danny Allgeier
304-591-7005
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