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Earthworks applauds Rio Tinto’s withdrawal from Pebble Mine proposal in Alaska’s Bristol Bay

April 7, 2014, www.earthworksaction.org | “Earthworks applauds Rio Tinto’s decision to withdraw from the Pebble Mine proposal that threatens Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, home to the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery.”

Maryska Azzena shared EARTHWORKS‘s photo.
Good News For Alaska!
GOOD NEWS: Rio Tinto ditched its stake in the Pebble Mine proposal that threatens Alaska’s Bristol Bay!

Now, Pebble has no backers with mining experience. This isn’t the end, but the end is near. http://bit.ly/1oH1Sws

Put the final nail in the coffin: write EPA today! http://bit.ly/1h3RFWFPhoto: GOOD NEWS: Rio Tinto ditched its stake in the Pebble Mine proposal that threatens Alaska's Bristol Bay! Now, Pebble has no backers with mining experience. This isn't the end, but the end is near. http://bit.ly/1oH1Sws Put the final nail in the coffin: write EPA today! http://bit.ly/1h3RFWF

Apr 7, 2014 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Animals, Animals & Plants, Business Policy, Compassionate Actions, Endangered Species, Fish, Pollution, Protection, Restoration, Rivers & Wetlands, Water

A Giant Basket That Uses Condensation to Gather Drinking Water

March 28, 2014, www.wired.com | “Around the world, 768 million people don’t have access to safe water, and every day 1,400 children under the age of five die from water-based diseases. Designer Arturo Vittori believes the solution to this catastrophe lies not in high technology, but in sculptures that look like giant-sized objects from the pages of a Pier 1 catalog.”

 

“I love stories like this!
A Giant Basket That Uses Condensation to Gather Drinking Water | Design | WIRED
www.wired.com
Vittori hopes to have two WarkaTowers erected in Ethiopia by 2015 and is looking for financial rainmakers who’d like to seed these…”
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Mar 28, 2014 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Buildings, Climate, Energy - Renewable, Local Policy, New, Pollution, Water

Pumping Polluted Water Into Lake Okeechobee Must Stop, Judge Rules

March 28, 2014, earthjustice.org | “A major decision in federal court today will put an end to government-sanctioned pollution that’s been fouling Lake Okeechobee for more than three decades. The case, first filed in 2002 by Earthjustice, challenged the practice of  ‘backpumping.'”

Good News After An 11 Year Battle!
AFTER AN 11 YEAR LEGAL BATTLE – the federal court decides to put an end to government-sanctioned pollution that’s been fouling Lake Okeechobee for more than three decades. http://ow.ly/v95VV

The case, first filed in 2002 by Earthjustice, challenged the practice of “backpumping.” For years, South Florida sugar and vegetable growers have used the public’s waters, pumped out of giant Lake Okeechobee, to irrigate their fields. They wash the water over their industrial-sized crops, where it is contaminated with fertilizers and other pollutants.

Then, they get taxpayers in the South Florida Water Management District to pay to pump the contaminated water back into Lake Okeechobee, where it pollutes public drinking water supplies.
Earthjustice won the suit proving that the water transfer practice does, indeed, violate the Clean Water Act.

TELL US>> have you seen water pollution from the agriculture industry?

SHARE and LIKE>> to celebrate this victory!

Photo: AFTER AN 11 YEAR LEGAL BATTLE – the federal court decides to put an end to government-sanctioned pollution that’s been fouling Lake Okeechobee for more than three decades. http://ow.ly/v95VV The case, first filed in 2002 by Earthjustice, challenged the practice of “backpumping.” For years, South Florida sugar and vegetable growers have used the public’s waters, pumped out of giant Lake Okeechobee, to irrigate their fields. They wash the water over their industrial-sized crops, where it is contaminated with fertilizers and other pollutants. Then, they get taxpayers in the South Florida Water Management District to pay to pump the contaminated water back into Lake Okeechobee, where it pollutes public drinking water supplies. Earthjustice won the suit proving that the water transfer practice does, indeed, violate the Clean Water Act. TELL US>> have you seen water pollution from the agriculture industry? SHARE and LIKE>> to celebrate this victory!
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Mar 28, 2014 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Business Policy, Economics, Farms & Gardens, Local Food, Local Policy, Pollution, Protests, Water

Supreme Court Rejects Coal Industry Attack on the EPA’s Power to Protect Clean Water

March 24, 2014, earthjustice.org | “Today the Supreme Court denied the coal mining industry’s request to hear a case against the Environmental Protection Agency for vetoing part of a permit for one of the largest and most harmful mountaintop removal coal mines in West Virginia’s history, the Spruce No. 1 mine. By declining to take the case the Supreme Court refused to reverse the lower court’s ruling that EPA has full authority to protect clean water whenever necessary to prevent unacceptable environmental harm. Background information and relevant documents are provided at the end of this release.”

“GREAT NEWS! Last week, one of Appalachia’s largest and most destructive mountaintop removal mines ever proposed hit a huge stumbling block when the US Supreme Court refused to hear industry’s challenge to EPA’S veto of the mine. http://ow.ly/vefCV
EPA did the right thing when it vetoed part of the permit for the Spruce No. 1 mine, which would destroy more than 2,000 acres of lush, rolling Appalachian mountains and 6 miles of pristine streams that provide water for downstream communities. The coal industry ridiculously claimed the EPA had overstepped its authority under the Clean Water Act, and was handed a rude awakening by the US Supreme Court’s latest decision.
The fight over Spruce No. 1 mine isn’t over yet, but it’s another major milestone in this battle! Click SHARE or LIKE and share your thoughts below.
(Photo: The green valley to the right of the existing mine would be destroyed if Spruce Mine was approved. Courtesy of Vivian Stockman / OVEC).”
Photo: GREAT NEWS! Last week, one of Appalachia's largest and most destructive mountaintop removal mines ever proposed hit a huge stumbling block when the US Supreme Court refused to hear industry's challenge to EPA'S veto of the mine. http://ow.ly/vefCV EPA did the right thing when it vetoed part of the permit for the Spruce No. 1 mine, which would destroy more than 2,000 acres of lush, rolling Appalachian mountains and 6 miles of pristine streams that provide water for downstream communities. The coal industry ridiculously claimed the EPA had overstepped its authority under the Clean Water Act, and was handed a rude awakening by the US Supreme Court's latest decision. The fight over Spruce No. 1 mine isn't over yet, but it's another major milestone in this battle! Click SHARE or LIKE and share your thoughts below. (Photo: The green valley to the right of the existing mine would be destroyed if Spruce Mine was approved. Courtesy of Vivian Stockman / OVEC).
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Mar 24, 2014 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Climate, Coal, Energy - Polluting, Fracking, Local Policy, National Policy, Pollution, Protests, Water

World Water Day: Young Sliammon Activist Ta’Kaiya Blaney Invokes Prayer for the Sacred

March 22, 2014, indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com | “Water is the elixir of life; without it, we die within days. It is second only to air as the reason any of us are here at all. Yet ‘768 million people lack access to improved water sources, and 2.5 billion have no improved sanitation,’ according to the United Nations.  Many of those people inhabit Turtle Island.”

No Words Needed
World Water Day: Young Sliammon Activist Ta’Kaiya Blaney Invokes Prayer for the Sacred
indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
Video of Ta’Kaiya Blaney’s plea for the sacred on World Water Day.
Mar 22, 2014 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Local Policy, National Policy, Pollution, Protests, Trash cleanups, Water

Federal Judge Strikes Down Bush-Era Rule that Allowed Dumping in Streams

February 25, 2014, www.ringoffireradio.com | “On Thursday, a DC federal judge struck down a controversial rule that decreased protections for waterways near mountaintop removal mining operations. The 2008 stream buffer zone rule, which removed protections for waterways, was issued during the final weeks of the Bush administration, Law360 reports.”

 

“Federal Judge Strikes Down Bush-Era Rule that Allowed Dumping in Streams near Mountaintop Removal
www.ringoffireradio.com
A DC federal judge struck down a controversial rule that decreased protections for waterways near mountaintop removal mining…”
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Feb 25, 2014 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Pollution, Protection, Restoration, Rivers & Wetlands, Water

Federal Court Strikes Down Bush-Era Stream-Dumping Rule

February 20, 2014, earthjustice.org | “Today a federal court struck down a controversial George W. Bush administration rule that opened up Appalachia’s streams and waterways to toxic dumping from destructive mountaintop removal mining operations.  Numerous national and Appalachian environmental and community groups challenged the midnight rule from 2008, which repealed a longstanding stream protection—a ‘buffer zone’ of protection from mining activities and dumping around waterways.”

 

GOOD RIDDANCE: A much reviled Bush-era rule that enabled mining companies to destroy thousands of miles of streams has been struck down by the courts, thanks to our friends at the Southern Environmental Law Center. http://ow.ly/tSALy

The Bush era rule eliminated “buffer zones” that helped protect streams from mountaintop removal mining. This brutal method of coal extraction is estimated to have buried more than 2,400 miles of streams already in the US. After many years of legal fights (including challenges from Earthjustice attorneys), this rule is finally wiped from the books.

Click SHARE or LIKE if you think we need to protect our streams and waterways! Share your thoughts below.

Photo: GOOD RIDDANCE: A much reviled Bush-era rule that enabled mining companies to destroy thousands of miles of streams has been struck down by the courts, thanks to our friends at the Southern Environmental Law Center. http://ow.ly/tSALy The Bush era rule eliminated "buffer zones" that helped protect streams from mountaintop removal mining. This brutal method of coal extraction is estimated to have buried more than 2,400 miles of streams already in the US. After many years of legal fights (including challenges from Earthjustice attorneys), this rule is finally wiped from the books. Click SHARE or LIKE if you think we need to protect our streams and waterways! Share your thoughts below.
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Feb 20, 2014 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Business Policy, Climate, Economics, Energy - Polluting, Local Policy, Materials, Pollution, Protection, Restoration, Rivers & Wetlands, Water

The SF Chronicle Calls For Removal Of The Klamath Dams

Photo: 5/21/2014 - Senators Wyden, Merkley, Boxer and Feinstein just introduced a bill in the Senate to enact the Klamath Agreements - including REMOVAL OF THE LOWER FOUR KLAMATH DAMS!! > > Klamath Falls, Ore. – Senator Ron Wyden introduced a bill today in the United States Senate aimed at implementing hard-won negotiated agreements among a wide variety of stakeholders in the Klamath Basin. The agreements establish a water sharing plan aimed at supporting ranchers and farmers, Tribes, native fisheries and bird refuges in the basin. In response to Senator Wyden’s leadership in establishing a brighter economic and environmental future for all Klamath Basin residents, agreement stakeholders issued the following statement: “We thank Senator Ron Wyden for working tirelessly to help us find a lasting solution to our water sharing challenges in the Klamath Basin. We are hopeful that this legislation will finally bring an end to more than a century of challenging times in our community. People came together from all corners of the basin to hammer out these agreements, and the give and take has not always been easy. We are grateful to Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer for sponsoring this important legislation. Similarly, Governor Kitzhaber and other leaders who have supported our local process have given all basin residents a reason to hope for a brighter future here for our children, our grandchildren, and the fish and wildlife that rely on this region’s natural resources for survival.” This statement was released on behalf of: American Rivers California Trout Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) Karuk Tribe Klamath Water Users Association The Nature Conservancy Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) PacifiCorp Salmon River Restoration Council Sustainable Northwest Trout Unlimited Upper Klamath Water UsersFebruary 7, 2014, caltrout.org | “The San Francisco Chronicle said what most sensible people are thinking about the four Klamath River dams, which — especially given the wide acceptance of the Klamath Basin agreements negotiated by stakeholders — should simply come out.”

Robert Brothers shared Bobby Shearer‘s photo.
Salmon will be able to swim TWICE AS FAR UPRIVER when the dams are removed!
5/21/2014 – Senators Wyden, Merkley, Boxer and Feinstein just introduced a bill in the Senate to enact the Klamath Agreements – including REMOVAL OF THE LOWER FOUR KLAMATH DAMS!!
> > Klamath Falls, Ore. – Senator Ron Wyden introduced a bill today in the United States Senate aimed at implementing hard-won negotiated agreements among a wide variety of stakeholders in the Klamath Basin. The agreements establish a water sharing plan aimed at supporting ranchers and farmers, Tribes, native fisheries and bird refuges in the basin.

In response to Senator Wyden’s leadership in establishing a brighter economic and environmental future for all Klamath Basin residents, agreement stakeholders issued the following statement:

“We thank Senator Ron Wyden for working tirelessly to help us find a lasting solution to our water sharing challenges in the Klamath Basin. We are hopeful that this legislation will finally bring an end to more than a century of challenging times in our community. People came together from all corners of the basin to hammer out these agreements, and the give and take has not always been easy. We are grateful to Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer for sponsoring this important legislation. Similarly, Governor Kitzhaber and other leaders who have supported our local process have given all basin residents a reason to hope for a brighter future here for our children, our grandchildren, and the fish and wildlife that rely on this region’s natural resources for survival.”

This statement was released on behalf of:

American Rivers
California Trout
Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR)
Karuk Tribe
Klamath Water Users Association
The Nature Conservancy
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA)
PacifiCorp
Salmon River Restoration Council
Sustainable Northwest
Trout Unlimited
Upper Klamath Water Users

Feb 7, 2014 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Dam construction, Dam Removal, Fish, Protection, Restoration, Rivers & Wetlands, Water

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Successfully Removes Shipwrecks that were Destroying Coral Reefs in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument; Marine Conservation Institute Helped Secure Funding for the Project

January 31, 2014, www.enn.com | “On January 16, 2014, a 16-person crew completed the removal of three sunken wrecks that plagued the coral reefs of the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument for over a decade. Nearly one million pounds of iron and other material were removed from the wreckage sites at Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuges inside the Marine National Monument in a 79-day operation.

The mess is gradually being cleaned up, step by step.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Successfully Removes Shipwrecks that were Destroying Coral…
www.enn.com
ENN.com: Environmental News Network — Know Your Environment
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Jan 31, 2014 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Animals, Animals & Plants, Compassionate Actions, Ocean Pollution, Oceans, Plants, Pollution, Recycling & Plastics, Trash cleanups, Water

Shell Ices Plans to Drill in America’s Arctic Sea

Photo: DONE! Shell Oil's CEO just announced the company was dropping all plans to drill in the Arctic in 2014, and even hinted that it may withdraw from the region for good. http://ow.ly/t7vsh Shell's highly controversial plan to extract oil from one of the most remote, pristine and risky places on earth hit a major hurdle last week when Earthjustice and our partners won a court victory halting its drilling leases in the Chukchi Sea. Shell hinted it will not be prioritizing Arctic drilling in the future and was now "reviewing" its options there. Click SHARE or LIKE to celebrate the great news! TELL US >> Should other oil companies follow Shell's lead and withdraw from the Arctic?

January 30, 2014, earthjustice.org | “Today, the CEO of Shell announced that the oil company will forgo its plan to drill for oil this year in the Chukchi Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean. As the company’s failed efforts to drill in 2012 demonstrated, it is too risky to try to drill for oil in the remote, stormy, and icy Arctic seas.”

“DONE! Shell Oil’s CEO just announced the company was dropping all plans to drill in the Arctic in 2014, and even hinted that it may withdraw from the region for good. http://ow.ly/t7vsh
Shell’s highly controversial plan to extract oil from one of the most remote, pristine and risky places on earth hit a major hurdle last week when Earthjustice and our partners won a court victory halting its drilling leases in the Chukchi Sea. Shell hinted it will not be prioritizing Arctic drilling in the future and was now “reviewing” its options there.
Click SHARE or LIKE to celebrate the great news! TELL US >> Should other oil companies follow Shell’s lead and withdraw from the Arctic?”
Jan 30, 2014 GoodNews FortheEarth on Facebook Leave a Comment
Filed under: Animals & Plants, Business Policy, Compassionate Actions, Economics, Endangered Species, Energy - Polluting, Ocean Pollution, Oceans, Oil, Pollution, Water