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Dam Projects Face Resistance in Georgiaby Natia Kuprashvili, Tbilisi, Georgia, March 5, 2012 (ENS)The Georgian authorities are promising that 15 new hydroelectric power stations will create thousands of jobs and improve energy provision, but environmentalists and residents of the villages to be flooded have voiced strong objections. At least 20 villages are …

New Zealand Grants a River the Rights of Personhood

September 16, 2012, www.treehugger.com | “From the dawn of history, and in cultures throughout the world, humans have been prone to imbue Earth’s life-giving rivers with qualities of life itself — a fitting tribute, no doubt, to the wellsprings upon which our past (and present) civilizations so heavily rely. But while modern thought has come to regard these essential waterways more clinically over the centuries, that might all be changing once again.  Meet the Whanganui. You might call it a river, but in the eyes of the law, it has the standings of a person.”

Ami Linden shared a link to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline.
Meet the Whanganui. You might call it a river, but in the eyes of the law, it has the standings of a person.
treehugger.com
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Should companies have to recover their plastic?

September 14, 2015, 5gyres.org | “5 Gyres sat with the president of ASIPLA, the Chilean version of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the company Cambiaso, the largest plastic bag recycler in South America to hear how they want to frame the National Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) bill. We heard familiar arguments about waste management and recycling and opposition to product bans. The big questions is: is the role of brand manufacturers to get their stuff back.”

Willandsusan Revak shared a photo to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline.
Thank you for accepting my friend request! Here is a subject I am passionate about:
HUGE NEWS! California microbead bill AB 888 has just passed the senate and will now go forward to become law! No more microbeads in CA! THANK YOU so much to all you guys for calling! Hurray!
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End Mining Within 100 Feet of Streams

August 28, 2015, action.biologicaldiversity.org | “For decades legal loopholes have allowed coal companies to mine directly through streams, harming imperiled species like the Colorado pikeminnow and eastern hellbender salamander, and poisoning downstream waterways for people.  But at least the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has proposed a new Stream Buffer Zone Rule that would restrict all mining within 100 feet of streams.”

A court victory in 2014 against exceptions made by George Bush in 2008 requires that a new strict rule be adopted.
For decades legal loopholes have allowed coal companies to mine directly through streams, harming…
action.biologicaldiversity.org

Judge denies attempt to block water release for Klamath salmon

August 27, 2015, www.bendbulletin.com | “A federal judge has denied a request by agricultural water providers in California’s Central Valley to block emergency water releases to protect Klamath River salmon from the drought.  U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill in Fresno, California, on Wednesday rejected a request for a temporary restraining order sought by Westlands Water District and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority.”

Robert Brothers shared a link to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline.

GRANTS PASS — A federal judge has denied a request by agricultural water providers in California’s Central Valley to block emergency water releases to protect Klamath River salmon from the drought. U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill in Fresno, California, on Wednesday rejected a request for a t…
bendbulletin.com

President Obama designates Berryessa Snow Mountain region a national monument

Lake County News's photo.

July 11, 2015, www.lakeconews.com | “On Friday President Barack Obama signed a proclamation giving the Berryessa Snow Mountain region national monument status, a designation that proponents say will aid the region’s economy through tourism and recreation opportunities.  The new national monument region covers approximately 330,780 acres managed by federal agencies across seven counties – Lake, Colusa, Glenn, Mendocino, Napa, Yolo and Solano – and extends from Berryessa Peak to the eastern boundary of the Yuki Wilderness in Mendocino County. It does not include Lake Berryessa itself.”

Kevin Phillips shared a photo to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline. Lake County News

President Obama designates Berryessa Snow Mountain region a national monument – bit.ly/1gtT4Ia

3 New National Monuments Are Established by Obama

July 10, 2015, www.nytimes.com | “President Obama announced on Friday that he was designating new national monuments covering more than a million acres in California, Texas and Nevada, his latest use of executive power to preserve public land. Mr. Obama designated Berryessa Snow Mountain in California; a paleontological site in Texas known as Waco Mammoth; and the Basin and Range in Nevada, which includes rock art dating back 4,000 years, the White House said in a statement.”

New national monuments —
Republicans have criticized the president for using the law that allows the designation of such sites more than any of his predecessors.
www.nytimes.com|By Julie Hirschfeld Davis
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Smith Headwaters Mining Withdrawal Filed

July 1, 2015, ijpr.org | “Southern Oregon and Northern California’s Smith River could be temporarily protected from mining by a maneuver proposed by the Bureau of Land Management.  BLM plans to withdraw roughly 100,000 acres of public land from mining in Curry and Josephine Counties, including land considered for a major nickel mine.”

Lou Gold shared a link to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline.
Southern Oregon and Northern California’s Smith River could be protected from mining by a maneuver proposed by the Bureau of Land Management. BLM plans to
ijpr.org|By Geoffrey Riley, Emily Cureton
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Court Rules Grazing Harms Endangered Species in Arizona’s Fossil Creek

June 29, 2015, www.biologicaldiversity.org | “A federal court has ruled that cattle grazing in the Fossil Creek watershed of central Arizona harms critical habitat of threatened frogs, in violation of the Endangered Species Act. The ruling resulted from a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity in 2010. ‘Fossil Creek is one of the Southwest’s most biologically precious river reaches,’ said Jay Lininger, a senior scientist with the Center. ‘The ruling is a victory for this beautiful creek, native wildlife and public investments made to recover them.'”

Good news for endangered species and precious Arizona rivers. Cattle grazing in stream corridors illegally harms critical habitat of threatened amphibians. It doesn’t stop grazing or watershed degradation, but opens a door to advocacy under the “adverse modification” standard of the Endangered Species Act. Little by little, such battles are won.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— A federal court has ruled that cattle grazing in the Fossil Creek watershed of central…
biologicaldiversity.org
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Abandoned mine given environmental algae makeover

June 25, 2015, positivenews.org.uk | “A scientific research project is using algae to extract biofuel and precious metals from toxic water in abandoned mines, while simultaneously restoring the ecological health of the area.  Scientists from Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter universities have joined forces on the project, known as the GW4 Alliance, and have begun experimenting with waste water from a deserted tin mine in Cornwall.”

Using algae to restore an old mining site and remove hazardous materials – naturally!
A new research project could help clean up old mining messes by turning waste water into a useful resource
positivenews.org.uk

7 million Arctic Defenders, Greenpeace and First Nations communities fight to stop Arctic drilling and defend our coast

Robert Brothers shared a photo to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline.
Robert Brothers's photo.

“All I have is my voice, my body and the truth I speak. I can’t do this alone.
We — 7 million Arctic Defenders, Greenpeace and First Nations communities — will stop Arctic drilling and defend our coast and our climate.”
— Audrey Siegl (sχɬemtəna:t), Activist and Artist, Musqueam Nation & Greenpeace
Stand with me, as I face off against Shell and join the movement to save the Arctic.

“Facing such a massive machine from a tiny boat is terrifying, but I believe – and I bet you do too – that we all have a duty to do whatever we can to protect our sacred lands and waters. Shell may have money and massive machines, but the people united are more powerful.
Up until now Shell has tried to ignore the voices of millions of people around the world who have said yes to Arctic protection and no to Arctic drilling. But they won’t be able to for much longer, because instead of sitting idly by while Shell forces its way into the Arctic, regular people, like me, are saying enough is enough and creating an international spotlight on Shell’s drilling plans.

In April, six activists boarded and occupied Shell’s drill rig, the Polar Pioneer, for 7 days in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
In May, hundreds of kayaktivists gathered in Seattle to protest Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet.
On Monday, Greenpeace USA activists bravely paddled their kayaks out to Shell’s monster rig and formed a human blockade in front of it preventing it from leaving the port of Seattle!
And today, just when Shell thought they had a clear path to the Arctic, with your help, we were ready, and waiting.

Today I’m accompanied by the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in the Pacific Ocean on the west coast but I am here on behalf 7 million of people calling for the renewable solutions that already exist.

Because of regular people, like you and I, we’ve made it impossible for Shell to sneak up to Arctic waters and drill quietly. The movement to save the Arctic has made Shell’s drilling plans front-page news.

But the reality is that Shell could start drilling as early as July 1st, we need to do everything that we can before then to stop this madness before it starts. Please keep standing with us this summer, as the movement grows. This won’t end today, together we can take on Big Oil!

nə́c̓aʔmat tə šxʷqʷeləwən ct
We are of one heart and mind

Audrey Siegl (sχɬemtəna:t)
Activist and Artist, Musqueam Nation

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