Environment

Can Superfund Weather Climate Change?

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Global warming coupled with funding shortages are hurting efforts to clean up the most dangerous waste sites in the United States, activists say. A study by the nonprofit Center for Health, Environment and Justice found that extreme weather conditions like hurricanes and tornadoes, which may be related to climate change, are causing more damage at toxic waste sites. Advocates say that if Congress does not renew “polluter pay” fees, which ended in 1995, Superfund will remain short on cash, and the problem will only get worse. In Colorado, The Monte Vista Journal reports that the Summitville Superfund site is underfunded, and that polluted water leaking from a mining facility there affects a river used for agriculture, livestock and recreation. –Ronnie Lovler/Newsdesk.org
Sources:
“Global Warming hits SLV”
The Monte Vista Journal, March 26, 2009
“Superfund Report”
The Center for Health, Environment and Justice, March 19, 2009

Economy

Herbicides Come to Southwest Border Fight

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In an effort to fight illegal immigration, the United States Border Patrol plans to spray a chemical herbicide on tall plants near the Texas-Mexico border. The Carrizo cane is an invasive plant that grows up to 30 feet high and provides a cover for illegal border crossers, thieves and smugglers, according to the Houston Chronicle. Helicopters will spray the plants “until all plant life in the area is poisoned.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Border Patrol say the herbicide imazapyr is safe for animals, but critics say the chemical’s safety is questionable and could threaten the water supply of towns near the river. Government agents asked Nuevo Laredo’s water utility to turn off their water pumps before the spraying, reports El Paso’s Newspaper Tree.

Economy

U.S. Business Sees Green in Cuba Thaw

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Even as President Obama’s decision to make it easier to travel to Cuba from the United States gains support among Latin American leaders, businesses of all sorts are lining up to make the most of the new policy. The Obama administration lifted restrictions in March on family travel to Cuba, allowing Americans with family in Cuba to visit once a year, stay as long as they want and spend up to $179 a day, according to news media reports. Under President Bush, family visits to Cuba had been permitted only once every three years. Meanwhile, Cuba’s Latin American and Caribbean neighbors are opening doors and advocating for their communist neighbor. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called on the United States to rethink its policy toward Cuba, the Associated Press reports.

Democracy & Civics

Access Denied to Cable Viewers?

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Catching school board meetings or locally produced talk shows on cable access systems will be more difficult for channel surfers due to changes in laws in several states. Public, educational and government stations, also know as PEGs, are fixtures on basic cable packages, made available as a public service requirement of the Communications Act of 1934. PEG stations televise town hall meetings, school plays and run quirky, locally produced talk shows with “Wayne’s World”-style theatrics. Yet California and Illinois are among 20 states that enacted laws allowing cable companies to end their support for PEG studio facilities, equipment and staff, and giving control of programming to state agencies rather than local communities. When California’s Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act took effect Jan.

Economy

Wind Energy: Becalmed by Recession

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At a time when green energy is being touted as a potential booster for a slow global economy, a wind energy company in North Dakota has laid off nearly a quarter of its staff. The Telegraph reports that DMI Industries, one of the largest producers of wind-turbine towers, is suffering from a huge drop in demand just one year after seeing impressive growth. The company expanded its factories last year, when the U.S. wind industry doubled its activity, but was forced to lay off workers when banks and other lenders were hit by the slowdown. DMI’s president told the newspaper: “So many positive things have been said about renewable energy, but when the banks have problems, it has an impact on us too.” Some analysts say the investment slowed has undermined renewable energy’s potential to combat climate change.

Economy

Diplomas for Green-Collar Jobs

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College graduates are returning to school, to study up in the potentially lucrative environment and renewable energy sectors. The United States plans to invest billions in “green collar” jobs, encouraging some people to leave their professions for a fresh start in what they hope is a more promising field, reports The Toronto Star. “Historically, sustainability has gone down in priority during tough economic times, but it’s different this time,” Doug Webber of the Canada Green Building Council told the newspaper. A report published last year by the United Nations, estimated that 20 million jobs could be created with the investment in renewable energy by 2030. In response, colleges and universities adding new “green” degree programs.
–Brittany Owens/Newsdesk.org
Source:
“Colleges responding to need for ‘green collar’ workers”
Toronto Star, February 9, 2009

Democracy & Civics

New Orleans May Lose Federal Housing Aid

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New Orleans has been sitting on nearly $34 million in federal housing aid it received since 1993, and needs to spend money soon if it wants to keep it The Times-Picayune reports. New Orleans officials have been directing the money to programs such as affordable housing, but have yet to actually spend any. A May 31 deadline has been set up for the city to spend $10 million in federal Housing and Urban Development money that has been unused for the past five years. Anthony Faciane, from the New Orleans Office of Recovery, said that he is confident that the deadline will be met, and implied that slow recovery from Hurricane Katrina was the problem. City council member Cynthia Willard-Lewis told the newspaper: “I agree it was a problem for six months to a year, but now we’re into four years since the storm.”

Economy

Black Truckers Win Big Wal-Mart Settlement

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Black truck drivers who claimed that Wal-Mart discriminated against them have reached a settlement of $17.5 million, although the company denies any wrongdoing. The 23 drivers who filed suit will also receive priority job placement for future work with the company. According to the Associated Press, figures show that 15 percent of truckers were black from 2000 to 2005. However, in that five-year period only 4 percent to 6 percent of Wal-Mart’s 8,000 truckers were black, and none of the hiring committees at Wal-Mart’s various sites had a strong representation of blacks, despite a rule that the panels have 50 percent minority membership. — Brittany Owens/Newsdesk.org
Source:
“Retail giant Wal-Mart settles suit by black truck drivers”
Associated Press, February 20, 2009

Democracy & Civics

Historically Black Schools: Change They can Believe in?

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Historically black colleges and universities face declining enrollment, with expenses rising and the historic culture changing. Only 13 percent of African Americans pursuing higher education are enrolled at a historically black college, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Mark Gamble, an African American who attends Georgia State University, where the population is 60 percent Caucasian, told the newspaper: “I like being around whites, blacks, Asians and all other minorities.” Indeed, students from some higher-income families are opting for a more diverse environment at schools such as Harvard, Vanderbilt and elsewhere. Those who choose historically black institutions find that they are getting a good education, but also a debt burden.

Environment

A Soft 'n' Gentle Forest Killer?

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The environmental costs of “luxury” toilet paper may exceed that of driving an SUV or eating fast food, reports the Guardian. Toilet paper made from virgin forests accounts for 98 percent of the U.S. domestic market, with tissue made from recycled paper, which doesn’t “fluff up” as easily, trailing behind. The United States is the world’s biggest consumer of paper, yet less than a third of all paper products used nationwide are recycled. One scientist told the Guardian, “People just don’t understand that softness equals ecological destruction.” In addition to causing deforestation, making toilet paper is water intensive and produces chemical pollution.