Kristofer Hofstra

December 5, 2010

Shortened Lease Review for Future Wind Farms

Ken Salazar, the Secretary of the Interior, announced intentions to expedite the permitting process for future wind power projects. The recent Cape Wind lease underwent an eight year review that the Secretary wishes to cut to two years for potential 2012 leases. Salazar plans to work with 11 Atlantic Coast governors to identify possible wind farm leasing areas in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

Source:

Associated Press, Salazar Wants Quicker Wind-Power Permitting, Boston Globe, Nov. 24, 2010, http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2010/11/24/salazar_wants_quicker_wind_power_permitting/.

New York State Legislature Votes for Natural Gas Drilling Protections

On Monday, November 30th, the New York State Assembly passed a bill placing a temporary moratorium on "fracking," a natural gas drilling procedure that poses substantial risk to groundwater quality. This vote follows the New York Senate's passage of a similar bill last August and must now be signed by Governor David Paterson to take effect. NRDC's Kate Sinding highlighted the bill's importance: "This is the first time any state has ever taken this kind of action to protect the health and safety of its residents from the consequences of gas drilling."

Source:

Mireya Navarro, N.Y. Assembly Approves Fracking Moratorium, N.Y. Times, Nov. 30, 2010, http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/n-y-assembly-approves-fracking-moratorium/?scp=1&sq=drilling%20moratorium&st=cse.

The United States Plays Climate Change Hardball in Cancun

At the ongoing United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Cancun, Mexico, representatives from the United States continue to push for emissions limitations and accountability from developing nations and growing powers such as India and China. The U.S. seems content with leaving Cancun without an agreement if these needs are not met, fueling speculation that American negotiators could walk out of the conference. Notably, the United States' presence is substantially smaller than at last year's Copenhagen conference; neither President Barack Obama nor Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will attend.

Source:

Suzanne Goldenburg, Cancun Climate Change Summit: America Plays Tough, Guardian, Nov. 30, 2010, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/nov/30/cancun-climate-change-summit-america.

European Union Bans BPA in Baby Bottles

The European Commission voted last week to ban BPA, bisphenol A, from plastic baby bottles manufactured throughout the European Union. E.U. nations must cease such manufacturing by March of 2011 and sales of bottles with BPA by June. Just one week prior, the United States declined to include BPA bans in a food safety bill backed by Senator Dianne Feinstein of California.

Source:

Liz Szabo, Europe Votes to Ban Chemical From Baby Bottles, USA Today, Nov. 29, 2010, http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-11-29-BPA29_ST_N.htm.

New Strides Made in Organic Pest Control

Following the enactment of the 2008 Farm Bill, new research on organic agricultural ecosystems is helping organic farmers combat harmful bugs without the use of synthetic pesticides. For example, wild sunflowers can be grown around the edge of sweet corn fields to attract "good bugs," such as lady bugs and parasitic wasps, that kill "bad bugs," which are harmful to crops.

Source:

Jim Robbins, Farmers Find Organic Arsenal to Wage War on Pests, N.Y. Times, Nov. 29, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/science/30farm.html?pagewanted=1&partner=rss&emc=rss.