Thomas Nececkas

April 17, 2011

Mining Concerns Feature in Wisconsin's State of the Tribes Address

Michael Wiggins Junior, chairman of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, warned Wisconsin lawmakers that the effects of Gogebic Taconite's proposed open-pit iron ore mine on northern Wisconsin's waters could be "catastrophic." Wiggins delivered this warning as part of the annual State of the Tribes address, in which he expressed a desire to work with state government to find a balance between economic development and environmental stewardship.

Sources:

Jason Smathers, Wis. Tribal leader warns lawmakers on mining plans, Bloomberg Businessweek (Apr. 12, 2011, 4:21 PM), http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9MIB8JO1.htm.

Bob Hague, Tribes address carries mine warning, Wisconsin Radio Network (Apr. 12, 2011), http://www.wrn.com/2011/04/state-of-the-tribes-address-carries-warning-on-mine-audio/.

EPA Clarifies Safe Drinking Water Act with Regards to Fracturing

According to a congressional report, companies have injected 32 million gallons of diesel fuel into the ground to extract natural gas. Bob Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator of the EPA, testified before Congress that those companies violated the Safe Drinking Water Act by not applying for permits.

Source:

Mike Soraghan, Fracking for Natural Gas With Diesel Violated Law, EPA Says, N.Y. Times (Apr. 13, 2011), http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/04/13/13greenwire-fracking-for-natural-gas-with-diesel-violated-81979.html.

Montana House Votes to Limit the Court's Power to Require a New EIS

The Montana House voted to amend the Montana Environmental Policy Act to allow state projects to move forward, even if a court finds that the State's Environmental Impact State for the project was faulty. While the court could order the State to fix the EIS, the court's order would not stop work on a project that had been inadequately considered.

Source:

Mike Dennison, Democrats' bill revising Montana environmental law endorsed, Billings Gazette (Apr. 8, 2011, 6:00 PM), http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_da54da1e-64ec-50b3-9f6d-611196498c8d.html.

Gray Wolves Lose Out in Budget Battle

A rider on the pending budget bill would delist gray wolves from the endangered species list in five Western states. Some wildlife advocates fear this rider will become precedent for Congress to target endangered species for delisting with riders.

Source:

Budget bill rider on wolves viewed as precedent, but supporters say predators' case is unique, The Washington Post National (Apr. 14, 4:20 PM), http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/budget-bill-rider-on-wolves-viewed-as-precedent-but-supporters-say-predators-case-is-unique/2011/04/14/AFIx9CeD_story.html.

San Francisco Poised to Repeal Cell Phone Radiation Disclosure Law

The City of San Francisco is poised to repeal the Right to Know law passed last year, which requires an estimate of the radiation released by each cell phone to be placed legibly on the phone's packaging. Members of the nonprofit Environmental Health Trust have come out against the potential repeal, citing studies that link cell phone usage with sperm deficiencies in men and cheek tumors.

Source:

Environmental Health Trust Urges City of San Francisco to Stand for the Truth and Uphold "Right to Know" Law on Cell Phone Radiation, SFGate (Apr. 13, 2011), http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/04/13/prweb8298709.DTL.