WaterTank Update
Today in WaterWise news:
Senate votes to block Clean Power Plan ♦ More polar bears on land ♦ Justice Department sues ship supply contractors ♦ USDA chief's role in WOTUS ♦ Does U.S. really need a large strategic petroleum reserve ♦ New research on pesticides affect on bees ♦ Federal jury considers case against ex-chief of West Virginia coal mine ♦ Federal flooding study will consider NJ coastal lakes ♦ USACE identifies 10 cleanup sites at former Camp Wheeler ♦ Conference focuses on green infrastructure for coastal resiliency ♦ Port of Cleveland petitions to stop open lake dumping ♦ States at Risk Project report identifies risks: a look at NC & FL ♦ New partnership to address waterway restoration in Lafourche ♦ Louisiana lawmakers promise to protect coastal restoration funding
Amid record global temperatures, Senate votes to block Obama's Clean Power Plan
Washington Post - Even as new data suggest that October of 2015 was a record-breaking hot month - with a 1.04 degree Celsius global temperature anomaly, the biggest monthly departure from average even seen in NASA records - Senate Republicans led a vote to block President Obama's flagship climate policy, the Clean Power Plan, and also another major EPA energy regulation of new power plants. Read more.
Next up from climate change: More polar bears on land, potentially running into humans
Washington Post - In recent years, polar bears have become the lovable poster children for climate change in the Arctic. And as their preferred sea ice habitat continues to diminish year after year, thanks to warming temperatures in the region, it seems there's no end to the polar bear's troubles. Read more.
U.S. to Sue Contractor It Says Bilked the Navy
New York Times - After nearly two years of settlement talks broke down, the Justice Department announced Wednesday that it was moving forward with a civil fraud lawsuit against one of the ship-supply contractors said to have overcharged the Navy by tens of millions of dollars. Read more.
USDA chief played major backstage role on hot-bottom rule
E&E News - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was a key player behind the scenes over the past two years as the Obama administration tried to keep its contentious Waters of the U.S. rule afloat in the face of swelling opposition from rural America. Read more.
Does the U.S. Need a Large Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
Wall Street Journal - The U.S. is sitting on the biggest government stockpile of oil in the world. Should it continue to maintain it? The Strategic Petroleum Reserve was set up in the 1970s as a response to the Arab oil embargo and the shock waves it sent through the U.S. economy. Read more.
New research reignites concerns that pesticides are harming bees
Washington Post - A common pesticide could hinder bumblebees' ability to pollinate plants, says a new study - and that could be a big problem for both agriculture and the natural ecosystems that depend on the bees for survival. Read more.
Jury Gets Case Against Ex-Chief of West Virginia Coal Mine on Safety
New York Times - More than five years after a powerful explosion ravaged the Upper Big Branch mine and killed 29 men, a federal jury on Tuesday began considering whether the former chief executive of Massey Energy Company could be held criminally responsible for a corporate culture that prosecutors said pursued profits more than safety and integrity. Read more.
N.J. coastal lakes to be part of federal flooding study
NJ.com - New Jersey could be in line for federal funding to repair 12 of its coastal lakes in Monmouth and Ocean counties after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to include those bodies of water in a major study after Hurricane Sandy's devastation. Read more.
U.S. Army Corps identifies 10 sites for cleanup at former Camp Wheeler
The Telegraph - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proposing remediation for 10 new sites at the former Camp Wheeler. The sites were identified after a five-year study of the land. Read more.
Green Infrastructure for Coastal Resiliency Focus of Conference
Sandpaper.net - Since Superstorm Sandy, the most popular buzz-words among planners and municipal officials are "resiliency" and "green infrastructure," said Lisa Auermuller as she opened Tuesday's conference focused on those very words, held at the Jacque Costeau Estuarine Research Reserve Education Center in Tuckerton. Read more.
Port of Cleveland petitions for Federal policy to stop open lake dumping of Cuyahoga River sediment
American Journal of Transportation - The Port of Cleveland recently petitioned the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to modify the description of the Cleveland Harbor navigation project in law to prevent sediment dredged from the Cuyahoga River from being placed in Lake Erie. Read more.
Report: Coastal flooding remains NC's greatest extreme weather threat
WRAL- North Carolina is generally prepared to handle increasing threat levels from extreme weather, although the state isn't as ready to deal with extreme coastal flooding, according to a report released Wednesday by the States at Risk Project. Read more.
NC Coastal Commission focuses on new regulations for sand bags along coastline
WNCT - The North Carolina Resources Commission met in Atlantic Beach Wednesday to talk about issues affecting the entire coast. One of the biggest issues on the coast is sand bag regulations. Wednesday's meeting laid out new rules for homeowners to protect their homes. Read more.
Waterway Restoration Project Targets Salt Water Intrusion, Storm Surge
America's WETLAND Foundation - The America's WETLAND Foundation (AWF) today announced a partnership of diverse interests to restore four miles of embankment along both sides of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) in Lafource Parish, LA, bringing private investment to restoration projects both environmental and economic interests and serving as a new model of cooperation in coastal restoration efforts. Read more.
Sams Spit Sea Wall Given Go Ahead, Again
The Island Connection - In December 2014, after hearing the case for an unprecedented third time, the south Carolina Supreme Court ruled Kiawah Partners could not build a revetment needed to advance development on Captain Sam's Spit, a 150 acre strip of land at the edge of Kiawah Island. Read more.
Florida flood preparations slammed in national report
Sun Sentinel - Florida received a failing grade on its long-term preparations for coastal flooding, in a study released Wednesday that assessed how well the 50 states were gearing up for the impact of climate change. Read more.
Edwards, Vitter say they'll protect coastal restoration funding
Times-Picayune - Both state Rep. John Bel Edwards and U.S. Sen. David Vitter said they will protect funding for Louisiana coastal restoration projects from cuts in the midst of the major budget challenges they will face if elected governor, according to responses released Wednesday (Nov. 18) by a consortium of environmental and business groups. Read more.
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