Friday, March 28, 2014

WIMS Environmental HotSheet 3/28/14

National / International News

 

<> White House to unveil plan to cut greenhouse gas as soon as Friday - (Reuters) - The Obama administration will propose a strategy to slash emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane as soon as Friday, a source with an environmental group said.

<> U.S. Imports of Canadian Oil Sands Have Doubled Since 2005 - Imports of oil sands crude exceed the proposed capacity of the Keystone XL pipeline by more than 350,000 barrels per day

<> Service Lists Lesser Prairie-Chicken as Threatened, Finalizes Special Rule Endorsing Landmark State Conservation Plan - a final special rule under section 4(d) of the ESA that will limit regulatory impacts on landowners and businesses from this listing.

<> Ocean Acidification website launched - A new Ocean Acidification website has been launched that brings together new ocean acidification infographics, publications, background information, presentations and news for researchers, policymakers and the public. . .

<> Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Oversight Hearing on "Advances in Earthquake Science: 50th Anniversary of the Great Alaskan Quake" - Testimony, webcast and documents

<> Sourcing Legally Produced Wood: A Guide for Businesses - booklet provides an overview of key legality issues that businesses should consider when purchasing wood and paper-based products.

<> Members Introduce Four Common Sense Bills to Update the Endangered Species Act - House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04), Rep. Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming-at large), Rep. Randy Neugebauer (TX-19), and Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-02) today introduced four limited bills to improve and. . .

<> Governor Pence Calls for New Direction of Energy Efficiency in Indiana - Statement on allowing SEA 340 to become law without his signature, "I could not sign this bill because it does away with a worthwhile energy efficiency program. I could not veto this bill because doing so would increase the cost of utilities for Hoosier ratepayers and make Indiana less competitive by denying relief to large electricity consumers, including our state's manufacturing base.

<> Scientists Study Effects of Water Released Across U.S.-Mexico Border -  Summary: As a large pulse of water is being released into the former delta of the Colorado River along the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. Geological Survey scientists are studying the effects on the environment as part of a historic. . .

<> EPA Agreement with Vehicle and Engine Company Requires Imports to Meet Federal Emission Limits - This is the first time that the EPA has secured such a bond in a Clean Air Act settlement.

<> U.S. Drought Monitor Update for March 25, 2014 - According to the March 25 U.S. Drought Monitor, moderate to exceptional drought covers 38.3% of the contiguous U.S.

<> Analysis of Energy Efficiency Program Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification (EM&V) Reports: Residential Space Cooling and Commercial Lighting Measures - (Thu, 27 Mar 2014) New one-time analysis report is based on the rapidly growing data from evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V) reporting on the results of energy efficiency programs.

<> Safe Climate Caucus Members: The Debate on Climate Change is Settled - This week, members of the Safe Climate Caucus pointed to specific examples of the cost of ignoring climate change and highlighted the unequivocal scientific consensus on the issue. In the weekly. . .

<> Energy Boom Fuels Rapid Population Growth in Parts of Great Plains; Gulf Coast Also Has High Growth Areas, Says Census Bureau - Oil- and gas-rich areas in and near the Great Plains contained many of the fastest-growing areas in the U.S. last year. . .

 

Federal Register Highlights 

The following is an alert of Environmental Federal Register announcements that may be of interest for: Friday, March 28, 2014.  (Click here to access today's complete Federal Register index with links to complete announcements).

 

1. Nothing We're Tracking Today