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</div> </form> </div> <ul class="navmenu"> <li class="current_page_item"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/">Home</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-21"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/links/">Links</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-23"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/archives/">Archives</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-25"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/sitemap/">Sitemap</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-31"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/about/">About</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-330"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/bpgc-award/">BPGC</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-693"><a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/epa-agrees-to-set-limits-on-fertilizer-and-animal-waste-pollution-in-florida/" title="Permalink to EPA Agrees to Set Limits on Fertilizer and Animal Waste Pollution in Florida" rel="bookmark">EPA Agrees to Set Limits on Fertilizer and Animal Waste Pollution in Florida</a></h2> <div class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2009-08-24T22:26:51-0600">August 24, 2009 – 10:26 pm</abbr></div> <div class="entry-content"> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">New policy contrasts with inaction by Bush administration</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">August 21, 2009</span></p> <p> </p> <table style="float: right; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0.5em; width: 2px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="100%" align="center"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: #54766f;">Tallahassee, FL</span> – <span>In a major step forward for the environment, President Barack Obama’s administration has signed a consent decree in which it agrees to set legal limits for the widespread nutrient poisoning that triggers harmful algae blooms in Florida waters. </span></p> <p> </p> <p>“This is a refreshing change of policy after almost a decade of foot-dragging by the Bush administration,” said Earthjustice attorney Monica Reimer. “It is a real milestone in the struggle to safeguard lakes, rivers and estuaries throughout Florida.”</p> <p><span style="padding-right: 15px; padding-left: 10px; font-size: 11px; float: left; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 240px; padding-top: 10px;"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.earthjustice.org/library/background/photos-florida-nutrient-pollution-and-algae-blooms.html"><img style="width: 200px; height: 133px; border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://www.earthjustice.org/assets/subject/water/algae-tiny1.jpg" alt="Anabaena algae bloom in Caloosahatchee River at Franklin Lock, June 17, 2008. Photo courtesy of John Cassani."/></a> <span style="color: #060606;"><em>Anabaena</em> algae bloom in Caloosahatchee River at Franklin Lock, June 17, 2008. <span style="color: #0a0a0a;">(Photo courtesy of John Cassani.)</span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.earthjustice.org/library/background/photos-florida-nutrient-pollution-and-algae-blooms.html" target="_blank"><strong>View more photographs of Florida nutrient pollution and algae blooms.</strong></a></span> </span></p> <p>“We look forward to working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in developing numeric criteria to keep our waters safe,” Earthjustice attorney David Guest said. </p> <p>The change in federal policy comes 13 months after five environmental groups filed a major lawsuit to compel the federal government to set strict limits on nutrient poisoning in public waters.</p> <p>Nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen poison Florida’s waters every time it rains; running off agricultural operations, fertilized landscapes, and septic systems. The poison runoff triggers algae outbreaks which foul Florida’s beaches, lakes, rivers, and springs more each year, threatening public health, closing swimming areas, and even shutting down a southwest Florida drinking water plant.</p> <p>In a 2008 report, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection concluded that half of the state’s rivers and more than half of its lakes had poor water quality. The problem is compounded when nutrient-poisoned waters are used as drinking water sources. Disinfectants like chlorine and chloramine can react with the dissolved organic compounds, contaminating drinking water with harmful chemical byproducts.</p> <p>Exposure to these blue-green algae toxins – when people drink the water, touch it, or inhale vapors from it – can cause rashes, skin and eye irritation, allergic reactions, gastrointestinal upset, serious illness, and even death. In June 2008, a water treatment plant serving 30,000 Florida residents was shut down after a toxic blue-green algae bloom on the Caloosahatchee River threatened the plant’s water supply.</p> <p>The public interest law firm Earthjustice filed the suit in the Northern District of Florida on behalf of the Florida Wildlife Federation, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, St. John’s Riverkeeper, and the Sierra Club in July 2008. The suit challenged an unacceptable decade-long delay by the state and federal governments in setting limits for nutrient pollution. EPA’s agreement to set enforceable nutrient limits settles that lawsuit.</p> <p>Today’s action has nationwide implications. Currently, Florida and most other states have only vague limits regulating nutrient pollution. The U.S. EPA will now begin the process of imposing quantifiable – and enforceable — water quality standards to tackle nutrient pollution.</p> <p> </p> <p>“Floridians around the state will be breathing a sigh of relief with the EPA’s new commitment to finally take action,” said Manley Fuller, president of the Florida Wildlife Federation. “The delays on the part of the state and federal governments have been unbelievable. Today’s action is welcome, and it has been a long time coming.”</p> <p>“The EPA’s ruling could not have come at a more appropriate time for the St. Johns River,” said St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon. “Nutrient pollution has once again caused the appearance of the ’Green Monster’ and has made the river potentially unsafe for residents and wildlife. This ruling paves the way for meaningful river restoration.” </p> <p>The EPA originally gave Florida a 2004 deadline to set limits for nutrient pollution, which the state disregarded. The EPA was then supposed to set limits itself, but failed to do so. Under the administration of President George W. Bush, the EPA let the states off the hook by allowing them to formulate plans without deadlines for action.</p> <p>The dire state of Florida’s polluted waters made the delay unacceptable and dangerous, so the five groups sued.</p> <p>“These numeric standards address an outstanding need we’ve had for quite a while to protect our local coastal waterways such as the Caloosahatchee River, Naples Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands,” said Andrew McElwaine, president of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. ”Setting a quantitative water quality standard for nitrogen, one of the primary pollutants degrading our coastal waterways, should help limit the development of harmful algal blooms. With a numeric standard in place, we can definitively assess whether our waterways can support healthy ecosystems, a healthy economy and protect public health and safety.”</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.earthjustice.org/library/legal_docs/env_defense-434740-v1-fwf_v_epa_-_signed_cd.pdf" target="_blank">Read the consent decree</a></p> </div> <div class="entry-meta" style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff!important;"> <span class="author vcard"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/user.gif"/> <a class="url fn n" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/author/zephyr/" title="View all posts by zephyr1">zephyr1</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="cat-links"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/folder.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/category/climate/" title="View all posts in climate" rel="category tag">climate</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/bubble.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/epa-agrees-to-set-limits-on-fertilizer-and-animal-waste-pollution-in-florida/#respond" title="Comment on EPA Agrees to Set Limits on Fertilizer and Animal Waste Pollution in Florida">Comments (0)</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-2306" class="hentry p2 post publish author-zephyr1 category-climate y2009 m08 d20 h20 alt"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/native-green-groups-oppose-state-department-dirty-pipeline-permit/" title="Permalink to Native, Green Groups Oppose State Department Dirty Pipeline Permit" rel="bookmark">Native, Green Groups Oppose State Department Dirty Pipeline Permit</a></h2> <div class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2009-08-20T18:34:23-0600">August 20, 2009 – 6:34 pm</abbr></div> <div class="entry-content"> <h2><span> </span></h2> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">Court challenge is being prepared to overturn decision</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">August 20, 2009</span></p> <p> </p> <table style="float: right; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0.5em; width: 2px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="100%" align="center"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: #54766f;">Oakland, CA</span> – <span>An international coalition of environmental and Native American groups strongly opposed Thursday’s U.S. State Department decision to issue a permit for a pipeline to carry the dirtiest oil on earth from Canada to the U.S. and vowed to challenge it in court. </span></p> <p> </p> <p>“The State Department has rubber-stamped a project that will mean more air, water and global warming pollution, particularly in the communities near refineries that will process this dirty oil,” said Earthjustice attorney Sarah Burt. “The project’s environmental review fails to show how construction of the Alberta Clipper is in the national interest. We will go to court to make sure that all the impacts of this pipeline are considered.”</p> <p>The groups — Earthjustice, Indigenous Environmental Network, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and Sierra Club — pointed out that this decision contradicts President Obama’s promise to cut global warming pollution and America’s addiction to oil while investing in a clean energy future.</p> <p>The State Department’s decision would allow construction of Enbridge Energy’s Alberta Clipper pipeline across northern Minnesota to Superior, Wis. and the Southern Lights pipeline to carry hazardous liquids back to Canada.</p> <p>Tar sands development in Alberta is creating an environmental catastrophe, with toxic tailings ponds so large they can be seen from space and plans to strip away the forests and peat lands in an area the size of Florida. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands production are three times that of conventional crude oil and tar sands oil contains 11 times more sulfur and nickel, six times more nitrogen and five times more lead than conventional oil. These toxins are released into the U.S. air and water when the crude oil is processed into fuels by refineries.</p> <p>“The tar sands pipeline connects U.S. refiners and consumers with the dirtiest, most carbon-intensive crude oil on earth,” said Kevin Reuther, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy’s legal director. “Tar sands crude is causing massive environmental degradation in Canada and results in significantly more greenhouse gas emissions. This is the absolute wrong step to take if we want to create a greener energy future.”</p> <p>Secretary of State Hillary Clinton needed to find that allowing the pipeline to be built across the U.S.-Canadian border would be in the national interest of the United States. In fact, these two pipelines will hurt the United States.</p> <p>“Importing dirty tar sands oil is not in our national interest,” said Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope. “At a time when concern is growing about the national security threat posed by global warming, it doesn’t make sense to open our gates to one of the dirtiest fuels on earth. This pipeline will lock America into a dirty energy infrastructure for years to come. This is exactly the kind of project the State Department should be protecting us from.”</p> <p>Many of the groups involved also have appealed to the U.S. Forest Service over its willingness to allow the pipeline to traverse parts of the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota. In addition, a group of tribal members have apparently gathered enough signatures on a petition to hold a referendum on the Leech Lake tribal council’s agreement to allow the line through tribal land.</p> <p>“We are saddened by the news that the Presidential Permit was signed today,” said Marty Cobenais of the Indigenous Environmental Network, a Bemidji, Minn.-based non-profit. ”The voices and rights of the Leech Lake Band members are not being listened to by the Obama Administration. According to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Constitution they are allowed to hold a referendum vote and allow the members to decide to accept the agreement with Enbridge or not. Nearly 700 signatures were obtained. If they vote against the agreement, the pipeline route would have to go around the boundaries of the Leech Lake Reservation, which would require a new Environmental Impact Study, plus other permits including a new Presidential Permit.</p> <p>“This project is being approved without all the federal regulations completed. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is still waiting to receive a completed application from Enbridge Energy and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe to begin their approval process for allotment lands affected by these pipelines.”</p> </div> <div class="entry-meta" style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff!important;"> <span class="author vcard"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/user.gif"/> <a class="url fn n" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/author/zephyr/" title="View all posts by zephyr1">zephyr1</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="cat-links"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/folder.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/category/climate/" title="View all posts in climate" rel="category tag">climate</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/bubble.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/native-green-groups-oppose-state-department-dirty-pipeline-permit/#respond" title="Comment on Native, Green Groups Oppose State Department Dirty Pipeline Permit">Comments (0)</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-2303" class="hentry p3 post publish author-zephyr1 category-climate y2009 m08 d17 h00"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/obama-administration-announces-new-effort-to-protect-wildlife-in-national-forests/" title="Permalink to Obama Administration Announces New Effort to Protect Wildlife in National Forests" rel="bookmark">Obama Administration Announces New Effort to Protect Wildlife in National Forests</a></h2> <div class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2009-08-16T22:06:05-0600">August 16, 2009 – 10:06 pm</abbr></div> <div class="entry-content"> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">Won’t appeal court ruling striking down Bush era regulation</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">August 14, 2009</span></p> <p> </p> <table style="float: right; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0.5em; width: 2px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="100%" align="center"> <div id="templatelist-27558887" style="display: inline;"> <table style="margin-top: 1em; width: 50px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://www.earthjustice.org/assets/subject/land/forest/forest_WH_gov1.jpg" alt="Photo of a forest"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Photo: The White House</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: #54766f;">Seattle, WA</span> – <span>Today, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced the Obama administration would not appeal a court ruling won by Earthjustice that struck down forestry regulations enacted by the Bush administration. The Bush regulations greatly weakened protections for wildlife and other natural resources of America’s national forests, which is why Earthjustice and a coalition of conservation groups opposed them. Secretary Vilsack said the administration will undertake a new rule-making. The Department of Agriculture oversees the U.S. Forest Service and America’s national forests. </span></p> <p> </p> <p>The Bush rule sought to remove key environmental protections governing the 191-million-acre National Forest System by eliminating mandatory protections for wildlife and clean water and mandatory limits on timber harvesting. These regulations were also part of a concerted effort by the Bush administration to sharply curtail public participation in the forest management planning process. Among the measures the Bush regulations discarded was a key regulatory guarantee of wildlife viability in the national forests that had been in place since the Reagan administration.</p> <p>“The national forest planning rules are like the Constitution for our national forests, and the Bush administration tried to throw out the Bill of Rights. The American people deserve the highest protections possible for their national forests, which provide habitat for countless species, clean drinking water for millions of Americans, and invaluable recreation opportunities across the nation,” said Trent Orr of Earthjustice, who argued the case. “While new rules are being considered, agencies have a strong set of tools they can use to manage our national forests in the resource protective standards of the 1982 regulations.”</p> <p>The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) requires the Forest Service to protect wildlife in the national forests and to allow citizens to participate fully in management decisions. The Bush rules supplanted the 1982 standards for national forest management instituted under Ronal Reagan, which required public review of the environmental impacts of proposed national forest plans governing timber harvest levels and natural resource protection.</p> <p>Earthjustice, represented Defenders of Wildlife, The Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, and Vermont Natural Resources Council in the legal challenge to the Bush administration rule changes.</p> <p>The Bush administration first rewrote the rules in 2005. Earthjustice challenged this in court and won.</p> <p>In April 2008, the Forest Service reissued virtually identical rules to those issued in 2005. Like the 2005 rules, the 2008 rules eliminated important protections for forests, wildlife, watersheds, and other natural resources. Earthjustice sued again because, again, the 2008 rules violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. At the end of June 2009, Earthjustice won a court ruling striking the 2008 rules</p> </div> <div class="entry-meta" style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff!important;"> <span class="author vcard"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/user.gif"/> <a class="url fn n" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/author/zephyr/" title="View all posts by zephyr1">zephyr1</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="cat-links"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/folder.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/category/climate/" title="View all posts in climate" rel="category tag">climate</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/bubble.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/obama-administration-announces-new-effort-to-protect-wildlife-in-national-forests/#respond" title="Comment on Obama Administration Announces New Effort to Protect Wildlife in National Forests">Comments (0)</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-2300" class="hentry p4 post publish author-zephyr1 category-climate y2009 m08 d14 h06 alt"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/exxon-pleads-guilty-to-killing-protected-birds-from-treehugger/" title="Permalink to Exxon Pleads Guilty to Killing Protected Birds from TreeHugger" rel="bookmark">Exxon Pleads Guilty to Killing Protected Birds from TreeHugger</a></h2> <div class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2009-08-14T04:23:03-0600">August 14, 2009 – 4:23 am</abbr></div> <div class="entry-content"> <p>1:24 PM (11 hours ago)</p> <div> <div><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://www.treehugger.com/exxon-kills-birds.jpg" alt="exxon kills birds photo" width="468" height="293"/> <em>Photo via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.jrcompton.com/" target="_blank">JR Compton</a></em> The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/exxon-lobbying-clean-energy.php" target="_blank">oil giant </a></div> </div> <p> </p> <p>has agreed to pay $600,000 in fines for killing 85 protected birds. The dead birds–hawks, owls, and waterfowl–were evidently exposed to hydrocarbons at drilling facilities and waste water storage plants at a number of Exxon’s natural gas operations across the Midwest. …<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/exxon-kills-birds.php?dcitc=th_rss" target="_blank">Read the full story on TreeHugger</a></p> </div> <div class="entry-meta" style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff!important;"> <span class="author vcard"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/user.gif"/> <a class="url fn n" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/author/zephyr/" title="View all posts by zephyr1">zephyr1</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="cat-links"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/folder.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/category/climate/" title="View all posts in climate" rel="category tag">climate</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/bubble.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/exxon-pleads-guilty-to-killing-protected-birds-from-treehugger/#respond" title="Comment on Exxon Pleads Guilty to Killing Protected Birds from TreeHugger">Comments (0)</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-2297" class="hentry p5 post publish author-zephyr1 category-climate y2009 m08 d11 h12"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/highwood-coal-plant-project-near-great-falls-montana-officially-dead/" title="Permalink to Highwood Coal Plant Project Near Great Falls, Montana Officially Dead" rel="bookmark">Highwood Coal Plant Project Near Great Falls, Montana Officially Dead</a></h2> <div class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2009-08-11T10:39:58-0600">August 11, 2009 – 10:39 am</abbr></div> <div class="entry-content"> <p><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/highwood-coal-plant-project-near-great-falls-montana-officially-dead.html">EarthJustice.org</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">State revokes air quality permit</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">August 7, 2009</span></p> <p> </p> <table style="float: right; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0.5em; width: 2px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="100%" align="center"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: #54766f;">Bozeman, MT</span> – <span>Following a lengthy legal battle launched by citizen groups, the state of Montana has officially ended plans by a power company to build a dirty coal fired power plant there. </span></p> <p> </p> <p>This week, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality revoked the air quality permit for a 250-megawatt coal-fired power plant planned east of Great Falls, Montana. The plant developer, Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative, will instead move forward with a 120-megawatt natural gas-fired plant.</p> <p>The move was the latest in a series of victories across the country for citizen groups opposed to the construction of new dirty coal power plants because of the massive climate changing pollution they emit.</p> <p>The Montana plant was challenged by Montana Environmental Information Center, Citizens for Clean Energy, Sierra Club, and the National Parks Conservation Association, represented by Earthjustice.</p> <p>Earlier this year, SME announced that it would shift its focus toward constructing a natural gas-fired power plant rather than the coal-fired facility in light of ongoing legal challenges and regulatory uncertainty. However, SME retained its air quality permit and continued construction of the coal plant. Now that DEQ has revoked the permit, no further construction may occur on the facility.</p> <p>Jenny Harbine, an Earthjustice attorney who represented the coalition said, “This coal plant has been an inch from dead for months now and it appears as though the final nail in the coffin has been driven.”</p> <p>If constructed, the plant would have emitted approximately 2.1-million tons of CO2 each year. CO2 is a major global warming pollutant.</p> <p>Anne Hedges of the Montana Environmental Information Center said the decision was an enormous step forward noting, “We can no longer continue to ignore global warming. With the revocation of this permit, it appears that SME and Montana have finally recognized that coal-burning has no future in this state.”</p> <p>“Abandoning this plant is a valuable first step towards a modern, clean energy future for Montana,” said Sanjay Narayan, an attorney with Sierra Club.</p> <p>The coal plant was to be built on top of the Great Falls Portage National Historic Landmark and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Danielle Blank, senior coordinator with the National Parks Conservation Association, was also relieved. “It was simply inappropriate to consider placing a coal fired power plant within the boundaries of two National Park units,” she said. “We’re pleased at this important step toward preserving the integrity of The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and Great Falls Portage National Historic Landmark.”</p> <p>Environmental advocates are optimistic that other proposed coal-fired power plants currently challenged by Earthjustice, like Sunflower in Kansas, Desert Rock in New Mexico, and the Dry Fork plant in Wyoming, may soon follow suit.</p> <p>Harbine stated, “All along, we hoped that our challenge would force a switch to cleaner, and hopefully renewable, sources of energy, so we’re heartened to see the announcement today. We hope that others will also see the writing on the wall and make the switch to clean energy.”</p> <p>In the wake of a federal Earthjustice lawsuit in 2007, the federal Rural Utilities Service announced that it would not fund the Highwood coal plant — or any other coal plants through 2009. According to SME’s chief executive, Tim Gregori, regulatory uncertainty and environmental litigation prevented the plant from obtaining alternative financing.</p> <p>SME’s decision to back away from coal comes after years of concerted opposition by citizens concerned about global warming and harmful air pollution. Earthjustice represented citizen groups in several actions challenging the plant’s failure to address CO2 emissions that are driving global warming and to install state-of-the-art controls for hazardous air pollutants and fine particulate matter or soot (PM2.5) that causes asthma, heart attacks, and even premature death.</p> </div> <div class="entry-meta" style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff!important;"> <span class="author vcard"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/user.gif"/> <a class="url fn n" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/author/zephyr/" title="View all posts by zephyr1">zephyr1</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="cat-links"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/folder.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/category/climate/" title="View all posts in climate" rel="category tag">climate</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/bubble.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/highwood-coal-plant-project-near-great-falls-montana-officially-dead/#respond" title="Comment on Highwood Coal Plant Project Near Great Falls, Montana Officially Dead">Comments (0)</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-2291" class="hentry p6 post publish author-zephyr1 category-climate y2009 m08 d07 h10 alt"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/senate-confirms-sotomayor-to-high-court/" title="Permalink to Senate Confirms Sotomayor to High Court" rel="bookmark">Senate Confirms Sotomayor to High Court</a></h2> <div class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2009-08-07T08:44:23-0600">August 7, 2009 – 8:44 am</abbr></div> <div class="entry-content"> <h2><span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/senate-confirms-sotomayor-to-high-court.html">EarthJustice.org</a></span></h2> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">Environmental issues played a role in Senate confirmation hearing</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">August 6, 2009</span></p> <table style="float: right; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0.5em; width: 2px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="100%" align="center"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: #54766f;">Washington, DC</span> — <span>The U.S. Senate voted to confirm judge Sonia Sotomayor as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court by a vote of 68 to 31. The following statement is from Earthjustice president Trip Van Noppen: </span></p> <p>“The confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court is an affirmation that judges can and should be experienced, fair-minded and unbiased. President Obama made a balanced decision to nominate Judge Sotomayor, and we are pleased that the Senate has recognized the value of confirming non-activist justices to the nation’s highest court who will apply an exceptional legal knowledge of the law in their decisions.</p> <p>“Environmental cases have gained significant importance in the Supreme Court in the last few years. Just this June, the Supreme Court decided in a 6-3 ruling that the Clean Water Act permits a mining company to pump hundreds of thousands of gallons per day of a toxic wastewater slurry in an Alaskan lake. During her confirmation hearings, Senators routinely questioned Judge Sotomayor on her perspective on the Clean Water Act and other environmental laws. It is obvious that environmental issues are receiving much more play and will continue to be major Supreme Court issues in the years to come. It is clear that smart and fair judges are essential to safeguarding our nation’s environment and the public health.</p> <p>“On July 9, 60 national, regional, state and local environmental, conservation and Native American organizations <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/library/signon/sotomayor-confirmation-letter.pdf" target="_blank">signed a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee</a> supporting Sotomayor’s confirmation. Today, we are pleased that the Senate has confirmed her to the nation’s High Court. Judge Sotomayor’s record evinces no clear bias in favor or against environmental issues, but instead reflects meticulous preparation, a balanced and thoughtful review, and a deep understanding of the law.”</p> <p>environmental, environment, climate, global warming, protocol, greenhouse, pollution, emissions, air quality, climate change, renewable energy, environmental jobs, air pollution, carbon dioxide, water pollution,<br/> environmental protection, environmental issues, greenhouse effect, carbon footprint, environmental education, effects global warming, environmental impact, greenhouse gases, inconvenient truth, environmental consulting, environmental policy, carbon emissions, environmental problems, global climate change, global warming facts, an inconvenient truth, causes global warming, co2 emissions, effects pollution, environmental assessment</p> </div> <div class="entry-meta" style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff!important;"> <span class="author vcard"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/user.gif"/> <a class="url fn n" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/author/zephyr/" title="View all posts by zephyr1">zephyr1</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="cat-links"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/folder.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/category/climate/" title="View all posts in climate" rel="category tag">climate</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/bubble.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/senate-confirms-sotomayor-to-high-court/#respond" title="Comment on Senate Confirms Sotomayor to High Court">Comments (0)</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-2285" class="hentry p7 post publish author-zephyr1 category-climate y2009 m08 d04 h20"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/navy-decision-dodges-environmental-protections-for-endangered-right-whales/" title="Permalink to Navy Decision Dodges Environmental Protections for Endangered Right Whales" rel="bookmark">Navy Decision Dodges Environmental Protections for Endangered Right Whales</a></h2> <div class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2009-08-04T18:27:03-0600">August 4, 2009 – 6:27 pm</abbr></div> <div class="entry-content"> <h2><span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/navy-decision-dodges-environmental-protections-for-endangered-right-whales.html">EarthJustice.org</a></span></h2> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">Plans proceeding without survey of whale calving grounds</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">August 3, 2009</span></p> <table style="float: right; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0.5em; width: 2px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="100%" align="center"> <div id="templatelist-27558887" style="display: inline;"> <table style="margin-top: 1em; width: 50px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://www.earthjustice.org/assets/subject/wildlife/right_whale_with_calf_noaa.jpg" alt="North Atlantic right whale with calf"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial;">North Atlantic right whale with calf</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Photo: NOAA</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: #54766f;">Atlanta, GA</span> — <span>Today’s decision by the U.S. Navy to proceed with construction of its Undersea Warfare Training Range without first obtaining the required approvals for the whole project located near the only known calving grounds for endangered right whales attempts an end run around environmental protections, according to public interest groups. The groups concerned by today’s decision include Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, The Humane Society of the United States, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Southern Environmental Law Center. </span></p> <p>Announced today, the Navy’s plans would begin construction of the range at a site adjacent to the North Atlantic right whale calving grounds and in a protected area for commercially valuable snapper-grouper. Yet the Navy has not completed surveys of whales in the area and not obtained authorization from the National Marine Fisheries Service for its operations on the range.</p> <p>“The Navy’s decision to pass off an undersea warfare training range as just a construction project is an obvious dodge of environmental protections for right whales and commercially valuable marine life,” said Catherine Wannamaker, an attorney with Southern Environmental Law Center that has been closely monitoring the process for over three years. “Proceeding with construction locks in public funds and location before the range is evaluated and approved for ship traffic, sonar, and debris near the only known nursery for right whales and within areas critical to commercially valuable marine life.”</p> <p>Last year, the groups submitted comments to the U.S. Navy outlining concerns regarding the proposed Undersea Warfare Training Range on behalf of 22 public interest nonprofits. As part of the planned training, Navy ships – exempt from speed restrictions recently implemented by the government to protect endangered right whales – would pass through the calving ground when traveling between the bases and proposed training area. The Navy plans to conduct 470 annual exercises on the training range with up to three vessels and two aircraft engaged in simulated warfare. Ships and aircraft would travel to the range from Mayport, FL, and Kings Bay, GA.</p> <p>“There is no room for error with right whales,” said Sierra Weaver, attorney for Defenders of Wildlife. “Rather than push forward with a decision based on limited information and limited analysis about possible effects to this species, the Navy needs to go back and do it right.”</p> <p>Ship strikes are the single largest cause of death for right whales. During 2006, five whales were killed or injured by ship strikes or entanglements in an endangered population. Low flying aircraft are also a source of harassment to right whale mothers and calves which use these shallow, calm waters as a nursing ground each winter.</p> <p>“The Navy selected the worst possible site for this range. These waters are home to a stunning array of biodiversity, including some of the ocean’s most threatened creatures: the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, blue whales, and leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles,” said Katie Renshaw, an attorney with Earthjustice. “Before this project goes any further, we need to know how it will affect these animals. That’s the law.”</p> <p>The Navy’s plans include deployment of non-explosive exercise torpedoes, target submarine simulators, and various forms of active and passive sonar. An assortment of debris will be introduced into the area and left behind as a result of training activities, including 3,000 sonobuoys per year, exercise torpedoes and control wires, parachute assemblages, and ballast.</p> <p>“It is irresponsible of the Navy to overlook the risk that the construction and operation of this project poses to endangered whales and sea turtles,” said Sharon Young, field director of The Humane Society.</p> <p>Entanglements are another known cause of death for endangered right whales and sea turtles. According to scientists, approximately 10 to 30 percent of the right whale population is entangled each year. Once entangled, animals have trouble eating, breathing or swimming, all of which can have fatal results.</p> <p>Ingestion of marine debris traveling the ocean’s currents and littering beaches is also a known, potentially fatal threat to endangered sea turtles.</p> <p>According to its own documents, environmental impacts were not part of the Navy’s criteria in selecting a site for its warfare training range. Despite the state of Georgia’s objection to the proposal and concerns raised by environmental groups and the state of Florida, the Navy rejected numerous recommended measures that could have lessened the environmental impact of its activities. Although the Navy does not plan to use sonar within the critical habitat, it has not proposed any mitigation for sonar likely to travel from the training range into the calving ground during the calving season.</p> <p>“The Navy’s plan to build a sonar training range next to right whale critical habitat without incorporating relevant survey data into its decision is like building a house next to a river without checking to see if it’s in the floodplain – potentially disastrous,” said Taryn Kiekow, attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council. “The Navy has fast-tracked the planning process for the range, and in the process disregarded environmental laws designed to prohibit this from happening.”</p> <p>While the Navy states that construction will not take place during the calving season, the Record of Decision does not analyze the impacts of operations on the range to right whales and other endangered species. Before the full project can proceed and operations can begin, the U.S. Navy must receive a letter of authorization from the National Marine Fisheries Service for harassment of these species.</p> </div> <div class="entry-meta" style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff!important;"> <span class="author vcard"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/user.gif"/> <a class="url fn n" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/author/zephyr/" title="View all posts by zephyr1">zephyr1</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="cat-links"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/folder.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/category/climate/" title="View all posts in climate" rel="category tag">climate</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/bubble.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/navy-decision-dodges-environmental-protections-for-endangered-right-whales/#respond" title="Comment on Navy Decision Dodges Environmental Protections for Endangered Right Whales">Comments (0)</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-2282" class="hentry p8 post publish author-zephyr1 category-climate y2009 m08 d02 h03 alt"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/small-fossils-provide-key-clues-for-interpreting-environmental-changes/" title="Permalink to Small Fossils Provide Key Clues For Interpreting Environmental Changes" rel="bookmark">Small Fossils Provide Key Clues For Interpreting Environmental Changes</a></h2> <div class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2009-08-02T01:36:58-0600">August 2, 2009 – 1:36 am</abbr></div> <div class="entry-content"> <h1 class="story"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723113510.htm">ScienceDaily.com</a></h1> <div id="story"> <p id="first"><span class="date">ScienceDaily (Aug. 2, 2009)</span> — The Micropalaeontology team at the Department of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) is working on the study of microfossils under the direction of Mr Julio Rodríguez Lázaro. The concentrations of these types of fossils and the composition of their shells can provide much information about the conditions of life thousands or even millions of years ago. These microfossils once belonged to aquatic organisms and their analysis provides a knowledge of past ocean and lake characteristics – data that is highly significant in the study of climate change.</p> <p>Microfossils are found in rocks and are very abundant. Samples are gathered, the species are identified and the geochemical analysis of their shells is undertaken, which enable the characteristics of the water in which these organisms lived to be identified. The UPV/EHU team has been collaborating for many years with a research team from Bordeaux (France) and mainly works with foraminiferes and ostracods. These organisms have inhabited the planet for many millions of years, in such a way that the variations observed within their populations help to describe environmental situations in the past. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723113510.htm">Keep reading…</a></div> </div> <div class="entry-meta" style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff!important;"> <span class="author vcard"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/user.gif"/> <a class="url fn n" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/author/zephyr/" title="View all posts by zephyr1">zephyr1</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="cat-links"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/folder.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/category/climate/" title="View all posts in climate" rel="category tag">climate</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/bubble.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/small-fossils-provide-key-clues-for-interpreting-environmental-changes/#respond" title="Comment on Small Fossils Provide Key Clues For Interpreting Environmental Changes">Comments (0)</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-2279" class="hentry p9 post publish author-zephyr1 category-climate y2009 m07 d28 h21"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/groups-intervene-to-stop-transmission-lines-for-coal-plants/" title="Permalink to Groups Intervene to Stop Transmission Lines for Coal Plants" rel="bookmark">Groups Intervene to Stop Transmission Lines for Coal Plants</a></h2> <div class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2009-07-28T19:27:51-0600">July 28, 2009 – 7:27 pm</abbr></div> <div class="entry-content"> <h2><span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/groups-intervene-to-stop-transmission-lines-for-coal-plants.html">EarthJustice.org</a></span></h2> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">$1.9 billion project would boost profits for dirty old coal plants and hamper clean energy efforts</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">July 27, 2009</span></p> <p> </p> <table style="float: right; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0.5em; width: 2px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="100%" align="center"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: #54766f;">Richmond, VA</span> – <span>The Sierra Club is intervening in Virginia State proceedings to consider approval of a $1.9 billion high-voltage transmission line project that would bring coal-fired power to new markets in the Northeast. The Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, will try to block construction of these new, unnecessary power lines which would only help dirty coal plants in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Ohio to ramp up production and dangerous emissions of air pollution, including carbon dioxide (CO2). The power lines are proposed by two of the country’s most powerful coal producers: American Electric Power and Allegheny Energy. </span></p> <p> </p> <p>“This is the worst possible investment we could make in energy development at this moment,” said Earthjustice attorney Abigail Dillen. “We need new investments to help develop wind, solar, and other renewable energy resources – not a hugely expensive project that helps polluting old coal plants to make even more money.”</p> <p>The Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) calls for construction of high-voltage transmission lines starting in West Virginia near the John E. Amos coal-fired power plant, which is ranked as one of the dirtiest coal plants in the country for mercury, sulfur dioxide, and CO2 pollution. The lines would extend east for 275 miles, cutting through Virginia to end up in Maryland.</p> <p>In <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/library/legal_docs/path-notice-of-participation.pdf" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: #b34026;">papers</span></strong></a> filed today with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Sierra Club and Earthjustice stressed that the proposed power lines are not needed to satisfy any unmet needs for electricity. Instead, the lines will only give coal a greater market share of the power mix in the Northeast. According to a recent statement from the West Virginia Coal Association, the new lines will help “preserve the future” of aging coal plants, encourage development of new coal plants, and increase coal mining in Appalachia. All of this increased coal use would mean more dangerous air pollution and more environmental devastation from mountaintop removal mining, which already has transformed the landscape and historically rich natural system in West Virginia and Virginia, leveling and deforesting an area the size of Delaware and burying an estimated 1,200 miles of streams.</p> <p>“This country can no longer afford to depend on dirty fossil fuel sources to generate energy,” said Glen Besa, Director of the Sierra Club-Virginia Chapter. “Instead of building a giant extension cord that links the East Coast with distant coal plants, eastern states could be developing clean, renewable — and profitable — energy sources closer to home.”</p> </div> <div class="entry-meta" style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff!important;"> <span class="author vcard"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/user.gif"/> <a class="url fn n" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/author/zephyr/" title="View all posts by zephyr1">zephyr1</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="cat-links"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/folder.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/category/climate/" title="View all posts in climate" rel="category tag">climate</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/bubble.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/groups-intervene-to-stop-transmission-lines-for-coal-plants/#comments" title="Comment on Groups Intervene to Stop Transmission Lines for Coal Plants">Comments (2)</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-2276" class="hentry p10 post publish author-zephyr1 category-climate y2009 m07 d25 h02 alt"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/judge-rejects-industry-legal-filings-in-toxics-right-to-know-case/" title="Permalink to Judge Rejects Industry Legal Filings in Toxics Right-To-Know Case" rel="bookmark">Judge Rejects Industry Legal Filings in Toxics Right-To-Know Case</a></h2> <div class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2009-07-25T00:31:50-0600">July 25, 2009 – 12:31 am</abbr></div> <div class="entry-content"> <h2><span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/judge-rejects-industry-legal-filings-in-toxics-right-to-know-case.html">EarthJustice.org</a></span></h2> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">Household cleaner giants violated court procedure, case postponed until October</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">July 23, 2009</span></p> <p> </p> <table style="float: right; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0.5em; width: 2px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="100%" align="center"> <div id="templatelist-27558887" style="display: inline;"> <table style="margin-top: 1em; width: 50px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://www.earthjustice.org/assets/subject/objects/event_household-cleaners.jpg" alt="Spray bottle"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial;">What chemicals are the manufacturers of cleaning products trying to hide?</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; color: #54766f;">New York, NY</span> – <span>A New York State Supreme Court judge today rejected legal briefs filed by household cleaning giants Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Church and Dwight and Reckitt-Benckiser in a right-to-know case filed by environmental and public health advocates. </span></p> <p> </p> <p>Oral arguments in the case were scheduled to begin today. But during a pre-hearing conference, Justice Richard Braun stated that lawyers for industry had violated court procedure, filing a motion-to-dismiss brief that exceeded the maximum page limit. Justice Braun tossed the brief and rescheduled oral arguments in the case for October 15.</p> <p>The manufacturing giants are refusing to follow a New York state law requiring them to disclose the chemical ingredients in their products and the health risks they pose. Independent studies show a link between many chemicals commonly found in cleaning products and health effects ranging from nerve damage to hormone disruption. With mounting concern about the potential hazards of chemicals in these products, advocates are defending consumers’ right to know and asking companies to follow the law.</p> <p>Ingredient disclosure requirements are virtually non-existent in the United States. The exception is a long-forgotten New York state law which requires household and commercial cleaner companies selling their products in New York to file semi-annual reports with the state listing the chemicals contained in their products and describing any company research on these chemicals’ health and environmental effects.</p> <p>The first-of-its-kind <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/library/legal_docs/cleaning-products-disclosure-petition.pdf" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: #b34026;">lawsuit</span></strong></a> could have national implications and comes as momentum builds nationally and internationally for toxics chemical reform. On the domestic front, advocates are awaiting Congressional re-introduction of the Kid Safe Chemical Act which would force the chemical industry to prove the safety of a chemical before approving it for use in products. And internationally, companies are preparing to comply with similar European regulations (known as REACH) already taking effect.</p> <p>The nonprofit public interest law firm Earthjustice brought the court case on behalf of a coalition of state and national groups, including Women’s Voices for the Earth, Clean New York, Environmental Advocates of New York, New York Public Interest Research Group, Riverkeeper, Sierra Club, and American Lung Association in New York. </p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/library/background/clean-up-their-act-companies-that-haven-t-disclosed-chemicals-in-cleaning-products.html"><strong><span style="color: #b34026;">See if the manufacturers of your favorite cleaning products have complied with the law</span></strong></a></p> </div> <div class="entry-meta" style="border-bottom:1px solid #fff!important;"> <span class="author vcard"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/user.gif"/> <a class="url fn n" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/author/zephyr/" title="View all posts by zephyr1">zephyr1</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="cat-links"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/folder.gif"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933/http://climateofourfuture.org/category/climate/" title="View all posts in climate" rel="category tag">climate</a></span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090826175933im_/http://climateofourfuture.org/wp-content/themes/myjournal-hypereal/images/bubble.gif"/> <a 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