West Branch of Red Cedar
Metallic Sulfide and Uranium Mining District Threatens Lake Superior Region
The Lake Superior region faces the prospect of a metallic sulfide mining district, with projects
planned in water-rich areas of Minnesota and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
While a large part of the focus has been on legal measures, a massive and active citizen
presence is needed in Minnesota and Michigan to oppose these harmful plans. With numbers we
can protect our precious waters and valuable public lands.
Please contact Save the Wild UP: teresa@savethewildup.org or 906/226-6649
or Northwoods Wilderness Recovery: gabriel@northwoodswild.org or 906/226-6649
or visit www.savethewildup.org
Coal Sludge Spill Worse than Exxon Valdez
In case you missed it, a giant wave of more than 1 billion gallons of toxic coal sludge came
barreling down on a community in eastern Tennessee from the nearby Kingston Coal plant over
the holidays.
The disaster is 48 times larger than the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Tens of thousands of people in
surrounding counties are now searching for clean drinking water.
Read more here: www.1sky.org/sludge
The Coal industry spent over $45 million last year trying to convince
Americans that the dirtiest fuel on the planet is in fact "clean."
Members of Congress have the power to stop dirty coal plants from being built, so tell them that
investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency would result in more jobs for the same
amount of power -- without the toxic sludge:
To see videos of the devastation in Tennessee and get more information, click here.
National Stormwater Study Released
The National Research Council, Water Sciences and Technology Board has just released the
report Urban Stormwater Management in the United States (Committee on Reducing Stormwater
Discharge Contributions to Water Pollution, National Research Council, National Academies
Press).
The report is the product of a 2-year process undertaken by a 15-member committee of national
experts. The study was commissioned by EPA in 2006 to evaluate the NPDES stormwater
program program and make recommendations for improvement of the program.
The 513 page report provides a description of the history of stormwater management in the United
States; an overview of stormwater regulations and the federal regulatory program; and information
on a number of relevant scientific and technological issues such as hydrology, geomorphology,
biology, monitoring and modeling. The report also provides a number of significant findings and
recommendations on how stormwater management in the United States should be improved to
achieve better environmental outcomes.
The study report is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/nrc_stormwaterreport.pdf
The NRC press release is at:
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12465
Mountaintop removal rules comment period and link to video about growing
income inequality in U.S.
I found out while watching Bill Moyers Journal tonight that the Department of the Interior has
proposed new rules for mountaintop removal mining. I thought you might be interested.
According to the video, the Interior is proposing to relax the regs which would allow dumping of the
spoils directly in intermittent and perennial streams (rules now prohibit spoils from being dumped
within 100 feet of these very small streams). Small and intermittent streams (meaning they have
water in them during wet times of the year but may be dry in the summer or during droughts) are
essential for proper functioning of the river ecosystem. These small streams are perhaps the
most important, doing much of the cleaning of the water before it hits the bigger tributaries and
rivers. Mountain top removal to be DEVASTATING to mountain stream ecosystems and why are we
continuing to use coal for energy anyway?
To see the video "Not Campaign News: A Bill Moyer's Essay" and other important news items from
this week, click on the link below. On the mountain top removal mining issue, public comments
are due by November 23, 2008. A link to submit comments about the mining can be found at the
bottom of this link:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10242008/profile4.html
Sustainable Agriculture Focus of New Website
"With gas at $4 a gallon, it no longer makes sense to ship broccoli from California and
strawberries from Chile when local farmers want our business," says editor and publisher Bonnie
Bucqueroux. "Food scares, such as salmonella in spinach and tomatoes also mean people want
to buy their family's food from growers they trust." The Sustainable Farmer website offers
articles, videos, blogs and forums to serve the entire spectrum of sustainable farmers, from large-
scale growers to families and communities seeking to raise more of their own food. For more
information, contact editor and publisher Bonnie Bucqueroux, 517-349-4752;
info@sustainablefarmer.com.
The Lake Superior region faces the prospect of a metallic sulfide mining district, with projects
planned in water-rich areas of Minnesota and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
While a large part of the focus has been on legal measures, a massive and active citizen
presence is needed in Minnesota and Michigan to oppose these harmful plans. With numbers we
can protect our precious waters and valuable public lands.
Please contact Save the Wild UP: teresa@savethewildup.org or 906/226-6649
or Northwoods Wilderness Recovery: gabriel@northwoodswild.org or 906/226-6649
or visit www.savethewildup.org
Coal Sludge Spill Worse than Exxon Valdez
In case you missed it, a giant wave of more than 1 billion gallons of toxic coal sludge came
barreling down on a community in eastern Tennessee from the nearby Kingston Coal plant over
the holidays.
The disaster is 48 times larger than the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Tens of thousands of people in
surrounding counties are now searching for clean drinking water.
Read more here: www.1sky.org/sludge
The Coal industry spent over $45 million last year trying to convince
Americans that the dirtiest fuel on the planet is in fact "clean."
Members of Congress have the power to stop dirty coal plants from being built, so tell them that
investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency would result in more jobs for the same
amount of power -- without the toxic sludge:
To see videos of the devastation in Tennessee and get more information, click here.
National Stormwater Study Released
The National Research Council, Water Sciences and Technology Board has just released the
report Urban Stormwater Management in the United States (Committee on Reducing Stormwater
Discharge Contributions to Water Pollution, National Research Council, National Academies
Press).
The report is the product of a 2-year process undertaken by a 15-member committee of national
experts. The study was commissioned by EPA in 2006 to evaluate the NPDES stormwater
program program and make recommendations for improvement of the program.
The 513 page report provides a description of the history of stormwater management in the United
States; an overview of stormwater regulations and the federal regulatory program; and information
on a number of relevant scientific and technological issues such as hydrology, geomorphology,
biology, monitoring and modeling. The report also provides a number of significant findings and
recommendations on how stormwater management in the United States should be improved to
achieve better environmental outcomes.
The study report is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/nrc_stormwaterreport.pdf
The NRC press release is at:
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12465
Mountaintop removal rules comment period and link to video about growing
income inequality in U.S.
I found out while watching Bill Moyers Journal tonight that the Department of the Interior has
proposed new rules for mountaintop removal mining. I thought you might be interested.
According to the video, the Interior is proposing to relax the regs which would allow dumping of the
spoils directly in intermittent and perennial streams (rules now prohibit spoils from being dumped
within 100 feet of these very small streams). Small and intermittent streams (meaning they have
water in them during wet times of the year but may be dry in the summer or during droughts) are
essential for proper functioning of the river ecosystem. These small streams are perhaps the
most important, doing much of the cleaning of the water before it hits the bigger tributaries and
rivers. Mountain top removal to be DEVASTATING to mountain stream ecosystems and why are we
continuing to use coal for energy anyway?
To see the video "Not Campaign News: A Bill Moyer's Essay" and other important news items from
this week, click on the link below. On the mountain top removal mining issue, public comments
are due by November 23, 2008. A link to submit comments about the mining can be found at the
bottom of this link:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10242008/profile4.html
Sustainable Agriculture Focus of New Website
- As food and fuel prices rise, a new generation
of farmers is looking to sustainable agriculture
as a way to provide fresh local food to local
consumers in ways that protect the planet.
Sustainable Farmer is a new independent,
"With gas at $4 a gallon, it no longer makes sense to ship broccoli from California and
strawberries from Chile when local farmers want our business," says editor and publisher Bonnie
Bucqueroux. "Food scares, such as salmonella in spinach and tomatoes also mean people want
to buy their family's food from growers they trust." The Sustainable Farmer website offers
articles, videos, blogs and forums to serve the entire spectrum of sustainable farmers, from large-
scale growers to families and communities seeking to raise more of their own food. For more
information, contact editor and publisher Bonnie Bucqueroux, 517-349-4752;
info@sustainablefarmer.com.
| ©2004 Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council P.O. Box 17164, Lansing, Michigan 48901-7164 (517) 214-5684 jessicayorko@sustainablesolutions.biz |
| Other News and Events |
Biking the riverwalk
Smart Commute bike
commuting classes
commuting classes
Stream monitoring on the
west branch of Red Cedar
west branch of Red Cedar
Volunteer stream monitoring
training
training
Mayor Virg Benero walks
Bingham students to school
Bingham students to school
Reflections in the Red Cedar
River
River
Storm Drain Labeling
