Conservative Revolutionary American Party III: Daily Grist: Appeals court rules against Navy in sonar case, critical habitat for Canada lynx grows, and more

TOP STORY

Unfortunate Sonar
Appeals court rules against Navy in sonar case

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld many restrictions on the Navy's use of mid-frequency sonar off the coast of Southern California, reinforcing a lower court ruling from last month. President Bush had tried to exempt the Navy from the relevant environmental laws in January, but the appeals court agreed with an earlier ruling that questioned the constitutionality of Bush's attempted exemption, finding that there was no unforeseen "emergency" that would warrant it. Despite the slapdown, the appeals court granted the Navy a 30-day reprieve from some of the more restrictive requirements, such as shutting off the sonar when marine mammals come within 2,200 yards, if the sonar is being used "at a critical point in the exercise." The reprieve also allows the Navy time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

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sources: Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press
see also, in Gristmill: Propaganda soft-pedals sonar impacts on marine mammals

Tip #8 from Grist's new green-living guide, Wake Up and Smell the Planet

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A. Actually, it's a wash. Sorry to bum you out. Click here for more green-living tips, or buy the book!

TODAY'S NEWS

Where You'll Find Dem
Clinton, Obama talk up clean energy in battleground states

The Greater Houston Partnership held an energy forum Thursday to which all of the presidential candidates were invited and only one showed up: Hillary Clinton. Surrounded by folks from the energy industry, days before the crucial Texas primary, Clinton elected not to tell Big Oil what it wanted to hear. "I do not believe that now is the time when subsidies for the oil companies are necessary and appropriate," she said in her speech. "It is now time to subsidize new forms of energy." Clinton also talked up green-collar jobs, green building, solar power, and higher fuel-economy standards. On Sunday, Barack Obama also spoke about clean energy in the other big battleground state of Ohio. Obama repeated his calls for creating more green jobs, funding clean-energy technology, and increasing the use of renewables. But Ohio is also a big coal state and Obama made sure to stress his support for "clean" coal. "Clean-coal technology should be part of [the] mix," he said. "We are the Saudi Arabia of coal."

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sources: Houston Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, Houston Business Journal
see also, in Gristmill: Big Energy promotes Big Energy at Houston energy conference, Carl Pope talks market failures with energy execs at Houston energy conference
source: Baltimore Sun

The League of Extraordinary Conditions
EPA releases unconvincing justification for denying California waiver

For the long wait that preceded it, the U.S. EPA's justification for disallowing California to regulate vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions, released Friday, is rather anticlimactic. The 48-page document argues that California lacks the "compelling and extraordinary conditions" required for special regulatory permission, because the rest of the nation is also affected by climate change. Critics of the EPA (including the agency's own staff) challenge that interpretation -- and say that California's long coastline, massive agricultural industry, and propensity for wildfires do make it more vulnerable to climate-change effects than other states.

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sources: Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal

The Missing Lynx
Large area proposed as critical habitat for Canada lynx

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed that 42,753 square miles of the northern U.S. be designated as critical habitat for the threatened Canada lynx. The new area is more than 20 times bigger than a proposal made in 2006, which the agency promised to revisit after it became clear that former USFWS overseer Julie MacDonald's influence trumped scientists' recommendations. Activists generally applauded the new plan, although some were disappointed that no areas of the southern Rockies were included. The Interior Department is taking public comment on its lynx-habitat proposal until April 28.

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sources: Associated Press, The Denver Post, Billings Gazette, Environment News Service
comment on the habitat designation: Designation of Critical Habitat for the Canada Lynx

They Put the "Row" in "Heathrow"
Greenpeace and others protest Heathrow Airport expansion

Greenpeace and other eco-activists have been protesting mightily against a planned third runway for London's Heathrow Airport, which would demolish the nearby town of Sipson and, say activists, be completely counter to Britain's ambitious carbon-cutting goals. The airport-expansion plan has brought significant opposition from both politicians and residents; the British government has yet to make a final decision, but opponents fear it's a foregone conclusion.

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source: The New York Times

Like Spite on Rice
Scientist with concerns about chemical removed from EPA panel

An award-winning toxicologist was removed from a U.S. EPA panel reviewing the potential health dangers of deca, a flame retardant widely used in electronics, after the American Chemistry Council claimed she was biased. Deborah Rice had testified for the Maine legislature in support of a state ban on deca; EPA officials cited "the perception of a potential conflict of interest" for her removal. Oddly enough, 17 panelists on seven separate EPA panels last year had significant ties to the chemical industry, according to the Environmental Working Group. Hmm, double standard much?

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source: Los Angeles Times