Environmental News Network - Environmental Policy

France to Have 3,000 MW of Offshore Wind by 2015
According to Agence France Presse (AFP), the French government will launch next month a tender for contracts of 10 billion euros ($12.6 billion) to build 3,000 MW of offshore wind capacity. 600 wind turbines will be implemented within five to ten sites in Normandy, Brittany and the regions of Pays de la Loire and Languedoc. They are scheduled to start producing electricity by 2015. >> Read the Full Article
NOAA Reopens More than 4,000 Square Miles of Closed Gulf Fishing Area
Today NOAA reopened 4,281 square miles of Gulf waters off western Louisiana to commercial and recreational fishing. The reopening was announced after consultation with FDA and under a re-opening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA, and the Gulf states. On July 18, NOAA data showed no oil in the area. Light sheen was observed on July 29, but none since. Trajectory models show the area is at a low risk for future exposure to oil, and fish caught in the area and tested by NOAA experts have shown no signs of contamination. >> Read the Full Article
Study: Horseshoe Crab Decline Connected to Climate Change
The horseshoe crab is one of the most ancient animals on the planet today. They have survived massive upheavals throughout the Earth's history and have remained intact and unchanged. Recently their numbers have been in decline, and this is thought to be due to coastal habitat destruction and over-harvesting; they are often used as bait, in fertilizer, or by pharmaceutical companies. However, new research from the US Geological Survey (USGS) indicates that their population size also parallels changes in the climate. With predicted climate change in the future, their numbers may continue to decline. >> Read the Full Article
New Jersey to Take Lead in Offshore Wind Energy?
As the proposed Cape Wind offshore wind farm in Massachusetts fends off some last ditch legal challenges to become the first offshore wind farm in the U.S., New Jersey passed a law this week that would ultimately make it the leading provider of offshore wind energy in the country. >> Read the Full Article
Maine Town Rolls Out Trash Metering
If you are fairly diligent about recycling, do not buy a lot of junk or processed food, and barely toss any trash in your garbage bin, why should you pay the same rate as your neighbor whose bin is filled to capacity? Sanford residents implemented a trash metering system that requires residents to pay by the bag for curbside collection. After one month, the 50% decrease in garbage tonnage far exceeded the town manager's expectations. >> Read the Full Article
New Ways to Mass Travel
Not everyone can drive to work in their own vehicle. Planners must find ways to blend individual vehicles with hte needs of mass transportation. Building train stations or subways is highly capital intensive and involves years of construction and related dealys due ot construction. Adding buses adds to traffic. Furthermore mass transist needs to be safe, clean and inexpensive. The straddling bus, first exhibited on the 13th Beijing International High-tech Expo in May this year, maybe one answer. In the near future, the model is to be put into pilot use in Beijingâ€™s Mentougou District. >> Read the Full Article
Beaver Born in UK Wild for First Time in Four Centuries
Scottish conservationists say the first beaver born in Britain in nearly 400 years emerged from its lodge last month, a significant step in the reintroduction of the species that was hunted into extinction centuries ago. >> Read the Full Article
Reinventing the City
Our cities play a vital role in the quest to achieve global ecological sustainability. They are the largest contributors to greenhouse gases and climate change. However, if we can achieve sustainable construction and use of urban infrastructure, our cities could become a critical leverage point in global efforts to drastically reduce emissions and avoid the social and economic costs associated with climate change, as well as enhance energy security and resilience in the face of high fossil energy prices. >> Read the Full Article
Cleanup of Superfund Site Completed in Morris County, New Jersey
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has successfully completed the cleanup of a superfund site in Long Hill Township and Harding Township, Morris County, NJ. The site, at the edge of a National Wildlife Refuge, had formerly served as an asbestos dump. It has now been removed from the National Priorities List of hazardous waste sites. >> Read the Full Article
Rebranding Tap Water: NYC Water-On-the-Go Campaign
On a recent walk along New York City's Union Square Park, I came across a beautiful sight: walking in 95-degree humid heat, I saw fountains and fountains of cold, clean, and free drinking water. New Yorkers profess that their tap water is "the purest and tastiest" in the world. This summer, the New York Department of the Environment is rolling out an environmental education campaign on city streets to inform residents of just thatâ€“and to discourage people from buying bottled water. >> Read the Full Article