SIERRA CLUB NW/AK NEWS April 21, 2008 _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ ALASKA Agencies conduct massive study of Arctic haze FAIRBANKS - Mike Cubison has been flying around in a haze for three weeks, by choice.The University of Colorado postdoctoral student grabs air samples over Alaska skies, and using a mass spectrometer, measures floating particles of pollution before obliterating them into their constituent parts to determine what they're made of. Sierra Club disappointed with herring decision On April 11, the National Marine Fishery Service posted on the Federal Register its decision to deny the Sierra Club's petition to list the Lynn Canal Pacific Herring population as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Pebble Partnership sets a $140 million budget The Pebble Mine project has set a budget for 2008. The Pebble Partnership, a collaboration between Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. and Anglo American plc, says it has approved more than $140 million to advance the project near the headwaters of Bristol Bay. Group hires Liddy of Watergate fame to promote Alaska petroleum drilling ANCHORAGE - The lobbying group that uses state of Alaska money to push for petroleum drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has hired Watergate conspirator and talk radio host G. Gordon Liddy to broadcast live from Alaska. Candidate says tapping oil from Arctic wildlife refuge will reduce gas prices PICKENS, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Wednesday that tapping oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would help lower gas prices. “We’ve got this silly battle going on about ANWR," said Thompson, who voted in favor of drilling the refuge as a former Tennessee senator. Hunters, anglers worry about cost of global warming WASHINGTON - Global warming could force elk and mule deer from much of the American West. Wild trout could disappear in lower Appalachian streams. Two-thirds of the country's ducks may disappear. IDAHO 18 States to commit to take action on climate change California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger predicted Friday that an international deadlock over how to deal with global warming will end once President Bush leaves office, while a leading expert warned of dire consequences if urgent action is not taken. LTE: Renwable Energy Idaho attracting investors driven by federal tax credit Although to date, Idaho has developed only a few renewable energy projects, our state appears to be attracting new investors. Nordic Windpower is one of several international companies now investing in Idaho. Nordic is building a 43,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Pocatello - to manufacture wind turbines. The company will employ 160 workers and intends to produce at least 20 turbines by September 2009. Nordic is expecting to expand its Pocatello site up to four times its current size to meet the growing demand for wind power. Tougher Mercury rules sought Idaho — An Idaho conservation group has petitioned the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to expand regulations on mercury emissions to include the toxic metal's effect in watersheds. Is tilapia Idaho’s next game fish? If so, it could be good and bad I t is a small world when it comes to fishing, and it is getting smaller. Idaho actually has a tilapia record. Tilapia? Tilapia are from Africa or the Middle East. Talk about globalization. OREGON Kulongoski will walk the Earth Day talk On Monday, Kulongoski will be in Portland to issue an "Earth Day challenge" -- inviting Oregonians to change something in their daily routine to a more Earth-friendly practice. He'll be joined at that event, set for noon at Pioneer Courthouse Square, by representatives from the Sierra Club and Northwest utilities to promote a variety of environmental practices. Green With Envy Sevent things Portland should do if we’re serious about global warming Another Earth Day. How far we’ve come in 38 years! Sure, we’re still beating up the planet. But these days, melting ice caps and all, we do feel more guilty when we leave the lights on at home while we drive to the grocery store. Especially in Portland, “America’s top green city,” according to February’s Popular Science. The biggest city in the state that gave birth to the bottle bill. The first U.S. city to adopt Kyoto Protocol targets. Less gasoline guzzled here Green as we Northwesterners think we are, the survey from the Sightline Institute still came as a bit of a surprise: We're consuming 10 percent less gasoline, on the average, than we were in 1999. Small actions help big environmental picture Simple Earth-friendly changes can make your personal space more efficient Being eco-conscious is one of the best things you can do for yourself, your home and the planet. Here are several things -- either inexpensive or free -- that will make your home more Earth friendly. The Mystery of Oregon’s Missing Salmon ..the salmon, which have long defied their surroundings to remain the strongest salmon stock on the West Coast, have suddenly collapsed. Fish headed to sea vanished amid a treacherous world of large water diversions, reversing rivers, alien predators, toxic water and, in the ocean, unpredictable currents and food supplies. WASHINGTON City Council to vote on easing environmental reviews To encourage development that will accommodate growth in Seattle, Mayor Greg Nickels has proposed easing environmental reviews for developers. Today, the City Council is set to vote on the issue. Costlier gas, new hybrids spur more to go green When Mike Reinhardt first started driving, gas cost 25 cents a gallon. “I expect it will be easily $15 a gallon, if not higher, in my lifetime," said Reinhardt, a retired attorney who lives in Seattle's Meadowbrook neighborhood. So two weeks ago he bought a 2008 Toyota Prius."It was time to get a more fuel-efficient vehicle," he said. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp