Author: Steve Carmody

Feds Pass on Wolverine Listing

  • Wolverine display at Arctic Interagency Visitor Center at Coldfoot. (Photo from the US Fish and Wildlife Service)

The federal government announced that it will not put
the wolverine on the endangered species list. Steve Carmody
reports:

Transcript

The federal government announced that it will not put
the wolverine on the endangered species list. Steve Carmody
reports:

A federal court ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take a fresh look
at whether the wolverine should be listed. After the review, the agency
announced that it would not propose a listing for the animal.

Shawn Sartorius is the wolverine expert for the Wildlife Service.

He says the wolverine’s future is not dependant on the estimated 500 animals
that live in the lower 48 states.

“The healthy part of the population, the real genetically diverse and well connected population, is in Alaska and
Canada.”

Sartorius says between 15 and 20 thousand Wolverines live in Alaska and
Canada.

Wolverine numbers are down in the lower 48 states because they have been trapped for fur and
pushed out by development.

A former director of the US Fish Wildlife Service called the decision
“irresponsible.”

For the Environment Report, I’m Steve Carmody.

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Organic Crops Productive

New research shows organic farming can be as productive as chemical-based
conventional agriculture. The study’s author says her research refutes decades of
industry and government policies discouraging organic farming. Steve Carmody
reports:

Transcript

New research shows organic farming can be as productive as chemical-based
conventional agriculture. The study’s author says her research refutes decades of
industry and government policies discouraging organic farming. Steve Carmody
reports:


University of Michigan researchers have found that in developed countries, organic
and conventional farming methods produce almost equal crop yields.


And in the developing world, the research shows, organic farming can double or
triple chemical-based methods.


The key is planting nitrogen-rich cover crops between growing seasons.
Dr. Catherine Badgley is a research scientist at U of M’s Museum of Paleontology.
She says organic farming methods would also benefit the fragile wetlands:


“Many of the organic sources of fertilizer are more likely to be retained in the soil rather than runoff, by the very nature of organic farming which tends to build up soil quality. And it tends to build up and have stronger retention of nutrients and water holding capacity.”


Badgley says government subsidy policies which favor the use of conventional
farming methods is the major obstacle for organic farming in the US.


For the Environment Report, I’m Steve Carmody.

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Wasp Kills Pines

  • The Sirex woodwasp is killing pinetrees in New York, Pennsylvania and parts of Ontario and seems to be spreading. (Photo by Lester Graham)

Foresters are worried about a wasp that’s killing pine trees. The insect is
spreading through pine forests in northern states. Steve Carmody reports:

Transcript

Foresters are worried about a wasp that’s killing pine trees. The insect is
spreading through pine forests in northern states. Steve Carmody reports:


The female Sirex woodwasp injects a combination of a toxic mucus and a
fungus while laying her eggs in pine trees. The mixture feeds the eggs, but
kills tree cells, often further weakening stressed pines.


In the three years since it first appeared in upstate New York, the Sirex
woodwasp has spread to 25 New York counties, and two counties in
Pennsylvania and part of Ontario.


Bob Heyd, with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, says the Sirex
woodwasp is spreading:


“The wasp is actually very strong fliers. They can fly 70 or 100 miles, so what it
is here… it will disperse very quickly.”


In other countries, forestry officials have found an imported predatory
nematode from the wasp’s home range in Europe has been an effective
biological control. It’s unclear if officials in the US will try the same
tactic.


For the Environment Report, I’m Steve Carmody.

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Vhs Halts Fish Stocking

  • The external bleeding on this freshwater drum fish is a result of VHS. Not all fish with the disease will bleed like this. Many will die of internal bleeding. (Photo by John Lumsden, University of Guelph)

One state is halting some fish stocking programs to stop the spread of a virulent fish disease. Steve Carmody reports that might mean fewer fish in some lakes and streams:

Transcript

One state is halting some fish stocking programs to stop the spread of
a virulent fish disease. Steve Carmody reports that might mean fewer
fish in some lakes and streams:


A disease called Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia has been spreading,
killing a lot of fish in some parts of the Great Lakes. The state of
Michigan is imposing a one year moratorium on hatchery production and
stocking of walleye, northern pike and muskies. That’s about five million fish.


Other Great Lakes states are taking steps as well to protect their fish
hatcheries. But Michigan is the only state taking the extraordinary
step of imposing a moratorium.


Gary Whelan is with Michigan Department of Natural Resources.


“If this disease would happen to get into one of our hatcheries, we
would have to disinfect in entire, depopulate and disinfect an entire
hatchery. Which means that hatchery would be out of business for two
years.”


Whelan speculates that VHS was introduced to the Great Lakes by an
ocean going vessel emptying its ballast tanks.


For the Environment Report, I’m Steve Carmody.

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Coast Guard Scraps Live Fire Plan

The U.S. Coast Guard has abandoned its plan to conduct “live fire” weapons training on the Great Lakes. Steve Carmody has more:

Transcript

The U.S. Coast Guard has abandoned its plan to conduct “live fire” weapons training on the Great Lakes. Steve Carmody has more:


The Coast Guard had wanted to establish 34 “live fire” zones across the Great Lakes. The proposal ran into opposition partly involving concerns over the potential environmental impact.


Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak says thousands of rounds of spent ammunition would have been dumped onto the bottom of the Great Lakes.

“We’re not going to let the Coast Guard dump 7,000 pounds of lead in the Great Lakes. No other industry could do it, so they certainly were not going to be allowed to do it. And, they still really haven’t answered the real basic question, ‘why is it necessary to do it now?'”


In a written statement, the Coast Guard said it would reconsider its “live fire” proposal, including the location of water training areas and the use of “environmentally friendly alternatives to the lead ammunition” currently used.

Congressman Stupak says it will probably be several years before the Coast Guard tries to put forward a new “live fire” proposal.


For the Environment Report, I’m Steve Carmody.

National Forest Land for Sale

The Bush administration is proposing to sell 200 thousand
acres of national forest land. The proposal has drawn fire from environmentalists who are concerned about the long-range effects of the plan. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Carmody reports:

Transcript

The Bush administration is proposing to sell 200 thousand acres of
national forest land. The proposal has drawn fire from environmentalists
who are concerned about the long-range effects of the plan. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Carmody reports:


The National Forest Service is proposing to sell hundreds of small
parcels of forestland over the next five years. The parcels average 40
acres in size, and the forest service says the sales would generate roughly
800 million dollars, which would be used for rural schools and roads.


Sean Cosgrove is with the Sierra Club in Washington D.C. He says
these parcels may be small, but the effects on larger eco-systems could
be significant.


“It’s kinda like taking a handful of buckshot and throwing it at a large
piece of butcher block paper. You may not cover that whole entire area,
but you can put holes all the way thru it, where it’s going to have an
impact.”


In this region, Michigan would be the most effected state, with nearly six
thousand acres in the Hiawatha and Ottawa National Forests on the
block.


In Minnesota, nearly three thousand acres in the Superior National Forest
are also targeted under the plan.


The proposal still needs congressional approval.


For the GLRC, I’m Steve Carmody.

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Billions Needed for Water Infrastructure

  • In order to provide safe drinking water for a community, water pipelines have to be properly maintained. (Photo by Keith Syvinski)

The Environmental Protection Agency says it will cost more than a quarter trillion dollars over the next 20 years to ensure safe drinking water in the U.S. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Carmody reports:

Transcript

The EPA says it will cost more than a quarter trillion dollars over the next twenty years to ensure safe drinking water in the U.S. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Carmody reports:


Benjamin Grumbles is the assistant EPA administrator for water. He says
the primary obstacle faced by most communities to providing safe drinking
water is the age of the pipes and other infrastructure through which the water
must pass.


Grumbles says replacing transmission lines and distribution pipes accounts
for two-thirds of the 277 billion dollars the EPA estimates will need to be
spent between now and 2025.


“Sometimes the materials will just break down due to age or other stresses.”


The biggest obstacle communities will face is paying for upgrades of their
existing infrastructure.


The federal government only provides a small amount of seed money for
upgrading local water utilities, amounting to only 850 million dollars this
year.


For the GLRC, I’m Steve Carmody.

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States Graded on Sewage Spill Alerts

Environmental regulators in the 8-state Great Lakes region are getting mixed grades for their systems to notify the general public about potentially hazardous sewage spills. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Carmody
reports:

Transcript

Environmental regulators in the 8-state Great Lakes region
are getting mixed grades for their systems to notify the general
public about potentially hazardous sewage spills. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Steve Carmody reports:


The Public Interest Research Group in Michigan reviewed each Great Lakes state’s system for reporting sewage spills, and graded its performance.


Study author Mike Shriberg says better public notification systems are needed, especially now, with many people planning boating holidays over the summer.


“Families heading to the beach this summer, families going out on their boats are actually being left in the dark about a major public health risk.”


Michigan topped the list, praised for its coordinated, quick public notification system, though also criticized for some reporting shortfalls.


At the bottom of the list, Ohio received a “D minus” for having no significant statewide system to report sewage spills.


For the GLRC I’m Steve Carmody.


HOST TAG: For more information on the PIRGIM report, go to their website
www.ProtectTheGreatLakes.org

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Report: Sewer Systems Fail to Meet Standards

  • A new report says that sewage systems respond inadequately to sewage spills. (Photo by M. Vasquez)

According to a new report, from an environmental advocacy group, city sewer systems around the Great Lakes are failing to meet federal Clean Water Act standards. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Carmody
reports:

Transcript

According to a new report, from an environmental advocacy group,
city sewer systems around the Great Lakes are failing to meet federal
Clean Water Act standards. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve
Carmody reports:


The Environmental Integrity Project analyzed data from federal, state and
other sources to compile its review of municipal waste water systems in the
region.


EIP’s Michelle Merkel says researchers found most municipal waste
water sewage systems failed to meet standards to prevent untreated sewage
spills; failed to adequately report the spills when they occurred; or had
inadequate plans to prevent such spills in the future.


Merkel adds, due to a lack of state and federal oversight, the problem may
actually be worse:


“The true extent of the problem is really unknown because the states just aren’t doing a good job of tracking it and making the cities track it.”


To address the problem, The EIP wants the EPA and state regulators to
enforce combined sewer overflow rules, require public notification of spills
within 24 hours and arrange for more federal-state financing for future
sewer improvement projects.


For the GLRC, I’m Steve Carmody.

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Report: Region Tops List of Dirtiest Power Plants

  • A new report publishes how dirty the dirtiest power plants are and where they're located. (Photo courtesy of USGS)

According to a new report by an environmental advocacy group, some of the nation’s “dirtiest” power plants can be found right here in the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Carmody has more:

Transcript

According to a new report by an environmental advocacy group, some of the
nation’s “dirtiest” power plants can be found right here in the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve
Carmody has more:


Using EPA data from 2004, the Environmental Integrity Project has compiled
its list of the “50 Dirtiest Power Plants” in the U.S. Plants in the region rank high on the list, which compares the plants’ toxic emissions to their electricity output.


The Environmental Integrity Project’s Elain Levine says the result is
unhealthy amounts of mercury in fish and poor air quality in the region.


“All these harms coming out of these power plants are avoidable. Modern pollution controls are available and affordable and are being used today at many plants to significantly reduce these emissions.”


But Dan Reedinger of the Edison Electric Institute, an industry group, says
the EIP report is misleading… insisting plant operators are already
installing scrubbers to reduce toxic emissions at the power plants cited in
the report.


For the GLRC, I’m Steve Carmody.

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