Parks, Open Spaces, Wild Places News
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| 2008-10-09 | |
| Environment Maryland today released a list of Maryland lawmakers who have endorsed a strict set of principles for smart growth legislation. Four senators and twenty delegates from throughout the state have made the endorsement. | |
| 2008-09-25 | |
| Pointing to a continuing crisis with Texas parks and natural areas, Environment Texas called on a legislative task force to finally meet and develop a plan to stop raiding parks funding for other purposes. | |
| 2008-09-24 | |
| As states face tight budgets in the economic downturn, a new report released by Environment America today draws on the experience of 15 states in securing reliable funding for open space programs. | |
| 2008-07-24 | |
| Late last night the Environmental Bond (now bill H5005) was passed by the House. During his speech introducing the bill, Representative Frank Smizik, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, expressed his appreciation to the Coalition for the Environmental Bond, a coalition of over 260 organizations and businesses across the state, including Environment Massachusetts, that have been working for the bill's passage. | |
| 2008-06-25 | |
| In a vote of 20-2, with no Republicans showing up for the vote, an American treasure received emergency help today from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources. Recognizing that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, Subcommittee Chairman Raul Grijalva (Az.) showed his courageous leadership by calling for a pause on a mining boom in the area of one of our most valued national treasures. | |
| 2008-06-12 | |
| While most eyes are currently focused on the impending budget battle in Harrisburg, the state legislature and Governor Ed Rendell took the last step to protect PA’s portion of the Appalachian Trail when the governor signed HB1281 into law (PA Act 24, 2008) yesterday afternoon. | |
| 2008-05-14 | |
| PennEnvironment applauds the state Senate for passing House Bill 1281 (HB1281) today, which will take greater steps to protect Pennsylvania’s portion of the Appalachian Trail. | |
| 2008-04-24 | |
| Groups cite dramatic rise in uranium mining claims near the Grand Canyon during National Park Week. | |
| 2008-04-10 | |
| Today, the U.S. Senate passed S. 2739, bringing Washington State one step closer to its first new wilderness designation in two decades. The following is the statement of Environment America’s Preservation Advocate, Christy Goldfuss. | |
| 2008-04-09 | |
| Spring has sprung and so has the House’s mood for passing environmental bills! The U.S. House of Representatives took a major step forward toward giving the rugged and wild Grand Canyon National Monument, adjacent to the National Park, the protection it deserves. | |
| 2008-04-08 | |
| The drills next to the Grand Canyon have stopped for now. A federal judge halted all plans by a British mining company called VANE Minerals to drill for uranium less than three miles from the national park. U.S. District Judge Mary Murguia issued a temporary restraining order late on April 4. VANE Minerals immediately turned off the drills off at several sites. | |
| 2008-04-08 | |
| The California Natural Resources Committee in the Assembly passed 7 bills to protect the coast of California. These bills are in response to the oil spilled from a South Korea-bound container ship when it struck a tower supporting the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in dense fog in November 2007. | |
| 2008-04-01 | |
| Senators Cantwell and Wyden with 14 other Senators have sent a letter to Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Jeff Bingaman and Ranking Member Pete Domenici asking them to protect the Grand Canyon and other national parks from the toxic mining boom. | |
| 2008-03-31 | |
| On the dawn of a new uranium mining boom, the Colorado House of Representatives passed strong clean water and environmental protections from toxic and radioactive uranium mining pollution with strong bipartisan support by a vote of 49-to-16. | |
| 2008-03-13 | |
| In the face of a dramatic increases in new mining claims in California, state officials and environmental groups called on Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer to reform the 135-year-old law that governs the mining of gold, uranium and other hardrock minerals on federal lands in California and other western states. | |
| 2008-01-26 | |
| On January 24, Governor Richardson issued an executive order imposing a six month moratorium on drilling in Santa Fe county and the Galisteo Basin. The moratorium is intended to allow state agencies more time to assess the impacts of oil and gas drilling in the basin. | |
| 2008-01-24 | |
| Environment Michigan Research and Policy Center’s “Drilling Our Conservation Heritage†Report, released today, highlights the oil and gas drilling industry as Michigan’s most prominent growing threat to our pristine and treasured state lands. Little action is being taken to protect our most critical natural areas. Instead, state legislators are contemplating the expansion of oil and gas wells for extraction and CO2 storage. The Department of Natural Resources must take action now to ensure our conservation heritage is not threatened. | |
| 2008-01-18 | |
| Governor Deval Patrick is proposing funding of $100.6 million for the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in his budget for Fiscal Year 2009 – an increase of $7.7 million, or 8.3 percent, from FY 2008, and $16.7 million, or 20 percent, from FY 2007. | |
| 2008-01-09 | |
| Although still in the planning stages, the Rio Grande Trail will provide hundreds of miles of new trail to hikers, bikers and joggers. Trail-related recreation is the most popular outdoor activity in the state with 41 percent of New Mexicans participating in some form of trail activity every year. | |
| 2007-11-07 | |
| Trenton, NJ – For the 13th consecutive time since 1961, voters showed their support for New Jersey’s highly successful open space, farmland, and historic preservation programs by approving Ballot Question #3 by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent, with 100 percent of the districts reporting statewide. | |
| 2007-11-07 | |
| “PennEnvironment congratulates the residents of Bucks County for their decisive vote to reauthorize funding for the county’s open space and farmland preservation program." | |
| 2007-11-06 | |
| Today's decision by the School Land Board to postpone the sale of the Christmas Mountains for ninety days is encouraging news. | |
| 2007-11-05 | |
| AUSTIN - One day before the possible sale of the Christmas Mountains to private interests, parks advocates made a final plea to Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, Governor Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott to halt the sale to give time to the National Park Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to prepare bids to acquire the property. The groups announced that more than 6300 Texans have signed petitions asking for such a delay. | |
| 2007-11-02 | |
| Trenton - As November 6th approaches, dedicated Keep It Green volunteers will step up their efforts on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to encourage New Jersey voters to vote yes on statewide public question #3 – the Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007. | |
| 2007-11-01 | |
| Statement of Environment America Preservation Advocate Christy Goldfuss | |
| 2007-11-01 | |
| Monroeville - Governor Jon Corzine signed four Garden State Preservation Trust bills today which appropriated over $97 million dollars to the preservation of farmland throughout New Jersey. After today’s bill signing, the Farmland Preservation Program’s balance is now zero; no additional funds remain for farmland preservation in our state. In addition, the remaining balance for Green Acres projects is only $45 million. | |
| 2007-10-31 | |
| Trenton, NJ – The Keep It Green campaign announced today it is now running tens of thousands of dollars worth of radio ads calling on New Jersey voters to support continued preservation funding to keep our drinking water clean, protect our threatened open space, and to preserve precious farmland and historic treasures by voting ‘Yes’ on Public Question #3, the “Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres, and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007.†| |
| 2007-10-18 | |
| Sauvie Island—Farmers from counties throughout the lower Willamette Valley, including leadership of the state Farm Bureau and several county farm bureaus, gathered today at a farm here to tell Oregonians why they hope voters will pass Measure 49 on November 6th. | |
| 2007-10-17 | |
| AUSTIN- Environment Texas launched an online petition today calling on Governor Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott to direct their appointees on the School Land Board to cancel the sale of the Christmas Mountains to private interests and work to arrange permanent protection of the property as part of Big Bend National Park. | |
| 2007-09-27 | |
| Mining, logging, and oil/gas drilling in Arizona’s national forests jeopardizes $2.2 billion per year in Arizona business from transportation, lodging, equipment, and licenses for activities such as fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching, according to a new report released today | |
