en-us Copyright Sightline Daily - all rights reserved newsfeeds@sightline.org newsfeeds@sightline.org Most recent Environment headlines from Sightline Daily, the Northwest news that matters http://daily.sightline.org Plone http://daily.sightline.org/logo.gif 427 69 Leaving British Columbia's old-growth forests standing may make more economic sense than cutting them down for timber, a new B.C. study suggests. The report from Simon shows that conservation wins out over logging when forests are valued for their role in capturing carbon from the atmosphere, protecting endangered species and providing opportunities for recreation. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080904.wlogging0904/BNStory/Science/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080904.wlogging0904 Climate Economy Environment British Columbia 09/04/2008 Toronto Globe and Mail Warming temperatures could soon cause California's giant sequoia trees to die off more quickly unless forest managers plan with an eye toward climate change and the impacts of a longer, harsher wildfire season, federal researchers warned Thursday. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/09/04/state/n154402D14.DTL&feed=rss.business Climate Environment Forests California 09/05/2008 San Francisco Chronicle Key portions of Earth’s cryosphere are in deep trouble. So far this summer, Arctic Ocean sea ice has shrunk to its second-lowest extent on record as ice shelves along Canada’s northernmost islands are disintegrating at a rapid pace. http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/09/04/shrinking-arctic-ocean-sea-ice-signals-climate-change/ Climate Environment 09/04/2008 The Christian Science Monitor The National Marine Fisheries Service confirmed today it will conduct a full status review of three types of Arctic seals that depend on sea ice for survival. The agency said it found merit in an environmental group's petition to list ringed, bearded and spotted seals as candidates for threatened species protections. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008158414_webseals04m.html?syndication=rss Environment Wildlife Alaska 09/04/2008 Seattle Times Gasoline-powered lawnmowers blamed for summertime air pollution will have to be cleaner under new rules from the Environmental Protection Agency. The regulation issued Thursday requires a 35% reduction in emissions from new lawn and garden equipment powered by engines under 25 horsepower. It takes effect in 2011 and is expected to save approximately 190 million gallons of gasoline each year. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-09-04-epa-lawnmowers_N.htm?csp=34 Climate Environment Policy Pollution & Toxics United States 09/04/2008 USA Today The state Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a $4.8 million verdict in favor of 11 pipefitters who claimed they were fired for raising safety concerns at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The workers filed suit nine years ago against Fluor Federal Services of Richland, a contractor at the south-central Washington nuclear site. They claimed they were laid off after refusing orders to install a valve they believed was too weak for the job. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/377853_hanford05.html?source=rss Environment Human Health Pollution & Toxics Washington 09/05/2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer The B.C. government has awarded a Netherlands company and its Seattle partner a contract to recover wreckage from an overturned barge in Robson Bight. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/09/04/bc-robson-bight-spill-clean-up.html?ref=rss Environment Pollution & Toxics Wildlife British Columbia 09/05/2008 CBC BC Several Oregon environmental groups filed notice Thursday that they intend to sue the federal government to list the dusky tree vole, native to forests in the Tillamook region, as a threatened or endangered species. The groups said they would sue Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne for failing to respond to their earlier petition for listing of the animal. http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/09/groups_plan_to_sue_for_listing.html Environment Forests Policy Wildlife Oregon 09/05/2008 Oregonian As gasoline prices soared in July, Canadians put a lot less of the stuff in their tanks than they did a year earlier, Statistics Canada said Friday. However, the volume of diesel fuel sold jumped sharply and overall sales of refined petroleum products climbed to 9.13 million cubic metres, up 0.8 per cent from July 2007, the agency said. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080905.wgasoline0905/BNStory/energy/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080905.wgasoline0905 Environment Sprawl & Transportation Canada 09/05/2008 Toronto Globe and Mail