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Recent Press Clips
Following are press clips from national publications that relate to PEER issues, campaigns and news releases.
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COAL'S TOXIC SLUDGE RollingStone — March 17, 2010 Big coal has spent millions of dollars over the past year touting the virtues of what the industry calls "clean coal," but it's no secret that coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST REFUGE FARMING IN DELAWARE The News Journal — March 16, 2010 A group of activists contends the farming practices at the refuge, including the use of genetically modified crops such as Roundup Ready corn and soybeans, have potentially harmful impacts on human health, the environment and wildlife. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CONTROVERSY OVER ENDANGERED VIRGINIA BIG-EARED BATS The Washington Post — March 15, 2010 But five months after the project began, most of the bats in the colony are dead, and a consultant hired by the zoo said it mishandled the animals and disregarded her advice that might have saved them. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OBAMA ADMINISTRATION DIVIDED ON PUBLIC RIGHT-TO-KNOW ABOUT CHEMICALS Environment News Service — March 15, 2010 According to testimony submitted to an OSHA rulemaking hearing March 5 by PEER, OSHA's plan would be a reversal in the right-to-know approach to chemical handling that would also "mislead workers about actual hazards." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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A BUREAUCRATIC ASSAULT ON CAL-OSHA STAFF The Pump Handle — March 11, 2010 This witch hunt was apparently instigated after the discovery that a former Cal/OSHA employee had conducted compensated offsite training while a full-time employee – a practice that has frequently occurred during my tenure, was well known by and even explicitly condoned by management in many cases. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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IS CAL-OSHA VIOLATING EMPLOYEES' CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS? EHS Today — March 10, 2010 Employees are expected to complete a questionnaire about their off-site activities – even ones that have nothing to do with Cal-OSHA. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CAL-OSHA EMPLOYEES ORDERED TO DISCLOSE ALL OUTSIDE “PRESENTATIONS” ISHN — March 10, 2010 “This extraordinarily intrusive ‘internal investigation’ also requires Cal-OSHA employees to surrender from their “home computers or other personal electronic devices” any related documents and materials,” according to PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SUIT FILED AGAINST REFUGE FARMING The News Journal — March 10, 2010 A group of activists contends that the farming practices at the refuge, including the use of genetically modified crops such as Roundup Ready corn and soybeans, have potentially harmful impacts on human health, the environment and wildlife, and have been done without proper federal review. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUP: EPA FLORIDA WATER RULES TOO LAX The Ledger.com — March 9, 2010 In a statement issued Monday, PEER charged that the standards are too low and that EPA officials ignored its own scientists in coming up with the standards. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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"POOR JUDGMENT AND PERFORMANCE" ACKNOWLEDGED IN NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVESTIGATION OF HUBBELL TRADING POST OPERATIONS National Parks Traveler — March 8, 2010 National Park Service investigators and managers who looked into the business operations at Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site exhibited "poor case management" and "poor judgment and performance," according to top agency officials. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DELAY IN COAL ASH DECISION IRRESPONSIBLE SAY ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS The Epoch Times — March 4, 2010 The partnership is a direct conflict of interest, says Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, an environmental advocacy group. He said it will be difficult for the EPA to make an unbiased decision while being wed to the coal industry — an $11 billion to $13 billion industry ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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COALITION PUSHES FOR COOLING TOWERS SOONER AT OYSTER CREEK Asbury Park Press — March 4, 2010 If another industry were taking the toll on fish eggs and larvae that's been calculated for the cooling intake, it would be immediately subject to DEP assessing natural resource damages and fines, complained Bill Wolfe of PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUP CALLS FOR BISON RANGE REVIEW Lake County Leader — March 3, 2010 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) released a statement asking that the U.S. Interior Department Office of Inspector General investigate conditions at the Moiese refuge. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SUIT SEEKS TO HALT ENGINEERED CROPS AT REFUGE The Philadelphia Inquirer — March 2, 2010 Although widely used in commercial agriculture, the use of genetically engineered crops in refuges "goes against the purpose for which the refuges were created," said Christine Erickson, a lawyer for a third plaintiff in the suit, PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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BARNEGAT BAY STUDY A DEP PRIORITY, SAYS AGENCY'S NEW LEADER Asbury Park Press — March 2, 2010 One frozen DEP rule would set a limit on perchlorate, a rocket fuel ingredient, in drinking water. The proposal might die this month as a result of the executive order, prompting PEER to criticize the order Tuesday. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S APPROACH TO PROTECTING WILDLIFE ANGERS SOME ENVIRONMENTALISTS The Olympian — March 2, 2010 A growing number of environmentalists are clashing with the administration over its management of America's struggling wildlife populations and what they call its reluctance to use the nation's most powerful environmental law, the Endangered Species Act, to stand up to industry. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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TSUNAMI ALERTS HELP SAVE LIVES USA Today — March 1, 2010 Documents made public in June by PEER showed that 10 of the 39 deep-ocean stations operated by the United States were sending sporadic or unusable data, leaving uncovered several critical areas. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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UPDATED TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM IN ACTION MSNBC — February 27, 2010 Last year, PEER issued a report pointing to what it said were "gaping holes" in the tsunami warning system. NOAA's records indicate that 10 out of 39 deep-ocean pressure monitoring stations were failing. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PEER GROUP SLAMS MANAGEMENT OF NATIONAL BISON RANGE Independent Record — February 26, 2010 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility released documents it said show the federal government’s arrangement with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes concerning the range isn’t working. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP ALLEGES 'DEFICIENCIES' AT BISON RANGE SINCE AGREEMENT WITH CSKT Missoulian — February 25, 2010 Saying the Bison Range "is plagued with a host of law enforcement, environmental and management deficiencies," PEER released documents the organization says show the federal government's arrangement with the CSKT... ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUPS POUNCE TO DEFEND FLORIDA PANTHER Courthouse News Service — February 24, 2010 The groups challenge the federal government's denial of three petitions from 2009 asking for designation of critical habitat for the panther, which has been listed as endangered since 1967 under the Endangered Species Act. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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N.J. DEP MUST RELEASE NAMES OF 108 CANDIDATES FOR SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD The Star-Ledger — February 23, 2010 PEER sued the DEP in November under the state’s Open Public Records Act after the administration of then-Gov. Jon Corzine refused to divulge the candidates it was considering for the board. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OBAMA DECISIONS ON WILDLIFE RAISING ENVIRONMENTALISTS' IRE Silicon Valley MercuryNews.com — February 21, 2010 "Wildlife issues have been consigned to the back burner. The message is don't make waves on them," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DON'T CHANGE INDOOR AIR TESTING POLICY IN NEW JERSEY, ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY NorthJersey.com — February 19, 2010 Environmentalists warn that potential changes to state policy that led to the discovery of toxic vapors in homes in Pompton Lakes could put residents at risk. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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LAWSUIT ACCUSES OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OF FAILING TO PROTECT FLORIDA PANTHER St. Petersburg Times — February 19, 2010 A coalition of environmental and civic groups sued the Obama administration Thursday over its refusal to declare 1.3 million acres as critical habitat for the endangered Florida panther. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FEDERAL LAWSUIT FILED OVER FLORIDA PANTHER HABITAT The Miami Herald — February 18, 2010 "Critical habitat is key to the survival of the Florida panther," said Michael Robinson, a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity. "The Obama administration's decision not to designate critical habitat would be a nail in the coffin for these great cats if allowed to stand." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIRONMENTALISTS FILE SUIT OVER PANTHER HABITAT Sarasota Herald-Tribune — February 18, 2010 If critical habitat is outlined for the panther, development within that habitat would have to undergo more stringent review and the developer would likely have to pay more to make sure the project fits the panther's needs. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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LAWSUIT FILED TO SECURE CRITICAL HABITAT FOR ENDANGERED FLORIDA PANTHER Environment News Service — February 18, 2010 Currently, large-scale development projects are being planned in panther habitat although the big cats occupy less than five percent of their historic range within a few South Florida counties. Since 1993, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved every development proposal in panther habitat ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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INTERIOR DEPARTMENT WANTS TRANSPARENCY, FOIA PROCESS IMPEDES THAT GOAL National Parks Traveler — February 17, 2010 Interior Department officials launched an intriguing web portal the other day, one touted as promoting transparency in government operations. Well, one place Interior officials could create a whole lot of transparency is by adding more staff to handle FOIA requests, which move at a glacial pace. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PROBE RAISES QUESTIONS OVER NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVESTIGATION AT HUBBELL TRADING POST National Parks Traveler — February 17, 2010 Portions of an Interior Department review of an investigation of alleged insider theft from the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site cites shoddy work and potentially criminal misconduct by a special agent within the National Park Service’s Intermountain Region. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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BLACK WATER RAFTING: WHEN WILL THE EPA ENFORCE COAL ASH LAWS IN ALABAMA? The Huffington Post — February 17, 2010 Two weeks ago, the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) released a startling study that found that the EPA had allowed coal ash industry representatives to blatantly rewrite and water-down the potential dangers of coal ash in official government reports. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA-INDUSTRY COALITION BLUNTS TOUGHER STATE COAL ASH RULES Fly Rod + Reel — February 16, 2010 Coal Ash Industry Enlists EPA to Quash Tighter State Regulatory Proposals ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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INTERNATIONAL SCIENTISTS CONDEMN PURGE OF PROFESSOR Fly Rod + Reel — February 16, 2010 Scientific Commission Decries Oil Industry Influence at University of Alaska ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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KUDOS AND CAUTION GREET CHRISTIE'S BUSINESS BOOST The Philadelphia Inquirer — February 14, 2010 Bill Wolfe, director of New Jersey Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said the orders stripped the DEP of independence to base decisions primarily on science and public safety. Under Christie's orders, economic considerations also would be a factor. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FEDS SAY NO TO 3 MILLION ACRES OF PANTHER CRITICAL HABITAT IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Naples News — February 11, 2010 Habitat for the endangered Florida panther in Southwest Florida will not get more protection sought by environmental groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PATERSON AIR STUDY RAISES QUESTIONS North Jersey.com — February 10, 2010 "When we breathe the air, we breathe all the chemicals present, not each one individually. This combined cancer risk assessment was cutting-edge science. Removing this guts the report," said Bill Wolfe, New Jersey director of PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DEP RULES UNDER REVIEW, AGENCY'S FATE UNCERTAIN App.com — February 6, 2010 But Bill Wolfe, a former DEP analyst and director of New Jersey Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said the DEP's mission is to protect the environment and public health. "That's being lost here," he said. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA REVEALS HIGH HAZARD POTENTIAL AT MORE COAL ASH PONDS Environment News Service — February 5, 2010 PEER says the coal ash industry has been working in concert with EPA behind closed doors to counter state proposals for stricter regulation of coal ash waste and help the industry market this waste as an additive to construction materials and to spread on agricultural land or use in land reclamation ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OBAMA IMITATES BUSH ON GAG ORDER The Daily Astorian — February 2, 2010 Now, a year in office, some in the Obama administration sound eerily like those they replaced. In an e-mail brought to light by PEER, a publicity flack for the U.S. Forest Service sternly warns employees to refer all calls to her if reporters for national news outlets ask about touchy issues. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DRUSINA IS NEW IBWC CHIEF El Paso Inc. — February 1, 2010 Drusina replaces interim Commissioner Bill Ruth, who left in December after firing IBWC’s general counsel, Robert McCarthy. McCarthy’s firing came three days after he lodged allegations of waste, fraud and abuse against Ruth and the agency last July. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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WATCHING GOVERNMENT: PARK SERVICE PROPOSES CHANGES Oil & Gas Journal — February 1, 2010 In its comments, PEER lauded NPS's proposals, but added they should be extended beyond oil and gas to coal, sand, gravel, and other extraction operations. There presently are no rules governing nonfederal mineral operations within national parks ot ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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BATTLE OVER COAL ASH A YEAR AFTER TRAGIC SPILL The Epoch Times — February 1, 2010 One year later, the area is economically and environmentally dead, says Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, an environmental advocacy group. “My impression is that it’s a wasteland. Generally nobody recommends it [coal ash] comes into contact with human beings." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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NEW ENGLAND OUTGUNNED ON US RAIL FUNDS The Boston Globe — January 29, 2010 New England found itself on the short end of federal stimulus funding yesterday as President Obama announced that most of the $8 billion for high-speed rail projects will go to other parts of the country. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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THE COAL ASH INDUSTRY MANIPULATED EPA DATA Truthout — January 29, 2010 PEER stated that the Environmental Protection Agency allowed the multibillon-dollar coal ash industry to have virtually unfettered access to the EPA during the Bush administration and now under President Obama. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PEER REPORT: EPA LET INDUSTRY EDIT COAL ASH REPORTS The Charleston Gazette — January 28, 2010 Jeff Ruch said, "For most of the past decade, it appears that every EPA publication on the subject was ghostwritten by the American Coal Ash Association." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OBAMA PUTS 'GAG ORDER' ON FEDERAL EMPLOYEES Sustained Outrage — January 28, 2010 Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, said, "How can a government be transparent when public servants are forbidden from disclosing facts?" ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIROS TAKE ACTION TO COUNTER THE MIGHT OF THE COAL ASH LOBBY Grist — January 28, 2010 The effort comes the day after revelations from the watchdog group PEER that EPA has for years allowed coal ash industry representatives to edit official government reports, brochures and fact sheets about coal ash to remove references to potential dangers and to emphasize alleged benefits. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FOR SALAZAR, A YEAR OF INTERIOR RE-DESIGN New West Politics — January 26, 2010 Ruch praises Salazar for settling a troubling Indian trust fund lawsuit left over from the Bush administration and repealing some of the 11th-hour Bush rules, but he criticizes him for not doing enough to protect species like the wolf and grizzly and for not taking stricter measures against drilling ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SHELL FACES LEGAL CHALLENGE OVER ARCTIC DRILLING NBN — January 24, 2010 The US portion of the Chukchi Sea is believed to hold 15bn barrels of recoverable oil and 76tn cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, according to the interior department. It is also home to endangered bowhead whales, threatened polar bears and rich and varied fish stock. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CHECK OUT A SCARY FISCAL PORTENT The Post and Courier — January 22, 2010 The federal Interior Department's Inspector General sent PEER a check for $1,789 to cover attorney fees and costs in settlement of a lawsuit alleging a violation of FOIA. Unfortunately, the check bounced. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PRISON COMPUTER RECYCLING PUT STAFF, INMATES AT RISK, NIOSH FINDS Government Computer News — January 21, 2010 “Computer components came into loading bays, they were handed to crews of inmates who broke them up with hammers and the only containment was a cardboard box,” said Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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A FINE MESS The Washington Post — January 20, 2010 The IG's office duly sent PEER a check for $1,789, which the group promptly deposited. But the check bounced. The bank said last week that the account had been closed. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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THE ECO-WARRIOR Rolling Stone — January 20, 2010 "Under her watch, New Jersey's environment only got dirtier, incredible as that may seem," Jeff Ruch, president of PEER. Jackson herself now admits that those initial approvals were mishandled. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STUDY FINDS PATERSON HAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTANTS NorthJersey.com — January 14, 2010 A study of air pollution in Paterson found significantly higher levels of pollutants – some of which increase the risk of cancer — than in a comparison rural community, the result of the city's concentration of commercial and industrial facilities. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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NEW JERSEY DEP HOPES OUTSOURCING WILL SPEED UP CLEANUPS PressofAtlanticCity.com — January 9, 2010 “When you weaken DEP powers, you open the door to constant negotiation that results in gridlock," says Bill Wolfe of NJ PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EDITORIAL: MORE THAN HOPE The Gainesville Sun — January 6, 2010 There are an estimated 100 wild panthers remaining in Florida. The litigants have identified three critical areas in southwest Florida that must be protected from development to give the panthers a fighting chance at survival. Failing habitat preservation, hope really is all that remains. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CARNEGIE STATE PARK CLOSURE THWARTED AT 11TH HOUR InsideBayArea - The Oakland Tribune — December 29, 2009 Carnegie state park will remain open to off-roaders until an appellate court decides its fate, state parks officials said Monday. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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RECORD NUMBER OF PANTHERS KILLED BY VEHICLES IN 2009 Naplesnews.com — December 29, 2009 Scientists cite habitat loss as a key threat to panther survival; panthers require a large swath of land for hunting and mating, and do not tolerate sharing that habitat with other panthers. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ROCK MINE EXPANSION PROPOSED FOR PANTHER HABITAT IN WEST BROWARD Orlando Sentinel — December 28, 2009 The Seminole tribe has asked for permission to destroy 198 acres of wetlands to mine limestone on its Big Cypress Reservation, a place of pastures, forests and wetlands where panthers hunt deer, hogs and other prey. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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A FIGHT OVER FLORIDA PANTHER HABITAT Herald Tribune — December 25, 2009 The bad news, he said, is that the loss of the other 20 to 25 percent of that land will likely mean an equivalent loss for the panther population. And with only about 100 Florida panthers remaining, that loss would be significant. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUPS READY TO SUE OVER PANTHER News-Press.com — December 24, 2009 Three environmental groups have filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for not responding to a petition demanding that 3 million acres be set aside as critical habitat for the endangered Florida panther. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CONTROVERSY MOUNTS OVER CARNEGIE STATE PARK OFF-ROAD ACTIVITY BAN Contra Costa Times — December 24, 2009 Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ordered the park's closure on Dec. 8, touching off one of the hottest environmental fights in the region in recent history and arousing the wrath of off-road enthusiasts, who say they are being targeted by water-quality activists. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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WATCHDOG GROUP ACCUSES BLUE GRASS OF LAX CW OVERSIGHT NTI — December 23, 2009 Leaks of chemical warfare materials at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky at times was not reported for weeks on at least one occasion, according to information posted online yesterday by PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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U.S. WANTS FARMERS TO USE COAL WASTE ON FIELDS Washington Post — December 23, 2009 "This is a leap into the unknown," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER. "This stuff has materials in it that we're trying to prevent entering the environment from coal-fired power plants, and then to turn around and smear it across ag lands raises some real questions." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS THREATEN SUIT OVER FAILING PROTECTIONS FOR FLORIDA PANTHER Naplesnew.com — December 22, 2009 Environmental groups are lining up to sue the federal government over protections for the endangered Florida panther. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUPS FILE NOTICE REGARDING FLORIDA PANTHER The Associated Press — December 22, 2009 Three nonprofit organizations have filed a joint notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over its handling of the endangered Florida panther. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA, USDA PUSH FARMERS TO USE COAL WASTE ON FIELDS Associated Press — December 21, 2009 With coal wastes piling up around the coal-fired plants that produce half the nation's power, the EPA and U.S. Department of Agriculture began promoting what they call the wastes' "beneficial uses" during the Bush administration. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
