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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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NPS SUED OVER TERMINATION OF INDIAN TRADER AT HUBBELL TRADING POST NHS National Parks Traveler — November 6, 2009 This has the elements of a novel: conspiracy, intrigue, and wrongdoing in Indian country. It has spurred a lawsuit accusing NPS officials with misconduct and seizure of property belonging to the last authentic Indian trader, opening a window into the cooperating association affiliated with the site. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STEINER SEEN AS MAJOR ADVOCATE FOR MARINE ENVIRONMENT Alaska Journal of Commerce — November 6, 2009 Wherever oil spills pose danger to marine life, whether in Alaska or other far-flung parts on Earth, chances are good Rick Steiner will be called in to help. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EX-OSHA OFFICIAL ALLEGES REVENGE Charlotte Observer — November 5, 2009 Bob Whitmore, a former federal OSHA official who contends the government has allowed companies to underreport workplace injuries, has filed a complaint alleging he was fired from his job in retaliation for speaking out about his agency's failings. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DUNES TRANSFER RAISES CONCERNS The Daily Triplicate — November 5, 2009 The fact that it took a State Parks employee and PEER to make the proposed transfer public has opponents claiming it was being attempted behind the scenes. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ANOTHER INVESTIGATION Louisville Courier-Journal — November 4, 2009 The action underlines concerns raised by PEER that EPA has been promoting the massive re-use of toxic coal ash without understanding the long-term public health or environmental consequences, the group said, adding that EPA is soon going to decide the first rules on managing coal combustion waste. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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IG PROBES EPA MARKETING OF COAL ASH Humanitarian News — November 4, 2009 The Office of IG for the U.S. EPA has opened an investigation into the agency's "partnership" with the coal industry to market coal ash and other combustion wastes in consumer, agricultural and industrial products, according to a report issued this week by PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIRONMENTALISTS WANT TO DERAIL SOUTH COAST COMMUTER LINE Patriot Ledger — November 3, 2009 If commuter trains are to roll through Stoughton to the South Coast area, they may have to get by the blue-spotted salamander and Kyla Bennett. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIRONMENTALISTS IN NO MOOD TO COMPROMISE ON RAIL EXTENSION THROUGH STOUGHTON, EASTON AND RAYNHAM Enterprise News — November 2, 2009 If commuter trains are to roll through Easton, they may have to get by the blue-spotted salamander and Kyla Bennett, a town resident and president of the New England PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUP SUES EPA FOR BACKGROUND ON DISPUTED RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP GUIDE NTI: Global Security Newswire — November 2, 2009 The lawsuit, filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, seeks background analyses used by the Bush administration to formulate the draft Protective Action Guidance for Radiological Incidents. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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E.P.A. LAWYERS CHALLENGE 'CAP AND TRADE' FOR CLIMATE The New York Times — November 2, 2009 Laurie Williams and Allan Zabel, who are [EPA] lawyers and a married couple — have sharply criticized the core element of climate legislation pushed by Democratic lawmakers and President Obama. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CAP-AND-TRADE MIRAGE The Washington Post - Editorial — October 31, 2009 Supporters of [climate bills in Congress] say that the cap-and-trade approach would guarantee greenhouse-gas reductions. But this claim ignores the flaws inherent in both bills that would undermine even their weak emissions-reduction targets and would lock in climate degradation. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DA REPORTS ON BEATTY'S STATUS UNDER LAW Pahrump Valley Times — October 30, 2009 Representatives from US Fish & Wildlife outlined the provisions of the Endangered Species Act and the procedure that must be followed when a petition is filed to list a species as endangered. Currently, the agency is dealing with a petition from PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA'S SECRET PLAN TO RAISE PUBLIC RADIATION EXPOSURE LEVELS CHALLENGED Environmental News Service — October 29, 2009 Public employees have filed a lawsuit demanding documents related to the U.S. EPA's plans made "in secrecy" to allow public exposure to increased levels of radioactivity following nuclear accidents or attacks. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PUBLIC WELFARE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES $8 MILLION IN GRANTS The Daily Tell — October 29, 2009 The Public Welfare Foundation will also donate half a million dollars over two years to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a group that works to counteract ecological damage caused by industry and government. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ALASKAN OIL VS. ACADEMIC FREEDOM The Mudflats — October 26, 2009 Oil money and academia – dangerous bedfellows. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PANTHERS WITHOUT BORDERS Daytona News-Journal — October 24, 2009 You see its image often on license plates in Florida, but chances are next to nothing -- and growing slimmer by the acre -- that you'll ever see the real thing in its natural habitat. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PROFESSOR TO RESIGN AFTER UNIVERSITY REJECTS HIS GRIEVANCE Associated Press — October 24, 2009 A professor who was stripped of his federal grant after he criticized the oil industry said he's resigning. The university rejected Rick Steiner's grievance on Tuesday, and the professor said Friday night that the faculty union has decided not to press the matter further. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PUBLIC WELFARE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NEW GRANTS PNN Online — October 23, 2009 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, based in Washington, DC, is receiving $500,000 over two years to create an online database that will allow workers to learn their risks of disease from being exposed to hazardous chemicals on the job. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FREEHOLDERS WON'T INTERVENE IN WINDMILL PROPOSAL The Independent — October 22, 2009 The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders has no plans to intervene in a proposal to construct a 380-foot-tall windmill in Union Beach, nor do state legislators, for the time being. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA, USDA STILL PROMOTING COAL ASH FOR CROPS Facing South — October 22, 2009 This month EPA and the USDA enter the final year of a three-year partnership that's part of a larger effort by the American Coal Ash Assn, the Electric Power Research Inst and others to "promote appropriate increased use of" coal ash in agriculture, according to documents released recently by PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SCIENTIST RICK STEINER LOSES FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING AFTER CRITICIZING OIL INDUSTRY Democracy Now! — October 22, 2009 University of Alaska professor Rick Steiner says he’s lost his federal grant funding for being an outspoken critic of the oil industry. For years, Steiner has criticized what he considered irresponsible actions by the oil industry, beginning with the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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USDA AND EPA PUSHING COAL ASH FOR AGRICULTURE DESPITE TOXICITY UNCERTAINTY Beyond Pesticides — October 20, 2009 The USDA and EPA are asking farmers to use coal ash to grow their crops, despite a paucity of research on possible risks, according to documents released on 10/15 by PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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U AK PROFESSOR HAS GRANT PULLED AFTER EXPRESSING CONTROVERSIAL VIEWS KTUU.com — October 20, 2009 Steiner and an employee advocacy group, called PEER, said NOAA put pressure on the university to cut the grant. Steiner filed a grievance with UAF in February, and the statewide university president rejected the complaint this week. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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U OF ALASKA PROFESSOR LOSES FEDERAL FUNDING Anchorage Daily News — October 20, 2009 PEER intends to send a formal petition to the Obama administration to make sure that people who receive NOAA grants aren't constrained from speaking out as scientists or as citizens, Ruch said. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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BOLD INITIATIVES SPUR CALL FOR NEW EPA WATCHDOG New York Times — October 15, 2009 The Obama administration has yet to nominate someone to serve as top watchdog at EPA, a delay that is worrying advocacy groups and lawmakers...some are wary that EPA is taking on a host of new challenges with insufficient oversight. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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NOAA QUESTIONS OFFSHORE DRILLING PLAN Oil & Gas Journal — October 14, 2009 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration questions a plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, according to documents posted online by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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WINDMILL PROPOSAL DRAWS CONCERN OF BAYSHORE GROUP Holmdel lndependent — October 14, 2009 According to PEER, about half the $7.7 million project would be financed by ARRA funds, which are conditioned on shovel-ready work that is undertaken by 2010. In an Oct. 6 press release posted on its website, PEER claims environmental studies are being shortchanged in favor of federal stimulus funds ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FOREST SERVICE TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE UPPER TELLICO OHV TRAIL SYSTEM Asheville Citizen-Times — October 14, 2009 The agency first began looking at runoff problems in the area after several environmental groups threatened to sue the agency in July 2007, alleging the Forest Service violated laws by failing to prevent mud from eroded trails from polluting streams. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SCHOOLS AWAIT US REPORT ON ARTIFICIAL TURF Philadelphia Inquirer — October 13, 2009 Some watchdog groups say the EPA is stalling. "If safeguarding children's health is a top priority at EPA, why can't this multibillion-dollar agency afford to take a hard look at what is in our playgrounds, schoolyards and athletic fields?" said Jeff Ruch, director of PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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NOAA CALLS FOR INTERIOR DEPARTMENT TO SCALE BACK OFFSHORE DRILLING PROPOSAL Free Speech Radio News — October 13, 2009 PEER released copies yesterday of recommendations made by The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, to dramatically scale back a Bush-era plan to drill for oil and natural gas off US coasts. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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THE GAG IS GONE The Daily Astorian — October 13, 2009 NOAA is urging safeguards for fisheries, marine mammals and coastal populations, according to an analysis by PEER. The number and size of offshore tracts offered for leasing would be brought down to a scale that can be realistically managed. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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IS EPA STALLING ON ARTIFICIAL TURF STUDY? News Inferno — October 13, 2009 Some believe the EPA is stalling, such as Jeff Ruch, director of PEER, who said “If safeguarding children’s health is a top priority at EPA, why can’t this multibillion-dollar agency afford to take a hard look at what is in our playgrounds, schoolyards, and athletic fields?” ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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NOAA URGES CAUTION IN EXPANDED OFFSHORE DRILLING Institute for Southern Studies — October 13, 2009 "To avoid conflict, the Obama White House has thus far straddled the fence without taking firm stands on the underlying elements of a coherent oceans policy," says Jeff Ruch of PEER, which issued a press release this week drawing attention to NOAA's comments. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DOES EPA THINK THAT TOXIC COAL ASH IS GOOD FOR YOU? Charleston Gazette — October 13, 2009 The Obama administration has made much of its promise to begin regulating the handling and disposal of toxic ash from coal-fired power plants. But is the EPA also promoting coal ash for consumer uses, without actually knowing that doing so is safe? ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FEDERAL SCIENTISTS: LIMIT OFFSHORE DRILLING PLANS LA Times — October 12, 2009 "It is refreshing to hear the voices of marine scientists who were silenced for the past eight years," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, which has publicized documents that show Bush officials overruling or downplaying environmental concerns. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STOP, BABY, STOP, NOAA REPORT ON OCEAN OIL-DRILLING IS TELLING THE INTERIOR DEPT Swamp Politics — October 12, 2009 "If NOAA's warnings are not heeded," Ruch added, "Interior's offshore leasing plans will again be ensnared in litigation." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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WIND TURBINE PLAN MUST SATISFY DEP RULES Asbury Park Press — October 11, 2009 PEER Director Bill Wolfe, a former DEP analyst, said the authority wants to start construction before finishing required studies on any environmental impact the turbine might have on area bird life. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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IRREPARABLE DAMAGE: SENATE MUST BLOCK OSM NOMINEE PIZARCHIK TODAY Huffington Post — October 9, 2009 "OSM is a demoralized, hollowed-out agency and the prospects are it will stay that way," Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Executive Director Jeff Ruch pointed out last month. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/irreparable-damage-senate_b_313450.html ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GRIJALVA LAUDS OBAMA PLAN ON PRESERVES FOR WILD HORSES Arizona Star — October 9, 2009 A Tucson environmentalist who comes down in the middle on this question is state Rep. Daniel Patterson, Southwest director of PEER. "There are big problems that wild horses and burros can do to native wildlife, but the question is how do you deal with them? I believe they should be humanely managed. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FORMER EL PASO CITY OFFICIAL AWAITING PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT TO IBWC Newspaper Tree--El Paso's Online Newspaper — October 8, 2009 A former public works director for the city of El Paso, Ed Drusina, is in line to become the next commissioner of the troubled International Boundary and Water Commission. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES EIGHTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN US, SAYS PEER HR Tools — October 8, 2009 Occupational exposures are the eighth leading cause of death in this country, resulting in more than 40,000 premature deaths per year. Yet OSHA figures show a slump in health sampling that began in 1991, according to the report. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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MAY TOWN PROJECT MIGHT BE HISTORY The Tennessean — October 8, 2009 "I think it means it's over," said Barry Sulkin, an organizer of residents who fought the project on grounds that it would spoil one of Davidson County's last undeveloped spaces. "We've come to an end. And we are elated." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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A PETTY, MEAN-SPIRITED LAWSUIT American Daughter — October 8, 2009 Having firmly affixed his Catholic faith to his sleeve, the PEER zealot smartly marched over to the ACLU (American Communist Lawyer’s Union), and they joined together in a lawsuit to tear down the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE FATE OF MOJAVE CROSS DC Examiner — October 7, 2009 First, controversy swirls around this development. Frank Buono, a retired federal employee, has brought the issue forward, seemingly with the help of PEER, or “Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility,” the progressive land rights group with which he is affiliated. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SCOTUS CONSIDERS NATIONAL PARK CROSS CASE Free Speech Radio News — October 7, 2009 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility says the fight to keep the cross was just one of several attempts by the Bush Administration to insert or maintain Christian imagery on public lands. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PEER CALLS FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION CONCERNING ASBESTOS AT GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK Mesothelioma News — October 7, 2009 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) has filed a complaint calling for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to open a criminal investigation concerning illegal asbestos disposal at Grand Teton National Park. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OUR OCEANS REFLECT OUR HEALTH The Daily Astorian — October 6, 2009 Though it may not rise to the level of a reputation-salving "legacy," Bush showed leadership in establishing ocean reserves. As noted by PEER, Bush designated three new marine national monuments in the Pacific covering more than 150,000 square miles, including the world's largest ocean reserve. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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MAKE (LOTS OF) ROOM FOR PANTHERS Palm Beach Post — October 4, 2009 Do roughly 100 animals deserve 3 million acres of Florida? If the animals are endangered, the answer may have to be yes. At the very least, we're glad that someone is asking. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION AT IBWC BRING FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS AFTER AGENCY'S WHISTLEBLOWING LAWYER FIRED Newspaper Tree - El Paso's Online Newspaper — October 2, 2009 A team of federal investigators hit the headquarters of the IBWC in El Paso as a result of charges of waste, fraud and abuse leveled by IBWC’s top lawyer who was fired after taking his complaints to the State Dept OIG. The arrival of investigators from the IG's office was reported by PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PANTHER GETS MORE ROOM TO ROAM Broward New Times — October 2, 2009 Help actually may be on the horizon for the Florida panther. The panther's habitat has been squeezed almost out of existence. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has about 80 days to respond to a new scientific petition urging that more critical habitat be maintained for panthers. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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LUBCHENKO THROWS COLD WATER ON PLANS FOR NEW MARINE SANCTUARIES The Oregonian — October 1, 2009 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER, today released a Sept. 1 letter that Lubchenco wrote to a University of Alaska professor who recommended new reserves in Alaska's Bering Strait and Unimak Pass. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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JUDGE REJECTS U.S. MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR CALIFORNIA DESERT Los Angeles Times — September 30, 2009 The ruling came in response to a legal challenge brought in late 2006 by a coalition of conservation groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and Desert Survivors. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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TELL EPA TO PROTECT OUR WATER FROM TOXIC COAL ASH TakePart Social Action Network — September 30, 2009 Mountaintop removal coal mining continues to ravage Appalachia’s communities and environment. Coal mining corporations are detonating 2,500 tons of explosives each day to blow up Appalachia’s mountains and extract coal from the seams below. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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HOW WAVE WARNINGS WORK MSNBC — September 30, 2009 There's also a serious issue relating to maintenance of the sensor network: Just three months ago, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility issued a report pointing to what it said were "gaping holes" in the tsunami warning system. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FEDERAL EMPLOYEE GROUP CALLS DOL WEAK ON HEALTH INSPECTIONS BLR.com — September 29, 2009 The group claims that occupational exposures are linked to the premature deaths of 10 times more workers than all workplace accidents combined. But, according to PEER, OSHA is spending less than five percent of its resources on health protection. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PEER REPORT: OSHA FALLING DOWN ON HEALTH INSPECTIONS Charleston Gazette — September 29, 2009 Occupational exposures are the eighth leading cause of death in this country, resulting in more than 40,000 premature deaths per year. Yet OSHA figures show a slump in health sampling that began in 1991, according to the new PEER report. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CARNEGIE ON ROAD TO OBLIVION? Stockton Record — September 29, 2009 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance filed suit earlier this month, claiming that when the creek is running, the water enters the park clear and leaves a chocolate brown. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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IS YOUR PLAYGROUND TOXIC? Mother Nature Network — September 29, 2009 A recently leaked memo from the EPA indicates that agency scientists have begun to question whether there's stuff in the crumb rubber that could be toxic to kids. "What's known is very little. They list, I think, 30 toxic chemicals in one of the memos," said Jeff Ruch, head of PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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N.J. ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP CLAIMS DEP DENIAL OF RECORDS REQUEST VIOLATED STATE LAW NJ Star-Ledger — September 29, 2009 An environmental watchdog group filed suit today against the Department of Environmental Protection, claiming the department violated the state’s Open Public Records Act by refusing to divulge what industries, lobbying groups and corporations have endorsed candidates for its new Science Advisory Bd. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DEP SUED OVER NEW SCIENCE BOARD Asbury Park Press — September 29, 2009 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility today sued the state Department of Environmental Protection for not providing access under the Open Public Records Act to documents about potential members of a new Science Advisory Board. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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JUDGE LEAVES MOJAVE DESERT OFF-ROAD ROUTES IN DOUBT Press-Enterprise — September 29, 2009 The status of more than 5,000 miles of off-road vehicle routes in the western Mojave Desert was left in doubt this week after a federal court ruling took issue with the way routes were chosen. Judge Susan Illston's 92-page ruling set an Oct. 30 conference to determine what should be done. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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JUDGMENT PROTECTS CALIFORNIA DESERT LANDS PR-Inside — September 29, 2009 The Court held that BLM did not adhere to its own regulations in analyzing/minimizing environmental impacts during its designation of OHV routes in the Western Mojave region in 2006 and that OHV routes developed since 1980 are in violation of the CDCA Plan... ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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NEW LAWSUIT ALLEGES DEP VIOLATES OPEN RECORDS LAW New Jersey Independent — September 29, 2009 The DEP denied PEER’s request, claiming that almost all the requested documents are exempt from OPRA because the pending appointments are being treated like candidates for employment, and are therefore confidential. So PEER filed a lawsuit today in Superior Court...Ne ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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TOXIC EXPOSURES UP; HEALTH INSPECTIONS DOWN AllGov.com — September 28, 2009 PEER claims OSHA officials now spend less than 5% of their resources on workplace health protection. In 2007, OSHA took about 53,000 samples nationwide from work sites—about a third of what the agency performed in 1988, at the end of the Reagan administration. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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HILDAGO COUNTY LEVEE SYSTEM CITED IN IBWC WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT The Monitor — September 25, 2009 Acting on McCarthy's behalf, PEER - a Washington-based groups that works to uphold environmental laws - filed the whistleblower retaliation complaint with the Merit Systems Protection Board, demanding his immediate reinstatement. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CONSERVATIONISTS DEMAND LARGER HABITAT FOR ENDANGERED FLORIDA PANTHER KABC Los Angeles — September 25, 2009 The CBD, PEER and the CCA helped author a 30+ page petition calling for more habitat for the panther, saying that previous conservation efforts had not set aside enough land. Also, faulty science had led to incorrect assumptions about behavior, range and habitat. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CALIFORNIA FINDS ALTERNATIVE TO CLOSING STATE PARKS Washington Examiner — September 25, 2009 The Schwarzenegger administration on Friday backed off its threat to close dozens of California parks by saying it has found other ways to save money amid the state's deep fiscal crisis. Last week, PEER posted a memo warning that CA taxpayers could be liable for breaching contracts if parks closed. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CENSUS WORKER HANGED WITH 'FED' ON BODY The Associated Press — September 24, 2009 A group called PEER tracks violence against employees who enforce environmental regulations, but the group's executive director, Jeff Ruch, said it's hard to know about all of the cases because some agencies don't share data on instances of violence against employees. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FEDS PROBE US CENSUS WORKER HANGING IN KENTUCKY The Associated Press — September 24, 2009 When Bill Sparkman told retired trooper Gilbert Acciardo that he was going door-to-door collecting census data in rural Kentucky, the former cop, drawing on years of experience warned: "Be careful." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STATE OFFICIALS TAKE NEW LOOK AT PARKS CLOSURES Redding Record-Searchlight — September 24, 2009 State park officials have indefinitely put on hold a long-anticipated list of state park closures prompted by budget cuts. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OBAMA FAILED TO BOOST TOXIC REVIEWS AT JOB SITES, GROUP SAYS Bloomberg — September 24, 2009 The report, by the Washington-based group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, found the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is doing fewer health inspections at a time when there is more exposure to toxic and hazardous substances at job sites. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FIRED LAWYER COMPLAINS OF BORDER AGENCY MISCONDUCT Dallas Morning News — September 24, 2009 A former lawyer for the little-known federal agency that helps control the flow of the Rio Grande and the U.S. boundary with Mexico said Thursday that he was fired after complaining of gross mismanagement, including funds misappropriation and repair of levees that the agency knew would be useless. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FIRED LAWYER FOR BOUNDARY COMMISSION FILES WHISTLE-BLOWER COMPLAINT El Paso Times — September 24, 2009 His lawyer, Christine Erickson, who filed the complaint, said McCarthy was fired because he wouldn't cater to his boss. Erickson works for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit that helps federal employees who work in agencies that protect the environment. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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LAKE OKEECHOBEE POLLUTION SKYROCKETS WKRG.com — September 23, 2009 Pollution in Lake Okeechobee has reached more than four times the maximum yearly target level of phosphorous flowing in largely from urban runoff and cow pastures. That's according to an EPA e-mail obtained by The AP. The e-mail was provided to AP Tuesday by PEER, a Washington, D.C advocacy group. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STATE PARK CUTS LACK LOGIC California Progress Report — September 23, 2009 Last week, the State Park system announced they would need more time to decide which parks are closing. The reason for the delays? The closures are flat out stupid. And this stupidity is borne out by a leaked report showing that the closures would end up saving $14M by, wait for it, spending $24M. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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POLLUTED LAKE OKEECHOBEE GETTING DIRTIER Miami Herald — September 23, 2009 Water managers, environmental agencies and conservation groups have been talking about cleaning up Lake Okeechobee for decades. The water quality has only gotten worse. Much worse. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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REASONS NOT TO CLOSE OUR STATE PARKS San Luis Obispo Tribune — September 22, 2009 Closing nearly one-third of California’s state parks was a bad idea from the start. We were told that it would help trim $14 million from the state’s $26 billion deficit but that hardly seems worth it when you consider the huge blow it would deliver to California’s tourism industry. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUPS SEEK A CRITICAL HABITAT PROTECTION FOR AREAS PROWLED BY FLORIDA PANTHERS Miami Herald — September 21, 2009 Environmental groups have upped the pressure on the federal government to designate critical habitat for the endangered Florida panther, a move that could potentially limit development in some areas of South Florida. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FEDS AGAIN PETITIONED FOR CRITICAL FLORIDA PANTHER HABITAT Environmental News Service — September 21, 2009 By asking the Service to designate critical habitat for the 100 to 120 Florida panthers that survive today, the three groups are adding a new element to the decision-making process underway at the FWS on a petition previously filed by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SCIENTISTS LINE UP TO JOIN DEP'S CONTROVERSIAL NEW ADVISORY PANEL New Jersey Star-Ledger — September 20, 2009 Faced with ongoing budget cuts and staff reductions, Mauriello contends the advisory board is a natural fit for lean times... But critics claim the board will be a tool for pro-development and industry forces that want to roll back tough pollution standards and circumvent DEP's scientific staff. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CLOSING STATE PARKS COULD COST MONEY UPI.com — September 18, 2009 California taxpayers could be liable for lost profits of concessionaires at the state parks the governor is considering closing, a parks department memo said. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CA COULD FACE SUIT OVER CLOSED PARKS KCBS.com — September 18, 2009 "You don't just close the gate and shut up a park. It's much more complicated than that. There's really not going to be any dollar savings," said Karen Schambach, California director of the PEER, which posted the memo on its website. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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KEEP CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS OPEN FOR ALL! The City Project — September 18, 2009 The legal memo includes analyses of some of the points raised in our August 3, 2009, Administrative Complaint to keep State Parks Open for All... The memo fails to analyze other applicable legal requirements... for example, NEPA. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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VAST PROTECTION AREA URGED FOR FLORIDA PANTHERS Palm Beach Post — September 17, 2009 Environmentalists are pressing the federal government to declare 3 million acres of South Florida - an area twice the size of Delaware - critical habitat for the nearly extinct Florida panther. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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NATURAL DISASTER: PEER BLASTS OBAMA FOR NEGLECTING THE ENVIRONMENT Missoula Independent — September 17, 2009 But this week, PEER launched a campaign called "Obama Watch—Change We Still Need" to track Obama's actions, or lack thereof, on protecting the environment. And while they're not saying the president lied about his commitment to the environment, the record so far is not encouraging. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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LEAKED MEMO: CALIFORNIA COULD FACE MAJOR LAWSUITS IF SCHARZENEGGER CLOSES STATE PARKS San Jose Mercury News — September 17, 2009 The memo, which was written earlier this month for state parks director Ruth Coleman and distributed to high-level parks managers, was leaked by PEER, which has posted it on its website. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS: HOW THEY WILL BE CLOSED IS A MYSTERY Sierra Sun — September 17, 2009 “Closing parks may be far more expensive than keeping them open and operating,” said Karen Schambach, the California coordinator for PEER, in the statement. “Paradoxically, in order to avoid losses of life and property, California will need to spend its supposed savings to keep families out of beach ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA DROPS BALL ON SAFETY OF SHREDDED TIRES ON PLAYGROUNDS Charleston Gazette — September 17, 2009 According to PEER, EPA admits that it does not know the extent of childhood exposure from ingestion or inhalation of an array of toxic chemicals found within tires.cHAR ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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LAWSUIT COMING IF PANTHERS AREN'T PROTECTED Naples News — September 17, 2009 The nonprofit PEER, which represented Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Andy Eller in a 2004 lawsuit charging the agency used flawed science to approve development in panther habitat, and the Bonita Springs-based Council of Civic Associations joined in Thursday’s petition. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUPS: KOFA REFUGE BIGHORNS AREN'T HELPED BY WATER TANKS Arizona Daily Star — September 17, 2009 Two controversial water tanks placed in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge to help the refuge's troubled bighorn sheep aren't working as promised, environmentalists said this week. After reviewing more than 4,000 photographs from the tanks, the groups said that they saw no pictures of bighorn. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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BULLFROGS ARE PUSHING TOADS AROUND Courthouse News Service — September 16, 2009 Non-native bullfrogs and crayfish appear to be bullying the toads, despite their name, which means "bitter." The petition for listing submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity and PEER has already passed its 90 day review. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUP PETITIONS TO END SWIMS WITH MANATEES About.com — September 16, 2009 The popular “swim-with” programs allowing Florida tourists to swim in direct contact with manatees would be banned under a petition for federal rulemaking filed in July by PEER with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS). ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PEER LAUNCHES OBAMA WATCH The Ledger — September 15, 2009 PEER has a launched a Web site called Obama Watch to shame the new administration into following up on its green rhetoric with concrete actions, not just feel-good statements. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA NOT LOOKING AT RECYCLED TIRES IN PLAYGROUNDS Injury Board — September 15, 2009 The agency is not conducting safety studies on the potential health effects to children from tire crumb, even after its own scientists raised concerns... PEER sought clarification as to why the agency was not acting on the recommendations of its own scientists. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ON EVE OF OSM(RE) HEARING, CITIZENS OPPOSE PIZARCHIK Charleston Gazette — September 14, 2009 As a Senate committee prepares for a vote on President Obama’s nomination of Joseph Pizarchik to run the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, citizen groups are gearing up their opposition to Obama’s pick. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA’S STUDIES ON THE SAFETY OF SHREDDED TIRES ON CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUNDS WERE NEVER ACTUALLY CONDUCTED Cold Truth — September 14, 2009 Years ago, long before it became a marketing ploy to call everything “green,” the EPA described, what it called, a green dream. It was where millions and millions of pounds of useless tires were recycled into tire crumbs and used to cover playgrounds and athletic fields to reduce injuries. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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LATEST OBSTACLE TO RURAL SOLAR PLANTS: A TINY TOAD Las Vegas Sun — September 11, 2009 First came the fish, now it's the toads. The obstacles thrown at solar developers in Nevada these days are practically biblical. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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AMARGOSA TOAD CONSIDERED FOR LISTING Pahrump Valley Times — September 11, 2009 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday pit will conduct an in-depth status review of the Amargosa toad (Bufo nelsoni) to determine if it warrants federal protection as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STATUS OF AMARGOSA TOAD TO BE STUDIED Las Vegas Review Journal — September 11, 2009 The Amargosa toad hopped through a bureaucratic hoop Thursday on its marshy path to federal protection. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SUIT CITES CHRONIC PIZARCHIK FAILURES Huffington Post — September 11, 2009 Next Tuesday, the Senate will have a chance to determine if the letter of the law and the best science are going to be part of the bedraggled Office of Surface Mining, when it reconsiders the nomination of Joseph Pizarchik, and continuance of the demoralized reign of assistant OSMRE director Owens. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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WESTERN PLANT, TOAD GAIN FEDERAL ATTENTION San Jose Mercury — September 10, 2009 Federal officials announced Thursday that... a toad found only in Nevada will be studied to determine if it deserves a similar status [protection under the Endangered Species Act]. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FLORIDA DECISION ON REGIONAL GREENHOUSE GAS INITIATIVE STILL UP IN THE AIR Environmental News Service — September 8, 2009 Florida has been considering joining RGGI since 2007 under the Governor's Action Team on Energy and Climate Change and has produced an electric utility greenhouse gas cap-and-trade proposal. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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US EPA SAYS MOUNTAIN-TOP MINING PERMIT DECISIONS WILL BE COMING SHORTLY Mineweb — September 4, 2009 The U.S. Clean Water Act 404 mountain-top mining permits, which have been in limbo since June, are about to have their fates decided by EPA within the next few weeks. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PEER WEIGHS IN ON OBAMA OSM(RE) PICK Charleston Gazette — September 3, 2009 The group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has weighed in on President Obama's nomination of Joseph Pizarchik to run the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STATES WANT OWN EMISSIONS TARGETS Carbon Positive News — September 3, 2009 Five US states are lobbying federal Senators to be allowed to set their own tougher emissions reductions targets than those of the emerging national cap and trade scheme. Another state, Florida, appears to be heading in the opposite direction. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DEP CRITICIZED BY EPA, REDUCES OVERSIGHT NorthJesey.com — September 3, 2009 The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has a new way for signing off on cleanups, and some say it's equivalent to letting the foxes guard the hen house. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FLORIDA GUV BACKS OUT OF CLIMATE FIGHT dc.streetsblog.org — September 2, 2009 Crist's administration is scrapping efforts to combat climate change and won't be joinging a regional carbon cap-and-trade partnership...according to documents released today by the watchdog group PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ARIZONA OFFICIALS KILL MOUNTAIN LION NEAR KOFA WILDLIFE REFUGE Arizona Daily Star — September 2, 2009 This taking of a lion is a sign of continued ethical problems at the state agency, said Rep. Daniel Patterson, a Tuscon Democrat who is Southwest Director of PEER...It is simply immoral for the state to trap and collar predators in the name of research, then use them to track and kill the animals. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIROS BLAST OBAMA'S CHOICE FOR OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING Environmental News Service — September 2, 2009 President Obama selected Joseph Pizarchik, a long-time Pennsylvania mining regulator to head the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation, and Enforcement. In the view of the nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER, that was a mistake. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PREDATORY MOUNTAIN LION KILLED Yuma Sun — September 2, 2009 State game officials killed another collared mountain lion that they say has been preying on bighorn sheep in the Kofa Mountains Complex Predation Managment Area. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA CHIEF'S SPIN ON DEP AUDIT NorthJersey.com — September 1, 2009 An audit released Friday by the EPA criticized the state's Department of Environmental Protection for failing to implement improvements it promised to make in 2006. It also said officials in the DEP office responsible for hazardous site cleanups were not doing enough to check the work of contractors ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUP WILL SUE TO BAN SWIMMING WITH MANATEES Ft. Myers News-Press — September 1, 2009 A national environmental group says it will now sue in order to ban people from swimming with manatees. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility made the comment after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it would not outlaw the popular Florida activity. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DEP OPPOSES WIND FARM IN DELAWARE BAY Press of Atlantic City — September 1, 2009 Campbell and Sweeney's roles drew criticism Tuesday when the whistleblowers support group, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, accused them of pressuring DEP leaders to overrule their scientists' opposition to the wind park. PEER obtained several documents showing DEP's opposition... ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIRONMENTALISTS AT ODDS WITH OBAMA COAL MINING NOMINEE Uprising Radio — September 1, 2009 The Obama administration's slection of Joseph G. Pizarchik to direct the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement continues to draw the ire of environmentalists. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ARE RECYCLED TIRES A GOOD CHOICE? Detroit Free Press — September 1, 2009 Recycled rubber playground surfaces seem like a win-win situation...But some parents are having second thoughts now that the US EPA has said it isn't certain that chronic exposure to the chemicals found in tire crumb is safe. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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KEEP SWIMMING WITH MANATEES; FEDS SAY IT'S OK TheLedger.com — August 31, 2009 One of the critics is Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which questioned the seeming accommodation with commercial interests to keep this practice going. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FEDERAL OFFICIALS SAY THEY WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO SWIM WITH THE MANATEES IN CRYSTAL RIVER Tampa Bay Times — August 30, 2009 Federal wildlife officials have denied an environmental watchdog's request to end the popular but controversial activity. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA CRITICIZES NJ'S MONITORING OF CONTAMINATED SITES WNYC — August 28, 2009 WOLFE: The point of the audit is that the state has no basis to tell the public that they have the confidence that the decisions that they are making are really sound scientifically and actually protect the public health. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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REPORT: 'SIGNIFICANT SHORTCOMINGS' IN STATE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCY NorthJersey.com — August 27, 2009 "This audit is an indictment of DEP management for failing fundamental tests of competence,” said Bill Wolfe, a former DEP analyst who is director of New Jersey PEER, a public employee advocacy group. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA FINDS DEP NOT MAKING PROMISED FIXES AsburyParkPress.com — August 27, 2009 "This audit is an indictment of DEP management for failing fundamental tests of competence," Wolfe said. "Without basic procedures for assuring the accuracy and quality of performance data a public agency cannot even be sure that its shoes are tied." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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WOOD MULCH HELPING KEEP KIDS SAFE ON PLAYGROUNDS Crescent-News.com — August 27, 2009 But the advocacy group, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), recently obtained documents from the EPA that basically say the rubber chips from recycled tires can contain hazardous toxins such as lead, benzene and zinc. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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COMPLAINT ALLEGES PARK ASBESTOS CRIMES Jackson Hole News and Guide — August 26, 2009 Attorneys with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed a criminal complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency that named former Grand Teton superintendent Jack Neckles, acting superintendent Steve Iobst, facility manager Cam Hugie and environmental engineer Bob Wemple. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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HOW TO SAVE THE AMERICAN WEST TruthOut — August 26, 2009 Geologists, activists and husband and wife Dr. Howard Wilshire (board chairman of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) and Dr. Jane Nielson (president, Sebastopol Water Information Group) spent ten years writing "The American West at Risk." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CLOCK TICKS DOWN ON A DEADLY CHEMICAL STOCKPILE LA Times — August 23, 2009 Concerns about safety at Blue Grass were highlighted last month when lawyers for Donald Van Winkle obtained an investigative report through the Freedom of Information Act. The inspector general's report confirmed Van Winkle's allegation that a key air-monitoring component was improperly installed. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STATE MAY CLOSE PARK GATES BUT IT WON'T KEEP ME OUT SF Chronicle — August 22, 2009 When it comes to logic, it makes financial sense to keep all state parks open. Last year, state parks had 79.6 user visits that generated $2.6 billion in spending during those trips. For every dollar the state put into parks, it generated $2.35 in tax revenue. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CAMDEN CEMENT PLANT DISPUTES POLLUTION REPORT Philadelphia Inquirer — August 21, 2009 Controversy arose in the fall over Lioy's study, when it briefly appeared and then disappeared from the DEP Web site. A version labeled "final copy" was posted "prematurely and erroneously," Yuhas said, and was removed, but not before the company and interest groups, including PEER, reacted. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ARIZONA IS RIGHT TO KEEP COUGAR FROM SHEEP AREA Arizona Republic — August 21, 2009 The AZ Game and Fish Dept...imposed a moratorium on removing the lions while the assessment was in progress. But the federal document, originally due in October 2008, is late, and the moratorium has expired. Game and Fish is "going to act in restoring the critical Kofa bighorn herd..." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FLORIDA PANTHER KILLING A REAL SHAME OANow.com — August 11, 2009 “Same old song, same old verse, may be better but it could be worse,” came to mind when I read the most recent issue of PEEReview, published by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CONSIDER CleanGreenNJ's CALL FOR A DEP GOVERNMENT CLEAN-UP NJ Star-Ledger — August 11, 2009 As Jeff Ruch, director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, put it, "The back channels into DEP need to be shut down" because it is there, behind closed doors, where corruption blossoms. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA'S CHIEF ORDERS FULL STAFF COOPERATION WITH AGENCY AUDITORS New York Times — August 10, 2009 Jeff Ruch, executive director of the watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, welcomed the shift indicated by Jackson but questioned why the agency only addressed interactions with OIG and did not go further to encourage transparency. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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LAWSUIT CLAIMS PRISON RECYCLING 'POISONED' PARTICIPANTS Panama City News Herald — August 8, 2009 Cobb, who started working at the prison in 1991, is one of 26 plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit against the prison, claiming its computer recycling program is toxic and hazardous to workers’ health. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CleanGreenNJ CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION OF DEP Two River Times — August 7, 2009 In response to the recent widespread corruption allegations involving high-ranking New Jersey politicians and religious leaders, various environmental groups have joined together to form CleanGreenNJ to shed light on the effect this scandal and previous scandals have had on New Jersey's environment. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
