RENewsletter December 25, 2011

RENewsletter | December 25, 2011

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com

“Our Environment is changing: Keep up with the Change.”

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[12/02/11 – 12/18/11]

* Got news? | Go to my blog: Environmental Thoughts - Rochester, NY or Tweet me @ http://twitter.com/#!/FrankRrrr On Twitter and Facebook and Examiner/RochesterEnvironment, I post local environmental events, news, and commentary as soon as it happens. If you think this newsletter, which continually informs our community on our local environmental news, events, actions, is worthwhile, please encourage others to sign up. We need to Occupy the Rochester media to change how the public views environmental news.

The great conundrum of our times is that in a time of rapidly occurring Climate Change and a rapid disintegration of the environment that we need to thrive and survive, mainstream media still marginalizes environmental concerns. [Check often for this continually updated list on the possible consequences of Climate Change in our region--supported by facts.] If there isn’t a quick and substantial change in how environmental concerns are reported, edited, and chosen in mainstream media, the public will continue to believe that environmental concerns are merely special interest matters, issues they can avoid if they choose. How can we inform the public and monitor our environment without abridging our Freedoms--in enough time to safe ourselves?

* The December 2011 Environmental Site of the Month Award goes to Green Monroe.org: Go to Award.

Anything else you're interested in is not going to happen if you can't breathe the air and drink the water. Don't sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet. -- Carl Sagan

[Hyperlinks work by CTRL + click to follow a link]

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Opening Salvo: “Brown Christmas in Rochester, NY 2011: a harbinger of Climate Change?”

These unusually warm days before Christmas 2011 are but a few of the predicted thousands of extreme weather events that will come with Climate Change. Though it is incorrect and very unfashionable to say that these particular rainy and warm days during this December 2011 are a direct result of Climate Change, it’s just as incorrect to say that the February 5–6, 2010 North American blizzard also known as "Snowmaggedon" that put hope in the souls of a dying breed of Climate Change deniers proved that climate warming isn’t true. Actually, Climate Change models do predict periodic big snow fall events because our warmer air holds more water (about 4% more), and when that warm moisture hits cold air, you get snow—sometimes lots of it.

Back and forth those trying to engage the public on Climate Change, some who know what they are talking about and some who don’t, are trying to convey to a reluctant public their views on the greatest calamity humanity has ever faced . But it isn’t easy. In today’s political climate, where the old order of world views and economics prevail, where many are trying to hold on to their incorrect models about the way the world actually works, are fighting tooth and nail against the looming reality. This is the looming reality:

· The Year in Weather: It Was a Disaster Some areas experienced historic floods, others saw historic droughts. Is climate change to blame? A once-in-five-hundred-year flood inundated the Mississippi River valley. A once-in-a-century drought in Texas shriveled the summer's crops and sparked sweeping forest fires. The deadliest tornado season on record tore communities to splinters. 2011 was clearly a year of extreme weather. Perhaps it is a sign of the pending 2012 apocalypse, but more likely, it is the result of a changing climate that is amplifying extremes. The chart above marks more than 2,900 separate weather records broken this year, and these records were costly. In all, Mother Nature inflicted $52 billion dollars in damage on the United States. (December 22, 2011) The Atlantic

· Environment world review of the year: '2011 rewrote the record books' The ecologically tumultuous year saw record greenhouse gas emissions, melting Arctic sea ice, natural disasters and extreme weather – and the world's second worst nuclear disaster. The year 2011 was another ecologically tumultuous year with greenhouse gases rise to record levels, Arctic sea ice nearly equalling 2007's record melt, and temperatures the 11th highest ever recorded. It was marked on the ground by unparalleled extremes of heat and cold in the US, droughts and heatwaves in Europe and Africa, and record numbers of weather-related natural disasters. (December 22, 2011) The Guardian

· Climate Scientists Hampered in Study of 2011 Extremes Scientists say they could, in theory, do a much better job of answering the question “Did global warming have anything to do with it?” after extreme weather events like the drought in Texas and the floods in New England. But for many reasons, efforts to put out prompt reports on the causes of extreme weather are essentially languishing. Chief among the difficulties that scientists face: the political environment for new climate-science initiatives has turned hostile, and with the federal budget crisis, money is tight. (December 25, 2011) The New York Times

Dismissing, ignoring, and putting off reality for a future time just won’t do. Things are getting hot. But how do Climate Change communicators talk to the public about this unsavory topic? Right now, in order to be a Climate Change communicator, one has to bend over backwards not to say things like ‘Climate Change Crisis,’ ‘Global Warming’, ‘Methane Bomb’ (the potential massive release of stored up methane gas in permafrost regions), or anything else that seems offensive to the social standards of good taste. Even religion is having a tough go of it:

From the pews: Facing the reality of climate change Katharine Hayhoe is an evangelical Christian climate scientist who, when asked whether she “believes” in climate change, answers “no.” Don’t get Hayhoe wrong: She’s convinced that climate change is happening and that humans are causing it, like the vast majority of other climate scientists. She just doesn’t like talking about something like climate science in terms of “belief.” (December 16, 2011) Climate Reality

Here’s the thing: Should Climate Change communicators use fear, hope, or military thinking that says Climate Change will put more stress into all world conflicts like those that will arise over water shortages? Should they present the possible green energy paradigm, where we can use all our gadgets without guilt, or really advocate that we stop buying anything that isn’t energy efficient? Or, should they cling to sports events, movies, and vacation trips, thus pandering to the public’s tendency towards escapism?

Should they link every extreme weather event to Climate Change, or never do it and let the message seep in through a kind of unconscious osmosis? Should they connect the dots between expert studies on Climate and local news stories areas (like Rochesterenvironment.com does)? Should they use psychology and sociology or just the power of the market? Should they use the insurance argument that it’s going to get very expensive to live next to coastal areas because of sea rise due to glacier calving? Maybe we should use the World War II analogy where we all got together and faced the common enemy when the time was ripe—though, with something so all-over-the-board as Climate Change it’s hard to tell when the time is ripe so people can get going.

Or should we just lay out the facts and say things like the last time our planet’s atmosphere was at our present 390ppm of Carbon Dioxide, sea level was seventy-five feet above what it is now-- which, if enough time were to pass and the concentration was held at 390ppm, the glacial melts and other associated effects (like warm water expansion and the oceans being less capable of sequestrating carbon dioxide) would put us at that mark. Florida, by the way, which is only a few feet above sea level, would be long gone.

The truth is that our environment has changed. However Climate Change communicators spin the message, our planet’s atmosphere is warming up. As Bill McKibben states in Eaarth, our atmosphere holds 4% more water vapor since the era in which we evolved. Everything now and in the future on this planet must be viewed through the lens of Climate Change. Even those environmental groups who view themselves as preservationists will have to change how they act as environmentalists because their targets will be forever moving in a changing climate.

This brown Christmas might be a moment to reflect that this Christmas weather might be the new normal for Rochester, NY.

FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com (Click on my email for feedback)

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NewsLinks – Environmental NewsLinks – [Highlights of major environmental stories concerning our area from the past week]

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Updates – Daily Updates – [Connecting the dots on Rochester’s environment. Find out what’s going on environmentally in our area—and why you should care? Clicking on -DISCUSSION – will take you to my blog “Environmental Thoughts, NY, where you can add your comments.]

12/24/2011 - Some good programs coming up for the winter at Audubon Centers Montezuma: Wild Winter Programs at the Montezuma Audubon Center Space is limited. Registration required for these programs. To register or for more information about the Montezuma Audubon Center or its programs please call 315-365-3588 or e-mail montezuma@audubon.org. *Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex receive a 50% discount for programs marked with an asterisk.*
12/23/2011 - Climate Change is not a political issue, but in the US it isThere’s no way Climate Change is not political in the US. Not only have the extreme wing of the Republican party robbed the party of a coherent position on the science of Climate Change, the present GOP Presidential candidates haven’t a clue as to how to please their money-backers and talk to the media about Climate Change at all. Word is that the GOP has been told not to talk to the press about Climate Change, except to say the regulators (like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)) are a job-killer. Ouch! Those Republicans can really sling a slur against sanity. Dutifully, we who understand Climate Change and science have to say that the Republic Party produced Presidents like Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon who did much to preserve and protect our environment. (OK, I just did that.) more...
12/23/2011 - Top 5 Craziest Things GOP Contenders Said on Climate in 2011 | ThinkProgress Sure, the extremist wing of the GOP has been saying crazy things about climate for a while (see Rep. Shimkus: “Man will not destroy this Earth. This Earth will not be destroyed by a flood”). But the anti-science wing is now in charge (see John Boehner says on ABC: “The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical”). And it has been able to make climate craziness a litmus test for the Presidency. (December 20, 2011) Top 5 Craziest Things GOP Contenders Said on Climate in 2011 | ThinkProgress
12/23/2011 - Despite Fracking boom in NYS there are signs that renewable energy and a chance to address our energy needs rationally aren’t dead.NYLCV Joins Call For Offshore Wind Energy | New York League of Conservation Voters

Wind Works 4 Long Island Coalition says it's time for New York to get moving | New York has substantial offshore wind resources and there are currently several proposals to develop job-producing clean energy off the coast of Long Island. (December 21, 2011) New York League of Conservation Voters | Electing for the Environment [more on Wind Power in our area]

12/23/2011 - Save the planet, surf the web I know, it sounds just a little too convenient and ridiculously easy to think we can save the planet by surfing the web. But hear me out. Your great big brain added to all the other human brains pondering our collective fate and interconnecting with each other on Climate Change could be one of our most effective Climate Change strategies. For without a wholesale understanding of the Climate Change crisis by the public, all the other stuff—Climate Change talks, Climate Change actions plans, specific Climate Change Action (Tar Sands Action), and all those little things we do to limit our carbon footprints--are just are not going to happen at the speed and across-the board changes that will matter. Climate Change cannot be solved by doing little things here and there. (This is the bottom-up approach.) more..
12/23/2011 - Want to learn even more about Climate Change? Check out this no-holds-barred web site that describes what is coming for us if we don’t begin immediate action on Climate Change. I caught Dr. Miller’s talk yesterday and I was impressed by the directness of message: November 18, 2011: Climate One / The Commonwealth Club of California, 595 Market St., San Francisco, CA. Open to the public. “Boom or Bust?” talk. Audio available in iTunes. Description and links to audio and video at Climate-One web site. Climate Place "Climate change will be much worse, much sooner than most people think. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UN IPCC) 2007 report, while rather dire, is actually a best-case analysis. The IPCC’s report did not include the effects of “amplifying feedbacks” such as melting permafrost releasing methane -- a powerful greenhouse gas -- which causes more warming, which melts more permafrost, and on and on. Including such effects leads to much more dire results than the UN presented. The near-term (next few decades) impacts of climate change will be very unpleasant and costly. The impacts and costs after mid-century will be totally unacceptable - a bust. There is a simple and effective way to address the problem: put a price on carbon. "
12/22/2011 - Why it’s important not to install a GOP President of US – It could get lonely. This story about the European Union (EU) ruling that planes flying in and out of European airports having to pay a carbon tax presents an interesting heuristic for our possible future. One of our possible futures (think of the point Bush vs. Gore where we might have had a future with Gore as President and not the disastrous Bush back in 2000) is that the GOP tactics of fighting all environmental regulations and attempts to dismantle the EPA actually work and we end up with a GOP President. Then, we in the US would have a President who doesn’t understand the science behind Climate Change. more...
12/21/2011 - Have you seen the new Fracking video going around the Internet? Get’s the point across. Yale Environment 360: Time Ranks ‘Fracking’ Rap Among Most Creative Videos of 2011 An online video featuring an unlikely fusion of hip-hop lyrics and the natural gas extraction technology known as “fracking” was ranked number 2 on Time magazine’s list of most creative videos in 2011. Produced by a team of students from New York University’s Studio 20 journalism program, the video, “My Water’s on Fire Tonight (The Fracking Song),” features a rap-style description of the hydraulic fracturing drilling process — and its possible environmental consequences — over animated graphics and a funky backbeat. Yale Environment 360: Opinion, Analysis, Reporting & Debate
12/20/2011 - Climate Change information: Check out ClimateOne and especially the podcasts for learning about the latest talk on Climate Change. I’ve started going over the past conversations on Climate Change here and find them to be very enlightening. You get a sense of the awareness scientist, government, and business leaders have on the Climate Change Crisis, and a lot of speculation as to why the public falling behind on understanding Climate Change. ClimateOne "Climate One at The Commonwealth Club is a thriving leadership dialogue on energy, the environment and the economy. It brings together top thinkers and doers from business, government, academia and advocacy groups to advance the discussion about a clean energy future. "
12/20/2011 - Ban the bag in Rochester, NY? Maybe Rochester should consider banning the bag. Seattle can do it and so should we. (See below.) Over a short period of time I suspect a total ban on plastic bags and a 5 cents cost on paper bags will reduce a lot of the waste that is flying about our City of Rochester’s trails, neighborhoods, and ponds. If you can think of another way, other than passing a ‘ban-the-bag’ bill, please let me know. On their own, the indifferent, those who litter and think of our environment as their personal trash can, will not make an effort to recycle or use re-useable bags—that are becoming the rage in Rochester. The freedom to litter seems to be the first freedom that some wish to engage in as they begin to mature. more...
12/20/2011 - This is so the issue that needs more media attention in the up-coming election year: Election 101: Where the GOP candidates stand on energy and the environment - Newt Gingrich - CSMonitor.com Energy and the environment are typically “back burner” issues in national elections, but both are huge this year for Republicans. From tarring President Obama’s administration with allegations of mismanagement and favoritism for pushing renewable-energy and a “green jobs” agenda, to lambasting “job-killing” environmental regulations, GOP candidates have embraced both energy and environmental issues with gusto. Take a look at where each of them stands. (December 20, 2011) The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com
12/20/2011 - Environmental Groups Applaud Seattle City Council for their Leadership on Bags — People For Puget Sound Bag ordinance passes: plastic bag ban, 5 cents on paper bags | Seattle. The Seattle City Council today unanimously passed the Seattle Bag Ordinance (Council Bill 11734). This vote was applauded by the coalition of environmental groups – Environment Washington, Surfrider Foundation, People For Puget Sound, Sierra Club, Zero Waste Seattle, and others – who have been working to develop grassroots support for the ordinance. Special praise goes to Council Member Mike O’Brien for his leadership on the bag ordinance and the phone book opt-out ordinance last year. “This ordinance to ban plastic bags is part of a larger Zero Waste initiative that also includes a ban on styrofoam, citywide residential organics composting, and providing our residents and businesses with a chance to stop unwanted yellow pages deliveries. These are all concrete steps towards reducing unnecessary waste in Seattle,” said O’Brien. “We are saving the city money and we are reducing impacts on the environment. Building towards our waste reduction goals are also a key part of our overall efforts to be a carbon neutral city by 2050.” (December 19, 2011) People For Puget Sound: Our vision is a clean and healthy Puget Sound. — People For Puget Sound
12/19/2011 - Find out how that Fracking is working for our friends in Pennsylvania. Track the number of operators, active wells, violations, and fines. Those poor people. Shale Play: Natural Gas Drilling in Pennsylvania | NPR StateImpact: Issues That Matter. Close To Home. "The Marcellus Shale has been underneath Pennsylvania for centuries, but the extraction of natural gas began only recently. The gas boom is changing the landscape of northeastern and southwestern Pennsylvania. Use this tool to learn which operators are drilling, and where. Find gas-producing wells in your county or municipality — and see whether the drillers have been cited for violating state environmental regulations. Read more about the data. " from NPR StateImpact: Issues That Matter. Close To Home.
12/19/2011 - Climate Change will strain NYS’s water even if we don’t Frack New York State has a lot of fresh water and, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), we are going to weather Climate Change. The West and the South of the United States are not going to fare so well. So you might think that piling on hydrofracking (or Fracking), which will require a lot of our fresh water for drilling, to the stresses that will be caused by Climate Change wouldn’t matter much. And that is actually the conclusion of the Report 11-18 Response to Climate Change in New York State (ClimAID) report that NYSERDA funded and completed last month. This report is a very comprehensive look at Climate Change in New York State. What the report suggests is that “As much as 7 million gallons of water may be required to hydraulically fracture a well.” (Page 94, ClimAid) “Increased consumption due to natural gas drilling in deep shales” will be “low.” (Page 444, ClimAid). The report also states that we should feel assured about our fresh water because “The commissions already have guidelines for determining acceptable withdrawals during low-flow periods, and other possible guidelines have recently been proposed in the generic environmental impact statement related to shale gas drilling in New York State.” (Page 100, ClimAid) more...

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Events – Rochester Environmental Events Calendar – [The most complete listing of all environmental events around the Rochester, New York area.] If you don’t see your event, or know of a local environmental event, please send me the info: FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com with (EV event) in the subject line.

January 2012

· SAVE THE DATE!! 2012 HYDROFRACKING DAY OF ACTION IN ALBANY JAN 23, 2012 http://www.citizenscampaign.org/special_features/fracking/fracking-day-of-action.asp

April 2012

· Friday, April 27, 2012 At "The Links" in East Syracuse, New York

o Eighth Annual Symposium on Energy in the 21st Century | DescriptionofSymposium A Division of Synapse Sustainability Trust Inc. Looking Ahead to a Future in Renewable Energy A Local & Global Perspective Friday, April 27, 2012 At "The Links" in East Syracuse, New York Symposium on April 27, 2012. Registration opens today. This Symposium is noted as one of the most important energy conferences in the Northeast. This will be a very well attended Symposium and I encourage you to register ASAP. Last year we closed registration early at 360 attendees. This year we are going global, and including successful models of energy sustainability from other countries. Ruggero Schleicher-Tappeser, will be flying in from Berlin exclusively for this Symposium to speak Germany's success in using renewable energy, particularly solar voltaic. Willett Kempton, Ph.D, Visiting Professor at Denmarks Tekniske Universitet, will be speaking on Denmark's model, particularly in wind energy. Other esteemed speakers include Garry Brown, Chairman PSC, Laura Morton, Senior Advisor for Renewable Energy, U.S.D.O.E, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Paul Tonko, Congressman, Nathanael Green, Director of Renewable Energy Policy, NRDC, Michael Gerrard, Director Climate Center, Columbia Law School, and Kit Kennedy, Counsel to Air & Energy Program, NRDC, who will be the moderator. Our keynote will be Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Included in the program is greetings from Frank Murray, President & CEO NYSERDA, and Joe Martens and, Commisioner DEC. We are giving a special award to Joanie Mahoney, County Executive of Onondaga County for her exceptional work. This will be a landmark Symposium!!

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Action – Take Action - Often, I receive request to pass on alerts, petitions, Public Comments on local developments, and environmental items needing action by the Rochester Community and around the world. I’ll keep Actions posted until their due date.

· ACTION: Due Date January 22, 2012

o DEC to Hold Public Information Meetings on Draft Regulations to Protect New York's Water Resources - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation 60-day Public Comment Period Runs through January 22, 2012 Three public information meetings will be held in December on draft regulations to protect New York's waters, including the Great Lakes, by requiring users of significant volumes of water to obtain a state permit before withdrawing the water, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced today. The comment period for the draft water withdrawal regulations concludes on January 22, 2012. "These regulations will better preserve and protect New York's water resources and implement the requirements of legislation Governor Cuomo signed into law earlier this year," said DEC Commissioner Martens. "DEC's proposed regulations will protect the environment while also fostering economic growth through enhanced water resource management for the benefit of New York's residents, businesses and farmers." (December 3, 2011) Press Releases - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation [more on Water Quality in our area] December 8 West Henrietta Fire Training Center (Station 6) 60 Erie Station Rd Extension West Henrietta, NY 14586

· ACTION:Due Date Now

o Request from the DEC for some help on keeping our Great Lakes healthy: "Your Observations Can Help the Health of the Great Lakes! If you spend time around the Great Lakes shoreline, please consider sharing your observations of injured or dead animals, or algal blooms by using the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - Wildlife Health Event Reporter (http://glri.wher.org/) (GLRI-WHER). Scientists working in state, federal and non-profit agencies are looking for your help to identify events that are important in research of avian botulism and algal bloom outbreaks, in the interest of protecting wildlife from this disease as well as algal neurotoxins. For a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem, do your part and share what you see by setting up a reporter account (http://glri.wher.org/users/add) on the GLRI-WHER website. E-mail any questions regarding reporting to botnet@wdin.org. For more details on avian (type E) botulism (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/28433.html), visit the DEC website. "

· ACTION: Due Date: Now

o Think Fracking is a bad idea for New York State, and maybe even around Rochester, NY? Then, go here and sign yet another petition to stop it: Ban the gas harvesting process known as Fracking in the United States. | The White House Ban the gas harvesting process known as Fracking in the United States. Hydraulic Fracturing, or "Fracking" as it is more commonly referred to is the process of extracting natural gas from beneath the planet's surface by pumping pressurized fluids deep underground, causing fractures and releasing gas. There have been many reports of health problems that may have been caused by this process as well as well documented videos showing people who live near these facilities turning on their kitchen sink, and being able to light the running water on fire because of how much gas is in it. There is even evidence that fracking may be the cause of some earthquakes. Congress exempted fracturing fluid from regulations of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2005, despite the fact that they contain carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, biocides, and other petroleum products.

· ACTION: Due date: Now

o Take action for our Great Lakes "Speak Out Now to Set the U.S.-Canada Strategy for Protecting our Great Lakes The health of our Great Lakes is threatened by new challenges — including invasive species, climate change, habitat loss and emerging contaminants. The United States and Canada are now completing negotiations on an updated version of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, a binational agreemet to address Great Lakes threats. " from Alliance for the Great Lakes

· ACTION: Take action, due Date: January 11, 2012, make public comment, on the most important and immediate environmental concern in our area.

o DEC Begins 90-Day Public Comment Period on Draft Hydraulic Fracturing Study - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Four Public Hearings Planned DEC to Move Forward with Hydraulic Fracturing Regulations Concurrently with Draft SGEIS Socio-economic Study Shows Potential for 6,200 to 24,800 FTE Positions with $420 Million to $1.7 Billion in Wages The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation opened a more than 90-day public comment period on its revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. In addition, the agency will issue its proposed regulations governing high-volume hydraulic fracturing in early October. (September 7, 2011) Press Releases - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation [more on Energy in our area]

· ACTION due date now

o Take action against hydrofracking. Not enthralled with the possibility of hydrofracking in New York State possibly contaminating our drinking water? Take ACTION: Take Action to Help Food & Water Watch Protect the Commons | Food & Water Watch "With mounting evidence that fracking for natural gas is poisoning our air and water, and a national movement against fracking that continues to grow, why is Congress poised to commit us to an energy policy that will encourage even more fracking? Please fill out the form below to take action. Your message will be sent directly to your legislators. To edit the letter, take action here. "--from Food & Water Watch

· Action: Due Date - Now

o Join a new local Hydrofracturing Action Alert email list by contacting Anna Sears asears@rochester.rr.com. Also the local Sierra Club's Global Warming & Energy Committee has been addressing the topic of Hydrofracturing. They meet the 2nd Monday evening of the month. Contact bteheger@juno.com for more info. Also - you may wish to review this coalition letter Coalition Letter to Governor Cuomo Regarding Executive Order No. 41: Requiring Further Environmental Review of High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Combined With Horizontal Drilling | Toxics Targeting and Governor Cuomo issued a "continuation" of Executive Order No. 41 on his first day in office, as he earlier signaled he would. See: No. 2 REVIEW, CONTINUATION AND EXPIRATION OF PRIOR EXECUTIVE ORDERS | Governor

· ACTION: on or before December 31, 2012.

o Review information from webinars and make public comment on “EPA is requesting public input on proposed new safeguards for hazardous secondary materials recycling to protect public health and the environment.” DSW Rulemakings for RCRA Hazardous Waste Regulations | Definition of Solid Waste | Wastes | US EPA This page provides information on current and past rulemakings and links to Federal Register Notices specific to the definition of solid waste. | 2011 Proposed Rule EPA is requesting public input on proposed new safeguards for hazardous secondary materials recycling to protect public health and the environment. The proposal modifies EPA’s 2008 Definition of Solid Waste (DSW) rule, which revised hazardous waste regulations to encourage recycling of hazardous secondary materials. EPA is asking for comment on potential revisions to address concerns raised by the Sierra Club, as well as other environmental organizations. Under a settlement agreement with the Sierra Club that has been filed with the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, EPA has committed to take final action on this proposed rulemaking on or before December 31, 2012. Federal Register - July 22, 2011 US Environmental Protection Agency [more on Recycling in our area]

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Award – Environmental Site of the Month Award – [On the last Sunday of each month, we present an environmental award for the Rochester-area environmental web site or blog that best promotes the need to protect and offers solutions for our area's environmental issues.]

The December 2011 Environmental Site of the Month Award goes to Green Monroe.org. Our county, Monroe County, has taken a big step in educating the public by using the Internet in a very environmentally specific way. Sure, our government has always understood the importance of recycling and educating the public about doing the right thing for our environment, but Green Monroe.org takes that responsibility a step further by taking the initiative on new ideas for jobs and energy that will be critical in world that is warming—because of Climate Change. Governments, businesses, environmental groups, and the public are all going to have to focus sharply on the looming environmental issues that come with Climate Change and Green Monroe.org ‘gets it.’

Green Monroe.org “Welcome to GreenMonroe.org – a place to find rebates, subsidies, incentives and grants available to community of Monroe County to lower energy cost and buy renewable energy.” MyMonroe. Opening Up Government. | Monroe County, NY