News February 2007
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Hamlin wind tower committee faces overflow crowd
Moratorium on tower placement to be considered -
Questions, criticism and bewilderment characterized the exchanges made
by attendees in the full-to-overflowing meeting room at the Town of
Hamlin offices during the February 20 wind tower committee meeting.
Several individuals called for the meeting to be canceled and
rescheduled at a larger venue so those individuals who were forced to
stand in the hall could hear and have their comments heard. (FEB 25, 07)
Westside
News Inc.
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News
- First Wind Turbine Up in Lackawanna LACKAWANNA, N.Y. (AP) --
There's a wind farm growing at a site outside Buffalo that used to
produce steel. Construction of the first wind turbine has been completed
at the former Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna, on Lake Erie just
south of Buffalo. Earlier this week workers attached the three
150-foot-long blades to a tower. (Feb 22, 07)
WGRZ.com
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From Brewery to Gas Tank—Ethanol Plant Proposed - 13WHAM.com Right
now it just goes into the sewer, but Monroe County has ideas for turning
the beer byproduct into energy. (March 04, 07)
13WHAM.com
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DEC announces "State of Lake Ontario" meetings
- The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Wednesday
announced three upcoming public meetings to discuss Lake Ontario
fisheries. The ninth annual "State of Lake Ontario" public meetings will
be held in Monroe, Niagara, and Oswego counties. Wednesday, March 14,
2007: 7-10 p.m. at the Ingel Auditorium, in Building 4 (Student Union)
on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus, Rochester, Monroe
County. The meeting is co-hosted by RIT and the Monroe County Fishery
Advisory Board.
New York State News on the Net!
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Future of Two Finger Lakes in Question - 13WHAM.com Whether Hemlock
Lake in Livingston County and Canadice Lake in Ontario County remain the
last Finger Lakes untouched by anything more than Mother Nature could be
decided by next year. (March 3, 07)
13WHAM.com
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Cool Cars Fuel Rochester Economy - 13WHAM.com (Rochester, N.Y.) --
Visitors to the Greater Rochester Car Show learned that many of these
cars of the future are not only shiny and cool-looking, but that are
good for both the environment and for the local economy. (March 2, 07)
13WHAM.com
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TheStar.com - News - Grading greenbelt's guardians Advocates' report
sees positive moves but also glaring areas for improvement, like cutting
highways to remote projects - The greenbelt that's intended to curb
sprawl and preserve natural areas in the Golden Horseshoe won't survive
unless the province gets much tougher about protecting it, says a report
to be released today. Development is already slated for at least one
part of the 720,000-hectare band of farmland, forests and meadows that
stretches from Niagara Falls to Peterborough, and north to Lake Simcoe.
(March 1, 07)
TheStar.com
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Governor Wants Expanded Deposit Law
- ALBANY, N.Y. Recycling advocates from across the state headed to
Albany Tuesday to support Governor Eliot Spitzer's bottle deposit
proposal. (Feb 27, 07)
R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
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MPNnow.com: Gorham wants more time on turbine law - The Town Board
has proposed extending a moratorium on wind farms for 90 days. GORHAM —
The town’s moratorium on wind farms expired last Wednesday, but
officials want to extend it 90 more days while they finish up work on a
law to regulate turbines. A hearing on the extension is set for
Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall. (Feb 28, 07)
MPNnow.com: Rochester
and Western Finger Lakes News, Entertainment, Sports, Opinions, Photos
and More
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Local bird flu research aids FDA
- Findings from vaccine study presented to federal panel — The federal
government is one step closer to approving a vaccine against bird flu,
in part due to research at the University of Rochester Medical Center's
Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit. An advisory panel said Tuesday
that the vaccine currently being studied is safe and effective and
should continue to be stockpiled in the event a new strain of influenza
poses a threat to the United States. But there is evidence that the
current vaccine still wouldn't protect many people against the H5N1
strain of bird flu. (February 28, 2007)
Democrat & Chronicle
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New York assists in eliminating pest that kills ash trees
- The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the
Department of Environmental Conservation Monday announced the state's
response to help the State of Maryland eradicate the Emerald Ash Borer,
a destructive invasive forest health pest that causes a high rate of
mortality in infested native ash trees. - (Feb 28, 07)
New York State News on the Net!
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DEC announces the 2006 black bear harvest
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Tuesday announced the results for the 2006 black bear hunting seasons.
Big Game hunters harvested 318 bears in the Adirondack bear range, 113
bears in the Allegany bear range, and 365 bears in the Catskill bear
range. (Feb 28, 07)
New York State News on the Net!
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Clinton promotes plan for 'greenprint' in area
- Senator tours school building that uses fuel cell — EAST
ROCHESTER — U.S. senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
stopped in East Rochester on Monday to unveil a 12-step plan to help the
environment and the local economy. The plan, "Greenprint Rochester, New
York: Turning Green into Growth," is the result of a conference that
Clinton organized last fall with Greater Rochester Enterprise and the
U.S. Green Building Council. More than 50 local leaders, architects,
engineers, city planners and business people gathered to discuss ways
that the Rochester region could develop, promote and use alternative
energy sources. (February 27, 2007)
Democrat & Chronicle
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Bottle bill plan likely faces fight
— ALBANY — Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposal to expand
the state's bottle-deposit law to juices, water and other beverages
could turn out to be one of his toughest fights this year. About 50
groups are lined up to lobby for or against it, with opponents claiming
the plan amounts to a $200 million tax increase. (February 24, 2007)
Democrat & Chronicle
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Flu widespread in NY, but mild locally
- The New York State Health Department is reporting that influenza is
now widespread based on reports of the illness from 55 counties,
including New York City. A 4-month-old from Oneida County died from the
flu earlier this month. And the state health department reports that,
compared with previous years, there have been more flu-related
hospitalizations reported among younger age groups this year throughout
New York state. (Feb 23, 07)
Democrat & Chronicle
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EPA fines contractor for destroying wetlands outside
Rochester - A local utility contractor working
outside of Rochester, New York will be required by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency to restore wetlands it filled illegally,
and pay a $5,000 penalty for the violation of federal law. (Feb 22, 07)
New York State News on the Net!
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Buffalo News - Powering up 'Steel Winds' First of 8 giant turbines
completed at old Bethlehem site - One windmill up - seven more to go.
The first of eight massive wind turbines that will make up the "Steel
Winds" wind farm at the old Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna was
completed Monday afternoon as workers attached the three 153-foot-long
blades to a tower. ( Feb 21, 07)
The Buffalo News
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State Health Department: Flu Widespread in New York Upstate Infant
Death Linked to Flu Complications ALBANY – February 22, 2007 – The New
York State Department of Health today announced that influenza (flu) has
been classified as "widespread" in New York based on laboratory
confirmed cases and reports of influenza outbreaks in 55 counties
including New York City. The death of a four-month-old infant from
Oneida County was reported earlier this month from complications
resulting from Type A influenza. This is the second childhood death
reported this year in New York believed to be related to flu. (Feb 22,
07) New York State Department
of Health
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DEC extends emergency regulation to help Prevent spread
of VHS - The New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation Tuesday announced that the emergency
regulations to help prevent the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia
to additional waters in the state have been extended. The 21-day
extension took place on February 16, 2007, and will continue the
existing provisions which were enacted on November 21, 2006, that limit
the release, possession, and taking of certain bait and other live fish
species. (Feb 21, 07)
New York State News on the Net!
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MPNnow.com: Perinton seeks ban on outdoor furnaces A public has the
chance to weigh in on the decision Feb. 28. PERINTON – To keep the
environment clean and neighbors smoke free, leaders in the town of
Perinton wants to partially ban outdoor wood-burning furnaces in most
places. The proposed law would only allow residents with five acres or
more to operate the devices used to heat homes and hot water. (Feb 20,
07) MPNnow.com:
Rochester and Western Finger Lakes News, Entertainment, Sports,
Opinions, Photos and More
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Penfield adds 82 acres of open space to town
- PENFIELD — The Town of Penfield has added 82 acres to its open-space
program. (Feb 20, 07)
Democrat & Chronicle
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Seneca County communities at odds over water
- WATERLOO - Seneca County officials north and south of the
Cayuga-Seneca Canal are at odds over water. Those in Seneca County Water
District 1, which serves southern parts of the county, are considering
building their own water treatment plant and not relying on water
supplied indirectly through the village of Waterloo. The village claims
it needs revenues from the south county to maintain the plant. It went
into debt in 2001 to upgrade the plant to accommodate the new Five
Points Correctional Facility at the former Seneca Army Depot. (Feb 17,
07) Finger Lakes
Times Online
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NYS
Conservation Tax Credit New York State Conservation Easement Tax
Credit Beginning with the 2006 tax year, this innovative Conservation
Easement Tax Credit will give New York State landowners whose land is
restricted by a conservation easement an annual refund of 25% of the
property taxes paid on that land, up to $5,000 per year. It is available
to all owners of conservation easement-restricted land, regardless of
when the easement was created, provided that the easement was wholly or
partially donated to a public or private conservation agency (a
governmental body or any qualified private or not-for-profit charitable
corporation or trust). --from
New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation - Protecting NY's Environment
and Managing its Natural Resources
- Noted community health expert coming to Rochester
- Tom Farley, MD, MPH is the Chairman of the Department of Community
Health at Tulane University in New Orleans. He is the co-author of
Prescription for a Healthy Nation. The Journal of the American Medical
Association hailed his “important message that should be shared with
everyone” as “perhaps the best solution to this nation’s health care
woes.”
- Says Dr. Farley “In America we spend nearly twice as
much for health care as any other nation. So why are we among the
sickest people in the industrialized world? Something is wrong about the
way we are approaching health in the United States. We don’t need
another health care reform plan, we need a new way to think about
health.”
- Dr. Farley will be coming to Rochester as part of a
lecture series co-sponsored by Pediatric Links with the Community, the
Environmental Health Sciences Center and the Center for Community Health
of the University of Rochester, as well as the Rochester Regional
Community Design Center.
- Dr. Farley will talk about “Healthscaping: Improving
our lives by fixing our everyday world” with a focus on hot health
topics including childhood obesity. Lectures will be at 8:00 am on
Tuesday, March 20 in the Twig Auditorium at Rochester General Hospital,
and at 8:30 am on Wednesday, March 21 in the Class of ’62 Auditorium at
the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Farley will be signing
books and presenting a broader discussion of community health issues on
Tuesday, March 20 at 7:00 pm at St. Monica’s Church located at 831
Genesee Street. There is free parking in the lot next to the church.
- These talks should be fascinating and informative for
people interested in how good public policy could dramatically improve
our health. All talks are open to the public. For additional
information, please visit www.plccare.org or call (585) 273-3737 or (585) 273-5942.
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Author to talk about his book —
BRIGHTON — Edward Wilson — a Harvard University biology professor and
author named by Time magazine as among "America's 25 Most Influential
People" — will talk about his new book, The Creation: A Meeting of
Science and Religion, at 7 p.m. March 5 in Monroe Community College's
Brighton Campus Theater. (February 17, 2007)
Democrat & Chronicle
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Cornell scientists find quick test to detect deadly fish
virus ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) -- A new test will
help scientists quickly detect a fast-spreading aquatic virus that
threatens the Great Lakes fishing industry, according to its developers
at Cornell University. Current tests for the viral hemorrhagic
septicemia virus involve culturing cells and can take up to a month. The
new technique, which measures viral genetic material, takes only 24
hours to identify the virus, said Paul Bowser, a Cornell professor of
aquatic animal medicine. (Feb 15, 07)
The Ithaca Journal - www.theithacajournal.com - Ithaca,
NY
- New EPA
rules could mean cleaner burning school buses - News - MSNBC.com
Somebody is finally doing something about that smelly, dirty exhaust
from school buses. And that somebody is the United States government.
The Environmental Protection Agency has new clean air rules for diesel
school buses. New buses should burn 90 percent cleaner when it comes to
soot and 95 percent cleaner when it comes to nitrogen oxide. But the new
school buses are expensive, and retrofitting older ones isn't cheap
either. (Feb 12, 07)
Rochester,
NY news from WHEC-TV - MSNBC.com
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Students invited to join in environment competition State Senator
George D. Maziarz and other elected officials have called for local
student entries for the 16th annual "I*MA*GREEN*NATION" Celebration, a
statewide competition that encourages student awareness of environmental
issues. The State-sponsored competition is open to students in grades
one through eight, and includes an awards presentation at the State
Capitol in Albany on Tuesday, May 15, where winners will receive award
medals, view submissions by their fellow students from around the state,
and have the opportunity to tour the seat of state government. (Feb 11,
07) Westside News Inc.
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Upstate senator demands action on chemical landfils ALBANY - Twenty
years after New York passed a law requiring the redistribution and
phasing out of chemical-waste landfills, the state is no closer to
completing a plan, lawmakers and environmental advocates said yesterday.
Sen. George Maziarz, R-Niagara County, proposed a bill that would compel
the state Department of Environmental Conservation to comply with the
1987 law. The measure also aims to update the law to reflect
advancements made in the disposal of hazardous waste. (Feb 13, 07)
THE JOURNAL NEWS: LOHUD.COM
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City, Water Authority to talk about future
— Monroe County Water Authority and Rochester officials are scheduled to
begin discussions this month that will shape the future of both water
systems. City officials and Water Authority officials say all options
are on the table — including consolidation. But Mayor Robert Duffy said
this week that the city would want a greatly restructured authority
board before it can agree to a merged system. (February 9, 2007)
Democrat & Chronicle
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'Fish Ebola virus' threatens lakes A resurgent Lake Michigan salmon
fishery that survived a devastating bacterial disease in the 1980s and
'90s might soon face its greatest threat: an imported disease that
biologists call "Ebola virus for fish." Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or
VHS, is sweeping across the Great Lakes, leaving thousands of dead fish
in its wake. Like the Ebola virus in humans that has killed thousands in
Africa, VHS makes fish bleed to death from their eyes and other
orifices. VHS does not affect humans. (Feb 11, 07)
MLive.com: Everything
Michigan
- IJC's
13th Biennial Report Calls for Strong Great Lakes Accountability
Framework by the two National Governments -
CHICAGO. In its Thirteenth Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality,
released today, the International Joint Commission recommends that the
governments of Canada and the United States create and apply an
uncommonly strong Accountability Framework for Great Lakes restoration
and protection under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. (Feb 10,
07) IJC-CMI
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Suburban Spotlight: Scrub put to diesel fumes
- Retrofitted school buses in Greece, Fairport and
Livonia will run cleaner - Unpleasant and unhealthful diesel fumes from
school buses will be a thing of the past soon in the Greece Central
School District and two other local districts. The district is
retrofitting its bus fleet with equipment that will significantly lower
diesel emissions. The equipment, called diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC)
and closed crankcase filtration (CCF) systems, also is being installed
in the Fairport School District, the Livonia School District in
Livingston County and another downstate district. (February 4, 2007)
Democrat & Chronicle
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Monroe County Health Department grants target lead
poisoning - The Monroe County Department of
Public Health is providing up to $5,000 to qualified city property
owners to reimburse costs associated with reducing lead hazards. (Feb
10, 2007)
New York State News on the Net!
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Fish disease poses no known threat to human health
- The New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation reported that a fish virus, Infectious Pancreatic
Necrosis (IPN), was found recently in samples of trout from the hatchery
on the Connetquot River State Park Preserve on Long Island. There is no
known health threat to humans who handle or consume fish that contain
the IPN virus, but IPN is considered a serious fish disease capable of
causing extensive mortality in young trout. (Feb 10, 2007)
New York State
News on the Net!
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City, Water Authority to talk about future
— Monroe County Water Authority and Rochester officials are scheduled to
begin discussions this month that will shape the future of both water
systems. City officials and Water Authority officials say all options
are on the table — including consolidation. But Mayor Robert Duffy said
this week that the city would want a greatly restructured authority
board before it can agree to a merged system. (February 9, 2007)
Democrat & Chronicle
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Backyard sanctuary in Victor -
Couple attracts wildlife with two ponds and an array of plants - —
VICTOR — What started out as a way to add a little beauty to their back
yard has blossomed into a full-fledged bird and wildlife sanctuary
(February 7, 2007)
Democrat & Chronicle
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NYSERDA hydrogen development and demo contracts awarded
- A $790,751 project with a General Motors,
Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester and Cornell
University consortium will work to develop and integrate novel materials
for use as hydrogen fuel cell components. A $635,350 project with the
Toro Company, Niagara Falls, will demonstrate the use of a hydrogen fuel
cell-hybrid electric turf maintenance fleet. (Jan 07)
New York State
News on the Net!
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Joyous swan song - Centuries of
overhunting bled the Atlantic and Midwestern trumpeter swan populations
to the point that they were thought extinct in the United States by the
1940s. But since that time, environmentalists and wildlife workers have
imported trumpeters back to the eastern United States from areas where
they were discovered to still thrive, such as Alaska and the hot springs
of Yellowstone Park. Bean has set out to amend a problem that arose from
the trumpeters' displacement. The swans now residing in the area
outlying Lake Ontario - between 300 and 500, he estimates - do not know
to migrate eastward because the instinct was not inherited from their
forbears in the western states. The climate does not threaten the swans
themselves. (Jan 05, 07)
http://www.auburnpub.com/
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MPNnow.com: Wind power blowing into Webster Wind turbines are
already in Webster, but its lakeside could be seeing more in the future.
Wind power may be blowing into Webster, but few realize it is already
there. Last December, a wind test tower was placed on the Phillips Road
sewer treatment plant in Webster. This tower is used to gather
meteorological data about wind currents to determine if there are
suitable conditions for a wind tower at this location. (Feb 5, 07)
MPNnow.com:
Rochester and Western Finger Lakes News, Entertainment, Sports,
Opinions, Photos and More
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Brooks receives environmental award
— Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks received a statewide award today
from the New York Water Environment Association. Brooks received the
“Frank E. VanLare Award,” which goes to an elected official who
undertakes environmental initiatives. VanLare was a former Rochester
councilman and state Senator who helped develop the state’s Pure Waters
program. (February 5, 2007)
Democrat & Chronicle
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DEC announces first statewide invasive plant conference
- The New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation Friday announced that the Invasive Plant
Council of New York State will be holding its first statewide conference
titled, "Invasive Plants on the Horizon and More." The gathering will be
held at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road in Albany on February 7 and 8,
2007. New York State News on the Net!
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Authoritative Report Confirms Human Activity Driving Global Warming
WASHINGTON—After six years of assessing climate science research from
around the world, the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) has solidified the scientific understanding that key
heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere "have increased markedly as a
result of human activities," and the "net effect of human activities
since 1750 has been one of warming." The report states that evidence of
the climate's warming "is unequivocal, as is now evident from
observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures,
widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level."
(Jan 02, 07) Union of Concerned
Scientists
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PoughkeepsieJournal.com - American eels don’t qualify as endangered,
feds decide The Fish and Wildlife Service will not list the
American eel as an endangered species, despite evidence of steep
declines of the strange fish in some river systems. Because the eel
shows resiliency in many rivers, it is not in imminent danger of
becoming extinct, biologist Heather Bell told reporters Tuesday. (Jan
31, 07)
Poughkeepsie Journal
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Pandemic Flu Index Created -
When pandemic flu hits, which experts say is not a question of if but
when, the nation will likely not have a vaccine ready to go. That's why
experts are taking other measures to prepare. National health leaders
have created the Pandemic Severity Index that is modeled after the way
hurricanes are categorized. - (Feb 2, 07)
R News: As It Happens,
Where It Happens
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Pandemic Influenza: Progress Made and Challenges Ahead | CDC News
Statement of Julie L. Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H. Director, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services Published: January 24, 2007
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Panel Issues Bleak Report on Climate Change - New York Times PARIS,
Feb. 2 — In a bleak and powerful assessment of the future of the planet,
the leading international network of climate change scientists has
concluded for the first time that global warming is "unequivocal" and
that human activity is the main driver, "very likely" causing most of
the rise in temperatures since 1950. The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia
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PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Global warming panel blunt about rising
temperatures, bleak future PARIS — A panel of international
scientists predicted Friday that global warming will continue for
centuries no matter how much people control pollution, in a bleak report
that blamed humans for killer heat waves, devastating droughts and
stronger storms. The report said people were “very likely” the cause of
global warming — the strongest conclusion to date — and placed the
burden on governments to take action. “It’s later than we think,” said
Susan Solomon, co-chair of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
(Feb 02, 07)
Poughkeepsie Journal
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PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Spitzer releases state budget ENVIRONMENT
-The governor would increase the Environmental Protection Fund, which
goes to preserve open space and aid pollution cleanups among other
projects, to $250 million from $225 million. The state would add 166 new
employees, combined, at the state Department of Environmental
Conservation, Parks Department and Adirondack Park Agency. (Feb 02, 07)
Poughkeepsie Journal