News & Public Affairs

EPC considers nitrogen fertilizer ban listen

12/18/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Environment, fertilizer, pollution

To cut down on nitrogen pollution entering the region’s water, the Tampa Bay Estuary Program has suggested that local governments forbid their residents from using nitrogen fertilizers on lawns during the summer rainy season. In their meeting this morning, the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) heard about why such an ordinance is needed.

To make it easier for local governments to enact these nitrogen fertilizer restrictions, last month the Tampa Bay Estuary Prog...

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Bush urged to stop "midnight hour" rule changes listen

12/10/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Bush administration, environment

Recently, some major changes to several of the country’s environmental laws and regulations were classified by the Office of Management and Budget as not “economically significant.” This classification gave federal agencies 30 more days to finalize far-reaching environmental rules prior to a Dec. 19 deadline;, after that, the Obama administration’s options will become significantly limited.

So today, representatives from some of the biggest environmental groups held a conference call, urgi...

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Efest brings environmentally friendly together listen

11/24/08 Colleen Krepstekies and Andrea Lypka
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Tags: Environment, efest, green, Sarasota

Efest, the Green Living Music and Arts Festival took place at the Sarasota Polo Grounds in Lakewood Ranch green community in Nov. 15-16.

The free annual event is the largest environmental festival in the Gulf Coast region, uniting private sector, non-governmental and governmental institutions that are concerned about the environment. It showcased Green-N- Healthy Expo with 175 exhibitors and green panel discussions about eco-friendly building trends, green technologies and alternative en...

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Poll: Americans want to address climate change now listen

11/17/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Climate change, environment, energy

A coalition of 31 national environmental organizations recently called on President-elect Barack Obama to work with Congress to pass ambitious economy-wide climate change legislation, while moving ahead under the Clean Air Act to set greenhouse gas emission limits on electric power plants, cars and fuels.

Jerry Karnas, the Florida Climate Project Director with the Environmental Defense Fund, says a new survey commissioned by his organization on Election Night shows that even in this time o...

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St. Pete City Council hears curbside recycling proposal

10/30/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Pinellas County, St. Petersburg, curbside recycling, environment

Of the 10 most densely populated counties in Florida, only Pinellas lacks curbside recycling. Inside the county however, only three municipalities, including St. Petersburg, lack the service..

But that may finally be changing. Today an official with the county spoke in front of the St. Pete City Council about the city participating in the program the county is setting up.

Bob Houser is with the Pinellas County Solid Waste Department. He said that if everything works out, the program wou...

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Sustainable business awards include controversial picks listen

10/10/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Earth Charter, TECO, utilities, sustainable resources, environment

The annual Global Earth Charter Community Summit and Earth Scouts Festival will be held tomorrow at the University of Tampa. As a prelude, today the university hosted the First Annual Earth Charter Sustainable Business Awards Ceremony to recognize local businesses committed to social, economic and environmental responsibility.

The Earth Charter Summit is based on a document that, according to its website, promotes a sustainable world through “Human Rights, Elimination of Poverty, Promotio...

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Wanted: Stories and photos about global warming listen

10/08/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Global warming, environment

Kevin Knobloch is president of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Penguin Classics is partnering with the Union of Concerned Scientists to encourage all aspiring writers and photographers to submit their personal stories and images about global warming for publication in a new online book, Thoreau's Legacy: American Stories about Global Warming. It will be published in 2009 along with a limited-edition hardcover version.

Last week, Knobloch spoke to WMNF about the project.

To submi...

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Management plan offered for Brooker Creek

08/07/08 Concetta DeLuco
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Tags: land preserves, conservation, environment, development, Pinellas Board of County Commissioners

Today the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners met in Clearwater to approve plans for the Brooker Creek Preserve. Deciding what to do with the publicly owned land located in the northeast corner of Pinellas County has been an issue of controversy over the past few years.

Currently, the 7,960 acres of Brooker Creek exists as a wilderness area that provides refuge to several endangered plants such as the Catesby lily as well as a unique collection of wildlife that ranges from bobcats to sw...

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EPC adopts wetlands hybrid solution listen

07/17/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: EPC, wetlands, environment, Denise Layne, Joe Redner, Kevin Beckner

Thirteen months ago, Hillsborough County Commissioners voted to eliminate the wetlands division of the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC). But environmental activists fought to save the wetlands regulatory arm of the EPC against some developers and agricultural interests who wanted it gutted.

Today, in their role as the EPC board, the County Commissioners unanimously approved a hybrid plan that was suggested last August to save the wetlands division but streamline permitting in wha...

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ELAPP will be on November’s ballot listen

07/16/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: ELAPP, 2008 election, Hillsborough County Commission, environment

Hillsborough County Commissioners today approved placing a referendum on November’s ballot asking residents whether the county should continue to purchase environmentally sensitive lands.

If approved by more than 50 percent of voters on Nov. 4, Hillsborough’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP) will allow the county to spend up to $200 million to purchase and preserve sensitive lands.

Environmental activist Mariella Smith, a member of the ELAPP general commi...

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