Blumenauer Introduces Transportation and Housing Affordability Transparency Act

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore), Chair of the Livable Communities Task Force, recently introduced legislation to provide homebuyers with information on the actual cost of their homes, which includes the cost of transportation. The average family spends about half of its income on transportation and housing, but transportation costs can vary based on a home's location. While housing affordability traditionally has been measured by the extent to which a household can cover the purchase price of a home, Blumenauer has introduced the Transportation and Housing Affordability Transparency Act, or ''THAT Act,'' to create a transportation affordability index that will provide information about the costs associated with the location of a home.
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Article courtesy of Smart Growth Network State by State and International News Headlines

Deadly bat disease on track to wipe out a species in the Northeast

A deadly disease is destroying Northeast bat populations so rapidly that one of New England’s most common species is likely to disappear within 20 years, Boston University and other scientists conclude in a study published today.

 

White nose syndrome is named for a fungus that appears on hibernating bats’ noses, wings, and other body parts. Scientists believe the fungus irritates bats so greatly they wake up during hibernation, expending precious body fat in the process. Many of the flying mammals then leave caves and mines only to die as they search for food on barren winter landscapes.

 

Read more:  http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2010/08/bat_illness_may_wipe_out_a_new.html

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Beth Daley

 

Mangrove forests in worldwide decline

Gland, Switzerland / Washington, DC - More than one in six mangrove species worldwide are in danger of extinction due to coastal development and other factors, including climate change, logging, and agriculture, according to the first-ever global assessment on the conservation status of mangroves for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.

 

Mangrove forests grow where saltwater meets the shore in tropical and subtropical regions, thus serving as an interface between terrestrial, fresh-water and marine ecosystems. These forests provide at least $1.6 billion each year in ecosystem services.

Read more:  http://www.conservation.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Pages/Report-Mangroves-Worldwide-Decline-IUCN.aspx

Article courtesy of  Conservation International

 

Rush is on to stem Yellow Sea oil spill

BEIJING — China rushed to keep a growing oil spill from reaching international waters yesterday, while an environmental group tried to assess if the country’s largest reported spill was worse than had been disclosed.

Crude oil started pouring into the Yellow Sea after a pipeline exploded last week, sparking a massive 15-hour fire. The government says the slick has spread across 70 square miles of ocean.

Images of 100-foot flames shooting up near part of China’s strategic oil reserves drew the immediate attention of President Hu Jintao and other top leaders. Now the challenge is cleaning up the greasy brown plume floating off the shores of Dalian, once named China’s most livable city.

Read more http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2010/07/21/rush_is_on_to_stem_yellow_sea_oil_spill/

Article courtesy of Cara Anna  Associated Press from the Boston Globe

Fishing for pollution in the Atlantic

Researchers from the Sea Education Association have removed tens of thousands of plastic fragments from the Atlantic Ocean over the past six weeks in what many believe is just a small part of a giant collection of debris in the middle of the ocean.

In their search for marine pollution, crew members of the expedition found more than 48,000 plastic fragments, most no larger than a pencil eraser, of the type of plastic used in bags, straws, bottle caps, and other household materials floating throughout the Sargasso Sea, a region in the middle of the North Atlantic extending south and east of Bermuda

Continue reading  http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/07/14/fishing_for_pollution_in_the_atlantic/

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Marissa Lang

Solar farm planned for Canton landfill

A solar farm could begin sprouting on about half of the Pine Street landfill as early as this fall. Town Manager Bill Friel said negotiations are moving along well on a long-term lease and power purchase agreement with Virgo Energy of California and Southern Sky Renewable Energy for the town-owned capped landfill.

Read more http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2010/07/11/solar_farm_planned_for_canton_landfill/

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by E. Cushman Carroll

 

Massive oil-skimmer latest weapon in fight

NEW ORLEANS — With hurricane-whipped waves pushing more oil onto the Gulf of Mexico’s once-white beaches, the government pinned its latest cleanup hopes yesterday on a huge new piece of equipment: the world’s largest oil-skimming vessel.

The Taiwanese-flagged former tanker named A Whale is the length of 3 1/2 football fields and stands 10 stories high. It just emerged from an extensive retrofitting to prepare it specifically for the gulf, where officials hope it will be able to suck up as much as 21 million gallons of oil-fouled water per day

read more   http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2010/07/01/massive_oil_skimmer_latest_weapon_in_fight/

Story courtesy of The Associated Press by Tom Breen and Jay Reeves