ENN: Norwegian climate goals, stalled US high speed rails, bycatch reductions and much more

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					Tuesday, February 12, 2008
	News of Note Insects ravaged more plants in ancient hot period WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Insects ate more plants, and did more kinds of damage to them, during an ancient hot period that offers hints of what might happen this century if global warming forecasts hold true, scientists reported on Monday. Top Stories High Speed Rail Advances Globally, Crawls in the U.S. Somewhere deep in the pages of President Bush’s proposed 2009, $3.1 trillion budget is a 40 percent cut in Amtrak funding. A cut so deep that the quasi-government interstate passenger rail service could screech to a halt. The lame duck’s plan is to give Amtrak $800 million. Nearly on the same day that the President unveiled his budget Alstom, of France, unveiled its latest high speed train, the AGV (Automotrice y Grande Vitesse) ) a next generation replacement for the TGV (Train y Grande Vitesse). The company already has orders: 35 trains, with an option of 10 more to Italian rail operator NTV Germany harmonises development and research BERLIN - The German research and international development ministries have signed an agreement to coordinate their activities and streamline their approach to research for development. The state secretaries for the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) finalised the agreement last month. Sampling Of Drinking Water To Track Emerging Chemical DALTON, GA - Georgia plans to begin statewide sampling this year at drinking water intakes for perfluorooctanoic acid, according to a program manager of the Environmental Protection Division. The acid is labeled a "likely carcinogen" by a federal panel and is found in the Conasauga River.		ENN Spotlight Norway's climate goals seen relying on quotas OSLO (Reuters) - Norway will rely on buying greenhouse gas quotas abroad to meet a self-imposed goal of curbing emissions by more than demanded by the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol until 2012, researchers said on Tuesday. More Top Stories New guide to reducing bycatch goes online As a service to the long-term sustainability of both fish stocks and fishing communities, WWF has established an online resource providing up-to-date information on bycatch (the capture of non-target creatures in fishing gear) and how to reduce it. Spain's grain trade eyes Argentina's GMO maize imports MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish grain traders and consumers hope the European Union will soon permit import of a variety of genetically modified maize that would allow supplies from Argentina to ease sky-high prices. EU rules currently allow imports of GA21 maize as long as it is processed, for example as corn gluten, but not in the form of grain. The GA21 gene is resistant to the herbicide glyphosphate. Russia warns of new arms race without space ban GENEVA (Reuters) - Russia proposed a treaty on Tuesday to ban the deployment of weapons in outer space, warning that their development could lead to a new arms race and a repeat of the Cold War. The draft treaty, also backed by China at a U.N.-sponsored forum, would prohibit the deployment of weapons in space and the use or threat of force against satellites or other spacecraft, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
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	Member Press Releases Conservationists Call for Grand Canyon Uranium Decision Withdrawal By: the Center for Biological Diversity Citing widespread public opposition and a flawed environmental review, conservationists Monday requested that the Kaibab National Forest withdraw approval of up to 39 new uranium-exploration drilling sites immediately south of Grand Canyon National Park. The Forest Service had claimed that the proposed drilling was exempt from detailed environmental review because it would have no effect on the environment. Endangered Species Act Protection Sought for Pacific Walrus Threatened by Global Warming, Oil Development By: the Center for Biological Diversity The Center for Biological Diversity filed a scientific petition Thursday with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Pacific walrus under the federal Endangered Species Act due to threats from global warming and growing oil and gas development throughout its range. Auto FutureTech - The Future of the Auto Industry By: GLOBE Foundation of Canada The world's first Auto FutureTech Summit, to be held in Vancouver from March 12 to 14, 2008, will serve as a forum for automotive experts from around the world to discuss and prepare for the future of automobile transportation. International Fund for Animal Welfare Applauds Sonar Injunction Against US Navy By: International Fund for Animal Welfare Leadership for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) praised the decision today by a U.S. District Court to grant a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Navy that will restrict the use of Low Frequency Active (LFA) sonar during testing and training operations. Botswana's Chobe River Threatened, AWF and Other Experts Say By: African Wildlife Foundation Pollution, unchecked development, and uncontrolled fishing are endangering the ecological health of the Chobe River, experts recently told the Daily News, a Botswana daily. The Chobe River marks the boundaries of Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, and Zimbabwe and flows along the northeastern border of Botswana's Chobe National Park. Rainforest Alliance Validates First Carbon Offset Project to Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance Standards in Indonesia By: Rainforest Alliance In an effort to mitigate the effects of global warming, the Rainforest Alliance - which has begun to promote forest conservation as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions - completed its first validation of a project proposal in Indonesia to the standards of the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance Court Upholds Habitat Protection for Mexican Spotted Owl By: the Center for Biological Diversity A federal court has upheld protection of 8.6 million acres of critical habitat spread across Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado for the threatened Mexican spotted owl. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the critical habitat for the owl in 2004. The designation was quickly challenged by the Arizona Cattle Growers' Association, and the Center for Biological Diversity intervened in support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Keep America Beautiful Renews Relationship with Phi Theta Kappa By: Keep America Beautiful Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation's largest nonprofit community improvement organization, will continue its partnership with Phi Theta Kappa, and its "Operation Green: Improving Our Communities" International Service Program, through 2010. Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education with 1,250 chapters worldwide. Editor's Note : 'Network News' features press releases submitted directly by organizations in ENN's member network. This content is not specifically endorsed or supported by ENN and is not subject to ENN's editorial process.
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