Eco Report – October 10, 2019

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Headlines

Pipeline Protest
On October first, two members of the Catholic Worker Movement, Jessica Reznick and Ruby Montoya, were charged with one count of conspiracy to damage an energy facility, four counts of the use of fire in the commission of a felony and four counts of malicious use of fire. As an act of protest, the two women openly sabotaged the Dakota Access Pipeline and now face over a hundred years in prison.

Fossil fuel lobbyists have persuaded lawmakers in Indiana and several other states to pass laws that criminalize protests at oil and gas infrastructure. Now the industry is proposing that Congress pass similar bills into federal law. These laws would make it a felony for people to tamper wth oil pipelines or other facilities, including infrastructure under construction.

Marine Protected Areas
Scientists say Marine Protected Areas are an effective means of protecting the marine plants and animals facing threats from ocean acidification, heat waves, overfishing, and pollution.
Protected areas can provide benefits like protecting endangered species or helping replenish fish stocks that spill into neighboring fisheries.

Salmon Crisis
There’s an extreme salmon crisis in British Columbia. Currently, very few salmon are making their way upstream to spawn. The water temperatures are so high that the salmon are waiting at the mouths of rivers for the temperature to drop. In some areas salmon are dying. The lack of salmon is now leading to starving orcas, and starving grizzly bears.

Local Water Testing Results
The City of Bloomington Utilities reports that recent testing of the lake water entering the Monroe Water Treatment Plant shows that the water is free of several contaminants that have been detected in other water sources around the country.

Friends of Lake Monroe Watershed Management Plan
Friends of Lake Monroe is developing a Watershed Management Plan for the lake in 2020. To help develop the plan, the 501c3 nonprofit organization, based in Bloomington, was awarded a 319 grant from I-D-E-M this year. The grant was matched by many donating organizations that can be found on the Friends of Lake Monroe website.

Features

A news story on cross-state air pollution from the Indiana Environmental Reporter

Norm Holy speaks with Dave Aplin about the proposed Pebble Mine (Part 1)