Category: RT Newswire

USE ME! Essentially, this is a catch all for everything. This is probably the ONLY category where things that are not directly related to Rising Tide affiliates/allies should go. For example if a coal company goes out of business (and we didn’t directly cause it) it should probably only go here.

Longest Walk Update-Southern Route

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 24th, 2008
Contact: Klee Benally
LW2FLG@gmail.com

Hundreds Welcome Indigenous Rights Walk to Flagstaff

Flagstaff, AZ – On Friday, March 21st, Indigenous spiritual leaders,
environmental groups, tribal officials and 250 community members welcomed
more than 100 participants of the Longest Walk 2.
The Longest Walk 2 marks the 30th anniversary of the original Longest Walk
of 1978 that resulted in historic changes for Native Americans.

The Longest Walk 2 is a five- month journey, beginning in San Francisco, CA
and finishing in Washington D.C., bringing attention to environmental
protection and Native American rights.

“We’ve crossed 18 mountain ranges. We have walked 980 miles to be here,â€?
said Dennis Banks, co-founder of the American Indian Movement and lead
coordinator for the Southern Route of the Longest Walk 2. “Thirty years ago
a walk took place across this country and one of the issues that we brought
before members of congress was the issue of the San Francisco Peaks, the
holy mountain. 30 years later we are still concerned about the destruction
and the violation of the holiness of this mountain.”

Continue reading

Antarctic Ice Shelf ‘Hangs By a Thread’

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I didn’t expect to see things happen this quickly.
The ice shelf is hanging by a thread – we’ll know
in the next few days or weeks what its fate will be.”
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EurekAlert! — AAAS

Public release date: 25-Mar-2008
British Antarctic Survey

Contact: Athena Dinar
a.dinar@bas.ac.uk
44-122-322-1414

Antarctic Ice Shelf ‘Hangs By a Thread’

British Antarctic Survey has captured dramatic
satellite and video images of an Antarctic ice
shelf that looks set to be the latest to break
out from the Antarctic Peninsula. A large part of
the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula
is now supported only by a thin strip of ice
hanging between two islands. It is another
identifiable impact of climate change on the
Antarctic environment.

Scientists monitoring satellite images of the
Wilkins Ice Shelf spotted that a huge (41 by 2.5
km) km2 berg the size of the Isle of Man appears
to have broken away in recent days – it is still
on the move.

Glaciologist Ted Scambos from the University of
Colorado alerted colleagues Professor David
Vaughan and Andrew Fleming of the British
Antarctic Survey (BAS) that the ice shelf looked
at risk. After checking daily satellite pictures,
BAS sent a Twin Otter aircraft on a
reconnaissance mission to check out the extent of
the breakout.

Continue reading

Peruvian tribe battles oil giant over pollution

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Peru tribe battles oil giant over pollution
By Dan Collyns
BBC News, Loreto, PeruAchuar’s spiritual leader, Tomas Maynas
Tomas Maynas says fish died and crops wilted
It is a familiar story. Big business moves into a pristine wilderness and starts destroying the environment and by turn the livelihoods of the indigenous people who live there.

But in a reversal of plot, there are now cases of people living traditional lifestyles who are now invading the territory of the big companies and taking them on at their own game. Continue reading

Kansas Governor Vetoes Plan For Coal Power Plants

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Kansas Governor Vetoes Plan For Coal Power Plants
by Tom Doggett

WASHINGTON – In a big win for environmentalists, the Democratic governor of Kansas on Friday vetoed legislation that would have allowed a huge coal-fired power plant to expand in the state and spew 11 million more tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year.0324 09

The bill, approved by the Republican-dominated Kansas legislature, would have allowed Sunflower Electric Power Corp to add two 700-megawatt units at a facility in western Kansas.

Under the bill, lawmakers sought to strip the authority of the Kansas health and environment secretary, who turned down the $3.6 billion project last year because it would have produced more carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.

However, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed the bill, saying federal regulations of greenhouse gas emissions emitted by coal-powered electric generating plants will likely be implemented in the next several years.

“We know that greenhouse gases contribute to climate change,” Sebelius said in a statement. “As an agricultural state, Kansas is particularly vulnerable. Therefore, reducing pollutants benefits our state not only in the short term — but also for generations of Kansans to come.”

Environmental groups hope Kansas will influence more states to reject new coal-fired power plants.

Sunflower said it was disappointed by the governor’s decision. “If not resolved, this veto will unnecessarily raise electric rates for Kansas families and punish our Kansas workers and industries,” Sunflower President Earl Watkins said.

“We are experiencing significant growth on the Sunflower system and we must add new coal generation to support our existing natural gas and wind generation assets,” he said.

Sunflower represents six electric cooperatives, among 66 electric cooperatives and 10 Kansas cities that will own power produced by the coal-fired units.

In addition to the veto, Sebelius issued an executive order creating an energy and environmental policy advisory group make recommendations to the governor on how to reduce Kansas’ greenhouse gas emissions. She named Jack Pelton, chairman of Cessna Aircraft Co, to head the advisory group.

Additional reporting by Carey Gillam; Editing by Bill Trott

© 2008 Reuters

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