The Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (HF 110) will reportedly be up for a vote before the full House body tomorrow (Thursday).  The Senate companion (SF 38) passed out of its last committee on Monday and should come on the floor in the near future.  It is expected to pass both bodies handily, though I am sure a few amendments may be brought up for discussion. 

While the Compact is not expected to create much change in Minnesota, once passed by each of the eight Great Lakes states and Congress, it will create a uniform set of standards to oversee the withdrawal of water from within the Lakes’ watershed.  There remains some work to be done, such as addressing the shipment of water in containers for water coolers and smaller, but it certainly is a good step forward.  For more information on the Compact, check out the MEP fact sheet.   

The last two years of high gas prices were good for the environment: Americans started driving less.

According to the Los Angeles Times, U.S. motorists changed their ways enough to cut the nation’s per-driver mileage by 0.4% in 2005, ending a string of increases dating back to 1980.

The article continues to note that other reports over the last year on mass transit ridership, total miles driven nationwide, gasoline demand, vehicle sales and retail and restaurant spending reinforce the notion that U.S. drivers made significant (and sometimes lasting) adjustments to offset steadily rising gasoline prices.

In Minnesota, Metro Transit ridership also reached new highs in 2006–ridership hit its highest level in 22 years. Regionwide, transit ridership was up by five percent, with increases of 11 percent on suburban routes. The agency attributes this ridership spike to increasing congestion and rising gas prices, but the spike is still rather impressive, given that Metro Transit reduced service and increased fares after the 2005 budget cuts.

If you’re looking for a personal example, I started taking the bus more often in 2006 for two reasons: 1) I moved to an apartment directly on a major bus line. I can catch a bus right outside my apartment, and it will drop me off right outside my office; and 2) It’s cheaper for me to ride the bus than to drive everywhere. That, and I will guiltily admit my enviro-conscience is somewhat eased by taking transit.

Even though the “Americans are driving less” is wonderful environmental news, it’s still worth exploring the barriers to taking transit. We should pay particular attention to understanding the reasons why those without a particularly strong eco-consciences are (and aren’t) motivated to take transit. And, as people with strong eco-consciences, we should do everything in our power to bring those people into the transit fold.

How do we bring people into the transit fold? How can we encourage people to become full-fledged transiteers, trumpeting the joys of public transit at every opportunity?

That’s a subject for another blog entry. Stay tuned.

The excitement is in the air for this afternoon’s Global Warming “informational proceeding” and it promises to be both educational and inspiring.  Again, it is at 4 p.m. on the floor of the Minnesota House Chamber at the Capitol.  Speakers include polar explorer Will Steger, two prominent religious leaders, and three respected U of M scientists.  Speaker of the House, Margaret Anderson Kelliher will kick it all off.

You can watch the proceeding on the House webcast or better yet, come on down to the Capitol.  While it doesn’t sound like the public will be allowed into the viewing gallery of the House Chamber, there will be a few locations for the public to watch the broadcast.  And afterwards, Will Steger is expected to make some informal remarks to all those who gather in the Rotunda. 

This is all happening at the same time that Steger is preparing for his next artic expedition.  Last Saturday, Steger and crew held a send-off rally at the St. Paul Winter Carnival, which I can personally attest was appropriately cold.  They will be heading to Baffin Island, in the northeastern Canadian arctic, in just two weeks.  You can track their expedition at www.globalwarming101.com. 

This isn’t a space that we use much for talking about federal topics and I have little desire to highlight New York Times stories, but I have to say that it kicks me right in my physics degree when I hear that every federal agency now needs a political appointee running a “policy office” to supervise the development of rules and regulations.

While there have long been stories about 26 year old appointees censoring revising research by top scientists, an Executive Order published last week seems to codify the practice.  According to the article, the U.S. Environmental Protect Agency was one of the agencies targetted with this order.   

Besides placing political appointees in charge of rule making, Mr. Bush said agencies must give the White House an opportunity to review “any significant guidance documents” before they are issued.

The next time you take the garbage out, give a thought to Dennis and Karen Barta. I visited the Bartas’ Renville County farm earlier this week to learn more about a government plan to make some of the best farmland in the world into a repository for garbage originating in Twin Cities area trash bins. The crisis the Bartas face says a lot about the state of our trash industry, the budget woes faced by county governments, the gaping loopholes in our eminent domain law, even our seemingly insatiable hunger for energy. During the next several weeks, I’m hoping to get the facts on all of these issues, and how they relate to the future of farms like the one owned by the Bartas. But I’ve already seen and learned enough to know this much is true: dumping garbage on prime food-growing land is a crime, and all of us can share in the guilt.
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Here’s this week’s dispatch from the Capitol, by John Tuma:

The friction of the legislative process takes hold of environmental issues. (more…)

Busy, busy times at the legislature these days.  Here are a few quick updates on what to look forward to and to whet your appetite for tomorrow’s wrap up from John Tuma. (more…)

On Monday, Feb. 26, a significant event will take place in western Minnesota. It’s a day-long conference, and it will be held at the University of Minnesota-Morris. Nothing special about that. The event will feature some great speakers from throughout the Midwest, as well as panel discussions involving local farmers and other citizens. Good stuff. But that alone doesn’t set this meeting apart from the thousands of other gatherings that take place in this part of the country during the frozen “meeting season.” It does have a great name going for it: “The Home Grown Economy: Foods from Local Farms as an Economic Development Tool.” But what really sets this gathering apart is its sponsor: U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, Chair of the House Agrculture Committee. That fact alone makes Feb. 26 a special day in rural Minnesota. It’s an important sign that agricultural movers and shakers are taking seriously the role farms, food and consumers can play in revitalizing our rural economies. (more…)

An interesting road trip launches tomorrow and they are having a media event that may be of interest to you: (more…)

This week’s dispatch from John Tuma:

Great Lakes first win and a little more on Energy (more…)