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Build Them Faster Continuing his mission of cutting red tape and making federal review processes leaner, President Obama signed an executive order to speed the pace of approval for infrastructure projects. The order establishes a committee comprised of cabinet-level departments, which will submit a plan for a streamlined, coordinated review process for water, energy, transportation [...]
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As the impact of agriculture on water quality intensifies around the globe, two lawsuits in the United States aim to reduce the size of the Gulf of Mexico’s ‘dead zone’ by setting limits on nutrient pollution in the Mississippi River Basin.
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Restoring Abundance At a House hearing on the 2013 budget requests for several of the nation’s water and power agencies, California Republican Tom McClintock said the central objective of the House water and energy policy was to “restore abundance”—unlike the Obama administration, which, he claims, is trying to encourage and threaten Americans into using less [...]
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On World Water Day, we look at: Water Innovation Hindustan Times features examples of grassroots water innovation in India. With 1.2 billion people, India is teeming with innovators and places to try out ingenious ideas in energy, water, banking, and health care, according to Fast Company. What makes a country ideal for innovation? Israel could [...]
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Hundreds of billions of dollars are needed for renovation and improvement. But what projects will be chosen, and who will pay?
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Peer Reviewers for Fracking Study The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting nominations for qualified scientists to review its draft study of groundwater contamination in a Wyoming town. The draft, released in December, found compounds that are associated with natural-gas drilling processes in two monitoring wells. To nominate someone, send the person’s name, address [...]
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China has completed the tunnel under the Yellow River for the South-North Water Transfer Project, which will divert water from the Yangtze River Basin to thirsty cities and industries in the country’s North, Xinhua reported. Check out Circle of Blue’s photos from the construction site and more. United States The U.S. Department of the Interior [...]
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News headlines are often dominated by the big, unexpected events — BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, for example, or Japan’s earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophes in 2011 — but some events come with advance warning. Here is a preview of the water news to look for in 2012.
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Budget and Taxes On Sunday the House Republican leadership backed away from a tax deal that passed the Senate a day earlier, according to the New York Times. The Senate bill to extend the payroll tax cut included a provision, requested by Republicans, that would force President Barack Obama to issue a permit within 60 [...]
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Severe water shortages due to the La Nina weather pattern are threatening island communities in the South Pacific. Six months of low rainfall have left Tuvalu and Tokelau in a state of emergency and relying on bottled water. Officials also worry that the lack of rain will damage crops and spur a food shortage, according [...]
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France plans to cancel shale gas exploration permits granted to Total SA and Schuepbach after it banned shale gas drilling due to environmental concerns earlier this year, Reuters reported, citing Le Figaro. Agriculture groups are up in arms over a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency to enlarge [...]
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Lake Tahoe Agreement At a summit on Lake Tahoe’s water quality, the governors of California and Nevada and a regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed an agreement to improve the lake’s clarity. The agreement sets a plan to reduce pollution from four sources, the most significant of which is urban stormwater runoff. [...]
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With just a few weeks until the details of a draft plan for the Murray-Darling River Basin are revealed, a new report says that big water cuts could finish small country towns and communities in Australia’s food bowl, ABC News reported. A bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives could restrict the U.S. Environmental [...]
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When the EPA lowered the arsenic standard for drinking water from 50 parts per billion to 10 in 2001, there were 3,000 water systems in violation. Today, nearly a thousand still are.
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Taking the EPA’s Authority Away A House committee approved a bill that would gut much of the EPA’s power to enforce clean water standards. The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act, approved by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, would transfer regulatory power over water, wetlands and mountaintop mining to the states, Greenwire reports. The House leadership [...]
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Laos is moving forward with the construction of the controversial Xayaburi Dam, essentially breaching an agreement to suspend the project pending approval by ministers of neighboring countries, Reuters reported, citing International Rivers. Salt water threatens to seep into wells used by public utilities in Florida, after a severe drought left surrounding wetlands without water to [...]
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The President’s Water Plan The Obama Administration announced a clean water strategy. Among the recommendations is a proposal to expand the number of rivers and streams that fall under the regulatory domain of the Clean Water Act. There is a 60-day public comment period. Comments can be emailed to owdocket@epa.gov, with “EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0409″ in the subject [...]
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China’s water sector, the world’s third largest, with an estimated value of $48 billion, is attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in investments from multinational and domestic firms, a Reuters analysis says. More than half of China’s water needs treatment before it can be used in households, farming or industrial operations. Pumping From the Red [...]
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USAID Newsletter The U.S. Agency for International Development published its bi-monthly newsletter last week. In this edition of “Global Waters”, read about the agency’s work with wastewater treatment in the Philippines, urban water provision in Africa, and a partnership with Coca-Cola. US, World Bank Say ‘We Do’ At a ceremony held on World Water Day, [...]
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Water Talks In recognition of World Water Day (observed on March 22), the State Department will be hosting a discussion on global water issues today, March 21, at 4:00 pm EDT. The conversation between Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero and Harriet Babbitt, co-chair of the Global Water Challenge, will [...]
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