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Can’t wait hear how it went! Kentuckians for the Commonwealth rallied at the state capitol to show their love for the mountains. Many made the trip to Frankfort from Eastern Kentucky in support of House Bill 385, a bill to protect Kentucky’s waterways and valleys from being filled by debris from mountaintop removal. But coal…

Hmm…why do they need so many useless PR gimmicks? Artistic Promotions used its in-house designer to come up with “Masseyopoly,” a board game fashioned after Monopoly, and a flip chart with first-aid tips that Westerman said saved the life of an employee’s child. I guess its good practice for future employees who are going to…

Ken Ward has done a great job to point out how many of the Bush Administration’s policies (or lack thereof) have hurt coal miners and hampered miner safety: During his tenure, he filled the agency’s top jobs with former industry colleagues, dropped more than a dozen safety proposals initiated during the Clinton administration, and cut…

[Washington, DC] In a decision broadly affecting field trials of genetically engineered crops a federal district judge ruled yesterday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must halt approval of all new field trials until more rigorous environmental reviews are conducted. Citing potential threats to the environment, Judge Harold Kennedy found in favor of the…

[Washington, DC] The Administration’s proposed federal budget for Fiscal Year 2008, released Feb. 5, deeply cuts funding for land conservation programs and further threatens this country’s decades-long commitment to protecting public lands. Despite…enormous need, the Administration’s FY 2008 budget proposed only $29 million for 14 Forest Legacy projects…a cut of more than 50% from the…

Kansas City Star: Voting 200-207, the House defeated a Republican motion to broaden the definition of alternative fuels to include natural gas and hydrogen as well as coal-to-liquid technologies that produce low-sulfur diesel and aviation fuels. A yes vote backed the motion.

Johnathon Miller, a young – but competitive – candidate for the Kentucky Governorship, has come out with a speech this morning describing some major policy initiatives. One of which was “Reforming the practice of mountaintop removal mining to protect Kentucky’s rivers and streams and preserve natural habitats for hunting, fishing and hiking;” As for exactly…

This Pacific Forest Trust report describes management approaches on private forests that will lead to lasting net increases in carbon stocks. It also identifies causes of forest carbon loss, proposes ways to develop a domestic forest carbon market, and outlines the principles of forest carbon accounting. News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News…

Ohio tree farmers’ cooperative seeks better markets, prices for ‘King of Pines’ [Ohio] “We’re a group of landowners who thought that by banding together we could more effectively market pine,” explains Woyar, a forester and secretary for the cooperative. Pine trees are actively marketed, Woyar explains, but it is a relatively low-value market in which…

For well over 20 years the wood products industry has been asking the question: “Do customers really care about green?,” And, more recently, making the statement: “No one is asking for certified wood, so why should I offer it?” Consistently, underlying the industry reticence to embrace green practices is the primary excuse that “customers aren’t…