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Tuesday, May 26th, 2015

EPA Pushes to Solidify Federal Power to Protect Streams, Wetlands

Author:     Renee Lewis
Source:     Al Jazeera America
Publication Date:     May 22, 2015 12:17PM ET
Link: EPA Pushes to Solidify Federal Power to Protect Streams, Wetlands
Stephan:   This is the latest on the EPA, and I take it as conditional good news. If it stands the EPA will have the power to be a force for good. Or, with the wrong intent, this could manifest as intrusive regulatory mischief. Write and thank the agency, let's support the compassionate life-affirming option. And what does stand out for me is that even in the mire of corruption there are still honest men and women of integrity trying to serve wellness and the common good. They should be supported and acknowledged. Please take a moment and tell them that. In that sense, this is of a piece with the article I ran in yesterday's edition by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Rosa DeLauro. There is hope. But I feel sorry for those who live in coastal North Carolina because their state is failing them. And it is directly attributable to the Republican governor and legislature.
Sea level rise over the North Carolina Coast. Credit: www.biogeocreations.com

Sea level rise over the North Carolina Coast.
Credit: www.biogeocreations.com

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — During the early morning hours of May 2, part of the northbound lane of North Carolina Highway 12 in Kitty Hawk broke off and washed into the Atlantic Ocean.

While the loss of 200 feet of roadway and about 500 feet of a protective sand berm will be temporary, it was more than just another hit to the road from a big spring storm at high tide under a full moon. In a state that has been engaged in a highly charged, highly politicized debate about climate change for more than five years, it was a reminder that the Atlantic isn’t waiting to see who wins the argument.

It was also a reminder that North Carolina, with its rapidly developing coastline and intricate ecological network of sounds and estuaries, has a lot at stake as sea levels rise. The state has more than 300 miles of direct coastline and thousands of […]

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