Ocean Acidification

Congressional Research Service
http://opencrs.com/document/R40143/
[Summary] With increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, the extent of effects on the ocean and marine resources is an increasing concern. One aspect of this issue is the ongoing process whereby seawater becomes acidified (i.e., ocean acidification) as more CO2 dissolves in it, causing hydrogen ion concentration in seawater [...]

Ocean Acidification

Congressional Research Service
http://opencrs.com/document/R40143
[Summary]  With increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, the extent of effects on the ocean and marine resources is an increasing concern. One aspect of this issue is the potential for seawater to become less alkaline (i.e., ocean acidification) as more CO2 dissolves in seawater, causing hydrogen ion concentration in [...]

Mountain Pine Beetles and Forest Destruction : Effects, Responses, and Relationships to Climate Change

Congressional Research Service
http://opencrs.com/document/R40203
[From summary]  The mountain pine beetle is a native insect of western U.S. pine forests. It survives by killing infested trees, usually individually, but occasionally in epidemics. Mountain pine beetle epidemics are particularly associated with lodgepole pine, a common western tree that typically grows in dense, even-aged stands. The beetle is a seasonally [...]

Endangered Species Act: Many GAO Recommendations Have Been Implemented, but Some Issues Remain Unresolved

Government Accountability Office
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09225r.pdf?source=ra
[Summary] Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Marine Fisheries Service, and other federal agencies have implemented a majority of the recommendations that we have made over the last 10 years to strengthen implementation of the act…Almost one-third of our recommendations, however, have not been implemented. Specifically,
• FWS has yet to clarify the role [...]

Integrated Water Quality Assessment for Florida : 2008 305(b) Report and 303(d) List Update

Florida Department of Environmental Protection
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/docs/2008_Integrated_Report.pdf
EPA press release]  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) are taking actions to protect and restore both recreational uses and aquatic life in Florida waters. These actions include EPA issuing a formal determination under the Clean Water Act that “numeric” nutrient water quality criteria [...]

Southern Ocean Acidification: a Tipping Point at 450-ppm Atmospheric CO2

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dec. 2 2008 (v105  no48  18860-18864) / by Ben I. McNeil and Richard J. Matear
http://www.pnas.org/content/105/48/18860.abstract?sid=9c3a40b8-19c5-47ac-9f3b-758d5e027d13
Subscription required
Related article, “Ocean Methane Hydrates as a Slow Tipping Point in the Global Carbon Cycle” is open access.
[From the CSM Bright Green Blog]  Parts of the world’s oceans appear to be acidifying far [...]

National Coastal Condition Report III (2008)

US EPA, NOAA, USGS
http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/nccr3/downloads.html
[From press release] The overall condition of the nation’s coastal waters has improved slightly, based on a recently released environmental assessment. The National Coastal Condition Report III (NCCRIII) is the third in a series of environmental assessments of U.S. coastal and Great Lakes waters.
The report, a collaboration of the U.S. Environmental Protection [...]

Federal And State Endangered And Threatened Species Expenditures Fiscal Years 2005-2006

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/pdfs/expenditures/Expenditures_Report_FY05-06.pdf
[From Press release and executive summary] Section 18 of the Endangered Species Act requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to submit to the Secretary of the Interior and Congress, an annual accounting of expenditures made for the conservation of threatened and endangered species. The reports includes what Federal and State governments [...]

The Endangered Species Act and the Conflict Between Science and Policy

The Inspector General of the Department of the Interior
http://www.doioig.gov/upload/Endangered%20Species%20FINAL%20REDACTED5%20w_TOC_encryption.pdf
This report finds that actions of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish Wildlife and Parks in circumventing the scientific analysis of Endangered Species Act decisions jeopardised the entire decision-making process by making it appear arbitrary and capricious. [PEN-e posting]

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR): Votes and Legislative Actions, 95th Congress through 110th Congress

Congressional Research Service
http://opencrs.com/document/RL32838
[From summary] This report provides a summary of legislative attempts to address issues of energy development and preservation in the Refuge from the 95th Congress through the 110th Congress, with emphasis on the 108th through 110th Congresses. This history has been cited by many, in and out of Congress, as background for [...]