Feds propose listing 48 Hawaiian species at once
The federal government took a new, ecosystem-based approach to the endangered species list on Tuesday, proposing an all-at-once addition of 48 species, including plants, two birds and a fly, that live only on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
This new approach will include the Hawaiian picture-wing fly, two bird species (honeycreepers) and 45 plants. Hawaii is said to have more endangered species then any other state. 23 other species of plants and animals are under consideration for inclusion on the endangered species list.
Report: Everglades in decline as restoration lags
“The Everglades ecosystem is continuing to decline. It’s our estimate that we’re losing the battle to save this thing,” said William Graf, the report’s committee chairman and head of the department of geography at the University of South Carolina at Columbia.
The South Florida Water Management District, which oversees restoration for the state, said in a statement that it agrees with the report’s findings “that restoration progress is hampered by limited federal funding and a complex and lengthy federal planning process.”
Lake Okeechobee is said to still be badly polluted from decades of agricultural runoff, and mercury pollution also remains a danger to people and wildlife. The Everglades also has its share of endangered species, 67 according to this latest report.
Media conservatives baselessly blame Community Reinvestment Act for foreclosure spike
Summary: Several conservatives in the media have recently blamed the Community Reinvestment Act for the current financial crisis — when, in fact, the CRA does not apply to institutions making the vast majority of troubled loans underlying the crisis. It applies only to depository institutions, such as banks and savings and loan associations. Experts have estimated that 80 percent of high-priced subprime loans were offered by financial institutions that are not subject to the CRA.
tangledwing 