Rosemary Crawford and the People of Bokoshe, OK Make the National News!

Small Town Fears Health May be Threatened by Waste Dump
Jim Sciutto traveled to Bokoshe, Okla., to investigate.

03/29/2011

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/small-towns-health-threaten-waste-dump-13251238

Sustainability Meeting in Edmond Brings Strong Opinions

A forum was held in Edmond for city staff to learn what people think about sustainability. Many in attendance expressed disapproval of Edmond's membership in an international group with ties to the United Nations.

People upset with city leaders over Edmond's membership in an international organization with ties to the United Nations were given the opportunity this week to tell leaders what they thought.

Only one of the 31 people who spoke at a 2½-hour forum about Edmond's sustainability program talked about sustainable development as it related to environmental issues.

Everyone else accused city staff of following an alleged United Nation's plan to take away people's rights and property.

Edmond joined the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives in November 2009. The city has paid $2,400 in dues over two years. The dues were reimbursed with money from an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block grant, City Manager Larry Stevens said.

City officials said they joined the council to utilize computer software that calculates and converts data to determine the effectiveness of energy savings technology, Stevens said.

When the city joined the council, city staff said, they were not aware of the organization's ties to the United Nations and its program called Agenda 21.

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Proposed U.S.-Canada Oil Pipeline Fuels Debate

09:02 PM
By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY

David Daniel found his piece of paradise on 20 acres in east Texas, complete with a hardwood forest of oak, hickory and elm and three spring-fed creeks that burble year-round. "I drink out of the creeks. It's that clean," says Daniel, a carpenter who built a house for his family on the land. He sees his refuge in peril. A proposed oil pipeline "would cut my property in half and tear up the wetlands," says Daniel, who has rallied fellow U.S. landowners against the $6 billion project.

In this David vs. Goliath tale, what happens in Winnsboro, Texas, may hinge on events thousands of miles away. Unrest in the Middle East could affect whether the Obama administration allows a 1,661 -mile underground pipeline carrying a controversial form of heavy crude oil to slice through the United States from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast. Canada supplies more crude oil to the United States than any other country.

Because the pipeline crosses a U.S. border, it needs a permit from the State Department, which pleased the project's critics last week by announcing it would further study the environmental impact. The department said it plans to issue a draft of that review next month and make a final decision by year's end.

"The nation's energy security does play a role in the decision-making process," says department spokeswoman Nicole Thompson.

The proposed extension of the Keystone oil pipeline would run from Alberta, Canada, southeast through several U.S. states toward refineries near Houston. The privately funded project, known as Keystone XL, would expand an existing 2,154-mile pipeline that runs from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, Neb., and then east to Patoka, Ill. The expansion would snake southeast through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma to oil refineries near Houston.

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Is Greening Your Home Enough?

By Alice Henly

Published: March 14, 2011

Which has the most impact on your energy bill: the green things you do (like driving a hybrid and re-insulating your house), the type of house you live in or where you live?

It turns out, a family living near transit in a compact neighborhood saves more energy than an energy-efficient family living in the suburbs.

"Housing that is located in a walkable neighborhood near public transit, employment centers, schools, and other amenities allows residents to drive less and thereby reduces transportation costs,” says Daniel Hernandez of the Jonathan Rose Companies, a green real estate firm that just completed a study to figure out what impacts household energy use most.

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