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 Happy 2010!
Happy
New Year from Eastern Coal Regional Roundtable! We are excited by all
the things we hope to see accomplished this year and are looking
forward to hearing about your organization's undertakings and
successes over 2010. Please let us know what your watershed group
has planned for 2010. We would like to share it in our upcoming
issues of Creek Clips.
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NEWS
Byrd Announces
Almost $50 Million to Restore Abandoned Coal Mines in WV
Sen.
Robert C. Byrd, D-WV on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009 announced that the
federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is
making available almost $50 million in funding to the State of West
Virginia to restore abandoned coal mines, as part of its Abandoned Mine
Land (AML) grant program. Read more here.
TVA Ash Spill Not Endangering Fish Downstream: EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency says chemicals in the
Emory River from last year's massive coal ash spill aren't harming fish
populations downstream. The EPA is monitoring for effects of elements
like arsenic and selenium. Full article here.
Who Will Pay to Restore Dunkard Creek?
When pollution from a coal mine triggered a late-summer
algae bloom that strangled the life out of Monongalia County's Dunkard
Creek, angry fishermen wondered who would pay to restore the
stream's ruined smallmouth bass and muskellunge populations. Full
article here.
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GRANTS
Community Action
for a Renewed Environment (CARE)
A competitive
grant program that offers an innovative way for a community to organize
and take action to reduce toxic pollution in its local
environment. Through CARE, a community creates a partnership that
implements solutions to reduce releases of toxic pollutants and
minimize people's exposure to them. By providing financial and
technical assistance, EPA helps CARE communities get on the path to a
renewed environment. Full description here.
Pepsi is looking for people, businesses, and non-profits
with ideas that will have a positive impact. Look around your community
and think about how you want to change it. Each month, submissions will
be accepted from the 1st through the 15th, or until we receive 1,000
ideas, whichever comes first. The exception is during January, when
submissions will be accepted starting the 13th. Submissions will be
reviewed and approved projects will be posted and can then be voted on
for the entire month following submission. Grants range from $5,000 to
$250,000. More information here.
Ohio Watershed Coordinator Grant program
The State of Ohio continues to support the successful Ohio
Watershed Coordinator Grant program providing watershed partnerships an
opportunity to employ a full-time watershed coordinator to facilitate
watershed action plan (WAP) implementation. The proposal guidelines and
instructions are linked. Proposals
are due by close of business on January 29, 2010.
WREN Grant Funding Available for 2010-2011 Watershed
Education Projects
The Water Resources Education Network (WREN) is a project
of the Citizen Education Fund of the League of Women Voters of
Pennsylvania (LWVPA-CEF). WREN is a nonpartisan informal
collaboration among organizations and public officials working for the
protection and management of Pennsylvania's water resources, both
surface and ground water, through grass-roots education and informed
policy-making. WREN provides training and grants for local
coalition building to promote community awareness and development of
public policies necessary to protect Pennsylvania water resources. The
WREN Program focuses on two initiatives: Watershed Education to prevent
nonpoint source pollution, and Source Water Protection Promotion to
raise awareness about the importance of protecting public drinking
water sources. Since 1992, LWVPA-CEF has provided over $1.7
million in funding to over 265 community partnerships working to
safeguard Pennsylvania water resources. More details here.
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EVENTS
Equitable
Development Workshop and National Smart Growth Conference
The
9th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in Seattle will
underscore the connections between smart growth and environmental
justice with a pre-conference workshop on February 3, and an Equitable
Development track of sessions that runs throughout the February 4-6
conference, including a conference plenary featuring Angela Glover
Blackwell and Majora Carter. Diversity scholarships are available --
apply ASAP!
Register
online now at http://www.newpartners.org/registration.html
for the Conference and pre-conference Equitable Development
Workshop by January 15. Please note the day-long workshop on Wednesday,
February 3rd is not included in the conference registration fee. An
additional fee of $25 and pre-registration is required.
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SIDELINES...
NASA Image Confirms Lake On Titan
Perhaps we need to start thinking galactically about clean
water? NASA has released a stunning photograph of Saturn's moon
Titan showing a glint of sunlight off a lake. Full article here.
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