Tennessee Governor Vetoes Ag-Gag Bill – May 13, 2013

Legislation is “constitutionally suspect,” says Gov Bill Haslam

Great Monday morning news! Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has just vetoed his state’s “ag-gag” bill that would have criminalized undercover investigations at horse stables and factory farm facilities.

Photo by Tom HartA 2011 undercover investigation of a horse training facility in Tennessee revealed painful
chemicals were being applied on the horses’ front legs to force them to perform an artificially
high-stepping gait for show competitions.

In his statement describing his reasons for vetoing the bill, Haslam said: “First, the Attorney General says the law is constitutionally suspect. Second, it appears to repeal parts of Tennessee’s Shield Law without saying so…. Third, there… more

by: Maureen Nandini Mitra

(0) Comments

Feds Postpone Drilling Lease Auctions of California Public Lands – May 8, 2013

BLM cites budget, staff constraints, anti-fracking activists say lawsuits forced agency decision

Advantage, anti-fracking activists. The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced that it is postponing all oil and gas lease sales in California for the rest of the federal year.

This means the bureau’s plan to auction drilling leases for another 1,300 acres of public lands in Fresno and Kern counties later this month is now on hold at least until October. Same with another planned auction of 2,000 acres in Colusa County.

Photo by Ryan StavelyAn existing oil field in central California. The BLM move comes less than a month after a federal judge ruled that the… more

by: Maureen Nandini Mitra

(0) Comments

Utah Ag-Gag Law Finds First Target — Woman Filming Slaughterhouse – April 30, 2013

Prosecutors dismiss two-month old case against animal welfare activist a day after it makes headlines

Update, 12.37 p.m.: Just as I posted this report, and one day after the case made headlines, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Draper city prosecutors have dismissed the case today.

 

Industrial Agriculture has found its first “ag-gag” target — 25-year-old Amy Meyer.

Photo courtesy Farm Sanctuary
A file photo of a downed cow left to die at an Oklahoma stockyard as her frightened young calf looks on. Animal welfare advocates say this kind of abuse is pervasive in industrial farming facilities.

Meyer has been charged with a Class B misdemeanor for allegedly using her cell phone to… more

by: Maureen Nandini Mitra

(0) Comments

Feds Plan to End Endangered Species Protection for Grey Wolves Across the US – April 29, 2013

Conservationists say delisting could push apex predator species back to the brink of extinction

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has drafted a plan to remove federal protection for grey wolves across most of the country — a move that would be a grave setback to nearly two decades of efforts to restore wolf populations in the United States.

Photo by courtesy USFWSProtection under the Endangered Species Act and the reintroduction of wolves in the northern
Rockies helped the wolf populations rebound in some parts of the country, but conservationists
say the species hasn't completely rebounded yet.

Earlier this month, in an effort to reach a compromise on the federal budget, House and Senate… more

by: Maureen Nandini Mitra

(5) Comments

Fracking Industry Disclosure Website is Flawed, Says Harvard Study – April 25, 2013

FracFocus doesn't satisfy the public’s right to information, states shouldn't use it as a regulatory tool, report concludes

Anti-fracking activists have long been saying that FracFocus — the voluntary chemical disclosure registry for oil and gas companies using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, technology  — is seriously flawed. The very idea of Big Oil and Gas voluntarily ‘fessing up to the whole list of potentially toxic cocktail of chemicals they pump into the earth to extract fossil fuels, has always been kind of — I’ll be polite — improbable.

Photo by WCN 24/7/FlickrAt least 10 of the 18 US states that require drillers to report fracking chemicals use Fracfocus as their
official disclosure site.

And now we have a no… more

by: Maureen Nandini Mitra

(0) Comments

Older →

View Posts by Date View Posts by Author