·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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For the first time, results from the Census of Agriculture have been published at the watershed level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

This report summarizes the science and the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. It focuses on climate change impacts in different regions of the U.S. and on various aspects of society and the economy such as energy, water, agriculture, and health. It’s also a report written in plain language, with the goal of better informing public and private decision making at all levels.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

Participants in the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) recently agreed to implement a pilot program of voluntary production standards aimed at reducing the negative impacts of soy production on the environment and people, particularly in South America.

The interim standards require producers to take certain measures to protect the environment. Those include prohibitions on the conversion of areas with high conservation value—such as forests and savannahs—reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and eliminating the most hazardous pesticides in soy farming.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) on June 9 submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding its proposed rule on mandatory reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The rule calls for covered sources emitting over 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent per year to report emissions of a number of GHGs, according to a press release.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

The Automation Federation and the International Society of Automation (ISA) joined 19 other energy- and technology-oriented organizations in presenting a National Energy Policy Goals Proclamation to the 111th U.S. Congress, according to a June 3 press release.

The Fiscal Year 2009 Appropriations Bill authorized EPA to administer a $10 million competitive grant program to assist local and tribal governments in establishing and implementing climate change initiatives. The overall goal of the Climate Showcase Communities grant program is to create replicable models of sustainable community action that generate cost-effective and persistent greenhouse gas reductions while improving the environmental, economic, public health, or social conditions in a community. To apply please download the request for applications.

EPA will offer peer exchange, training, and technical support to grant recipients, and encourage replication across the country to promote the creation of sustainable climate management programs that are not only the foundation for stabilizing our climate but also create jobs and fulfill other local government priorities.

Eligibility for the program includes local governments (e.g., a county, municipality, city, town, township, local public authority, school district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments), federally recognized Indian tribal governments, and inter-tribal consortia.

A 50 percent cost match or cost share is required for this program with the exception of tribal governments and intertribal consortia, which are exempt from matching requirements. The cost share and/or match can be in the form of cash or as in-kind contributions, such as use of volunteers and/or donated time, equipment, salary, expertise, etc.

Read the full story from Reuters.

Personal computer makers are increasingly prioritizing “green” strategies, creating a pivotal point of competition for customers that are becoming more attuned to their financial — and societal — benefits.

Read the full story in the Lakeland Ledger.

Well, now that the switch to digital television has taken place, the question arises: What, besides use it for a doorstop, does one do with the old, faithful analog television if one didn’t buy a converter box for it, or simply decided to upgrade to a new set?

You can still buy the converter box, of course, and continue to use the television. But there are other things to do with the old television other than leave it curbside to become more electronic waste.

Make-It-Green is turning great ideas that improve lives and help our planet into actual products. Submit your idea before June 30th, and if it’s chosen, you could see your product on store shelves and get a share of the sales. Make-It-Green is an initiative of Yahoo Green.

Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times.

A proposal to limit greenhouse gas emissions makes concessions to the industry in effort to attract support from congressional Democrats who represent coal-dependent areas.