• Milwaukee is 1st to Add Green Infrastructure Requirement to Wastewater Permitting
• Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel   |   Milwaukee, Wis.   |   July 23, 2012
• A draft state wastewater discharge permit for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District is the first in the U.S. to add this regulatory wrinkle: requiring rooftop plantings and installation of other "green infrastructure" - not sewer pipes or storage tunnels - to collect and absorb storm water.

• Widespread Drought Threatens Crops
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nation   |   July 18, 2012
• As drought grips 80% of the country, the devastation to corn and other breadbasket crops this year could surpass last year's record claims for weather-related crop losses.

• Report: State Fracking Regulation Laws Need Overhaul
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   July 17, 2012
• Most states aren’t doing enough to ensure the water safety and health of communities near gas wells where hydraulic fracking takes place, according to a new report by a Washington, D.C.-based research and advocacy group.

• 5 States Get Federal Money for Tsunami Debris Removal
• Source: AP/Seattle Times   |   Washington state   |   July 17, 2012
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced it will provide $250,000 in grants to five states affected by debris from last year's tsunami in Japan.

• Alaska Sues Feds over Ship Fuel Standards
• Source: Anchorage Daily News   |   Alaska   |   July 17, 2012
• Set to go into effect Aug. 1, the low-sulfur diesel standards would require large seagoing vessels off Alaska's southeast and southern coasts to fire their engines with new fuel.

• Gas Drilling Benefits Drug Traffickers in Texas
• Source: Houston Chronicle   |   Texas   |   July 16, 2012
• Traffickers are seeking to use the southwest-most stretches of the massive Eagle Ford shale formation, which stretches from Mexico all the way to East Texas, to their advantage by trying to corrupt truck drivers, contractors and gate personnel.

• Alaska Gov. Parnell Seeks Disaster Declaration for Fisheries
• Source: Alaska Dispatch   |   Alaska   |   July 16, 2012
• Gov. Sean Parnell sent a letter to acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank, requesting a disaster declaration in the wake of particularly dismal 2011 and 2012 Chinook salmon runs on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.

• San Francisco Considers Housing Ordinance to Curb Plastic-Bottle Use
• Source: AP/San Francisco Chronicle   |   San Francisco   |   July 13, 2012
• City officials are considering an ordinance that would require owners of new and renovated buildings with water fountains to install special bottle-filling taps, hoping to encourage people to use containers instead of plastic water bottles.
• 1 Comments

• 'Nuclear Free' Cities Abandon Cause to Keep Afloat
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   July 11, 2012
• More than 130 communities across the United States have declared themselves “nuclear-free” in the last 30 years, most enacting measures rich in symbolism but low on clout that result in little more than a sign at the outskirts of town announcing that nuclear weapons are not welcome.
• 1 Comments

• Water Bond Measure Removed from California Ballot
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   California   |   July 6, 2012
• Democratic lawmakers say that asking voters in November to approve $11 billion in new debt to improve state's water system would jeopardize Gov. Brown's $8-billion tax measure.

• Lawmaker Accidentally Approved Fracking in North Carolina
• Source: Wall Street Journal   |   North Carolina   |   July 5, 2012
• A veteran lawmaker in North Carolina says she pushed the wrong button in a marathon legislative session and accidentally opened up the state to fracking.
• 7 Comments

• Pittsburgh's forestation plans bring financial savings
• BY: Eli Richman   |   Pittsburgh   |   July 2, 2012
• Pittsburgh announced its Urban Forest Master Plan last week. The plan details an 20 percent increase in tree population over 20 years, an amount which will eventually yield over $1 million in savings per year.

• North Carolina Governor Vetoes Fracking Bill
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Raleigh, N.C.   |   July 2, 2012
• North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue vetoed legislation on Sunday that would have paved the way for North Carolina to drill for natural gas through a water and chemical intensive process known as fracking.

• Heat Wave Brings Storms and Power Outages to Eastern US
• Source: Reuters   |   Mid-Atlantic   |   July 2, 2012
• Blistering heat blanketed much of the eastern United States for the third straight day on Sunday, after violent storms killed at least 17 people and knocked out power to more than 3 million customers. Utility crews are working around the clock but the outages could last for days.

• More Trees Equals Less Crime
• BY: Zach Patton   |   July 2012
• In Baltimore, a new study showed that a 10 percent increase in tree cover yielded at least a 12 percent decrease in crime.