• What Birds Indicate About Home Values
• BY: Elizabeth Daigneau   |   July 2012
• New research shows that lots of birds in an area can mean higher property values.

• California Parks Saved by Donations -- For Now
• Source: Sacramento Bee   |   California   |   June 29, 2012
• Most of the 70 state parks once slated for closure will remain open after an outpouring of private support. But parks advocates still voiced concerns that reliance on private support will not resolve permanent funding woes.

• Gas Drilling Lobbyists Given Edge by New York State Officials
• Source: Albany Times Union   |   New York   |   June 29, 2012
• Emails obtained from the state Department of Environmental Conservation by an environmental group show state officials gave details of a proposed permit and regulations for natural gas hydraulic fracturing to industry representatives before making them public.

• Pollution Controls Can Be Based on Nonexistent Technologies, Rules California Court
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   June 28, 2012
• Southern California air pollution authorities may require pollution controls based on technologies that do not exist but may be reasonably anticipated, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously.

• Beach Water Testing Grants May End
• Source: The Florids Current   |   Florida   |   June 28, 2012
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposes eliminating a beach water testing grant program nine months after Florida reduced testing at beaches as a result of state spending cuts.

• Solar Subsidies Force Governments to Make Decisions
• BY: Eli Richman   |   Nation   |   June 27, 2012
• Rebates and loan programs offer different benefits.

• EPA Emissions Rules to Curb Global Warming Backed by Court
• Source: AP/Casper Tribune   |   Nation   |   June 27, 2012
• A federal appeals court upheld the first-ever regulations aimed at reducing the gases blamed for global warming. The ruling is perhaps the most significant to come on the issue since 2007, when the Supreme Court found that greenhouse gases could be controlled as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

• Texas Grid Sets Power Record for June
• Source: Reuters   |   Texas   |   June 26, 2012
• Texas power use peaked at a higher level than in any previous June even as the state urged consumers to limit appliance use to avoid straining power plants, as much of the state broiled under triple-digit temperatures.

• Recycling's Silver Lining
• BY: Tom Arrandale   |   June 25, 2012
• It is always at the mercy of budget cuts in tight fiscal times, but new green industries might make recycling too valuable to cut.

• Nuclear Cost Recovery Laws at Issue in States
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   June 25, 2012
• Charging ratepayers for nuclear plant construction made sense to many legislatures a few years ago. Attitudes have shifted since then.

• Dogtown and the Dirtiest City in America
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   June 25, 2012
• Santa Monica and Chattanooga were in trouble a few decades ago. They placed their bets on sustainability, and today it’s paying off.
• 6 Comments

• Towns Exempt Farmers from State, Federal Regulations
• Source: AP/Boston Globe   |   Nation   |   June 22, 2012
• Towns in several states are adopting local ordinances that exempt farmers from state and federal regulations if they sell their products directly to consumers, despite warnings that the ordinances are invalid.
• 1 Comments

• Colorado Cities Consider Fees to Meet Federal Stormwater Mandates
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   June 22, 2012
• The regulations — enforced by the state — are not new. But their scope has expanded, as has the number of cities that must comply with them.

• Donations May Save 2/3 of California Parks Set to Close
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   June 22, 2012
• As the state scrambles to avoid the first park shutdowns in its history on July 1, private groups; local cities and counties; and rangers have come to the rescue.

• Connecticut Pilots Using Recycled Shingles to Pave Roads
• BY: Brian Peteritas   |   June 21, 2012
• Using residential roof shingles will save money and the environment simultaneously.