Judge restricts aerial spraying and orders environmental review in five years San Francisco, CA–(ENEWSPF)–August 31, 2012.  A state court has removed aerial spraying from a controversial statewide plan to apply harmful and untested pesticides to control the light brown apple moth, a minor agricultural pest that has not been proven[Read More…]

Drilling begins without required oil spill response equipment Juneau, AK–(ENEWSPF)–August 31, 2012.  Yesterday Secretary Salazar announced an interim decision that he is allowing Shell Oil to begin exploration drilling operations in the Chukchi Sea, even though required spill response equipment isn’t ready. Final drilling approval has not been granted, pending[Read More…]

AZM exposure has poisoned farmworkers and their families Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–August 31, 2012.  Yesterday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reconfirmed that all sales of the pesticide azinphos-methyl (AZM) will be banned after September 30, 2012. AZM is a highly neurotoxic insecticide that attacks the human brain and nervous system. However, while[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–August 31, 2012.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invited the public to submit comments concerning proposed changes to organic standards prior to the National Organic Standards Board’s (NOSB) fall meeting on October 15-18, 2012 in Providence, RI. The proposals will be open for public input until 11:59pm[Read More…]

After favorable results in tests last year, the University of Arizona at Tucson has expanded its compost tea spraying program to include the campus’s massive mall. TUCSON, AZ–(ENEWSPF)–August 30, 2012.  As a turf manager at multiple professional levels including minor league baseball, the summer Olympics and numerous college stadiums, Matt[Read More…]

Rhizon interstitial water samples are taken from core sections for chemical analyses. Image credit: Integrated Ocean Drilling Program/United Stated Implementing Organization (IODP/USIO) ANN ARBOR, Mich.–(ENEWSPF)–August 30, 2012.  A study in the Aug. 30 issue of Nature provides, in unprecedented detail, the history of a crucial indicator of the relationship between[Read More…]

WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–August 29, 2012.  As Hurricane Isaac makes landfall in the U.S. Gulf Coast, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has exercised its authority under the Clean Air Act to temporarily waive certain federal clean gasoline requirements for Louisiana. This waiver will allow greater flexibility for the fuel distribution system to[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–August 30, 2012.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on August 17 that it is seeking comments on a proposal developed jointly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to enhance opportunities for stakeholder[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–August 29, 2012.  Months after a highly publicized report concluded farming is responsible for underground water contamination in Central Valley, California, the state is poised to approve new groundwater rules to monitor underground water and control discharges of contaminants, such as fertilizers and pesticides. The new regulations, which may[Read More…]

MAINE–(ENEWSPF)–August 28, 2012.  Wow. You have to watch this. It is, in its 80 seconds, the most provocative, bold and some would dare say ballsy video ever created in the history of the lawn care industry. And perhaps most stunning of all is the video’s creators, the Espoma Company of[Read More…]