Gov. Deval Patrick has written a letter to President Obama to intervene in New England's fishing wars. New regulations that reorganizes how fishermen can fish - along with lowered catch quotas for fishermen - has unleashed an enormous political effort to allow larger catches for fishermen. Patrick's efforts to have U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke raise quotas failed last month. I recently wrote a story about the issue here.

Here is the text of Gov. Patrick's letter:

I write to express my extraordinary frustration with the lack of responsiveness the Commonwealth has experienced with the U.S. Department of Commerce and its agencies on the challenges facing our fishing families in Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts fishing industry is a vital part of our history and economy, employing approximately 80,000 people in fisheries and related shore side businesses and generating $4.4 billion in sales. Gloucester is America’s oldest seaport and, since 2000, New Bedford has been the number one port for landings value in the United States.

But our fishing communities face severe challenges, and are currently suffering great hardship, as a result of well intended but often ill-conceived and poorly executed efforts by federal regulators to constrain the fishing harvest and rebuild our fish stocks. Over the last decade, the Northeast groundfish fleet has been reduced by nearly 60 percent, and this decline shows no sign of ending. The small fisherman is in danger of disappearing altogether, and with him would go a way of life.

In the face of these challenges, however, we have found the Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Marine Fisheries Service unwilling to partner with us to find creative solutions that can balance the need for a vibrant fishing community with maintaining a sustainable fishery.

We have worked hard to offer solutions and have been repeatedly rebuffed. We were denied the modest funding required for a collaborative groundfish stock assessment to resolve disagreements over the state of our fisheries resource. We were denied a request to raise catch limits within the Department’s own conservation limits. We were denied economic assistance to help small fishermen hurt by the poorly planned transition to the new “catch shares” regulatory system. We were denied a simple request to allow for 45 days the consideration of new cases submitted by fishermen who believe they were mistreated by an enforcement system found by the Department’s own Inspector General to be out of control.

Government’s role as a regulator of our vital fisheries resources depends on fundamental trust between regulators and fishermen. Commerce’s intransigence and disrespect toward the working men and women who harvest our seafood, and their representatives in elected office, imperils that fundamental relationship.

The fishing families of Massachusetts deserve better.

I ask respectfully that you intervene to set your Department of Commerce and its agencies on a course of cooperation and consideration with regard to the fishing industry in Massachusetts and the coastal communities that depend on it for sustenance and identity.

Thank you for your personal attention to this matter, which is of such great importance to Massachusetts fisherman and their families, and for your leadership on all the issues that face this great nation.

A fishing boat that sank in 1988 off Massachusetts has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places - but it's unlikely anyone will ever visit it.

That's because the 54-foot Edna G. sits in 300 feet of water off Gloucester in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

The boat that fished for cod, flounder and other bottom-dwelling fish mysteriously sank on June 20, 1988 as her two-man crew set out a trawl net.

After the crew heard a strange noise, the engine room began filling with water. The two were saved by another fishing boat and the cause of its sinking was never discovered. 

Eastern rig dragger Edna G. during its sea trials off North Carolina in 1956.

National Fishermen July 1956, courtesy of Maine Maritime Museum

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But the boat, launched in 1956, is representative of technological advances in that era that improved fishermen?\'s ability to catch fish, federal officials say.

"Edna G. was listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its exceptional importance as a remarkably intact example of 20th century fishing technology," said Craig MacDonald, superintendent, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. "The shipwreck represents a rapidly disappearing watercraft variety emblematic of the region's maritime traditions."

Scientists from NOAA and the University of Connecticut's Northeast Underwater Research Technology and Education Center examined the shipwreck with a remotely operated vehicle in 2003. They found an intact wooden hull, wheelhouse and trawl winch. The boat fished mostly off North Carolina and Virginia but new owners moved it to Gloucester in 1974.

While some expert divers might be able to reach the boat, sanctuary regulations forbid removing artifacts and pieces from shipwrecks.

Winter is in full force, but the folks at Waltham Fields Community Farm want you to embrace New England's temptuous weather and come out for a winter gathering tomorrow night. Boston University astronomy professor Andrew West will be there with telescopes on hand to lead the stargazing. The event will be postponed if it's snowy or cloudy- check before going.

Oh Starry Night! A Mid-winter Gathering: Friday, January 28th, 7pm-9pm, Waltham Fields Community Farm, 240 Beaver Street, Waltham

Photo by mukais under a Creative Commons license

It’s been a question ever since nearly 800,000 gallons of chemical dispersants were injected below the surface to break up the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico: What happened to them?

Now, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution chemist Elizabeth B. Kujawinski and colleagues have released a study showing that a key dispersant component was lingering in a deep-sea oil and gas plume three months after they were used. The discovery is prompting a suite of other questions, such as did the dispersants do their job to break up the oil and what impact have they had on the Gulf’s sensitive marine environment.

“We don’t know if the dispersant broke up the oil,” Kujawinski said in a statement. She led a team that also included scientists from UC Santa Barbara. “We found that it didn’t go away, and that was somewhat surprising.”

The study, which appears online in the Environmental Science & Technology journal is the first peer-reviewed research to be published on the Gulf dispersants, according to the American Chemical Society and Kujawinski.

For more information go here

Opponents to the Hess-proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Fall River are attempting to have regional governments divest their municipal and state retirement funds of Hess stock.

The Rhode Island-based LNG Working Group and the Massachusetts-based Coalition for the Responsible Siting of LNG have delivered information packets about divestiture to town councils in the two states.

“We are urging local governments to understand that by holding Hess stock they are reassuring the Hess’s Board of Directors that ‘everything is fine.’ We are trying to send a message that we, in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, are washing our hands of the company as long as they continue to push this project forward.” said Chris Gray, chairman of the LNG Working Group in a statement.

Weaver's Cove issued a statement saying it "remains committed to designing, constructing, and operating the safest and most secure LNG terminal possible.  Our project will represent an approximately $700 million investment, create over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs, and bring more than $400 million of economic benefits to one of the most economically depressed regions of the country. New England needs and deserves more competitive energy costs, private investment, tax revenues, and job creation.  Our project will deliver all of these."

I recently wrote about the long-proposed plant’s obstacles to getting built here. The move comes two months after the RI-based Save the Bay published an ad in the Wall Street Journal telling Hess shareholders it was a flawed proposal.

Interested in getting a community supported agriculture (CSA) share, but have lingering questions? Cambridge/Somerville and Arlington are hosting CSA fairs where you can meet representatives from local farms and learn more about their shares. CSAs vary, so be sure to check out the day of the week they deliver, season length, and pick-up location to make sure you'll be happy with the share. For those that live farther away, you can find a CSA in your area by searching Local Harvest's CSA map. Many farm shares in the Boston region fill up quickly, so if you're serious about subscribing, bring a checkbook to the fair.

Cambridge/Somerville: Thursday, February 3, 5:30-8:30pm at 45 Mt. Auburn Street (Harvard Square)

Arlington: Thursday, February 24, 4:30-7:30pm at the Park Avenue Congregational Church, 50 Paul Revere Road (Arlington Heights)

Photo by: Brian Silverstein/SilverShots.com

Massachusetts legislators are filing a bill this week to protect children, families and workers from harmful chemicals found in everyday household products from window cleaner to shampoo.

For years, environmentalists have pushed for stricter laws governing chemicals, especially as a series of government and other studies have found increasing amounts of chemicals in people bodies, including pregnant women.

The legislation, called The Safer Alternatives Bill, would require businesses to replace toxic chemicals with safer ones if there are ones available. It also sets up a review system for other chemicals. This is the 6th year the bill will be filed in Massachusetts, but despite the budget woes of the state, environmentalists say they expect to make headway.

“As a father and a legislator, I am committed to better protecting children and families in Massachusetts from the toxic chemicals in every day products, from cleaners to non-stick cookware to cosmetics,” said Representative Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington), lead House sponsor of the bill. “We must break the cycle of preventable disease that starts with exposure to chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive disorders.”

The American Chemistry Council issued a response saying "we agree that it’s time to modernize the chemicals management program in this country" and support reform that "will keep consumers safe, preserve innovation and protect jobs. However, we believe that the right way to regulate chemicals is at the federal level.

“A patchwork of state and local laws would actually hinder an effective, comprehensive national program. Different laws at the state and local level create confusion for consumers, retailers and manufacturers, and make it increasingly difficult to do business, which in turn hampers investment and future job creation.”

The industry group also noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has done biomonitoring work and said that the mere presence of a chemical in the body does not mean that it will cause effects or disease.

The legislation comes as 71 chemical safety laws have been passed in the last eight years by bipartisan state legislators across the country and bills in 30 other states are filed are will be filed this year. Some bills include bans on Bisphenol A, a chemical used in a wide variety of products that has been partially banned in Massachusetts, hazardous flame retardants, requirements that children’s product manufacturers use only the safest chemicals; and resolutions urging Congress to overhaul the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) – the federal law that allows dangerous and untested chemicals to be used in everyday products and materials.

“Dozens of states around the country are coming together to update our chemical safety laws so that hazardous chemicals are replaced with safer alternatives,” said Senator Steven Tolman (D-Brighton), lead Senate sponsor of the Safer Alternatives bill. “If Congress is not going to act quickly enough to protect families in Massachusetts, we’re going to move forward at the state level.”
Last year, the President’s Cancer Panel report noted that "the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated" and called for stricter control.

"As the burden of chronic diseases linked to hazardous chemicals like cancer and learning disabilities mounts up, we are demanding leadership from officials at all levels of government,” said Elizabeth Saunders, Legislative Director for Clean Water Action, an advocacy group that is part of a coalition known as the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow pushing the legislation. “Toxic chemicals such as cadmium and BPA simply do not belong in every day products in our homes and workplaces, and our families are paying too high a price.”

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has updated their Northeast region seafood watch guide. Seven species were added or upgraded, a few of which are Atlantic fish. Atlantic haddock were upgraded because stocks have recovered from overfishing. Changes in fishery management have brought back the summer Atlantic flounder population, which was upgraded from "avoid" to "good alternative." Atlantic blackfin tuna, largely a sport fish, was added to the list. Atlantic pollock was also added; all U.S. Atlantic pollock were given a "good alternative" ranking.

The Bay State fishing wars continued to heat up today with news that Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley filed a court brief on behalf of Governor Deval Patrick, challenging new commercial fishing rules.

The brief is part of a federal lawsuit brought by the cities of Gloucester and New Bedford against US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. Massachusetts is not a party to the lawsuit but has asked to file comments as a friend of the court.

The move comes a week after Locke denied a request by Patrick to increase the amount of fish fishermen can catch to compensate for lost income from new fishing rules. Those regulations assign a portion of the total amount of fish allowed to be caught to groups of fishermen. Patrick says the new rules were poorly thought through and implemented.

“These unreasonably low limits set by the federal government are threatening the economic livelihood of our fishing families,” said Coakley. “The regulations are unjust and unsupported, and we are seeking to have them recalculated in a scientific manner and with greater consideration for the economic impact on our fishing communities.”

Environmentalists said the brief meant little in the legal case.

“The Commonwealth’s brief adds nothing to what is before the court or the public debate, which should be focusing on the fair distribution of fish in Massachusetts,” said Peter Shelley of the Conservation Law Foundation, an advocacy group.

Sure there is a roaring Northeaster outside. Yet that didn’t stop the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from announcing that 2010 will go down in the history books as the warmest year on record in the world, tied with 2005.

There may be irony in that news with today’s blizzard-like conditions, but as scientists continually remind us, one event does not speak to a trend. So forget about the snow, at least scientifically speaking: The reality is in the long term global surface temperature record that has been kept since 1880.

The analysis by scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center showed that 2010 was 1.12 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average. This was the 24th consecutive year with global temperatures above the 20th century average. For the contiguous United States, the 2010 average annual temperature was the 23rd warmest year on record.

Small businesses in the U.S. spend over $100 billion a year on energy-related costs yet a survey of 20 small-business owners in New England revealed large gaps in ability and knowledge to take advantage of energy efficiency programs and to plan for future energy use and price fluctuations.

A group of Bentley students teamed up with the nonprofit Environmental and Energy Study Institute that advocates for cleaner energy policies to poll the business owners on energy consumption, energy efficiency, and long-term energy planning for their businesses and come up with ways for policymakers to better serve their needs.

Some of the findings:

• Business owners interviewed take primarily reactive approaches to energy efficiency; i.e. businesses will reduce their energy consumption after their energy costs rise rather than proactively increasing their energy efficiency.

• Immediate cost-savings is the primary motivator for small-business owners; if increased efficiency will lower costs, small businesses will become more energy efficient.
• Businesses feel it is difficult to receive relevant and accurate information about energy and energy efficiency; only 8 businesses out of the 20 interviewed were aware of programs that incentivize greater energy efficiency.
• Regarding tax incentives, businesses know more about what they do not qualify for than what they do qualify for.
• Businesses rely on their electricity and fuel providers to receive information about energy efficiency.
• Seventy percent of small businesses interviewed do not believe they need to portray themselves as “green” to attract more business. However, businesses are seeing increased customer interest in “green” products.
• Eighty-five percent of small businesses interviewed do not think that climate change will have a significant impact on their operations.

The four student team embarked on the project as part of a Federal Environmental and Natural Resource Policy course by Assistant Professor of Natural Sciences David Szymanski, a former science policy advisor to US Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana). The group traveled to Capitol Hill to present their research findings to groups and decision makers in Washington, including staffers from the offices of senators John Kerry, Scott Brown, Jeanne Shaheen and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Sen. Tester also met with the group.

Caption: Bentley students Greg Bucci, Will Markow (gesturing), Dan Green and Victoria Adams spoke with Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in his office.

The snow is coming (again). Instead of dreading it, grab a sled, find a hill, and let gravity do the rest. The Trustees of Reservations has a number of sledding hills that are open to the public. Check the links for information on hours, fees, etc.

World's End, Hingham
This South Shore favorite boasts four hills, but your best bet is Planter's, the large drumlin rising just before you cross "The Bar" to the far side of the reservation. From the summit, zip down the footpath, or bushwhack your own descent across the broad fields.

Cedariver, Millis
One of The Trustees' newest reservations also boasts a terrific sledding hill, just a few steps beyond the parking lot. Its pastoral riverside location adds to the ambiance.

Ward Reservation, Andover and North Andover
At 420 feet, Holt Hill, one of three on the 695-acre property, is the highest point in Essex County. It also gives sledders a thrill, especially those who climb to the top.

The Crane Estate, Ipswich
The undulating, half-mile long Grand Allée provides some nice, family friendly sledding terrain, especially the farther east you walk from the Great House.

Stavros Reservation, Essex
Climb Whites Hill and take a breather to enjoy some terrific views of the Essex Marsh and Castle Hill. Then shove off for a slick ride back down.

Cape Wind was granted a long-awaited permit today from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that it needs to start construction of 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound.

The permit to conduct work in navigable waters was expected, but its delay was cited by the company as one obstacle to obtaining a lucrative federal grant for the project last year.

The wind farm, expected to start construction this year, is still waiting for a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency permit for air pollution during construction.

"We are very pleased," said Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rodgers. "It is more forward momentum."

If your New Year’s resolution is to become more informed, the Vermont Law School’s Environmental Watch list for 2011 is for you. Professors and students pored through 75 issues before choosing ten of the nation’s most critical environmental law and policy issues of 2010 and explaining how they may play out this year.

The document is long so I’ve highlighted the ten items and issues at stake – some which have a link to New England. For those who want to read more, go here for the full report. It’s written clearly and for a general audience, giving a good background on each issue, its significance and potential next steps. The report ends with a look at the retirement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

1. Congressional failure to enact climate change legislation
By Professor Gus Speth and student Andrea Cone ‘12
Issue at stake: Climate and energy legislation died in the U.S. Senate in 2010. So, what
happens now?

2. The nation’s worst oil spill
By Associate Professor Betsy Baker and students Ashley Hintz ’11 and Cassandra
Burdyshaw ‘12
Issues at stake: How did our administrative, judicial, legislative, and emergency systems
allow—and respond to—the Deepwater Horizon explosion and BP oil well spill? This
one question includes multiple legal and societal issues, including how America’s
dependence on big oil and our faith in technology have outstripped our legal system’s
ability to control either, whether we can achieve more than cosmetic reform in drafting
and enforcing offshore regulations, and why we learned some lessons from the Exxon
Valdez disaster (making the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and “natural resource
damages” work), but not others (operationalizing effective oil spill response). And how
much can environmental law do about all of this anyway?

3. First U.S. greenhouse gas rules
By Professor Pat Parenteau and student James Crannell ‘12
Issue at stake: Will the Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas rules, which
would significantly reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming
pollutants from new motor vehicles and major industrial sources, survive judicial
challenges and threatened Congressional action?

4. Climate change in the courts
By Associate Professor Martha Judy and student Jonathan Gerard ‘12
Issue at stake: Will the U.S. Supreme Court restrain the courts from limiting greenhouse
gas emissions from existing coal burning power plants that produce 10 percent of U.S.
carbon dioxide emissions caused by human activities?

5. California’s climate law dodges a bullet
By Professor John Echeverria and student Brian Selogie ‘11
Issue at stake: On November 2, 2010, California voters decided whether to suspend or
continue the state’s landmark legislation addressing climate change, the Global Warming
Solutions Act of 2006, popularly known as A.B. 32. By a decisive margin of 61 percent
to 39 percent, the voters rejected Proposition 23, thus maintaining California’s
momentum in addressing climate change and keeping the Golden State at the forefront as
a potential model for other states and the nation.

6. EPA clamps down on mountaintop removal coal mining
By Professor Mark Latham and student Laura Griffin ‘12
Issue at stake: Will the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to reduce the
devastating environmental effects of mountaintop removal mining through use of the
Clean Water Act survive legal and political challenges?

7. Wind and solar projects make breakthroughs
By Assistant Professor Don Kreis and student Stephen Nadeau ‘11
Issue at stake: Cape Wind, the nation’s first offshore wind project, gained key regulatory
approvals in 2010, and 4,000 megawatts of new solar capacity are planned for the
Southwest in the largest solar projects on U.S. public lands. But will the momentum
achieved by these landmark renewable energy projects continue in 2011 given the
political and economic climate?

8. Supreme Court reviews genetically modified crops
By Professor Jason Czarnezki and student Holli Brown ‘12
Issue at stake: How will the Supreme Court’s decision in Monsanto Co. v. Geertson
Seed Farms affect the production of genetically modified crops, fish, and other socalled
Frankenfoods?

9. EPA’s water transfer exemption remains in force
By Assistant Professor Laura Murphy and student Alison Stone ‘12
Issue at stake: How will the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision affect the contested question
of whether a Clean Water Act permit is needed to transfer polluted water from one water
body to another?

10. U.S. military going green
By Professor Stephen Dycus and student Kate Swartz ‘12
Issue at stake: Can environmentalism and national security coexist?

We all know the environmental mantra by now: Have a smaller footprint. Recycle more. Live more simply.

At Green Mountain College in Vermont 19 students took those concepts to heart last semester, creating a tiny 8 by 12 foot house. Read that as 97 square feet of living space.

The home, built almost entirely from reclaimed materials cost only $1,927 to build as part of assistant environmental studies professor Lucas Brown’s design & build course. Students helped pay for it with a $100 per student course fee – and only went over their budget by a few dollars. The house cost $20 per square foot to build – a far cry from the $80 to $200 per square foot it costs for new construction, said student Todd Sirak of Poultney in a press release.

Of course, it may be a bit crowded inside but the home’s construction was a learning exercise for students in sustainable building. The course was part of the Renewable Energy and EcoDesign certificate program which is open to Green Mountain College undergraduates in any academic major.

Students collaborated on the tiny house design, visiting the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, Vt. for inspiration and ideas. Based on interviews with mock clients, student teams developed several designs.

Students settled on a rectangular building with one low corner to create a curved roof that rainwater can pour off of and be collected. A sloped back wall helped make the home feel more spacious and a loft, furnishings and lighting fixtures were also designed and constructed by students. Sheep wool was even added for insulation into the window casing. Construction took two months.

When students needed to purchase new products like hardware and metal roofing, they bought from local building supply companies.

The class expects to recoup its investment by selling the house in the spring. By then, the moveable structure will be equipped with a solar powered electrical system. Another design & build course next semester, which will be taught by GMC alumnus Khanti Munro of Solar Energy International, will focus on photovoltaics.