A study just released shows that coal-burning plants in Central Texas, more than 430 miles away, also contribute to the problem. The Dallas Morning News Riders A 'Dangerous Game' The Los Angeles Times condemned the abundance of anti-environmental riders on this year's spending bills. The article says such indirect attacks on popular environmental legislation are payoffs to business lobbies. AP reported conservationists have thwarted Congressional attempts to quietly sneak controversial environmentally destructive legislation onto spending bills this year. In the meantime, the Washington Post reported that 153 Democrats united against the riders, assuring they would be able to uphold a Presidential veto.
Ocean fisheries are in marked decline as well.
According to an AP article, government hold-ups stalled the plan, while logging continues. The plaintiffs, led by the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity, contend Congress halted funding for the forest plan after a draft report found non-timber related forest activities produced 32 times more income than logging. A World Trade Organization Court ruled Monday the United States must accept shrimp imports from countries refusing to equip their fleets with turtle-excluder devices, according to an AP story. The ruling upheld an April decision favoring shrimping fleets from Malaysia, Thailand, India and Pakistan. The court held a US law seeking to protect endangered sea turtles placed an undue trade restriction on poorer nations.