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Bush Converts National Forest Management to Corporate Model

By J.R. Pegg WASHINGTON, DC, December 23, 2004 (ENS) – The Bush administration finalized major changes Wednesday to the federal government's management framework for the national forest system, granting federal land managers increased authority to approve logging, drilling, grazing and mining with less environmental review than currently required. Administration officials said the new framework will ensure a balanced approach to managing the national forests and will not undermine environmental protections. "The new rule will improve the way we work with the public by making forest planning more open, understandable and timely," said Forest Service Associate Chief Sally Collins. "It will enable Forest Service experts to respond more rapidly to changing conditions, such as wildfires, and emerging threats, such as invasive species." The new regulations revise the Forest Service's application of the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), which was passed by Congress in 1976 and governs the management of 192 million acres of national forests. The law requires forest plans for each of the 155 national forests and 22 national grasslands. The new rule also eliminates wildlife species viability standards contained in an earlier rule adopted by the Reagan administration. The rule eliminates environmental impact analysis of forest plans, a requirement […]

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Toyota Releases Action Plan in 2004 Environment Report

Toyota released its 2004 North American Environmental Report, which describes its continued improvements and plans for the future. Building on the success of the second-generation gasoline-electric Prius, Toyota made progress managing environmental issues across the life cycle of automobile design, production, sales, distribution and recycling. Toyota's Five-Year-Environmental Action Plan lays out goals and targets: * Design and Development: two new SUV hybrids will be launched in 2005: the Lexus RX 400h and the Highlander. Toyota says these will combine the performance of an SUV with the fuel economy of a compact car. Toyota is ahead of the required compliance schedule for certification of its vehicles to the new Tier 2 and LEV II emission standards. * Manufacturing: Over the past year, its manufacturing plants achieved targets for reduced energy and water use, and emissions of volatile organic compounds two-years ahead of schedule. * Sales and Distribution: N. American sales of the Toyota Prius have exceeded 100,000 units. U.S. sales and distribution activities were achieved with an overall reduction of 1.8% in GHG emissions. Vehicle distribution centers in the U.S. and Canada achieved ISO 14001 certification/registration and a sixth straight year of 100% compliance with regulations applicable to hazardous materials/dangerous goods. […]

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