During the last few weeks, I have been trying to catch up on news regarding Taal Lake. A bright spot from the rather dreary situation the Lake is in came from a snippet of news from Atty. Ipat Luna. She posted a message on her Facebook account that 1091 fish cages have so far been demolished in the Lake. That represents around 12% of the 9,000 fishcages that may be found in the 24,356 hectare fresh water lake.
Way back in May 2006 (when we were still at the Provincial Capitol), then Governor Armando Sanchez declared a moratorium on the construction of new fish cages in the lake. We met several times with the PAMB of Taal Lake in order to spur them into action in protecting the viability of the lake. A fact finding trip was scheduled to have been made on June 2,2006 with Governor Arman leading the group along with Mayors of some 12 lakeshore towns. That would have started a serious program for the conservation of our beloved natural resource.
As fate would have it, the bombing and attempted assassination on the Governor occurred on June 1,2006. I remember vividly that I had just gotten off the phone after successive conversations with Talisay, Batangas Mayor Joji Manimtim (who would have hosted us the next day) when the bomb detonated. Sadly, our focus on Taal Lake had to be swept aside in view of our concern for personal safety.
We are waiting for an update and some more good news from "Mother Earth's Lawyer" Attorney Ipat. In the meantime, we would be trying, in our own small way, to generate private sector support for the efforts that she is undertaking.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Highlights of Barack Obama's Environment Policy
It is informative, to say the least, to sift through the environmental policy statements of U.S Presidential candidate Barack Obama. In his website http://my.barackobama.com, the U.S. Senator and most probable next President listed the keys to what would be his policies on Energy; in it is a summary of what too would be his policies on the Environment. Let us give it a look then:
Eliminate Our Current Imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 Year
• Increase Fuel Economy Standards.
• Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015.
• Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles.
• Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
• A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
• Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas.
Create Millions of New Green Jobs
• Ensure 10 percent of Our Electricity Comes from Renewable Sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
• Deploy the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Energy Source – Energy Efficiency.
• Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
• Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology.
• Prioritize the Construction of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.
Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050
• Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
• Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change.
These are very broad statements and they would need to be fleshed out by legislation. We have to see if he can put the walk in the talk in the next four years and if environment would be better served with an Obama presidency.
Eliminate Our Current Imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 Year
• Increase Fuel Economy Standards.
• Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015.
• Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles.
• Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
• A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
• Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas.
Create Millions of New Green Jobs
• Ensure 10 percent of Our Electricity Comes from Renewable Sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
• Deploy the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Energy Source – Energy Efficiency.
• Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
• Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology.
• Prioritize the Construction of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.
Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050
• Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
• Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change.
These are very broad statements and they would need to be fleshed out by legislation. We have to see if he can put the walk in the talk in the next four years and if environment would be better served with an Obama presidency.
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