VANESSA PURDY: Recently, the permission granted by the federal government allowing the shipping of 16 radioactive steam generators has been postponed indefinitely.

The project, which would have involved transporting the generators across the Great Lakes and to the Atlantic Ocean to be sent to Sweden to be recycled, was proposed by Bruce Power, a privately owned nuclear company. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) did not explicitly explain it’s reasoning for the delay, stating only that they needed more time to deliberate. The shipment in question exceeds the limit of radioactivity permitted on a single vessel as regulated by the federal government.

Many groups, including First Nations and environmental watchdogs were concerned about the potentially dangerous shipment, especially in regards to water contamination. The Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility has put forth a request that the generators remain permanently stored at the Bruce Power location. Along with the aforementioned concerns, CCNR is concerned about setting dangerous precedents in nuclear waste transfer. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: Reports from residents living along the north coast of Labrador say scores of dead seals have been washing ashore in the past several weeks. A conservation officer with the area’s Inuit government estimates that hundreds of adult and young seals have died in the area between Hopedale and Makkovik this winter. Officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are testing the carcasses to determine their cause of death, and where they originated, but many locals and conservation officers believe the department hasn’t acted quickly enough.

This time of year usually sees seals living on sea ice south along the coastline south of Hopedale, but there is very little ice left this year. Garry Stenson, a researcher at the federal department of fisheries said that the deaths could be a sign that the seal populations have grown to high, and are beginning to self-regulate. Stenson believes many births occurred in December rather than in February or March as is more common. Early births tend to have a much lower survival rate. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: A complainet made in 2006 against Canada, to NAFTA’s Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC), has resulted in the withdrawal of a coalition of international environmental groups, represented by Ecojustice. The complaint claims that the Canadian government failed in the enforcing of laws aimed at protecting approximately 197 at-risk Canadian species.

A mass withdrawal of this sort is a first for the NAFTA process. A decision reached last week called for an investigation of the allegation, but the ministers on the panel limited the scope to a mere 11 species. It has taken them more than three years to come to this less than satisfactory decision, for those involved in the withdrawal.

Devon Page, the Ecojustice executive director, calls the move a sham, and that it reveals the citizen submissions process promoted by NAFTA as the method to ensure environmental protection against the steamroller of free trade, to not be consistent with the reality of the process.

The groups participating in the withdrawal have requested that the CEC suspend future action on the complaint, since political interference and further delays in the investigation will nullify it’s meaning. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: The government of Canada is being urged to demonstrate its commitment to protecting Alberta’s lower Athabasca River over the long term. A new report co-authored by WWF Canada, following a meeting with representatives from government, local first nations groups, metis groups, and industry puts forth recommendations for a new water management plan for the lower Athabasca.

In the end, the various participants were unable to reach a consensus on which recommendation were the most pressing. At issue was the implementation of an Ecosystem Base Flow or EBF. An EBF represents the bottom threshold of water levels, and that no more water withdrawals can happen when it is reached. The science behind the use of an EBF has been supported by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but the federal and provincial governments are still reluctant to support the project, and establish a general water management plan. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: Bob McMinn , 86-year-old eco-champion is leading a campaign to save a lake in Victoria, BC that is now being threatened by development. The Save Mary Lake campaign aims to protect the 107-acre land, a crucial habitat for many indigenous animal and plant species, some of which are threatened or endangered. These species include the red legged frog and the great blue heron.

Conserving Mary Lake would also keep several regional and provincial parks connected, allowing for the continuation of a 25 km natural hiking trail network that’s taken the past 60 years to establish.

The campaign invites donors to own virtual portions of the area. Donations are being received from around the world. The goal of the Mary Lake Conservancy is to raise $1 million by February 1st, a looming deadline. The group has planned a web-a-thon for January 27th. You can find out more by visiting www.savemarylake.com. [ index ]

MARTIN WALDMAN: A scientific review released this week says there is no evidence to support claims that carbon dioxide is leaking from a high-profile carbon capture project in Saskatchewan. A team of researchers from the Petroleum Technology Research Centre, reviewed claims made by the firm Petro-Find Geochem Ltd. The initial report said soil samples showed conclusive proof that gases are escaping from a carbon sequestration reservoir below farmland owned by a local couple. But the new research survey rejected the idea that CO2 concentrations in the soil were abnormal, instead stating that levels were similar to those in nearby prairie soils. It also suggests that fizzing and popping sounds heared coming from the soil on the property can be explained by “near surface process”.

The researchers from the Petroleum Technology Research Centre also pulled no punches in attacking the authors of the initial report, claiming that PetroFind made technical errors, invoked undocumented data, and did not provide enough information on their scientific methods. The owner of Petro-Find, Paul Lafleur, said he “definitely” stands by his findings. Carbon Capture technology remains a major plank of Canada’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: The Indian State of Gujarat has announced a deal to construct what could be Asia’s first tidal power plant. Much like conventional hydroelectricity which uses rivers and lakes, tidal plants harness the power of the ocean’s tides to generate electricity. The plan should see a 50 megawatt plant begin construction early next year, with the option of expanding capacity to 200 megawatt.

The Gujarat project has to hurry if it indeed hopes to be Asia’s first, as planning is underway for a similar facility in South Korea. The world’s largest tidal power plant is the La Rance station in Northern France, which generates 240 megawatts. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: The wave of Republicans elected in the U.S. midterm elections have taken office and, true to their words, have begun repealing or blocking environmental legislation. Most recently, the new Governor of New Mexico has cancelled two proposed bills that would toughen environmental laws in the state.

One bill would have required New Mexico to make annual 3% cuts to carbon emissions. The second bill would have regulated pollution produced by dairy farms. The governor stated that the laws would have hurt the state’s economy, which is still recovering from recession. [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE: Mount Tindaya, in the Spanish Canary Islands, is to have a huge 50 by 50 metre cube, along with tunnels and light shafts, dug into its side. The excavation is to create a sculpture by the late Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida. The sculpture will consist of a massive, solitary chamber with sunlight streaming down from shafts leading up the mountain.

Chillida envisioned the sculpture as a “monument to tolerance”. The island hopes that once finished, the sculpture will help generate income from tourism. But the project is drawing fire from environmentalists, who object to the destruction and defacing of a pristine mountain, whose beauty is admired by the islanders. They also worry the project will damage prehistoric rock drawings located nearby.

The project has been given the go-ahead by island authorities, who are now taking bids from private companies to begin the project. [ index ]