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MN: In new role, Minnesota to aid other states

By Devin Henry, St. Paul Pioneer Press

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes the New Madrid seismic zone on the Kentucky-Missouri border. Communications go offline, highways are severely damaged, and there is not enough shelter space to house those displaced by the quake.
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US: Senate panel debates offshore drilling

By Siobhan Hughes, The Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON -- A Senate panel on Thursday battled over whether the country could expand oil and gas drilling in coastal waters without damaging the environment, spotlighting one of the big fights over climate legislation.
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More Environment news

AK: Alaska gets money for green jobs

By The Associated Press, Anchorage Daily News

Pacific Northwest states are getting more than $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to encourage green jobs. Read More

AK: Alaska's high court hears predator control case

By Mary Pemberton, The Associated Press, Anchorage Daily News

Opponents of Alaska's predator control program were in the Alaska Supreme Court on Thursday arguing that the program violates the state constitution. Read More

AL: Alabama rolls out new U.S. 280 toll road plan

By Ginny MacDonald and Michael Tomberlin, The Birmingham News

State transportation officials are ready to move forward with a $710 million makeover of U.S. 280 -- a new plan that doesn't rely entirely on elevated toll lanes that doomed a previous proposal to unsnarl the congested highway. Read More

AL: White Rock: EBSCO dumped hazardous waste

By Malcomb Daniels, The Birmingham News

At a press conference today, representatives of White Rock Quarries, a company that wants to put a limestone quarry in Vincent, said EBSCO Industries is trying to block the project to hide 15 years of illegally dumping hazardous waste from its nearby plant. Read More

CO: Xcel Energy lops nearly $44 million off rate-increase request

By David O. Williams, Colorado Independent

Xcel Energy Thursday filed for state approval of a settlement with consumer groups in its ongoing rate case before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), knocking nearly $44 million from its rate-increase request. Read More

HI: State gets $1.24M in federal funding to promote 'green' jobs

By Staff Reports, The Honolulu Advertiser

The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said it has been awarded $1.24 million in federal funds to be used in developing an information bank to facilitate job training, job search and placement in "green jobs." Read More

KY: Kentucky PSC recommends ways to prevent power outages

By Patrick Howington, The Courier-Journal (Louisville)

The Kentucky Public Service Commission offered a broad — and expensive — set of recommendations Thursday to limit power outages and ease recovery when the lights go out. Read More

LA: Strain -- State still waiting for funds

By Sarah Chacko, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)

The state agriculture department should have nearly all of $44.5 million in disaster recovery grants and loans in farmers' hands by Christmas, the head of the agency told legislators Thursday. Read More

MA: Shrewsbury opposes medical waste facility

By The Associated Press, Boston Herald

SSHREWSBURY, Mass. — Shrewsbury residents are mobilizing against a proposal to build a 21,000-square-foot medical waste disposal facility near a residential neighborhood in town. Read More

MS: Miss. levee board sues EPA over flood project

By The Associated Press, The Sun Herald (Biloxi)

GREENVILLE, Miss. -- Environmental groups have intervened in a lawsuit filed by a Mississippi levee board over the Environmental Protection Agency's veto of a $220 million flood control project that dates back decades. Read More

MT: Montana, federal officials more tolerant of bison leaving Yellowstone, report says

By The Associated Press, Missoulian

BILLINGS -- Federal and state officials are drafting new strategies to deal with bison coming out of Yellowstone National Park, but still don't have an alternative to periodic slaughters of the iconic Western animal. Read More

NC: Stam sees a chance for eminent domain bill

By Benjamin Niolet and Rob Christensen, The News & Observer (Raleigh)

The departure of state Sen. Tony Rand has a lot of people wondering how the Senate will operate without the powerful master of rules, legislative maneuvers and hardball politics. It even has state Rep. Paul Stam wondering whether he'll finally get a favorite bill passed in the Senate. Read More

NH: Proposals sought for northern NH heating project

By The Associated Press, Concord Monitor

PLYMOUTH, N.H. -- A new project is under way to help northern New Hampshire communities save money and the environment. Read More

OK: Horse Sensitivity

By Amanda O'Toole, Tulsa World

STILLWATER, Okla. — The wild mustangs Freedom, El Compadre and Felio were featured during the halftime show at Oklahoma State University's football game Thursday in an effort to raise awareness of the plight of wild horses. Read More

OK: Oklahoma chided for litter-trial additions

By Robert J. Smith, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)

U.S. District Judge Greg Frizzell on Thursday chastised an attorney working for the state of Oklahoma for overloading its poultry-litter lawsuit with paperwork. Read More

OR: House passes bill to protect Molalla River

By Charles Pope, The Oregonian (Portland)

WASHINGTON -- The House Thursday approved legislation that would extend the highest level of federal protection to 21.3 miles of Oregon's Molalla River. Read More

RI: In Providence, a crescent of green business sprouts

By Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal

When Alteris Renewables decided to add another office in either Rhode Island or Southeastern Massachusetts, it considered Fall River, New Bedford and Bristol. Read More

TN: TVA price increases fuel higher tax payments

By Dave Flessner, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Higher electricity prices may have squeezed recession-weary consumers in the past two years, but the higher TVA rates are helping to funnel more money into state and local government coffers. Read More

TN: TVA cuts bonuses; no pay raise for top brass

By Dave Flessner, Chattanooga Times Free Press

For the first time since the Tennessee Valley Authority revamped its top management about three years ago, the federal utility didn't give pay raises or performance bonuses to its top managers this year. Read More

TN: Water quality penalty expected next year

By Cliff Hightower, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Chattanooga could be fined as early as next spring for not living up to the standards of its water quality permit, a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation official said Thursday. Read More

UT: Utah oil and gas leases should be reinstated, report says

By Amy Joi O'Donoghue, The Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)

A new analysis by an association representing oil and gas producers asserts the Department of the Interior thwarted the public process and "second-guessed" its own land managers when it yanked bids on oil and gas parcels sold at a controversial auction in Salt Lake City last December. Read More

WA: BPA proposal for new high-voltage line draws heat

By The Associated Press, The Olympian

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A Bonneville Power Administration proposal to build a new high-voltage power line across one of several possible corridors between new substations in Castle Rock, Wash., and Troutdale, Ore., is drawing heated comment. Read More

WA: Biologists save fish after landslide

By Shannon Dininny, seattlepi.com

NILE, Wash. -- Fisheries biologists from 10 government agencies and private groups are working shifts to try to save the fish. Read More

WI: Wis. Great Lakes ballast regs set for Feb.

By Staff Reports, Wisconsin State Journal (Madison)

State environmental officials say they'll begin enforcing new ballast water regulations on Great Lakes vessels in February. Read More

WI: Asian carp may have breached barrier

By Dan Egan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

New research shows the fish likely have made it past the $9 million electric fish barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a source familiar with the situation told the Journal Sentinel late Thursday. Read More

WY: Revenue committee finally passes some tax bills

By Phil Noble, Cowboy State Free Press

The legislature's Joint Interim Revenue Committee spent the day Nov. 18 killing bills, including measures calling for taxes on electric generation, wind energy, property and fuel. Read More

WY: Don't blame wind, officials say

By Dustin Bleizeffer, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (Cheyenne)

Power producers have installed more than 500 megawatts of wind energy generation in Wyoming in the past year. Read More

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

	As of October 2006, 28 states have outlined the steps they can take to reduce climate change and 12 states have set targets to lower their greenhouse gas emissions.
	12 states have filed a lawsuit to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions of automobiles.
	Illinois, Montana, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania have set mercury emissions standards that exceed federal benchmarks for that pollutant

USEFUL LINKS

EPA National Center for Environmental Innovation
This Web site contains information on how the EPA is using innovation to solve environmental problems and assures that the ideas are widely shared.

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies—the organization that represents all of North America’s fish and wildlife agencies—promotes sound management and conservation.

Natural Resources Defense Council
NRDC actively pursues litigation to support environmental protections and offers online resources related to environmental advocacy.

STAPPA/ALAPCO
STAPPA and ALAPCO are national associations of state and local air pollution control agencies.

Statescape's BillFinder
BillFinder helps users find any bill eligible for consideration in the current calendar year using either keywords and phrases or bill numbers.

The Clean Air Trust
The Clean Air Trust promotes strong air pollution controls and advises policy-makers on enforcement of the federal Clean Air Act.

The Environmental Council of States
ECOS is comprised of state environmental agency or commission heads from around the country.

The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators
NCEL is an association of state legislators who are leaders on environmental issues in their caucuses.

The State Environmental Leadership Program
SELP is an alliance of more than 50 environmental advocacy groups.

The State Environmental Resource Center
SERC researches state environmental policies and assembles information and tools to help legislators.

State Sportsmen's Caucuses
Modeled after the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, 35 state sportsmen’s caucuses promote outdoor sports in the in state legislatures throughout the country.

Read the latest news, analysis and research on the economic crisis in the states in Stateline.org's new Recession and Recovery special section.

The Stimulus and the
States
Follow how states are managing the stimulus money and which programs are receiving funding as part of the recovery effort using Stateline.org's stimulus special section.

Click here to read summaries of action in all 50 states and major trends of the 2009 legislative session.

Read the full 2008 Legislative Review or state-by-state summaries

Read the full 2007 Legislative Review or state-by-state summaries

Read the full 2006 Legislative Review

Stateline.org has compiled an extensive list of state issue political blogs to make it convenient for you to follow state government.

If a blog you find interesting and informative is not on our list, tell us about it by sending an email to editor@stateline.org.

Blogs organized by Issue

Blogs organized by State

Stateline.org has put together a list of state public policy resources organized by issue. Here, you will find useful links to essential information from government, academia, and think tanks. If you have a link to add, please email us.

Go to the state public policy resources page

The Pew Charitable Trusts applies the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew's Center on the States identifies and advances state policy solutions.