Obama task force to recommend new policies for conservation of oceans, coasts, Great Lakes

September 30th, 2009 Task force to colleges: Treat betting like boozeLAS VEGAS — A national gambling task force is recommending that colleges and universities take more steps to curb problem gambling by students by treating the issue as a health concern. The Task Force on College Gambling Policies says in a report released Tuesday that most higher education institutions aggressively target alcohol problems on campus, but not gambling problems.

September 17th, 2009 Obama task force calls for National Ocean CouncilSAN FRANCISCO — The Obama administration on Thursday released the first glimpse of a plan to strengthen the way the nation manages the oceans, coasts and the Great Lakes. President Barack Obama's Ocean Policy Task Force — comprised of 24 officials from the U.S.

September 15th, 2009 Panel to recommend keeping some color-coded alertsWASHINGTON — After a 60-day review of the nation's terror-alert system, a special task force is expected to recommend that the Obama administration keep color-coded alerts, but reduce the number of colors — or levels of risk. There are currently five colors in the coded terrorism advisories, long derided by late night TV comics and portrayed by some Democrats as a tool for Bush administration political manipulation.

September 1st, 2009 URUMQI - China is planning to include four mountain lakes in the country's northwest on the World Heritage List, an expert said Tuesday. The lakes will be entered as a single unit on the list.

August 31st, 2009 NEW YORK - Discussions at the UN General Assembly Monday were aimed at setting up a process for the scientific study of oceans, which cover 70 percent of Earth but are little understood. "The marine environment is facing a multiplicity of challenges," said UN Environment Programme (UNEP) director Achim Steiner, adding that the decline in fish stocks and land-based pollution are persistent factors.

August 21st, 2009 Commerce secretary approves Arctic fisheries planANCHORAGE, Alaska — The nation's secretary of commerce has approved a plan that would prohibit an expansion of commercial fishing in the Arctic, at least until more is known about the area. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke on Thursday approved the Arctic Fishery Management Plan, which was prompted by changes in the Arctic that have come with global warming and the loss of sea ice.

August 20th, 2009 Study says plastic decomposes at seaWASHINGTON — Environmentalists have long denounced plastic as a long-lasting pollutant that doesn't break down. A new study indicates that, in the oceans, plastic does decompose, but says that's not a good thing either.

June 30th, 2009 Great Lakes wolves returning to endangered listTRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — More than 4,000 gray wolves in the upper Great Lakes region are going back on the federal endangered species list — at least temporarily.

June 13th, 2009 US, Canada to update Great Lakes water agreementNIAGARA FALLS, Ontario — The United States and Canada say they will update a key agreement to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species, climate change and other established and emerging threats to the world's biggest surface freshwater system. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday that the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which was last amended in 1987, is no longer sufficient.

June 10th, 2009 Report: Iron ore shipments down on Great LakesCLEVELAND — Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes are down substantially because of the low demand for steel, a report from a trade association of cargo ships said Tuesday. The Lake Carriers' Association said iron ore shipments in May totaled only 3 million tons, a decrease of nearly 60 percent compared to a year ago.

June 8th, 2009 Senate panel to question Obama auto task forceWASHINGTON — A Senate committee plans to question two members of the White House's auto task force about using taxpayer money to restructure General Motors and Chrysler. The Senate Banking Committee will hear from Ron Bloom, a senior adviser to the auto task force, and Edward Montgomery, who serves as the Obama administration's director of recovery for auto communities and workers.

June 5th, 2009 Cameron Davis appointed as Great Lakes czarTRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Cameron Davis, leader of a Chicago-based environmentalist group, has been appointed to oversee President Barack Obama's initiative to clean up the Great Lakes.

June 4th, 2009 EPA appoints czar for Great Lakes clean upTRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A Chicago-based environmentalist has been appointed to oversee President Barack Obama's initiative to clean up the Great Lakes.

May 14th, 2009 Climate conference urges world to protect oceansMANADO, Indonesia — Rising sea levels, warming waters and spiraling acidity caused by global warming are threatening the world's oceans and the communities they support, governments warned Thursday, as they sought to include protection for the seas in a new U.N. climate treaty.

April 22nd, 2009 Deep blue lakes become Afghanistan's first parkKABUL — A cascading collection of deep-blue high-mountain lakes became Afghanistan's first provisional national park Wednesday, as the violence-plagued nation took a big first step toward protecting one of its finest natural treasures. Coinciding with Earth Day, celebrated worldwide every year on April 22, officials in the Central Asian country signed a decree to create Band-e-Amir National Park, encompassing six mountain-fed lakes held back by natural calcified dams.