Friday Environmental Roundup

• Southern Alliance for Clean Energy has information on how to give Sen. Lamar Alexander comments r.e. his reluctance to embrace the windmill: link
  
  
• Learn about the National Energy Bill at SACE: link
  
  
• There's a Global Warming / Climate Change Bill in the works in North Carolina: link
  

  An Act to establish the Legislative commission on global climate change and to direct the commission to study issues related to global warming and the emerging carbon economy, to determine whether it is appropriate and desirable for the state to establish a global warming pollutant reduction goal and, if the commission determines that the establishment of a goal is appropriate and desirable, to develop a recommended goal.

  It's already passed the NC Senate. Will it pass the House? Contact info for state representatives can be found at the SACE website: link
  
  
• There's a dragonfly program at Ijams on Saturday the 23rd (members only): link
  
  
• East TN Clean Fuels Coalition reports that the City of Knoxville has obtained new Toyota Priuses for use by building inspectors: link
  While you're at the site, you can also read press releases on the following:
  
  • Tennessee counties are opening biodiesel fuel stations
  • KUB "making the switch" to biodiesel
  • KAT's clean fuel vehicles
  Knoxville ETCFC meets on the second Thursday of each month. Locations can be found on the website.
  
  
• The Southern Environmental Law Center warns that Southerners are at the greatest risk from the EPA's failure to curb mercury pollution: link
  
  
• Tennessee Environmental Council reports on mine reclamation in the Caney Fork watershed: link
  
  
• The Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition announces a conference this Fall in Black Mountain, NC, on the subject of forest restoration in the eastern US: link

Bye, Bubba.

The venerable South Knox Bubba blog, forums, and Rocky Top Brigade hosting have been pulled suddenly and without advance warning by the man himself, SKB, for reasons still unknown. This was the hub of a virtual community unlike others, considering its local focus as well as the level of interaction among members in both virtual and "meat" space.

While it does little to no good to speculate about reasons for the demise of the SKB commune, there's a lot of confusion among bloggers and blabbers who wish SKB the best, hope that the reasons for pulling the plug were primarily internal rather than external, and wonder what will become of the little communities SKB nurtured.

Be safe and be well, SKB! Folks are already regrouping; hopefully the Rocky Top Brigade will find a stable home soon. Until then, I'm linking to the cached RTB page in my blogroll.