1. Governor Proposes Additional ADEM Budget Cuts - Last week, the Riley administration proposed an additional 7% cut in the Alabama Department of Environmental Management's (ADEM) general fund operating budget for FY 2005.

The new proposed cut will decrease ADEM's annual general fund appropriation from $3.9 million to $3.6 million. Last year, ADEM's general fund budget was reduced 18%, resulting in a sharp decrease of activities in the general fund dependent solid waste program.

Historically, ADEM's appropriation from the legislature is the lowest in the Southeast. In 1991, ADEM was appropriated $5.6 million. The Department has not experienced numbers this low since FY 1988 when the appropriation was $3.1 million. During that time, the department has had to incorporate many additional environmental responsibilities without additional funding.

2. Environmental Legislation Introduced - A number of environmentally related bills were introduced at the opening of the Alabama legislature last week. Here is a partial listing of bills and a resolution.

HB 116 - Brownfield Legislation - Introduced by Rep. Terry Spicer, this bill would authorize counties and cities to grant local tax abatements for noneducational taxes for brownfield development properties that are voluntarily cleaned up.

HB 214 - Nuisance Legislation - Introduced by Rep. Ron Johnson, this bill would not allow nuisance lawsuits to be filed against any agricultural, manufacturing or other industrial plant if they have been in operation for more than a year and they are in compliance with environmental laws and permits.

HB - 351 - Violators List - Introduced by Rep. Sue Schmitz, this bill would require ADEM to keep and publish quarterly list of violators on their website for public access.

House Joint Resolution 23 - Introduced by Rep. Dick Brewbaker, this resolution would establish a joint interim legislative committee to study the ADEM.

To learn more about these pieces of legislation go to http://www.legislature.state.al.us or check out the environmental community's leading legislative organization, the Alabama League of Environmental Action Voters (AlaLEAVs) website http://www.alaleavs.org

3. Pritchard Cited For Massive Sewage Spill - Early last week, the Mobile Register reported that the Pritchard Water Works and Sewer Board had announced that a break in a sewer line may have spilled tens of millions of gallons of sewage over a period of weeks. Mobile Register research indicates the spill may have averaged more than 400,000 gallons a day for five months, making it one of the largest reported spills ever in the bay.

Fecal bacteria levels near the Pritchard spill were at least 170 times higher than the levels federal regulators deem safe for freshwater recreation, new testing shows. Alabama's Attorney General plans to take legal action against the Water and Sewer Board after the utility admitted to spilling the raw sewage.

4. AWF Land Stewardship At Its Best - For the past four years, the Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) in partnership with the Alabama Forestry Commission, TREASURE Forest Association, the Longleaf Alliance and the U.S. Forest Service have been providing technical assistance to private landowners to help improve and promote wildlife conservation and natural resource stewardship. The numbers of people and land these groups have assisted and evaluated are very impressive.

Here is a breakdown of their efforts:

North Region - Landowner Assists = 70 Acres Evaluated = 19,327
Central Region - Landowner Assists = 356 Acres Evaluated = 242,719
South Region - Landowner Assists = 187 Acres Evaluated = 99,490
Statewide Summary - Landowner Assists = 613 Acres Evaluated 361,536

For additional information about this successful program email Claude Jenkins, Alabama Wildlife Federation at cjenkins@alabamawildlife.org

5. B'ham and Montgomery Water Receive an "A: Here is some good news about drinking water in Birmingham and Montgomery. Men's Health Magazine, with help from the Environmental Quality Institute at North Carolina and the Natural Resources Defense Council checked water quality tests from 101 U.S. cities. Comparing data with National Academy of Sciences guidelines as well as EPA's maximum contaminant level goals, the magazine issued a national 101 city report card.

The two Alabama cities on the list, Birmingham and Montgomery received an "A.' In the South, Nashville and Atlanta received "B's". Nationally, scores ranged from Washington D.C. - "F' , Raleigh, N.C. - "C', Chicago "B", Seattle - "C".

6. BEN Notes: Wildlife Grants Available, Alabama Watershed Leadership Conference, 4-H Environmental Leadership Conference, TNC's The Prairies of Alabama Brochure

Wildlife Grants Available - The state of Alabama's Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division will be providing wildlife grants to public and private groups and organizations to fund conservation programs. Up to $400,000 will be available for approved projects beginning in 2004. Projects must address the conservation of specific native species of crayfish, mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds or mammals, with emphasis on species with the greatest need. Projects must have a duration of one to three years. Priority will be given to projects that:

*Directly address conservation needs of declining species *address the needs of multiple species * involve multiple partners * leverage State Wildlife Grant Funds

The grants do require a non-federal 50% match of total project costs. Do not apply for these funds based on this announcement. Go to http://www.conservation.alabama.gov for all application materials and background info. Applications must be received by June 15, 2004. Questions and comments should be directed to Jim McHugh at 334-242-3874 or jmchugh@dcnr.state.al.us

Alabama Watershed Leadership Conference - The Alabama Rivers Alliance will be holding their 6th Watershed Leadership Conference March 12-14 at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, Alabama. The event is an educational, strategy and training session for people interested in protecting and restoring Alabama's water resources. For information about the conference, visit the Alabama Rivers Alliance website at http://www.alabamarivers org or call 205-322-6395.

4-H Environmental Leadership Conference - Each year, 4-H conducts a field -oriented environmental education conference for 14-19 year olds at the Alabama 4-H Center, located on Lay Lake near Columbiana, Alabama. 4-H is seeking teachers and students to attend this year's Environmental Stewardship Conference "Restoring Our Watersheds" between March 31 to April 2. The registration deadline is March 19. For registration information contact Emily Kling at klingeb@auburn.edu or 334-844-2226.

TNC's The Prairies of Alabama Brochure - The Nature Conservancy of Alabama, along with the Cahaba Trace Commission has produced a beautiful and informative brochure promoting the need to preserve Alabama's remaining Black Belt Prairie. Presently, it is estimated that less than one percent of the original Black Belt Prairie exists in Alabama. See how you can help save it by calling the Nature Conservancy at 205-251-1155 for a brochure.