The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced an 18-month delay in permitting a controversial oil-tunnel construction project under the Great Lakes. Federal engineers said they need the extra time to study the massive volume of public comments submitted about the project. .
The Iowa House has passed a bill to restrict the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipeline operators in the state. The measure would require the companies to receive permission from landowners before constructing the pipelines. Right now, the pipeline companies have to get permission only from the three-member, unelected Iowa Utilities Board to use eminent domain, and landowners are completely left out of the process. .
Researchers with the University of New Hampshire are taking to the skies to study the state s increasingly fragmented forests. Urban and agricultural growth, and roads are carving up large swaths of forestland into smaller patches, exposing new forest edges to invasive species and uprooting wildlife. Russ Congalton, professor of natural resources and the environment at the University of New Hampshire, said they re using drones to get a better look at how forests are responding. .