I have this really great program that lets me update my web site really easily. It's called X-Journal and Tim Harincar is the uber web guru (you can also use the term geek) who runs it. Anyway, today is Tim's 41st birthday. Now all the world knows. Sorry Tim.

I also thought I would share this picture with everyone. I spent some time last week in Grand Marais taking pictures. This is the Cascade River which flows into Lake Superior a little west of Grand Marais.

Other important news includes the following from Howard Learner at the Environmental Policy and Law Center:

Minnesota Senator Advances National Global Warming Pollution Registry

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has joined forces with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) to sponsor a bill that would establish a national greenhouse gas registry. All companies in the country, with the exception of some small businesses emitting less than 10,000 tons each year, would be required to report their global warming pollution levels annually. In her statement in support of the bill, Klobuchar relates the national registry concept to last week's official unveiling of "The Climate Registry," which is a 31-state database that ELPC helped to advance. The national Climate Registry plans to begin accepting data in January 2008. See
http://www.startribune.com/587/story/1183183.html for more information.

Also, Bush Orders Agencies to Draft Global Warming Pollution Reduction Rules

President Bush ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Transportation to develop rules implementing his State of the Union proposal to reduce the projected growth of oil consumption within a decade to a level 20% lower than what is currently forecast. Perhaps not coincidentally, the rules are due on his desk by the end of 2008, only 20 days before his term expires. Many environmentalists expressed doubt that the proposal goes far enough. See more at
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/us/15bush.html

U.S. Said to be Attempting to Weaken New G-8 Global Warming Statement

Documents obtained by the Washington Post reportedly show that the U.S. government is trying to weaken a global warming declaration scheduled to be unveiled in Germany next month. The draft declaration, which would be signed by the Group of Eight nations, includes a pledge to reduce worldwide global warming pollution by 50% below 1990 levels by 2050. Read more at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/12/AR2007051201445.html