TO: ENVIRONMENT REPORT STATIONS FR: LEAH SIPHER-MANN, ENVIRONMENT REPORT RE: THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT FOR 01.11.08 The Environment Report provides a no-cost weekly service of environmental news and information to radio stations. The service originates from Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor. For more information or questions about carriage, please contact Lester Graham (618) 704-9052 or Mark Brush (734) 764-9210. *The Environment Report is available on Fridays at 9:30am on PRSS' Content Depot. You can also access broadcast quality (.wav) files through the 'Station Resources' section of our website: environmentreport.org *The note (cutaway) indicates a length designed for ME C-segment or ATC cutaway. PROGRAM RUNDOWN FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 11TH, 2008 ***FEATURES #1 LOCAL BLOWBACK FROM WIND FARMS (cutaway length) #2 LOCAL BLOWBACK FROM WIND FARMS (spot) #3 GEO-THERMAL AT HOME #4 GEO-THERMAL AT HOME (cutaway) #5 GEO-THERMAL AT HOME (spot) #6 TEEN BUILDS ELECTRIC PICKUP #7 TEEN BUILDS ELECTRIC PICKUP (cutaway) #8 TEEN BUILDS ELECTRIC PICKUP (spot) ***SPOTS #9 POLAR BEARS ON THIN ICE #10 ETHANOL: GRASS BETTER THAN CORN #11 CALL OF THE WILD #12 SPORT FISHING DROPS ON GREAT LAKES #13 SIX STATES DEBATING GL PACT ***FUNDING CREDIT #14 THIS WEEK'S FUNDING CREDIT **>>>**THIS WEEK'S FUNDING CREDIT!!**<<<** "Support for the Environment Report comes from the USDA's Cooperative Extension Service, the George Gund Foundation, and the Americana Foundation. Get more information about Environment Report stories at environment report dot org." ***FEATURES #1 LOCAL BLOWBACK FROM WIND FARMS (cutaway length) America’s hunger for new, greener sources of electricity, and a generous federal tax credit, are fueling a wind power boom. According to the industry, almost 6-thousand megawatts of new wind energy are under construction nationwide. That’s 40-percent of all existing wind power in the U-S. The federal government doesn’t regulate many aspects of wind power. Neither do many states. That puts a lot of pressure on local town councils to decide if a wind farm will be a good neighbor. David Sommerstein (SUMMER-steen) reports: CUT: SOMMERSTEIN (3:16 "...I'M DAVID SOMMERSTEIN.") LOCAL HOST PROMO (:15): "Coming up next... wind farms tear at the rural fabric. As the call for alternative energy grows louder, more wind farms are popping up around the country. The Environment Report’s David Sommerstein (SUMMER-steen) finds that local officials are often overwhelmed with the all the technical details of siting wind farms. The blowback from wind farms... coming up next." #2 LOCAL BLOWBACK FROM WIND FARMS (spot) The federal government doesn’t regulate many aspects of wind power. Neither do many states. That puts a lot of pressure on local town councils to decide if a wind farm will be a good neighbor. David Sommerstein (SUMMER-steen) reports: CUT: SOMMERSTEIN (:49 "...I'M DAVID SOMMERSTEIN.") #3 GEO-THERMAL AT HOME You might be hearing about geothermal energy more and more. But what exactly is geothermal energy? The new federal Energy Act calls for more research and investment into the alternative energy source. Robbie Harris has more on this long used, but little known technology, for tapping the earth’s heat: CUT: HARRIS (4:30 "...I'M ROBBIE HARRIS." incl. :08 snd fade) LOCAL HOST PROMO (:16): "Coming up next... going underground to get heat. To find it, the Environment Report’s Robbie Harris takes us to Iceland. The country is a shining example of how to use geothermal energy. They’ve been heating their homes this way for decades. And now, homeowners in the U-S are tapping the underground heat. Heating your home from the bottom up... coming up next." #4 GEO-THERMAL AT HOME (cutaway) See lede and promo above. CUT: HARRIS (3:23 "...I'M ROBBIE HARRIS.") #5 GEO-THERMAL AT HOME (spot) The federal Energy Act calls for research into geothermal energy. New and existing technologies are being developed to tap the earth’s heat. As Robbie Harris reports, they’re expected to become a factor in the renewable energy equation: CUT: HARRIS (:59 "...I'M ROBBIE HARRIS.") #6 TEEN BUILDS ELECTRIC PICKUP People have been talking about electric cars ever since cars first hit the road. But nobody’s mass producing an electric car right now. General Motors says it’s working on a gas-saving electric vehicle that could be ready in 2010. But some people aren’t waiting around. Dustin Dwyer (DWHY-er) recently met someone who converted his pickup to run on batteries: CUT: DWYER (3:57 "...I'M DUSTIN DWYER.") LOCAL HOST PROMO (:15): "Coming up next... building an electric car is child’s play. The Environment Report’s Dustin Dwyer (DWHY-er) introduces us to a sixteen year old who converted his gas powered pickup truck – to an electric powered pickup truck. He did it to show people how easy it is. And to show the car companies that people want to go electric. Reviving the electric car... coming up next." #7 TEEN BUILDS ELECTRIC PICKUP (cutaway) See lede and promo above. CUT: DWYER (3:28 "..I'M DUSTIN DWYER.") #8 TEEN BUILDS ELECTRIC PICKUP (spot) A teenager in Michigan is trying to get automakers to rethink how they power their vehicles. He’s converted his pickup to run entirely on electricity. Dustin Dwyer (DWHY-er) reports: CUT: DWYER (:48 "...I'M DUSTIN DWYER.") ***SPOTS #9 POLAR BEARS ON THIN ICE Environmental groups are trying to force the federal government to put polar bears on the Endangered Species List. Mark Brush reports the groups not only want to protect the bears - they also want to make the government do something about global warming: CUT: BRUSH (:53 "...I'M MARK BRUSH.") #10 ETHANOL: GRASS BETTER THAN CORN Researchers have found using grass instead of corn might be a better way to make ethanol. Rebecca Williams reports: CUT: WILLIAMS (:46 "...I'M REBECCA WILLIAMS.") #11 CALL OF THE WILD Environmentalists have found a new way to get people thinking about endangered species... through their cell phones. Kyle Norris has more: CUT: NORRIS (:42 "...I'M KYLE NORRIS.") #12 SPORT FISHING DROPS ON GREAT LAKES A national survey of anglers is trying to determine why fewer people are fishing the Great Lakes. Peter Payette (PAY-et) reports: CUT: PAYETTE (:50 "...I'M PETER PAYETTE.") #13 SIX STATES DEBATING GL PACT Another state is getting closer to signing the Great Lakes Compact. That’s an agreement which limits water diversions out of the Great Lakes. Marianne Holland reports: CUT: HOLLAND (:51 "...I'M MARIANNE HOLLAND.") ***FUNDING CREDIT #14 THIS WEEK'S FUNDING CREDIT CUT: CHARNEY (:15 "...REPORT DOT ORG.") ***END DACS THANK YOU***