1. Flurry of Environmental Legislation Introduced - More than 500 legislative bills have been filed since the opening of the Alabama Legislature last week. This year's initial crop of environmental legislation tackle Alabama's growing scrap tire dump crisis, the need for a statewide Clean Indoor Air Act, a brownfields incentive program and new quarry laws.

The following is a listing of environmental bills introduced this past week:

SB 30 - Senator Penn - Granite and limestone surface mining operations, local approval required.

SB 97 - Senator Barron - Land Recycling (Brownfield) Finance Authority Loan Program administered by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

SB 98 - Senator Little - Brownfield recovery tax abatement for voluntary cleanup.

SB 126 & HB 287 - Senator Figures/Rep Grantland - Clean Indoor Air Act

SB 164 & HB 144 - Sen. Means/Rep. Layson - Amend Environmental Management Commission membership. Replace certified well driller position with geologist or hydro-geologist and replace at large position with qualified agriculture or forestry representative.

SB 132 & HB 186 - Sen. Means/Rep. Ford - Scrap Tire Environmental Quality Act

SB 158 & HB 302 - Sen. Mitchem/Rep. Knight - Waste Reduction and Technology Transfer Foundation appropriation.

HB - 115 - Rep. Payne - Grease and animal byproduct disposal methods approved by appropriate agency, transportation requirement and penalties.

HB 176 - Rep. Perdue - Motor vehicle registration or license fee levied by state and county authorities to levy additional fee for mass transit.

To acquire more information about these pieces of legislation go to the Alabama Legislative website at http://www.legislature.state.al.us

2. Birmingham Traffic Congestion Grows - This week, the Birmingham News reported some pretty amazing figures about traffic congestion in the Birmingham Metro area.

Here are some of their findings:

According to a new national study, the average Birmingham metro driver spends 14 hours every year stuck in traffic.
According to a Texas Transportation Institute Study, Birmingham's rush hour has risen from 2.8 hours in 1982 to six (6) hours in 2000.
The amount of fuel wasted by congestion in the B'ham metro area has risen from 2 million gallons in 1982 to 190 million gallons in 2000.
The cost of traffic congestion in Birmingham in 1982 was $15 million. In 2000, it was $190 million. The cost is calculated using the amount of time lost by the motorist, fuel cost and how much delays cost commercial carriers.
During peak hours, Birmingham motorists encounter congestion 42% of the time. During off-peak times they encounter congestion 21% of the time.

3. Dept. of Conservation Boating Law Saves Lives - During the Department of Conservation's Advisory Board meeting last week, a significant statistic was brought out at the meeting.

It was reported that in the year 2002, there were only 12 boating fatalities. Bill Garner, chief of the state Marine Police stated in the Huntsville Times, "...I never thought I'd live to see the day when it was that low."

Prior to the mandatory operator license requirement in 1999, the state averaged 27 fatalities a year. Since then the state has averaged 15. In the early 90's Birmingham News Outdoor writer Mike Bolton, Commissioner Charley Grimsley and boating safety advocates throughout Alabama launched a passionate campaign to strengthen Alabama's boat operating laws. It looks like the new laws and requirements are working. Most importantly, they are saving lives.

4. NY Times Newspapers Launch "Great Outdoors of Alabama" Magazine - On March 10th, the Tuscaloosa News, Times Daily and Gadsden Times (New York Times Newspapers) launched the first edition of "Great Outdoors of Alabama" magazine.

Co-edited by outdoor writers Dennis Sherer of the Times Daily and Robert DeWitt of the Tuscaloosa News, the colorful 48 page magazine featured specials on turkey hunting, Joe Wheeler State Park and the Natchez Trace Parkway. Over 80,000 copies of the first edition will be distributed across Alabama for free (there are plans to charge for subscriptions).

Check out this exciting new publication at http://www.greatoutdoorsalabama.com.

5. BEN Notes: TWS Saving America's Heritage, Geared To Go Pinhoti Trail Trip, Renew Coosa Expands to Renew Our Rivers, AWF Seeking Nomination for Governor Conservation Awards, Department of Conservation Poster Contest

TWS Saving America's Heritage - The Wilderness Society (TWS) will be releasing their newly published "Alabama's Mountain Treasures" booklet on Monday, March 17, 11:00 to 1:00 at Linn Park in Birmingham. TWS will be joined by the Alabama Environmental Council, Wild Alabama, and the Alabama Rivers Alliance. The event will focus on preserving Alabama's and America's wild lands. For more information about this event, contact TWS at 404-872-9453 or Wild Alabama at 205-592-4352.

Geared To Go Pinhoti Trail Trip - Geared To Go and The Wilderness Society are holding a guided day hike of the Pinhoti Trail in the Cheaha Wilderness. The event is scheduled for March 15th. For more information call the TWS office at 404-872-9453 x 11. Lunch and transportation will be provided. The event will cost $50.

Renew Coosa Expands to Renew Our Rivers - Renew the Coosa, the award-winning river cleanup campaign spearheaded by Alabama Power, is now Renew Our Rivers, a name change that better reflects its growing impact.

Renew Our Rivers 2003 will be holding 11 volunteer cleanups on lakes along the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Black Warrior rivers in Alabama. The Alabama Power Foundation will be providing grants to teachers at schools in the vicinity of each Alabama lake where a cleanup takes place. The $1,000 grants will be distributed with the assistance of the lake organizations that help lead each cleanup. For more information about Renew Our Rivers, visit Alabama Power's website at http://www.alabamapower.com.

AWF Seeking Nomination for Governor Conservation Awards - The Alabama Wildlife Federation is currently accepting nominations for the 2003 Governor's Conservation Achievement Awards. Descriptions of each award category, nomination information and forms may be obtained by contacting AWF at 1-800-822-9453 or visit their website at http://www.alawild.org.

Department of Conservation Poster Contest - The Department of Conservation is seeking entries for the annual national fish art contest. Children from the 4th grade to the 12th can enter the state and national competitions. For more information about the contest go to http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/agfd/fish/fnafishart.html. The contest deadline is March 31st.