Panel: Dakota Access-Style Protests Could Become Commonplace.
The recently completed $3.8 billion pipeline that’s opposed by American Indian tribes and others was discussed Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at an annual oil industry conference in Bismarck with a panel dissecting what was learned from the nearly year-long struggle over building it in North Dakota.
(AP Photo/John L. Mone, File) The Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Well-funded and organized protests like the one involving the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline may become commonplace, officials said Wednesday as they urged the industry to prepare for such activity.
Stevens called such protests the "new normal" and the "new cost of doing business."
He said pipelines will be targeted by those wanting to stop the use of fossil fuels, by attempting to "kill the heart by cutting the veins."
"It is important for us to engage the opposition … and provide context to the overall debate," Stevens said.
The Dakota Access pipeline began moving North Dakota oil to Illinois on June 1.
But a judge has ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to do more study on its impact on the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which believes the pipeline threatens sacred sites and the Missouri River that provides drinking water for millions of people.
Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners maintains it’s safe.
One-fifth of all oil production comes from in and around American Indian reservations, Eid said.

Slovenia First European Nation To Make Water A Constitutional Right.
As the major countries in the world continue to exploit their natural resources for short-term personal gain, Slovenia has done the opposite and voted to change the constitution to include drinking water as a basic human right.
“Slovenian water has very good quality and, because of its value, in the future it will certainly be the target of foreign countries and international corporations’ appetites.
As it will gradually become a more valuable commodity in the future, pressure over it will increase and we must not give in,” said center-left Prime Minister Miro Cerar.
Those in favor of the amendment said that the move was done in an effort to send a message to those wishing to exploit Slovenia’s water sources, as is so often done in other nations around the world.
Water resources are primary and durably used to supply citizens with potable water and households with water and, in this sense, are not a market commodity.” Despite this positive move, some remain critical of the nation’s intentions and the government needs to do more by ensuring access to clean drinking water for all of their citizens rather than settling for this amendment.
Related: Greece Forced To Sell Public Water Utilities Under EU-Imposed Privatization Plan Of the two million citizens of Slovenia, about 10,000 to 12,000 people still lack access to drinkable water, according to Amnesty International.
The organization expressed concern and hoped that the law would extend to those in need of clean water.
“Enshrining access to drinking water as a constitutional human right is an important legal step forward for Slovenia, but Roma communities need more than legal changes.
Slovenia isn’t the first country around the world to declare water a human right, but it’s the first European country to include it in their constitution.

Oroville dam repairs would benefit from multibillion-dollar ballot measure.
As is the case with many borrowing measures that go before voters, interests that stand to benefit from some of the projects will be asked to underwrite campaign costs – a situation one expert said poses an “inherent conflict.” The $8.4 billion proposal is the product of Gerald Meral, the former deputy secretary of the state Natural Resources Agency.
He said the proposal would build upon Proposition 1, the $7.4 billion water bond passed by voters in 2014, and help carry out the California Water Plan, a blueprint for developing and managing the state’s water supplies.
▪ $750 million for water quality and drinking water projects, including $250 million for wastewater projects and $60 million for private drinking water or wastewater systems.
Related stories from The Sacramento Bee Why the state is in such a hurry to fix Oroville Dam They’ve demolished most of Oroville Dam’s troubled spillway.
The last Meral-written measure to reach the ballot was Proposition 51 in 2002.
No one has asked for micro-projects.” The bond measure does specify some projects, though.
None of the proposed bond measures, meanwhile, include more money for dam projects to provide water surface storage.
State Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, whose district includes the proposed Sites Reservoir in Colusa County as well as Lake Oroville, said he was glad Meral’s proposal included the spillway repair money.
The surface storage money earmarked by Proposition 1 money is enough for now, Nielsen said.

Toilets as the path to health and dignity.
With the land subject to monsoon flooding, and no municipal services to speak of, the people of Mollar Basti have been struggling with a very real problem: what to do with an enormous and growing amount of human faeces.
With neither the space nor money for a toilet for each household, these well-cared-for latrines have provided an effective solution on the way to good sanitation for everyone.
But we fear these kinds of community latrines are under threat from dwindling investment, as governments and city planners focus efforts on neighbourhoods and populations that are easier to reach.
How to effectively provide sanitation in fast-growing slums and informal settlements is a growing problem worldwide.
The economic returns and public health gains felt from these interim solutions for the world’s ‘bottom billion’ who are currently without sanitation will be far greater than delivering gold-standard service to a few, most of whom already have another, if less than perfect, option.
It’s true that shared toilets are not all good toilets.
Decent shared toilets, along with the provision of clean water and good hygiene practices, provide dignity, create healthier, more productive communities, improve children’s attendance at school, and ultimately improve economic growth.
An estimated 289,000 children under five die around the world each year – that is one child every two minutes – from preventable diarrhoeal illnesses linked to dirty water, poor sanitation and poor hygiene.
We are asking governments, planners and donors in today’s equally ambitious and fast-growing developing cities to borrow a page from that history book: recognising that where private toilets aren’t yet an option, well-managed shared sanitation can set cities up for further progress.

EU backs Romania with 266 mln euro for water infrastructure projects.
BUCHAREST (Romania), July 19 (SeeNews) – The European Commission said on Wednesday it is providing 266 million euro ($306 million) from its Cohesion Fund for water infrastructure projects in Romania.
The financial support will be directed to four major water infrastructure and water management projects in Romania, the EC said in a press release.
Some 47 million euro will be invested In the northeastern county of Botosani to expand, upgrade and upgrade the current drinking water distribution and waste water treatment system.
The project will benefit nearly 187,000 people.
In Ilfov County, on the outskirts of Bucharest, the EU is investing 196.5 million euro to clean and improve the wastewater collection system for 1.5 million people.
Another 11.5 million euro will be used to expand and refurbish the drinking water distribution network for 175,000 inhabitants in Hunedoara county, in the central part of the country.
Also, 11 million euro will go to renew the water distribution and treatment network for 22,000 people in Timis county, in western Romania.
In March, the EU provided 20 million euro upgrade of water and sewerage infrastructure in the western county of Caras-Severin.
($=0.8673 euro)

The Search for Real-World STEM Problems.
Criteria for Selecting Real-World Problems Designing real-world engineering challenges for K-12 students can be tough.
In my experience as a STEM teacher, identifying authentic problems that students can work on is one of the most challenging parts of lesson planning.
It must involve an authentic engineering challenge grounded in compelling societal, economic, and environmental issues that affect people’s lives and communities.
• The problem should be “doable.” For a STEM project to be successful, students should have access to the resources, knowledge, and skills they need to solve the problem—and the scope of the problem should be manageable.
In your STEM class, each team of students might choose a different approach for solving the problem, and several different solutions may work.
• Students should use an engineering design process—drawing on science, mathematics, and technology skills and concepts—to solve the problem.
Teachers can more readily buy into teaching STEM if students are able to use skills they are learning anyway to address the selected problem.
Some of the challenges that might inspire middle-school students revolve around solar energy, clean water, health care (including food shortage, disease, and accessibility), and urban infrastructure (including transportation systems and municipal structures).
These are just a few of many resources that can help identify real-world problems with STEM solutions.

More Related Stories Public interest in healthy water options such as water filtration and alkaline water, are at an all-time high, and continues to increase.
With the launch of Vitev’s Water Learning Center there is now a comprehensive resource of unbiased information, facts, and data on topics ranging from the difference between pH and alkalinity, to lead impurities, and the effect of various filtrations methods.
Disingenuous marketing efforts, poor science, overpriced products, and frustrated customers were all problems we wanted to fix.
When asked what prompted the launch of the Water Learning Center, Vitev President, Gabe Hunninghake states ?we’ve learned that the most important variable in creating healthy alkaline and antioxidant water, the foundation of the process, has been largely ignored by the industry.
Manufacturers and their marketers focus on the bells and whistles of their ionizers, and don’t look at the importance of basic filtration.
The Water Learning Center is dedicated to providing consumers the information they seek about healthy drinking water, and will continue to expand on informational resources driven by industry trends, innovations, and consumer questions.
Vitev is built on knowledge and expertise, founded on a technical understanding of water, in contrast to competitors who largely focus on marketing and sales.
From innovation and development, to manufacturing, Vitev is hands-on throughout the process, and truly understands the nuances of filtration systems in producing healthy alkaline and antioxidant water.
Vitev water is an affordable option for consumers, and offers various types of drinking water filtration systems, portable options, and water testing kits.
More importantly, in addition to being innovative, transparent, and affordable, Vitev is dedicated to consumer education, providing easy access to information and experts, and continues to raise awareness about community water quality, impurities, toxins, and the importance of access to healthy drinking water.

Today, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF) celebrated the launch of a partnership with Amref Health Africa that will sustainably improve the health and enable the economic empowerment of more than 500,000 people living in communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda through improved access to safe water and sanitation as well as economic empowerment through income generating opportunities.
The partnership will sustainably improve the health and enable the economic empowerment of more than 500,000 people living in communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda through improved access to safe water and sanitation as well as economic empowerment through income generating opportunities.
It will be part of TCCAF’s Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) which aims to reach at least 6 million people throughout Africa with improved and sustainable access to safe water.
The project is expected to be completed by February 2020.
During the celebration, Dr Susan Mboya, President of TCCAF, remarked: “Water is the most essential ingredient for a healthy and productive life.
We recognise the urgency of these issues and that is why The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation has taken this step through the RAIN programme to contribute to achieve the SDGs and ensure access to safe drinking water for all.” “Development needs a big shift in thinking, from just building infrastructure to creating and strengthening institutions through innovation and entrepreneurship.
I would like to thank our partners, including The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation’s Replenish Africa Initiative and Amref Health Africa for your support to achieving the SDG 6, ‘Clean Water & Sanitation’ to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” Mr Paul Mwanthuko Munyao, a teacher at Kilanga Primary school and a resident of Kitui East sub-county where the RAIN project will be implemented was among the key speakers.
Mr Munyao stated that lack of clean and safe water was a major constraint especially to mothers and girls who walked for many Kilometers to fetch water.
“Before Amref interventions, our girls had to miss school as they spent several hours looking for water on a daily basis.
“As a teacher and a parent, I am looking forward to this project because I know it will bring a positive impact in my community especially on the girl child.” The partnership with Amref Health Africa will address the gap to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in three key areas: increasing access to water; access to safe sanitation and hygiene; and livelihood opportunities for women and youth.

Today, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF) celebrated the launch of a partnership with Amref Health Africa that will sustainably improve the health and enable the economic empowerment of more than 500,000 people living in communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda through improved access to safe water and sanitation as well as economic empowerment through income generating opportunities.
The partnership will sustainably improve the health and enable the economic empowerment of more than 500,000 people living in communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda through improved access to safe water and sanitation as well as economic empowerment through income generating opportunities.
It will be part of TCCAF’s Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) which aims to reach at least 6 million people throughout Africa with improved and sustainable access to safe water.
The project is expected to be completed by February 2020.
During the celebration, Dr Susan Mboya, President of TCCAF, remarked: “Water is the most essential ingredient for a healthy and productive life.
We recognise the urgency of these issues and that is why The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation has taken this step through the RAIN programme to contribute to achieve the SDGs and ensure access to safe drinking water for all.” “Development needs a big shift in thinking, from just building infrastructure to creating and strengthening institutions through innovation and entrepreneurship.
I would like to thank our partners, including The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation’s Replenish Africa Initiative and Amref Health Africa for your support to achieving the SDG 6, ‘Clean Water & Sanitation’ to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” Mr Paul Mwanthuko Munyao, a teacher at Kilanga Primary school and a resident of Kitui East sub-county where the RAIN project will be implemented was among the key speakers.
Mr Munyao stated that lack of clean and safe water was a major constraint especially to mothers and girls who walked for many Kilometers to fetch water.
“Before Amref interventions, our girls had to miss school as they spent several hours looking for water on a daily basis.
“As a teacher and a parent, I am looking forward to this project because I know it will bring a positive impact in my community especially on the girl child.” The partnership with Amref Health Africa will address the gap to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in three key areas: increasing access to water; access to safe sanitation and hygiene; and livelihood opportunities for women and youth.

Oroville dam repairs would benefit from multibillion-dollar ballot measure.
As is the case with many borrowing measures that go before voters, interests that stand to benefit from some of the projects will be asked to underwrite campaign costs – a situation one expert said poses an “inherent conflict.” The $8.4 billion proposal is the product of Gerald Meral, the former deputy secretary of the state Natural Resources Agency.
He said the proposal would build upon Proposition 1, the $7.4 billion water bond passed by voters in 2014, and help carry out the California Water Plan, a blueprint for developing and managing the state’s water supplies.
“I think it would be quite possible to pass a water bond in 2018,” Meral said.
▪ $750 million for water quality and drinking water projects, including $250 million for wastewater projects and $60 million for private drinking water or wastewater systems.
The last Meral-written measure to reach the ballot was Proposition 51 in 2002.
No one has asked for micro-projects.” The bond measure does specify some projects, though.
It would authorize a $7.5 billion bond to pay for projects to improve drinking water access, climate-change efforts, parks and other projects.
That includes pots of money for Sacramento-area projects, such as $150 million for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, $40 million for the California Tahoe Conservancy, and $25 million for the Lower American River Conservancy.
None of the proposed bond measures, meanwhile, include more money for dam projects to provide water surface storage.