Articles by Steven Gilchrist

According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners floods are the most destructive natural disasters in the United States.   The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was established in 1968 to help property owners with insurance coverage for the high cost of flood repairs for homes and other buildings.   “Flooding is the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States,” says Elizabeth Mendenhall – president of the National Association of Realtors.   The NFIP is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.   NFIP has been in debt since Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans in 2005.   Over 1,000 disputed claims are still on file since Hurricane Sandy flooded the New Jersey shore in October 2012.   In October 2017, NFIP reached its borrowing capacity of $30 billion in order to keep paying current claims to flood insurance policy holders. “Put plainly, the N.F.I.P. is not designed to handle catastrophic losse...

Since 1941, the Quabbin Reservoir has been providing drinking water to millions of residents in the state of Massachusetts.   The reservoir, which is located in western, Massachusetts, is named after what the Nipmue Native Americans called the area: “Quabbin” which means “the meeting of many waters.” In 1927, the Massachusetts legislature passed the Swift River Act which appropriated the resources to build a reservoir in the Swift River Valley in order to provide fresh drinking water for residents in the Boston area. Today, the Quabbin Reservoir and watershed area comprise 56,000 acres.   The reservoir is 18 miles long.   The reservoir provides drinking water to roughly 40% of the residents of Massachusetts.   For more information about the Quabbin Reservoir visit: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-central/quabbin-reservoir.html

An Associated Press review released last year indicates that 4 in 10 new oil and gas wells near fragile watersheds and national forests go uninspected by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Data obtained by the Associated Press in June 2014, reveals that the BLM has been overwhelmed by a surge in a new drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.”   The fracking technique has resulted in the government agency to not adequately inspect some of the country’s highest priority oil and gas wells. The BLM is responsible for maintaining 100,000 oil and gas wells on public lands.   Of these wells, 3,486 are considered high priority wells.   During fiscal years 2009 to 2012, 1,400 of those high priority wells were not federally inspected.   In Wyoming, 632 wells went uninspected.   50% of high priority wells in South Dakota and 1 in 6 high priority wells in Pennsylvania went uninspected. For more information about the Bureau of Land Manage...

I n a Presidential Proclamation on October 1, 2012, Barack Obama declared the month of October as National Energy Action Month.   During his presidency, Barack Obama has encouraged federal agencies to make improvements in economic, energy, and environmental performance.   “As demand for energy increases worldwide, our nation must continue to lead the world in a rapidly evolving energy market by pursuing safe and responsible domestic energy production, promoting efficiency, and developing clean energy and renewable fuels,” President Obama said in his October Presidential Proclamation.   Energy consumption and sustainability will be an important topic of discussion in the future.   America has a vital role to play in creating energy resources not only for its own citizens but for the rest of the world as well.   With a population of approximately 315 million people the United States has less than 5% of the global population.   However, the U.S. cons...

H ave you ever imagined a world without trees?   Trees are a vital part of the earth’s ecosystem.   Trees offer protection for farmland, provide shade for homes and streets, and trees also help fight the greenhouse effect.   There is a national recognition day that celebrates the importance of trees to the environment. National Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April. Julius Sterling Morton (1832 – 1902) founded Arbor Day.   Morton was born in Adams, New York and he graduated from the University of Michigan in 1854.   Later, Morton and his wife Caroline Joy French moved to Nebraska.   Morton served as acting governor of Nebraska from December 5, 1858 to May 2, 1859. President Grover Cleveland appointed Morton as the 3 rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, a position he served in from 1893 to 1897.   In addition to being an agriculturalist, Morton was a journalist.   He was the editor of the Nebraska City News – Nebraska’...