LOWELL, MA (06/19/2014)(readMedia)-- Eric Andresen of Davenport, Iowa was among a record number of graduates - 3,478 - presented with diplomas at UMass Lowell's 2017 Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 17 at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell.

Andresen received a associate'sdegree in information technology from the College of Sciences.

For the third year, UMass Lowell held two Commencement ceremonies because of the increase in graduates, up more than 300 from 2013 and more than 1,500 since 2007. During that timeframe, UMass Lowell has seen enrollment grow 45 percent and this is the seventh year in a row that a record number received degrees from the university.

New Environmental Protections Signed on Anniversary of Hoopeston Fire

CHICAGO - On the anniversary of a devastating fire in Hoopeston, Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation to strengthen oversight of used tire processing and storage facilities. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to protect our natural resources and ensure a clean and healthy environment for future generations.

"The destructive fire that shook Hoopeston last year proved the need for increased oversight of our used tire facilities," Governor Quinn said. "This new law will help safeguard against any disaster of this magnitude and ensure our communities are protected. It will protect the environment and homeowners, and help find alternative uses for used and waste tires."

On June 19, 2013, a large accumulation of tires at J&R Used Tire Service in Hoopeston ignited and burned for more than a month. Nearby residents were evacuated, a railway and local roads were blocked off and emergency responders occupied the site to prevent the fire from spreading. The resulting damage to the facility required demolition of all structures on-site. The response action, clean-up of debris and demolition took until November 2013 to complete. SB 2671 was proposed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) in response to the Hoopeston fire.

"This bill helps us ensure these facilities are meeting requirements to protect Illinois residents," IEPA Director Lisa Bonnett said. "The IEPA will also be able to initiate a market development program for used tires, resulting in increased economic activity and job creation."

Senate Bill 2671, sponsored by State Senator Michael Frerichs (D-Champaign) and State Representative Will Davis (D-Hazel Crest), requires used tire storage sites with more than 10,000 passenger tires, or that process 500 tons of used tires in a calendar year, to acquire a solid waste permit to operate in Illinois. As part of the permitting process, these facilities will be required to comply with regulations by maintaining records, allowing inspections and submitting documentation, including a tire storage plan and a contingency plan, to the IEPA. Any tire facility that does not comply with financial assurance requirements could be ordered to immediately cease operations to prevent any threat to the public health and the environment. The new law also authorizes the IEPA to establish a program to develop new markets for used and waste tires. The legislation is effective immediately.

"We were able to quickly respond to last year's tire fire in Hoopeston and institute new guidelines to prevent other communities from experiencing similar accidents," Senator Frerichs said. "This new law will help save state funds that would otherwise have to be spent on environmental clean-up."

"Illinois residents want to make sure our neighborhoods are protected from harmful waste and pollution," Representative Davis said. "If we want to maintain our neighborhoods for generations to come, we have to improve sustainability efforts, hold corporations accountable for their impact on the environment and hold them to strict environmental standards."

Each year, the IEPA co-sponsors approximately 20 county-wide tire collections where local governments can give used tires the state to remove. The agency also forces the removal of waste tires from dumps that pose an immediate threat to human health and the environment. Already in 2014, IEPA has removed more than 875 tons of waste tires, equivalent to more than 70,000 passenger tires.

Washington DC -- The Western States Land Commissioners Association (WSLCA) applauds the introduction of the Advancing Conservation and Education Act of 2014 (ACE) by Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The act ? crafted by WSLCA and its members ? will enhance funding of public education and improve management of Federal conservation lands by streamlining the removal of state institutional and school trust lands from within Federal conservation areas. "The ACE Act will allow states to manage trust lands as intended by Congress ? to generate funding for our schoolchildren across the nation," stated WSLCA President, Kathy Opp.

WSLCA has been working with its 23 member states, the Western Governors' Association, the Wilderness Society, Congress, and others to craft the ACE Act. It will allow states to remove school trust lands and minerals that are trapped inside congressionally and administratively designated conservation areas such as national parks, wilderness areas, and national monuments.

The broadly supported ACE Act will allow states to efficiently exchange these trapped assets for federal lands where generation of income for public education is appropriate. Upon statehood, lands were granted to states in trust for the specific purpose of generating income for public education and other state institutions. When federal conservation lands surround state lands, the ability to manage the land for income and provide funding for education suffers. This new authority will also enhance some of our nation's most prized conservation lands by ensuring our national parks, wilderness, and other conservation areas do not contain state holdings within their borders, thus fulfilling the purpose of the conservation lands.

Established in 1949, WSLCA is comprised of 23 Western and some not so Western states that share the common mandate of managing trust lands on behalf of schoolchildren and other designated beneficiaries in our states on a bi-partisan basis. WSLCA's member states manage more than 447 million acres of lands, submerged lands, and minerals with combined trusts amounting to over $271 billion, which generated more than $3.8 billion for public schools in 2012.

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SIOUX FALLS, SD (06/19/2014)(readMedia)-- Augustana College today announced that Kara Bartels, of Davenport, Iowa, has been named to the Dean's List for the spring semester of the 2013-2014 academic year.

The Dean's List recognizes full-time students who have a minimum of 12 credit hours with grade-point averages at 3.5 or above.

About Augustana

Founded in 1860, Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., is a selective, residential, comprehensive college of the Lutheran Church. Committed to enriching lives and fostering development, Augustana combines a foundation in the liberal arts with professional skill and advanced study, leading the Templeton Guide to include the College among those that inspire students to lead ethical and civic-minded lives. With 1,765 students from 30 states and 44 countries, Augustana is featured among "America's Top Colleges" by Forbes; was ranked among the top baccalaureate colleges in the nation for its efforts to advance social mobility, research and service by Washington Monthly; and has been named a "Best Midwestern College" by The Princeton Review.