• U.S. Fosters International Hydrogen Partnership
  
• Driving Ms. Whitman Defended
  
• Goodall Receives Global Environmental Citizen Award
  
• West Virginia Hit By Invasive Species
  
• Water Quality Woes in Florida Keys Canals
  
• California's Orange County Reduces Groundwater Use
  
• Alaska Cruise Ship Head Tax Proposed for 2004 Ballot
  
• Court Blocks Mammoth Lakes Airport Expansion
  

U.S. Fosters International Hydrogen Partnership

During his presentation to the International Energy Agency (IEA) Ministerial meeting, Abraham said he envisions an International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy such that "a participating country's consumers will have the practical option of purchasing a competitively priced hydrogen power vehicle, and be able to refuel it near their homes and places of work by 2020."

The international partnership would establish cooperative and collaborative efforts in hydrogen production, storage, transport, and end use technologies; common codes and standards for hydrogen fuel utilization; and the sharing of information necessary to develop hydrogen fueling infrastructure.

"International cooperation is key to achieving hydrogen and fuel cell program goals such as those President [George W.] Bush stated in his recent State of the Union address," Abraham said.

"Partnerships that leverage scarce resources, develop technology standards, and foster private-public technology and infrastructure collaboration can more easily overcome the technological and institutional barriers that inhibit the development of a cost-competitive, standardized, widely accessible and safe hydrogen economy," he said.

The world oil market is stretched nearly to capacity, Abraham and IEA Executive Director Claude Mandil agreed during their meeting in Brussels March 7.

Most of the industrialized countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries face undesirable levels of risk to the reliability of their energy sectors and environmental quality resulting from on over reliance on imported petroleum, unstable energy prices, aging electricity and natural gas infrastructures, and the air and water pollution issues associated with the extraction and use of traditional fuels. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions are a growing concern, Abraham acknowledged.

A growing number of countries have committed to accelerate the development of hydrogen energy technologies in order to improve their energy, economic, and environmental security.

The United States has committed $1.7 billion for the first five years of a long term research and development program for hydrogen, hydrogen infrastructure, fuel cells, and hybrid vehicle technologies. The European Union has committed up to €2 billion to long term research and development of renewable and hydrogen energy technologies.

The use of hydrogen as an energy carrier offers several advantages over existing systems, Abraham said. Hydrogen can be derived from multiple feedstocks, which fosters fuel versatility. End-use technologies that employ hydrogen, such as fuel cells and combustion engines, are more efficient and can be used safely while improving the environment and public health. Fuel cell vehicles may one day serve as sources of reliable, distributed electricity generation when not being used for transportation, he said.

Driving Ms. Whitman Defended

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees report that a 24 hour, seven day a week protective security detail of as many as 10 special agents, plus permanently attached supervisors, must accompany Whitman even on vacations and to private events such as fundraisers.

Regardless of the need for bodyguards, agents doubt the protective detail’s effectiveness. One agent noted, “Based on experience, this program is wholly ineffective in preventing any potential attack.” By contrast, Whitman’s predecessor, Carol Browner, used a one agent escort from the Inspector General’s office to accompany her while on official trips.

The EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, J.P. Suarez, responded today to the allegations by saying, "EPA's Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics & Training was delegated the authority to provide protection to the administrator and deputy administrator on September 27, 2001. Prior to this date, protection services were provided by the Inspector General pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978."

Suarez said, "Issues raised regarding personal services are simply not accurate. At no time have agents assigned to the protection detail been required to provide personal services for the administrator. EPA welcomes the opportunity for any employee to raise concerns about the management and direction of any office within the agency."

But PEER says that EPA special agents who have served on the Whitman Protective Security Detail report, routine use of agents to perform personal errands, such as reserving tables at restaurants and locating coffee shops. In addition, multiple agents have been used to cover Whitman while she is golfing, boating or entertaining at her vacation home in Florida, PEER says.

"Extravagances, such as the frequent rental of gas-guzzling Lincoln Town Cars when visiting other cities, rather than using available government vehicles," has also been reported by agents, says PEER.

Suarez said protection needs of the administrator are assessed before staffers are assigned to accompany Whitman. "The Criminal Investigations Division staffs Administrator Whitman's protection detail to the extent necessary after an evaluation of both specific and general threats is made," Suarez said. "These professional law enforcement agents are the only officers within EPA with the training to carry out the level of security protection - including carrying firearms and having the authorization to make arrests - required to protect all Cabinet level officials and to address homeland security incidents."

This level of protection is appropriate in light of the administrator's responsibilities related to environmental threats and her status as a cabinet officer in the Bush administration, Suarez said.

PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch said, “With all due respect, protecting Governor Whitman does not protect our environment."

Referring to the film "Driving Miss Daisy," about a proud old Southern lady and her chauffeur, Ruch said, “Privately, agents deride the Whitman protective detail as 'guarding Miss Daisy' and complain that they are being kept from their real jobs of fighting pollution and investigating corporate environmental crimes.”

But Suarez defended the EPA's record of environmental prosecutions. "EPA continues to produce significant environmental results for the American people through its enforcement program, as is evidenced by the more than 674 cases initiated last year alone," he said. "At the same time, EPA is proud to have the many professional enforcement officials who could, did, and are stepping in to fulfill the counter-terrorism protection role for the nation following September 11, 2001."

Goodall Receives Global Environmental Citizen Award

"Jane Goodall's groundbreaking and captivating research with chimpanzees continues to change the way we perceive our animal cousins and ourselves," said Eric Chivian, director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment.

Chivian noted Goodall's continuing efforts to expand the scope and insights of her research of chimpanzees as well as her commitment to a host of other environmental initiatives, including the Congo Basin Project, which is working to end the bushmeat trade that threatens wild chimpanzees.

Goodall is also being rewarded, Chivian explained, for the "Roots & Shoots" program, which encourages and supports students from preschool through university in projects that benefit people, animals, and the environment, as well as TACARE, a sustainable development and conservation program that involves 33 villages around Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania.

"The recent outbreak of Ebola in the Congo that has killed hundreds of primates and has caused over 100 human deaths demonstrates the important connection between the health of the environment and our own health," Chivian said. "We are not only endangering the lives of our closest animal relatives through practices of hunting and deforestation, we are threatening human life as well."

Goodall became famous for her landmark study of chimpanzess in Tanzania that she began in 1960. Her observations of chimpanzees in Gombe National Park raised understanding of the species most similar to man to new levels. Through the Gombe Stream Research Center and the Jane Goodall Institute, she has spearheaded efforts to further understand and protect chimpanzees throughout the world.

"Every individual has a role to play in protecting our environment," Goodall said. "It is an honor to receive this award from the Center for Health and the Global Environment, and on behalf of the many individuals who work with me, I want to thank the Center for its vitally important work."

Now, perhaps more than ever, Goodall's inspiration is vital to many involved with conservation, added Gregory Stone, vice president, Global Marine Programs, New England Aquarium.

"Jane Goodall first brought the wonderful and fascinating world of wild primates to us in her early career, and now she brings us the urgent and desperate conservation needs of these threatened animals," Stone said. "She has a caring stewardship voice that speaks to everyone, and it must be listened to now more than ever."

Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment, according to Chivian, is the first medical school-based center in the United States bringing scientific rigor to the relationship between human health and the health of the global environment.

West Virginia Hit By Invasive Species

"West Virginia has abundant forests, beautiful scenery, and other unique resources," said Phyllis Windle, UCS senior scientist. "Biological invaders are imposing serious costs on the state. Thankfully, damage can be minimized if state and federal agencies move more aggressively to find and respond to invasive organisms early."

The report is the first evaluation of the scope and impact of both terrestrial and aquatic invasive species in West Virginia, according to UCS, and calls upon the expertise of experts from West Virginia University, Fairmont State College, several state and federal agencies, the Mid Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, and other West Virginia organizations.

It estimates that several hundred non native plants, animals, and fungi are already causing harm, and the state is considered susceptible to invasion by many more. Of particular concern are five species: the European gypsy moth, the zebra mussel, purple loosestrife, Japanese stilt grass and forest pathogens.

The European gypsy moth, for example, has defoliated almost 604,000 acres of West Virginia in 2001, according to the report. Treatment of some 136,000 acres cost some $3.4 million.

Purple loosestrife, an invasive weed, threatens the state's rare and biologically diverse high-elevation wetlands, UCS says, and Japanese stilt grass is perhaps the most serious threat to the diversity of the state's forests and riversides.

"While West Virginia agencies have tackled some invasive species on a case-by-case basis, and there is a new West Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, the state still lacks the resources for a comprehensive approach to the problem," Windle explained. "Those who value the state's natural resource-based industries and ecological treasures, including Governor Wise and West Virginia's congressional delegation, can help by supporting the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act."

The National Aquatic Invasive Species Act, which would protect all parts of the nation equally and require, for the first time, that some organisms be checked for invasiveness before import, has recently been introduced in Congress. It would also establish a program to detect new invasive species early, provide the means to respond quickly, and specify research to move technology and policy forward.

In addition, West Virginia Representative Nick Rahall, the ranking Democrat on the House Resources Committee, said he plans to reintroduce legislation called the Species Protection and Conservation of the Environment Act, which aims to combat the impact of harmful non-native species on fish and wildlife.

Water Quality Woes in Florida Keys Canals

The conservation group assessed the levels of bacterial contamination from water samples collected every two weeks at a series of 17 stations located from Key Largo to Boca Chica.

Some 15 percent of the 300 water samples contained levels of enterococcus bacteria that exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recommended enterococcus maximum level. Following heavy rain, the number of samples that violated the EPA guideline shot to 41 percent.

Enterococcus bacteria are commonly found in the feces of warm blooded animals such as raccoons, birds and humans.

"Our preliminary findings suggest that bacterial contamination is present in many of the samples we collect," said Brad Rosov, the Conservancy's marine conservation program manager. "The question that still remains to be answered is what is the source of this contamination."

Although further tests of six canal water samples with high levels of enterococcus bacteria were negative for human viruses, Rosov explained that these samples were taken after heavy rain.

Samples following rain are thought to contain high bacteria levels due to the Keys' leaky septic tanks or cesspits, Rosov said.

The finding of low levels of dissolved oxygen is a concern because canal systems with high bacterial, viral or nutrient levels often show low levels of dissolved oxygen. Five of the 17 stations tested contained average dissolved oxygen levels below the state standard of 4.0 milligrams per liter, according to the Conservancy.

The organization plans to expand on these early findings and will continue to collect canal water quality data through September 2003.

"It is important to have at least a year's worth of data to determine the whole picture of water quality in the canals," Rosov said.

California's Orange County Reduces Groundwater Use

The Orange County Water District manages and protects the huge groundwater basin underlying north and central Orange County that supplies more than half of the water needs for 2.3 million California residents.

The vote cut the amount of groundwater pumped from 75 percent to 66 percent of the water retailers total demand and increased the cost of groundwater from $127 per acre foot to $149 per acre foot. According to the board, this move will translate into a 10 percent increase for some water retailers or an additional $1.50 to $2.00 on the average monthly residential water bill.

"To get this point, we have cut our proposed annual budget $4 million and continue to examine possible reductions in other areas before the final budget is approved in June," said Denis Bilodeau, board president. "We will continue to place our highest priority on providing high quality drinking water in order to continue to maintain a healthy groundwater basin and water supply."

The board explained its actions as needed to address the county's low groundwater levels and continuing seawater intrusion. It reduced the amount of groundwater available to its water retailers and increased the cost of groundwater to buy more water to begin filling the basin after four years of drought in Southern California.

Board member hope that the lowering the amount of groundwater use and the shift of water pumping in the basin inward away from the coast, will hold back seawater intrusion.

The water authority has already begun to implement a new "zero-based" basin management strategy that links the amount of future groundwater use with guaranteed replenishment water available and its capability to put that water into deep aquifers.

The United States now pumps some 28 trillion gallons of groundwater every year with little regard for how this affects the hydrological cycle.

Pumping groundwater reduces the natural flow of water into the nation's rivers and depletes a resource that took thousands of years to accumulate.

Alaska Cruise Ship Head Tax Proposed for 2004 Ballot

Organizers have collected the required 100 signatures and submitted the proposed ballot initiative to the Alaska Division of Elections for approval. Once certified, organizers will spend the summer collecting the needed signatures to get it on the November 2004 ballot.

The Alaska Cruise Ship Initiative is sponsored by Juneau based Responsible Cruising in Alaska, the Campaign to Safeguard America’s Waters, an Alaska based project of San Francisco's Earth Island Institute, and Bluewater Network. The Alaska Public Interest Research Group will coordinate a statewide signature gathering effort this summer to place the initiative on the ballot in November 2004.

“The cruise industry has had a free ride in Alaska’s waters for too long,” said Teri Shore, clean vessels campaigner for Bluewater Network. “It’s about time cruise lines helped protect Alaska’s natural treasures and pay income taxes like everyone else.”

The initiative will reinstate an apportioned income tax on the cruise industry at the same rate paid by other major industries, require cruise ships to pay the same percentage of gambling proceeds to the state paid by other gaming operators, and establish an excise tax based on berth capacity of $46/passenger.

“It makes no sense for Alaskans to sit by and watch our budget deficit grow while one of the largest and fastest growing industries operating in the state makes billions of dollars of profits without paying their fair share of taxes,” said Joe Geldhof of Responsible Cruising in Alaska.

Cruise ship operators would be required to carry discharge permits that limit pollution levels for all wastewater dumped into Alaskan waters. Federal law requires every oil, mining, timber, and seafood processing operation to have a permit to discharge polluted wastewater, but cruise ships are exempt.

“The cruise ship industry has been hiding behind a Clean Water Act permit exemption for over 20 years intended for vessels with a handful of crewmen aboard, and cruise ship lobbyists successfully extended that exemption to state law – even though virtually every major cruise line has been convicted of multiple felony charges for dumping in the last decade,” said Gershon Cohen, director of the Campaign to Safeguard America’s Waters.

The cruise ships would be required to pay a $4 fee per passenger fee to fund placing an independent monitor aboard every ship in Alaska waters to observe wastewater treatment practices and inspect pollution control equipment.

Karen Jettmar, an eco-tour operator based in Anchorage is the initiative’s third prime sponsor. She said, “Our tourism economy, our fishing economy, and our ability to subsistence harvest healthy foods depend upon everyone meeting minimal pollution standards. The foreign based cruise ship industry violates our pollution laws, builds their own hotels, runs their own bus lines, and works with the few chosen tour excursion operators that give them a big kickback on their ticket sales. This is wrong – and we all know they can afford to do it right.”

Court Blocks Mammoth Lakes Airport Expansion

The Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, California Trout, and Natural Resources Defense Council brought the lawsuit that led to today's decision.

In his ruling Judge Zimmerman wrote, "The issue before the court is not whether the airport expansion project is good for the Town or the region, but whether defendants took a hard look at the environmental consequences of the airport project and the decision to forego an EIS was reasonable. Plaintiffs have shown that the airport expansion project may have serious environmental consequences to the Mammoth Lakes region. Because dependants failed to take a hard look at those consequences, defendants must prepare an environmental impact statement in compliance with NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act].

Citing concerns raised by the environmental groups and by state and federal agencies, Judge Zimmerman rejected the FAA's claim that it had satisfied National Environmental Policy Act requirements through its preparation of an Environmental Assessment.

The original Environmental Assessment finding of "no significant impact" by the FAA failed to address the impacts of converting the small airport into a facility able to bring in thousands of tourists every year, the plaintiff groups said today in a statement.

In his ruling, Judge Zimmerman found, "At bottom, many deficiencies in the [Final Environmental Assessment (FEA)] can be attributed to defendants' myopic view of the airport project."

The proposed expansion would convert a small private airplane facility into a major regional airport, landing B-737s and B-757s, carrying over 100 passengers each, the plaintiff groups argued. Projected air traffic would increase the need for facilities - hotels, condominiums, cabins, restaurants, shopping centers, rental car agencies, road upgrades, parking lots, traffic signals, they warned.

"Common sense dictates that improving an airport to introduce regular commercial air service in an area known for, and reliant on, tourism, will have a substantial impact on a number of environmental factors," the judge wrote. "The FEA's conclusion that the project would have no significant impact on endangered or threatened species strains credulity."

"The National Environmental Policy Act requires agencies to look before they leap into projects that may have vast environmental consequences," said Susan Britton of Earthjustice who is representing the plaintiff groups. "This ruling reaffirms the public's right to know that the federal government has done its homework before approving large projects."

Residents have not received a full accounting of what effects the proposed expansion would have on their community and the natural resources of the region. Sierra Club member Owen Maloy who lives in the region, said, "This project proposes to double the number of visitor days with tourists arriving by plane. People still don't have enough information about how this will change our area. There is risk of destroying the very scenic values that attract visitors."

"Mammoth Lakes is the eastern gateway to such national treasures as Yosemite National Park, and the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness areas, and is itself a special place, with several unique species and habitats. A full-blown EIS will address impacts to these resources resulting from the airport expansion, which the FAA has thus far ignored," said Michelle Jesperson of the plaintiff National Parks Conservation Association.

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area currently supports some 1,000,000 skier days per year. The owners seek to attract more out of state skiers, and the airport expansion project could double the number of skier days each winter, and increase summer visits.

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area will help fund the proposed expansion by loaning the town of Mammoth Lakes the local funding share required under FAA guidelines for airport expansions. Mammoth expects to receive a federal grant to cover the difference.

Growth induced by the airport expansion could also adversely affect several protected species in the area, including the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, sage grouse, Owens tui chub, and bald eagle. Increased tourism in the area could increase air pollution and noise pollution.

CalTrout's Southern California manager Jim Edmondson, said, "Airport expansion would require more development and, thus, more water withdrawals, more storage and handling of toxic jet fuels, more traffic, more noise, and other incompatible elements putting the area's fisheries and other elements of this fragile ecosystem in harm's way. It just makes sense to understand what we are getting into."

The decision issued today also resolves a similar lawsuit filed by the California Attorney General's Office over the airport plan.