|
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Groups Try to Halt Development of Biowarfare Labs SAN FRANCISCO, California, August 29, 2003 (ENS) - Two nuclear watchdog groups filed suit this week in federal court to suspend the U.S. Department of Energy's construction of biowafare labs at two national nuclear weapons facilities. The organizations say the Energy Department failed to complete a comprehensive review of the projects' environmental impact. The facilities have been designed to conduct research into biowarfare agents such as anthrax, plague and botulism.Plaintiffs representing individuals and community groups have requested an injunction barring the federal agency from breaking ground for biowarfare agent labs at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and from introducing pathogens into a partially constructed facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. "The Department of Energy granted itself the go ahead to construct and operate hazardous biowarfare agent facilities without conducting thorough analyses of the risks to lab workers and neighbors," said Marylia Kelley, the executive director of Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment). A comprehensive environmental review, public hearings and serious consideration of safe alternatives are all legally required, but the Energy Department has failed to complete this process, Kelley explained. "The Energy Department hastily and capriciously gave a 'green-light' to novel and dangerous operations in two states," Kelley said. Officials with the Energy Department say the environmental assessments it conducted found that the effects on the environment would be minimal, but the plaintiffs are not convinced. The laboratories would generate some 2,600 pounds of hazardous, infectious waste each year. The "cursory" environmental assessments completed by the Energy Department dismissed threats of sabotage, transportation accidents, escaping research animals and natural disasters, said Jay Coghlan of Nuclear Watch of New Mexico. The plaintiffs, who filed their suit in federal district court in San Francisco, says both Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos have poor safety, security and environmental records. Lawrence Livermore - located in Livermore, California some 50 miles from San Francisco - is on the federal Superfund list and is in an active earthquake fault zone. Los Alamos, located in New Mexico, has repeatedly been subject to federal investigations for security and management scandals. "We are not against enhanced defenses to stop bioterrorism," said Coghlan. "But we oppose allowing the Energy Department to rush forward in a manner that may cause more problems than it solves. For the public good, proposals to locate biowarfare agent research programs at secretive nuclear weapons labs need the transparency our lawsuit seeks."
Forest Service Allows Logging in Southern Appalachians WASHINGTON, DC, August 29, 2003 (ENS) - Internal documents obtained and released by three environmental groups indicate that the U.S. Forest Service has authorized changes to forest plans that allow commercial logging within five national forests in the Southern Appalachians.According to the environmental groups, the Southern Region of the Forest Service is allowing individual forests to decide whether to designate areas of the national forests specifically and primarily for timber production. Such changes would reverse a recent legacy of planning and citizen involvement in the South that resulted in a management scheme that would allow logging only as a byproduct of managing for other values such as wildlife habitat and recreation. In addition, the policy shift comes just a few months after the agency released for public comment its official management plans touting environmental restoration for the roughly three million acres of public land in the five forests. "It is a classic bait and switch, telling citizens one thing but planning something entirely different," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). "This administration keeps touting 'healthy forests' but these plans show what they really mean is 'healthy tree farms.'" Within the briefing papers obtained by PEER, the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition - which were stamped "Not Releasable" - the Forest Service regional leadership team determined in early August to allow individual forests to designate lands where the primary emphasis would be "the purposeful growing, tending, harvesting, and regeneration of regulated crops of trees..." The plan comes on the heels of a "whistleblower" disclosure filed in June by archaeologist Quentin Bass, a 20 year employee of the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee who charged the agency with illegally suppressing its own ecological records from nearly a century ago. Those records show that the Southern Appalachians were once dominated by relatively stable forest ecosystems, with trees 300 years old and more. In the draft management plans, the agency ignored these findings, which contradict the intensive logging and prescribed burns it intends for the five national forests - Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, Chattahoochee/Oconee National Forest in Georgia, Jefferson National Forest in Virginia, Sumter National Forest in South Carolina and Talladega and Bankhead National Forest in Alabama. PEER is representing Bass in the whistleblower disclosure. The Forest Service's revised policy is illegal, says Doug Ruley, attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, and a clear violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. "The Forest Service has to tell the public what the environmental impacts of this change would be and allow citizens to have their say," said Ruley.
Low Emission Generator Powers US Open Tennis Communications FLUSHING MEADOWS, New York, August 29, 2003 (ENS) - A low emissions engine that operates simultaneously on natural gas and diesel fuel is providing power for the US Open Tennis Tournament being held August 25 through September 7 at Flushing Meadows.Clean Air Partners based in San Diego, a manufacturer of advanced emissions reduction technologies, said a power module equipped with the company's Dual-Fuel technology has been provided to Columbus Circle Power Systems for the tennis tournament. The natural gas and diesel module will power the US Open's communications systems during the two week tennis match, which is the highest attended sporting event in the world and is televised to 165 countries. Due to the emissions limits in New York, among the strictest in the nation, the New York Park Services requires power generation that will minimize the release of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter into the air. Columbus Circle Power Systems, a distributor of Clean Air Partners' solutions in the metro New York area, engineers from Clean Air Partners, and the USTA determined that a Caterpillar 3516 diesel generator equipped with Clean Air Partners' Dual-Fuel technology will provide the best solution to meet these stringent requirements. Charles Garland of Columbus Circle Power said, "By converting a 1600kW 3516 Caterpillar diesel generator with Clean Air Partners' Dual-Fuel technology, we have the perfect solution for the US Open. We're able to generate clean reliable power while meeting New York's strict emission standards. And, because we won't be connected to the local power grid, the cost savings will be tremendous." The United States Tennis Association, which owns and operates the US Open, needs 18 hours per day of peak power generation to reduce costs and its reliance on the local power grid during the event. Being partially off the electric power grid may be especially important in light of last week's blackout that plunged the New York area, including Flushing Meadows, into darkness. During normal operation of the Dual-Fuel engine, the majority of the fuel burned is natural gas. Diesel fuel serves as a pilot for combustion that ignites under the heat of compression. The system produces substantially less nitrogen oxide and particulates than if the engine burned only diesel fuel, yet provides equivalent power of a comparable diesel only engine, Clean Air Partners said. Steve Hall, general manager of power systems for Clean Air Partners, said the technology combines the benefits of a diesel engine - quick response to load change, reliability, high efficiency and low cost - with the benefits of a natural gas engine - low emissions and lower fuel price - to provide a high performance, low emission, cleaner solution for the US Open.
Animals Rights Groups Protest Wisconsin Mourning Dove Hunt WASHINGTON, DC, August 29, 2003 (ENS) - Animal rights groups have called upon Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle to cancel a mourning dove hunt set to begin on September 1. The hunt is planned to last for 60 days, with each hunter legally allowed to shoot up to 15 birds a day."This hunt rests on an unsound legal basis, it is not a Wisconsin tradition, and it is cruel and wasteful," said Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president of The Humane Society of the United States. Pacelle's organization and The Fund for Animals asked Doyle, who is a Democrat, to suspend the hunt until the Wisconsin Supreme Court rules on a case that seeks to halt any hunting of doves in the state. More than 30 years ago, the Wisconsin state legislature declared the mourning dove the "state symbol of peace" and dropped the bird from the "game bird" list. State lawmakers have taken no action to reverse that decision, but the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) authorized the hunt. Critics note that the DNR did hold public meetings on its decision, but they contend that the agency does not alone have the authority to institute a new hunting season on a bird or mammal. Wisconsin Citizens Concerned for Cranes and Doves, a non profit organization consisting of hunters and non hunters, has sued to halt any hunting of doves in Wisconsin, and its case is now pending before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. But the courts ruling is not expected to come until after the planned 60 day season has ended. "Governor Doyle must intervene and preserve the centuries old Wisconsin tradition of protecting gentle mourning doves from target practice," said Michael Markarian, president of The Fund for Animals. "The state symbol of peace should not be blasted into pieces."
Dewatering Facility Key to New Bedford PCB Cleanup NEW BEDFORD, Massachusetts, August 29, 2003 (ENS) - Federal, state and local officials held a ceremony Thursday to break ground for a sediment dewatering facility on the edge of New Bedford Harbor. These officials say the event marks a key stage in the cleanup of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the harbor."The cleanup of New Bedford Harbor is a long and complex undertaking, and sometimes it is not easy to see the progress that is being made," said Ira Leighton, deputy regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) New England Office. The groundbreaking for the dewatering facility, which is expected to be completed in the summer of 2004, "is a tangible step towards the final cleanup and a clean, safe harbor," Leighton said. The New Bedford Harbor Superfund site includes all of New Bedford Harbor and parts of the Acushnet River and Buzzards Bay. The harbor was contaminated with PCBs as the result of past waste disposal practices at two electrical component manufacturing plants, one on the Acushnet River, the second on the outer harbor. PCB wastes were discharged directly into the harbor, as well as indirectly through the city's sewer system. The EPA added the harbor to its list of Superfund sites in 1983 and has already more than $180 million in planning, engineering and construction costs for the harbor cleanup. Fifteen acres of the most highly contaminated areas of the harbor have been cleaned up and the remaining 240 acres of contaminated sediment, including surrounding wetlands and residential properties, will be processed at the new $400 million, 4.5 acre dewatering and transfer facility. The sediment will be dewatered at this facility and then disposed at an offsite landfill or in one of three confined disposal facilities along the New Bedford shoreline. An estimated 880,000 cubic yards of sediments are slated to be removed. Full scale dredging is planned to commence in fall 2004, with completion by 2008 at the earliest.
NY Increases Protection for Long Island's Pine Barrens ALBANY, New York, August 29, 2003 (ENS) - New York Governor George Pataki signed into law a bill that affords increased protection for Long Island's Pine Barrens. The law will provide new enforcement authority and penalties under the Long Island Pine Barrens Maritime Reserve Act."New York State is committed to providing for the ongoing protection of drinking water and the unique plants and wildlife found in the Pine Barrens," said Pataki, a Republican. "This new law provides state and local governments with the tools to enforce and prosecute individuals who are violating the law and will help prevent damage to a delicate ecosystem." The Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission is comprised of the Suffolk County Executive, the supervisors of the Towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead and Southampton, and an appointee of the New York Governor. But The commission had authority to develop and implement a comprehensive land use plan for the Pine Barrens, it had no specific authority to enforce the Maritime Reserve Act. The Long Island Pine Barrens Maritime Reserve Act was enacted to protect the Long Island Pine Barrens and the underlying aquifer, a critical source of freshwater for communities, plants and other wildlife. The law allows state and local governments to protect, preserve and properly manage the unique natural resources of the Pine Barrens-Peconic Bay System and the new law provides enforcement authority to the commission, the towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead, and Southampton, villages within the Central Pine Barrens area, and the New York State Attorney General. The law also provides civil and criminal penalties for violations of Pine Barrens protection measures. Long Island's Central Pine Barrens is more than 100,000 acres within the central and eastern portions of Suffolk County that includes parts of the Towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead and Southampton. The center of this area contains pitch pine and pine oak forests, coastal plain ponds, marshes, streams and provides deep flow recharge to the aquifer from which Long Island draws significant portions of its drinking water. The region contains one of the greatest concentrations of endangered, threatened and special concern plant and animals species in New York State. Since 1995, the state has invested nearly $48 million to acquire and preserve some 6,600 acres in the Long Island Pine Barrens.
Indiana Officials Wary of Emerald Ash Borer INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, August 29, 2003 (ENS) - Indiana state natural resource officials are asking residents in the northeast portion of the state to keep an eye out for an invasive Asian insect known as the emerald ash borer.Last week the Ohio Department of Agriculture announced the emerald ash borer had been discovered in Hicksville, Ohio, about two miles east of Indiana. In response, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) entomologists and foresters, along with entomologists from Purdue University, have traveled to northeast Indiana and parts of Ohio to look for signs of the insect. No sign of infestation has yet been found in Indiana, but state officials are keen to monitor for any signs that the insect has arrived. "When you consider that we have 147 million ash trees in Indiana, this is bad news for Indiana homeowners as well as the recreational, timber, horticulture, and nursery and landscape industries in the state," said Jodie Ellis, a Purdue Extension entomologist. The North American outbreak of the emerald ash borer was first discovered around Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario in 2002. Since then, the insect has been responsible for the destruction of six million ash trees in the Detroit area. The infestation was later found in Lansing, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio. The emerald ash borer larvae live under the tree's bark, where their feeding disrupts the flow of nutrients throughout the tree. In most cases, an infestation of emerald ash borer will kill affected trees within three years or less. The borer is believed to affect all species of ash. "Infestations of the emerald ash borer may go unnoticed for the first year," said Dr. Robert Waltz, a state entomologist,. "After that the top third of the tree will thin out and tiny D-shaped holes may be visible on the tree's bark." This week the DNR joined with the Ohio Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Agriculture to study the infested area near Hicksville and further delineate the scope of the infestation. The DNR also is preparing a map of northeast Indiana wood lots and will inspect them for signs of an infestation in the coming weeks.
Hydrogen Cycle Could Be Grounded in the Soil BERKELEY, California, August 29, 2003 (ENS) - A new study concludes that most of the hydrogen eliminated from the atmosphere goes into the ground.The findings mean that "we may be better able to predict what will happen if and when humans introduce and leak into the atmosphere vast quantities of hydrogen for fuel cells," said study coauthor Kristie Boering, professor of chemistry and of earth and planetary science at University of California at Berkeley. In an article published in the August 21 edition of the journal "Nature," Boering and colleagues report that their findings shifts focus toward developing an understanding of soil destruction of hydrogen to accurately predict whether hydrogen emissions will eventually accumulate in the air. This conclusion is based on measurements of the abundance of a rare isotope of hydrogen known as deuterium. It has long been known that atmospheric hydrogen is rich in deuterium, but it was unclear why. This results of this recent study suggest that one of the main natural sources of atmospheric hydrogen - the breakdown of methane - is actually responsible for the atmosphere's enrichment in deuterium. This result implies that reactions with atmospheric oxidants may be less important to the hydrogen cycle, and that uptake by soils, where microbial processes involve methane, is the driving force. "We wanted to look at hydrogen in the stratosphere because it is easy to study the production of hydrogen from methane separate from other influences," said coauthor John Eiler, a geochemist at the California Institute of Technology. "It may seem odd to go to the stratosphere to understand what is happening in the ground, but this was the best way to get a global perspective on the importance of soils to the hydrogen cycle." With precise information on the deuterium content of hydrogen formed from methane, the researchers were able to calculate that the soil uptake of hydrogen is as high as 80 percent. It is suspected that this hydrogen is used by soil living microbes to carry on their biological functions, although the details of this process are poorly understood and have been the subject of only a few previous studies. The scientists believe it likely that the hydrogen taken up by soils is relatively free of environmental consequences, but the question still remains of how much more hydrogen the soil can absorb. If future use of hydrogen in transportation results in a significant amount of leakage, then soil uptake must increase dramatically or it will be inadequate to cleanse the released hydrogen from the atmosphere, Eiler explained. "An analogy would be the discovery that trees and other plants get rid of some of the carbon dioxide that cars emit, but by no means all of it," he said. "So the question as we look toward a future hydrogen economy is whether [soil] microbes will be able to 'eat' the hydrogen fast enough." |
AmeriScan: August 29, 2003
