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Court Orders Federal Restoration of San Joaquin River SACRAMENTO, California, August 31, 2004 (ENS) – A federal judge in Sacramento ruled Friday that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has illegally dried up California's San Joaquin River for more than 50 years.The ruling could force the federal agency to release water from Friant Dam near Fresno for the first time in 55 years and could bring to a close a one of California's longest running water disputes. "The judge's decision means that we can look forward to bringing a dead river back to life," said Michael Wall, a senior attorney with NRDC, which led a coalition of 13 conservation and fishing groups in the suit. "It is a tremendous victory for all Californians who deserve a healthy, living river." Officials at the Bureau of Reclamation are reviewing the implications of the decision. The coalition sued the bureau in 1988 over its operation of the federally owned dam and the renewal of water supply contracts for the Friant Water Users Authority, which represents irrigation districts on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley. The suit charged the bureau with violating state law by failing to release enough water to protect the environment and wildlife of the river. Prior to the completion of the Friant Dam in the 1940s, the San Joaquin River supported one of the most important salmon fisheries on the Pacific coast and the southernmost Chinook salmon run in North America. Today, virtually all the water upstream from the dam is diverted to irrigate some one million acres of farmland, and two sections of the state's second longest river have completely dried up. "In the words of the Department of Interior, Friant Dam's operations have been a 'disaster' for Chinook salmon, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton wrote in his decision. "This has been a long time coming, but after 60 years, Judge Karlton has finally righted this wrong," said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations. "We have now started down the road to restore one of the West Coast's premier salmon runs, and, along with it, fishing jobs in California's coastal communities." Agricultural groups fear water releases could harm farmers, but the conservation and fishing plaintiffs say it can be done without harming the region's agricultural interests. "Restoring the river will benefit everyone," said NRDC senior attorney Hal Candee. "It will benefit downstream farmers who will get cleaner, more reliable irrigation water. It will benefit the 20 million people in the Bay Area and Southern California who rely on the delta for clean drinking water. And restoring the river's once thriving salmon fishery will help bring back more fishing jobs to our state."
Interior Official Touts Bush Support for Geothermal Energy INDIAN WELLS, California, August 31, 2004 (ENS) - The Bush administration is keen to enhance supplies of renewable energy, in particular geothermal energy, Interior Assistant Secretary Rebecca Watson said Monday.Geothermal energy technologies use the heat of the Earth for direct use applications, geothermal heat pumps, and electrical power production. President George W. Bush "has given geothermal energy production a tremendous jumpstart since he took office," Watson said in a speech at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Geothermal Resources Council. "[The President's] National Energy Policy urged us to reduce geothermal lease backlogs and examine opportunities for increased geothermal development on public lands, which we are doing," Watson said. "In the past three and a half years, this administration has issued more than 200 geothermal leases, compared to fewer than 20 issued in the last four years of the prior administration." Watson touted a 2003 report by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that identified the best places on federal land for geothermal, wind, solar and biomass energy production. The Interior Department issued a subsequent report focusing on the top 35 places with the potential for geothermal energy production, Watson said. Currently, lands managed by the Interior Department provide more than 48 percent of the United States geothermal power. The BLM has entered into more than 400 geothermal leases on the lands it manages and says 55 of those leases are capable of producing a total of 1,275 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 1.2 million homes. Thirty-four geothermal power plants are currently producing electricity on BLM lands in three states. "We realize that even 'green' energy has environmental impacts," Watson said. "As part of the leasing process, we put every proposed geothermal project through legally required environmental and cultural analyses before issuing an energy lease or power plant license." But despite the administration's enthusiasm for geothermal energy, the preliminary "Renewable Energy Trends 2003" report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) finds geothermal generation fell 9 percent between 2002 and 2003. The report notes that most of the nation's geothermal generation comes from 21 plants at The Geysers Field in California and production has been falling in recent years due to decreasing underground pressure. The EIA says renewable energy accounts for some six percent of the nation's energy supply, with geothermal accounting for only five percent of the renewable energy total. The vast majority of the nation's renewable energy comes from hydroelectric and biomass energy, 45 percent and 47 percent respectively; wind accounts for only two percent of the nation's renewable energy and solar one percent, according to the EIA.
California Inches Forward on Solar Power SACRAMENTO, California, August 31, 2004 (ENS) - In a blow to environmentalists, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's bid to boost solar power was defeated in the California Assembly Utilities Committee on Friday.But the state legislature did pass a bill that should keep funds flowing to the increasing number of homeowners interested in solar power. "More and more Californians are becoming interested in solar power," said Bernadette Del Chiaro, clean energy advocate for Environment California, a nonprofit organization working to increase solar power in California. "The bill passed Friday night simply helps meet this growing demand over the next six to seven months." Earlier this month Schwarzenegger threw his weight behind legislation authored by California Senator Kevin Murray, a Democrat from Los Angeles, that aimed to encourage the construction of one million homes with installed solar panels by 2017. The "solar homes" proposal would require all builders to offer solar power systems buyers by 2008 and would create a fund of some $230 million for rebates on solar installations. Despite Schwarzenegger's support, the bill drew the ire of some consumer advocates who opposed the rate increases included in the legislation. The measure approved Friday uses money already paid by consumers as an incentive for homeowners to install solar panels. The bill gives the Energy Commission permission to spend $60 million, to be collected between 2007 and 2012, for small solar system rebates. The commission would otherwise not have access to the money until 2007 - leaving a two year gap in rebates. "California has a tremendous opportunity to put the sun to work for energy, our economy and our environment," said Del Chiaro. "Given the governor's vision and commitment of legislators such as Senator Murray, California's solar market is sure to grow in the months ahead."
More Hunting, Fishing in Wildlife Refuges WASHINGTON, DC, August 31, 2004 (ENS) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday its decision to add new hunting and fishing programs on four national wildlife refuges and six wetlands management districts.The proposal covers the following areas: Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in South Carolina; Mountain Longleaf NWR in Alabama; Red River NWR in Louisiana; Cypress Creek NWR in Illinois; Huron, Lake Andes, Madison, Sand Lake, Waubay Water Management Districts (WMD) in South Dakota; and Devils Lake WMD in North Dakota. At the same time, the Fish and Wildlife Service is expanding recreational hunting and fishing opportunities on seven refuges in Nebraska, Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, Louisiana, Georgia, and South Carolina. "Since 2001, the Bush administration has added over 60 new hunting and fishing programs on 51 units of our National Wildlife Refuge System," Fish and Wildlife Service Director Steve Williams said. "With the expansion of our hunting and fishing programs, more families can enjoy the diverse recreational activities that refuges have to offer." With the additions announced Monday, there will be 325 public hunting programs and 283 public fishing programs on national wildlife refuges. There are 544 national wildlife refuges across all 50 states and several U.S. territories. In 2003, there were 2.2 million hunting visits to national wildlife refuges and 6.6 million fishing visits. Although some animal rights groups oppose the policy, hunting and fishing have been an integral part of the national wildlife refuge system since its creation in 1903. By law, hunting and fishing are two of the six priority wildlife dependent recreational uses on national wildlife refuges, and individual refuges are encouraged to provide opportunities to hunt and fish whenever they are compatible with the refuge's conservation goals. The Fish and Wildlife Service annually reviews hunting and fishing programs on national wildlife refuges to determine whether to add, modify or remove them. "Today's action speaks to the success of our conservation efforts," Interior Secretary Gale Norton said. "The ability of the Fish and Wildlife Service to add and expand hunting and fishing programs means that our wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are working."
$11 Million in Federal Grants for Vessel Waste WASHINGTON, DC, August 31, 2004 (ENS) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded nearly $11 million to 23 states under the Clean Vessel Act Pumpout Grant program.The grant awards will fund construction of sewage dump stations and pumpout stations for recreational boaters and educational programs that inform boaters about the importance of proper waste disposal. "The Clean Vessel Act Pumpout Program exemplifies one of the many partnerships the Service has with the States," said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Steve Williams. "Since its inception, 49 states have participated in this program to improve the quality of our nation's water and conserve fish and wildlife resources." The money will complement an outreach and education program that aims to educate the public in ways to protect fish and marine habitat, according to Interior Department Secretary Gale Norton. The outreach program includes marine industry organizations, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency. "All of the partners involved are providing the best resources and tools to continue this successful program," Norton said. Congress passed the Clean Vessel Act in 1992, which established a federal grant program administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, to help reduce pollution from vessel sewage discharges. Raw or poorly treated sewage is a serious concern for marine ecosystems frequented by boaters - it can spread disease, contaminate shellfish beds and lower oxygen levels in water. Funding comes from the Sport Fish Restoration account, made up of revenues from excise taxes on fishing equipment, boats, and motorboat fuels. The Act requires that pumpout stations in coastal environments receive funding preference, although proposals for inland facilities are also eligible for funding from the program. Federal funds can constitute up to 75 percent of all approved projects, with the remaining funds provided by the States or marinas. The Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded more than $90 million to States for their Clean Vessel Act programs and efforts. The following 23 states will receive money from this latest round of funding: Alabama; Arizona, Alaska; California; Connecticut; Florida; Georgia; Kentucky; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Missouri; New Hampshire; New York; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Tennessee; Texas; and Washington.
Lowering the Environmental Costs of Home Building SEATTLE, Washington, August 31, 2004 (ENS) - Most of the energy that goes into building U.S. homes is consumed - not by the power tools, welding and trucking during construction - but during the manufacture of the building materials, according to a new study by the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials.The consortium is a research group started by 15 universities and research institutes. Their report considers the energy required to produce building materials, construct, maintain and demolish a house on a time period of 75 years. A 2,100 square foot house designed for the cold Minneapolis climate was used to compare wood frame with steel frame construction while a 2,200 square foot house was designed for the hot and humid Atlanta climate was used to compare wood frame with concrete frame construction. The designs in both cases were typical of homes in those regions. In this case researchers determined that the construction of the hypothetical Minneapolis steel frame home used 17 percent more energy than the matching wood frame home. Constructing the study's hypothetical Atlanta concrete frame home used 16 percent more energy than a matching wood frame house. The energy tallied for the study included not just electricity but also such things as diesel and fuel oil to extract and haul materials, natural gas to generate steam in lumber mills and electricity for steel mills. "Everything kind of flows from energy consumption," said coauthor Bruce Lippke, a University of Washington professor of forest resources. "If you are using energy, you are polluting water, polluting air and kicking out carbon dioxide emissions." The carbon emissions associated with energy use represented one of the more important environmental impacts, the report says. The researchers considered the impact of the carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions generated during the life cycles of the homes to determine the global warming potential of different construction materials. They estimate the global warming potential of the steel frame home to be 26 percent higher than the wood frame, and the concrete frame home was 31 percent higher than the comparable wood frame.
Maine Private Forestland Conserved by Private Funds NEW YORK, New York, August 31, 2004 (ENS) - Two grants totaling $2 million were given by the Open Space Institute to support the conservation purchase of almost 75,000 acres of private forestland in Maine.The forests will be permanently protected from development and managed to ensure the protection of wildlife habitat and clean water, the viability of sustainable forestry and the enhancement of recreational activities. The awards given by the New York based conservation group will support two projects in western and southeastern Maine. A $1 million grant was made to the Appalachian Mountain Club to help support the purchase of 37,000 acres of land in western Maine that will include an ecological reserve, working forest and network of hiking trails. The award comes on the heels of a low interest loan of $3 million made to club by the Open Space Institute in December 2003 for this acquisition. The Appalachian Mountain Club will improve recreational access and create a "a year-round system of hiking and crosscountry skiing trails, new opportunities for kayaking and canoeing, and a new series of backcountry camps and shelters," said Andrew Falender, the organization's executive director. An additional $1 million grant was given to the New England Forestry Foundation for the purchase, in partnership with the Downeast Lakes Land Trust, of 27,080 acres of land around West Grant and Fourth Machias Lakes for creation of the Farm Cove Community Forest. The awards represent the third full round of funding from the Open Space Institute's Northern Forest Protection Fund, a $12 million matching capital fund created in 2000 by the Open Space Conservancy (OSC), the land acquisition affiliate of the Open Space Institute. The 26 million acre Northern Forest is the largest remaining undeveloped forest east of the Mississippi River. Since 2000, the fund has made 15 grants and loans totaling $15 million to protect more than 900,000 acres of forestland, including 200,000 acres in reserves and 700,000 acres in working forests, and leveraged $180 million in other public and private funds. These two latest projects represent "the new face of conservation in the North Woods," said Peter Howell, the Open Space Institute's Director of Conservation Finance. "They integrate the preservation of ecologically significant lands with the protection of well managed forests. They also advance community economic interests, which we believe are essential to sustaining the long term conservation of this remarkable region."
Unicell Organisms Play Big Role in Oceans' Nitrogen WASHINGTON, DC, August 31, 2004 (ENS) - Large, nutrient poor expanses of the open ocean are getting a substantial nitrogen influx from an abundant group of unicellular organisms, researchers say.These tiny organisms, some seven microns in diameter, "fix," or chemically alter, nitrogen into a form usable for biological productivity. First identified about five years ago, these organisms are fixing nitrogen at rates up to three times higher than previously reported for the Pacific Ocean, according to research published in last week in the scientific journal "Nature." "To our surprise, these unicellular nitrogen fixers are broadly distributed spatially and vertically distributed at least down to 100 meters, and they are fixing nitrogen at quite high rates," said Joe Montoya, a biologist at the Georgia Institute of Technology and lead author of the paper. Montoya says the rates measured by the research team exceeds the rate of nitrogen fixation measured for the organism traditionally believed to be the dominant "marine nitrogen fixer" in the Pacific Ocean. "These unicells are the largest single source of nitrogen entering the water in broad areas of the ocean," he said. This level of nitrogen fixation in the Pacific Ocean alone accounts for about 10 percent of the total global oceanic new production of biomass, according to the researchers' preliminary calculations. The ongoing study is increasing scientists' understanding of the fertility of the ocean, according the research team. "This group of tiny, photosynthetic organisms, whose contribution to the fertility of the ocean is significant, appears to play a critical role in driving the movement of elements through the ocean both in the upper layer of the water and from the atmosphere into the ocean," Montoya said. The nitrogen fixation rates reported in the study are conservative figures, Montoya said, and may underestimate the true rate of nitrogen fixation by a factor of two. The research team will continue to survey the Pacific Ocean, as well as the north Atlantic and the south Pacific Oceans in two research cruises in 2006 and 2007. In the south Pacific, Montoya expects to find high rates of nitrogen fixation by unicells, he said. Measurements already taken in the marginal waters of the South Pacific - off the coast of northern Australia - yielded the highest recorded rates of nitrogen fixation by unicells to date. There are still numerous regions of nutrient poor oceans - typically off the continental shelves from the equator north and south to about 40 degrees latitude - in which little or nothing is known about unicellular nitrogen fixing organisms, Montoya added. "We are still at a very early stage in understanding ocean science and how things work in these enormous pieces of the ocean," he said.
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