• Bush Inks $5.6 Billion BioShield Legislation
  
• Third Fire Breaks Out North of Los Angeles
  
• Nine New Hazardous Waste Sites Added to Superfund List
  
• Wildlife Refuge Keep Out: Danger Unexploded Munitions
  
• America's Unwanted Dams Are Coming Down
  
• Chicken Processor Fires 11 Based on Animal Abuse Video
  
• University Employees Offered Bargain Bay Area Bus Passes
  
• Mariana Islands Water Improvements Funded
  

Bush Inks $5.6 Billion BioShield Legislation

With thanks to the Senate and House members from both parties who worked on and sponsored the legislation, Bush signed the Project BioShield legislation at a ceremony in the Rose Garden on Wednesday.

"On Sept. 11, 2001, America saw the destruction and grief terrorists could inflict with commercial airlines turned into weapons of mass murder," Bush said during the ceremony.

"Those attacks revealed the depth of our enemies' determination, but not the extent of their ambitions," he said. "We know that the terrorists seek an even deadlier technology, and if they acquire chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, we have no doubt they will use them to cause even greater harm."

The need for the legislation was underlined by the 2001 anthrax mail attacks on Capitol Hill, New York and Florida. The perpetrator of these attacks has not been found.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has already taken steps to purchase 75 million doses of an improved anthrax vaccine for the Strategic National Stockpile.

The Strategic National Stockpile is a national repository of antibiotics, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, life-support medications, IV administration, airway maintenance supplies, and medical/surgical items. It is designed to supplement and re-supply state and local public health agencies in the event of a national emergency anywhere and at anytime within the United States or its territories.

"Under Project BioShield, HHS is moving forward with plans to require a safer second-generation small pox vaccine, an antidote to botulinum toxin, and better treatments for exposure to chemical and radiological weapons," Bush said.

Project BioShield legislation provides research and development funding. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson Wednesday directed the the National Institutes of Health to launch two research programs - one to speed the development of new treatments for victims of a biological attack, and another to expedite development of treatments for victims of a radiological or nuclear attack.

Since 2001, the United States has increased funding for the Strategic National Stockpile by a factor of five and increased funding for biodefense research by a factor of 30, the president said. The U.S. government has also secured enough smallpox vaccine to vaccinate every American if needed.

Officials have worked to improve the safety of food and deployed advanced environmental detectors under the BioWatch program to provide early warning of a biological attack.

Third Fire Breaks Out North of Los Angeles

Crews are concerned about the dead juniper and pine trees dotting the area that are tinder dry after six years of drought and full of holes from an infestation of bark beetles.

Acton and three small communities near Palmdale are in the path of the Crown Fire flames, which destroyed two homes as of Wednesday night. Also at risk are major transmission corridors serving the areas of the Central San Gabriel, Santa Clarita, Antelope and Apple Valleys, communication sites, and some national forest recreation areas.

The Foothills Fire nearby, three miles outside of Newhall, has burned 6,002 acres but is now considered 95 percent contained. All mandatory evacuations have been lifted that kept area residents out of their homes on the weekend.

Hand crews, fire engines, and air resources were reassigned from the Foothill Fire as the Crown fire rapidly spread to more than 10,000 acres, threatening structures. The Incident Unified Team from the Foothill Fire now will manage both fires.

At risk are watershed and cultural resources, and habitat for the spotted owl, California condor, red-legged frog, and Southwestern arroyo toad and endangered plant species.

Also on the Angeles National Forest, the Pine Fire, believed to be started by arson on July 12, is now 95 percent contained. Located on the Pine Canyon/Highway 138 on the north side of Liebre Mountain, this fire has cost $14 million to fight and burned across 17,418 acres, fire officials said.

An Arson Tip Line has been established for anyone with any information about suspicious vehicles or people in the area of the Pacific Crest Trail on July 12. Please call 661-284-2TIP.

Nine New Hazardous Waste Sites Added to Superfund List

For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the nine new Superfund sites, go to: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm

Wildlife Refuge Keep Out: Danger Unexploded Munitions

The Plum Tree Island National Wildlife Refuge in Poquoson, Virginia is closed to the public, but officials say members of the public are entering the refuge anyway, exposing themselves to the dangerous explosives.

"We're concerned primarily about safety. The current situation emphasizes the need to respect the serious potential danger inherent in former bombing ranges," said the Service's Joe McCauley, who manages the refuge.

Plum Tree refuge covers 3,275 acres of low dunes and marsh, interspersed with small circular ponds created by aerial bomb impacts.

To ensure public safety, the Norfolk District Engineer, Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have established the Temporary Danger Area, the Corps has issued a public notice to community members throughout Hampton Roads, and the U.S. Coast Guard has issued a notice to mariners.

The Temporary Danger Area covers the southern part of the old bombing range where unexploded ordnance is known to exist. The Danger Zone extends into the water 300 feet from the shoreline or deeded property boundary, whichever is greater.

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission and Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will enforce the Danger Area.

The Corps will also conduct a study to analyze the current risk, based on the increased munitions exposure. "One of the goals of the study is to respond to the Service's request that we explore ways to safely offer public recreational opportunities on the refuge where feasible," said Norfolk District Engineer, Col. Yvonne J. Prettyman-Beck.

The area was used for aerial bombardment and gunnery practice from 1917 to the late 1950s. The Service acquired it for a refuge in 1972. Public access is not permitted on the refuge with the exception of Cow Island, which is open for permitted waterfowl hunting.

Although the Temporary Danger Area is only being established around the southern part of the old bombing range, the refuge remains a no trespassing area.

The Corps is working with the federal and state partner agencies, and the City of Poquoson to develop a long term strategy that will provide for public safety, and if feasible, increase public access.

In the short term, signs will be improved and public comments accepted on the Temporary Danger Area for the next 30 days.

In the long term, a risk analysis will be conducted of differences between the northern and southern half of the refuge to determine if public access can be increased. A scoping meeting will allow all stakeholders to comment on the development of a permanent Danger Area, and the Corps intends to design and implement longer term risk management for the refuge. Exposed ordnance will be removed where feasible, officials said.

America's Unwanted Dams Are Coming Down

The river conservation organization has counted 145 dams that have been removed since 1999 when the breaching of Edwards Dam on Maine's Kennebec River first captured national attention. On the Kennebec, fish and other wildlife are returning to the river in numbers much larger than biologists predicted.

"There comes a time in the life of many dams when they begin to make less sense than they have in the past," said Serena McClain, of American Rivers' Rivers Unplugged campaign. "Communities across the country are electing to remove derelict and obsolete dams to restore their rivers, eliminate safety hazards, and save money."

Only four dams to be removed in 2004 were ever used to generate hydroelectric power and all of them have been off the grid for many years.

American Rivers says that of the 77,000 dams greater than six feet high across the country, fewer than 2,500 generate electricity. Most were built for purposes such as running now obsolete mills, controlling floods, and creating water supplies or recreational lakes.

"For these communities, dam removal is not a radical environmental move, it is a common sense decision - the old dam isn't being used, the river would much nicer without it, and it's cheaper to take it out than to repair it," said Helen Sarakinos with the River Alliance of Wisconsin.

Dams drown wildlife habitat under reservoirs and block fish migrations. Small dams are sometimes called "drowning machines" because they can create dangerous undertows, American Rivers says.

Benefits of dam removal include better water quality, revitalized fisheries, new recreational opportunities, and recovery of habitat suitable for parks and other public use.

"Free flowing rivers are a magnet for anglers, boaters, and other river users," said Leon Szeptycki, Eastern conservation director for Trout Unlimited. "Healthy, attractive rivers are unique assets for the communities on their banks, and can be an economic asset that others can't easily match."

American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, and River Alliance of Wisconsin provide educational, technical, and financial assistance to communities interested in removing an unneeded dam.

A complete list of dams removed between 1999 and 2003 is available at: http://www.amrivers.org/doc_repository/DamRemoval/1999-2003_Dams_Removed_list.pdf

Chicken Processor Fires 11 Based on Animal Abuse Video

The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals made the tape secretly and released it to the media on Tuesday. PETA said the tape showed workers at the Pilgrim's Pride plant. "Workers ripped the animals' beaks off, twisted their heads off, spat tobacco into their eyes and mouths, spray-painted their faces, and tied their legs together for 'laughs,'" PETA said.

One superintendent, one supervisor, one foreman and eight hourly employees were terminated.

Pilgrim's Pride President and Chief Operating Officer O.B. Goolsby said the investigation will continue "until we're confident that every employee - regardless of rank - who had knowledge of these incidents has been held accountable for their actions."

Pilgrim's Pride has placed quality assurance monitors on both shifts at the Moorefield facility to continuously audit handling practices and processing, Goolsby said.

Goolsby said the company will bring in animal welfare expert Dr. Temple Grandin to review practices at its Moorefield plant later this month.

PETA too defers to Grandin's expertise, quoting her as writing, "The behavior of the plant employees was atrocious ... the WORST employee behavior I have ever seen in a poultry plant."

Goolsby said the individual who surreptitiously videotaped the abuses was a company employee who received the company's animal welfare training on September 3, 2003. During training employees are instructed to report such incidents to plant management. If he had done so, Goolsby said, "corrective and disciplinary actions would have been taken many months ago, and chickens would have been spared from suffering the types of abuses shown in the video."

Pilgrim's Pride supplies chickens to Kentucky Fried Chicken, whose parent company Yum! Brands said in a statement the treatment of chickens shown in the video was "appalling."

"We have notified Pilgrim's Pride that unless they can definitively assure us there are absolutely no abuses taking place, we will not purchase from this Moorefield, W.Va. facility," KFC said in a statement. "This facility is one of many suppliers to our company and additionally supplies others in the fast food industry." KFC has placed an inspector at the Moorfield plant.

PETA, which supports vegetarianism, has been campaigning against KFC for two years. The group said its investigation was conducted at this location "because it was the site of a KFC "Supplier of the Year" award ceremony, and PETA wanted to see the 'best' that a KFC supplier had to offer."

Pilgrim's Pride, the country's second largest chicken processing company after Tyson Foods, says it "places a high priority on humane treatment of poultry not only because it's the right thing to do, but because it also helps assure high-quality, healthful products for consumers."

Pilgrim's Pride says it follows the animal welfare guidelines recommended by the National Chicken Council).

University Employees Offered Bargain Bay Area Bus Passes

More than 8,000 UC Berkeley employees will be offered an unlimited use AC Transit bus pass for $240 a year, a discount that the university expects will get commuters out of their cars and onto the bus.

The program, called the Bear Pass, is scheduled to begin October 1 and run for two years. If successful, it could become permanent.

UC Berkeley employees will pay $20 a month for unlimited use of the AC Transit system, including the trans-bay service. The general public pays AC Transit $60 a month for a basic unlimited use pass and $100 a month for an unlimited use pass that includes trans-bay service.

The campus bus pass also compares favorably to the cost of an annual UC Berkeley parking permit, which ranges from $81.50 to $113 a month for many employees.

The Bear Pass fee will be deducted directly from employee paychecks pre-tax, providing employees with an additional cost reduction of 12 to 46 percent, depending on their tax bracket.

Jaimie Levin, director of marketing and communications at AC Transit, the program will be larger than any they have offered to date. AC Transit and the city of Berkeley offer a similar pass to the city's 1,200 employees but the UC Berkeley program has the potential to reach thousands more.

"We look forward to this because UC Berkeley is one of the biggest trip generators in this service area," said Levin. "Anything we can do working in partnership with the university and the city of Berkeley to get more people on public transit using existing resources is a win-win for everyone. It will undoubtedly help improve the quality of life by taking more cars off the street and encouraging people to ride public transit."

Annually, UC Berkeley will help to subsidize the new Bear Pass program by paying AC Transit $50 for each employee who signs up for the program. The AC Transit Board of Directors agreed to the payment structures and the overall plan at its July 7 meeting.

The Bear Pass is similar to the Class Pass, a student transit pass that UC Berkeley proposed and that students approved in 1998. It has continued every year since. The pass provides UC Berkeley students with unlimited AC Transit bus rides.

All UC Berkeley students are eligible for a Class Pass, and each year up to 27,000 students pick up the transit pass. The Class Pass annually generates more than 3.5 million student rides and $1.3 million in revenue to AC Transit, according to campus transportation officials.

Currently, 49 percent of campus employees and 89 percent of students commute by some form other than a single occupant vehicle - providing UC Berkeley with one of the lowest lone driver rates of any major Bay Area employer.

Mariana Islands Water Improvements Funded

"The funding will be put to good use by CUC to improve drinking water systems and ensure proper wastewater disposal," said John McCarroll, manager of the EPA Pacific Southwest Region's Pacific Islands Office. "Providing a reliable supply of drinking water to the CNMI residents is critical. Additionally, it is important to protect public health, the environment and ocean resources of CNMI."

The islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines, are a Commonwealth that holds status as a U.S. territory. Under a unique Covenant with the United States enacted in 1976, the CNMI enjoys a greater degree of autonomy than most U.S. territories.

Part of the funding, $1.1 million, will be spent on design and construction of an ocean outfall for the Aginan wastewater plant. The project will cost a total of $6.9 million. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and CUC are sharing in the costs.

The new outfall will discharge treated effluent further offshore and at a greater depth. The utility is currently under an administrative order by the EPA regarding the sewage outfall. The completed project will allow the plant to comply with its EPA discharge permit.

The EPA is also funding a $1.55 million project for the rehabilitation and extension of the Kanat Tabla waterline and the construction and rehabilitation of nearby water tanks.

Officials will construct a new one million gallon drinking water storage tank; rehabilitate an existing one million gallon water tank; and replace water supply lines in the area. The improvements are intended to provide increased water hours and water pressure to area customers.

The EPA is providing $550,000 for rehabilitation of the drinking water sand filtration system at the airport, which will provide safer drinking water for CUC's customers. The current sand filter system requires a complete overhaul including upgrades and replacement of water pumps and pump control systems to meet all drinking water standards.

All three projects are now in the design phase, and construction should begin in 2005.