• Oil Spill Responders Struggle with North Slope Pipeline Leak
  
• Planned Pebble Mine Could Impact Alaska Salmon Industry
  
• Former New Orleans Army Corps Chief Wins Rebuilding Contract
  
• Polluters Pay $6 Million to Clean Bronx Hazardous Waste Site
  
• Pennsylvania Picks Up the Tab for Collecting Household HazWaste
  
• New Jersey Buys Nine Miles of Rail Trails
  
• Stormwater360 Gives $50,000 of Profits to Clean Water Nonprofits
  

Oil Spill Responders Struggle with North Slope Pipeline Leak

Planned Pebble Mine Could Impact Alaska Salmon Industry

Senator Stevens said in Anchorage Friday that he has asked federal agencies to give the project "a careful review," according to the "Anchorage Daily News."

Canadian mining company Northern Dynasty, which owns the Pebble mine site, says a January 24, 2006 initial mineral resource estimate shows it is one of the largest such deposits in the world.

Northern Dynasty plans a major open pit mine on the site, which lies at the headwaters of some of Alaska's most productive commercial, sport and subsistence fisheries, in an area dotted with resort lodges.

The Bristol Bay region where the Pebble Mine site lies depends on salmon, and Senator Stevens said some of area rivers are experiencing declining salmon returns, before a mine is dug.

Northern Dynasty Chairman Bob Dickinson said January 24, "The combined Pebble East and Pebble West resources rank among the largest copper, gold and molybdenum accumulations in the world."

"Pebble is an exceptionally important discovery," said Dickinson, "because it is located on American soil - a stable jurisdiction in which the development rules are well known - at a time when the demand for copper, gold and molybdenum is increasing worldwide while available new supplies are limited."

The company hopes to apply for permits next year and begin mining at Pebble by 2011.

Former New Orleans Army Corps Chief Wins Rebuilding Contract

{Timeline excerpted from "Precipitating Disasters: A Timeline," by David Sirota at: "In These Times."}

Polluters Pay $6 Million to Clean Bronx Hazardous Waste Site

"It is only fair that those who made money in operations that polluted this site now contribute to its cleanup," said Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. "Once this site is fully cleaned up, it can be put to new uses that will help revitalize the community."

Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Denise Sheehan said, "The parties responsible for the Hexagon contamination will be required to clean up the contamination, under DEC oversight, to ensure that when the cleanup is complete, it is fully protective of public health and the environment."

Hexagon Laboratories occupied a one acre site at 3536 Peartree Avenue in the Bronx, between Boston Post Road and Heathcote Avenue. The company made pharmaceuticals and organic chemicals there from the mid-1940s through 1989. There were numerous chemical spills at the site.

In 1990, the New York City Police Department Bomb Squad removed explosives, water-reactive metals, poisons and compressed gas cylinders from the property.

The soil and groundwater at the site were contaminated by a range of hazardous wastes that pose a threat to the public health and the environment, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, chlorinated volatile organics, phenolic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and PCBs.

The DEC determined that the Hexagon site posed a significant threat to public health and the environment in 1993 and placed it on the State Superfund Registry.

In 1997 and 1998, the DEC removed asbestos, petroleum tanks and some contaminated soil and demolished several buildings at a cost of approximately $1 million. The most costly elements of the cleanup are being conducted under the settlements announced by Spitzer and Sheehan February 23, including the excavation and removal of an extensive amount of contaminated soil and, later this year, a project for cleaning contaminated groundwater.

The cleanup settlements, approved by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Casey, require two-thirds of the cleanup costs to be paid by Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation and its affiliates, Solutia Inc. formerly the Monsanto Company, Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corporation and 28 additional companies.

In addition, it requires Boehringer Ingelheim to contribute $50,000 to Pelham Bay Park for environmental benefit projects. The remainder of the cleanup will be funded by the State Superfund, which was re-authorized and refinanced by Governor George Pataki and the New York State Legislature in 2003.

Pennsylvania Picks Up the Tab for Collecting Household HazWaste

CARLISLE, Pennsylvania, March 6, 2006 (ENS) - The state of Pennsylvania is making more than $520,000 in grants available to keep household chemicals, pesticides and herbicides out of the environment. As the weather warms, spring cleaning and gardening activities may tempt householders to dump chemicals down drains or dispose of them with the ordinary garbage, but these grants reimburse up to 50 percent of the eligible costs for environmental groups and government agencies that conduct collections of household hazardous wastes.

Hazardous wastes put in the regular trash can endanger waste haulers and landfill workers, creating the potential for harmful vapors, chemical skin burns, fires and explosions. Released into the environment, these chemicals can create long-term pollution problems.

Instead of endangering public health and safety with careless dumping, Governor Ed Rendell today urged residents to find the best means to dispose of hazardous materials and announced $527,177 in grants to local governments and other registered sponsors of collection events for household hazardous wastes.

Potentially hazardous chemicals are found in many products commonly stored around the home, such as oil-based paint, motor oil, solvents, cleaners, degreasers, pesticides, batteries and electronic equipment.

“We want to make sure we are protecting Pennsylvania’s precious environment,” Governor Rendell said. “This state funding helps local communities handle the disposal of household hazardous wastes.

“Bleach, oven cleaner, pesticides and weed killers are all examples of common household products that can create environmental and public health hazards if disposed of in the regular trash or poured down the drain. I encourage you to protect yourself and protect the environment by making the right choice,” Rendell said.

Many communities offer household hazardous waste collection events in the spring and fall. Some offer collections throughout the year. All materials collected through the household hazardous waste collection programs are taken to sites equipped to safely handle and store hazardous wastes.

At the Hope Station neighborhood assistance program in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty today urged all Pennsylvania residents to check product labels for safety warnings and to become more aware of common products that can be hazardous to the public health and environment if they are placed in the regular trash, poured down the drain or dumped outside.

“The best way to manage household hazardous waste is to avoid creating it,” McGinty said. “Select the least toxic product to do the job and buy only as much as you need. If you have a leftover, usable product that is potentially hazardous, try giving it to a friend, neighbor or community group that will use it. If the product isn’t usable, or if you can’t give it away, take it to your community’s household hazardous waste collection program.”

McGinty reminded gardeners that there are safer, less toxic alternatives for lawn and garden care that do not create the disposal problems of household hazardous waste. In place of chemical fertilizer, compost provides plant nutrients, helps to retain moisture and aerate soil, and may even prevent some plant diseases, she said.

DEP works with local governments and environmental groups to provide residents and small businesses with safe disposal options for household hazardous wastes. The grants announced today

DEP also offers technical assistance to pollution-prevention organizations and provides reimbursements to local governments, private organizations and trade associations that sponsor household hazardous waste collection events. DEP provides information on how materials can be reused, recycled or properly disposed of at permitted hazardous waste facilities.

For more information on household hazardous waste collections, or for a directory of county recycling coordinators, visit DEP’s website at www.depweb.state.pa.us, Keyword: “Recycling,” or call the toll-free HHW hotline at 1-800-346-4242.

New Jersey Buys Nine Miles of Rail Trails

TRENTON, New Jersey, March 6, 2006 (ENS) - The state of New Jersey has purchased nine more miles of the former Lehigh & Hudson River Railway Company's right of way for use as a public recreation trail. The $283,590 purchase was made possible with voter approved, constitutionally dedicated funding through the DEP's Green Acres Program.

"New Jersey residents can now enjoy nearly 65 miles of former railroad rights of way for a variety of recreational opportunities including biking, hiking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing," said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson. "This acquisition advances our goal of creating a network of open spaces throughout the Garden State."

The acquisition includes parcels in Warren and Sussex counties. The newly acquired right of way will be managed as part of the Kittatinny Valley State Park in Andover and will link the Sussex Branch Rail Trail to the 26 mile Paulinskill Trail and portions of the railroad right of way owned by Green Township, Allamuchy Township and The Nature Conservancy.

The new parkland also is an integral part of future connections to Allamuchy State Park and the Pequest Wildlife Management Area.

The Lehigh & Hudson River Railway was an important bridge line between New England and several of the larger railroad systems of the East. The railway was formed in 1882 through a consolidation of the Warwick Valley Railroad Company and the Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad Company, creating a 61 mile line from Belvidere, New Jersey, to Greycourt, New York.

Built to handle farm products, the original railroad pioneered the transport of milk to New York City and was the first to have specially designed refrigerated milk cars. Once the line had been extended west to Pennsylvania, anthracite and bituminous coal became an important source of revenue.

After 1938, the railway carried a variety of other goods including perishables, grain products, iron, steel, cement, lumber and petroleum.

The Green Acres Program was created in 1961 to meet New Jersey's recreation and conservation needs. To date, Green Acres has protected more than 595,000 acres of open space and developed hundreds of public parks, bringing the statewide system of preserved open space and farmland to more than 1.3 million acres.

Stormwater360 Gives $50,000 of Profits to Clean Water Nonprofits

The beneficiaries of these philanthropic awards were selected by online survey sent to more than 20,000 recipients. Heal the Bay of Santa Monica, California was the winner, receiving over 25 percent of the total votes cast.

The 12 other organizations that received donations include three organizations from California - Ballona Wetlands Foundation, Orange County CoastKeepers, and Santa Monica BayKeeper.

Two nonprofits from Maryland were selected - Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Potomac River Association.

Other recipients are - in Washington, the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle; in Maine, Friends of Casco Bay; in Virginia, the James River Association; in Pennsylvania the Stroud Water Research Center; in Oregon, the Tualatin Riverkeepers; in Georgia, the Upper Chattahoochee RiverKeepers; and in Ontario, Canada, the Friends of the Grand River.

Philanthropy is an ongoing commitment for Stormwater360, with donations to organizations throughout the year as part of the company's commitment to clean water. Through the extensive responses from the online voting process, several additional organizations will also be considered for contributions in 2006.

Stormwater360, a part of CONTECH Construction Products, works to preserve and protect water resources worldwide by providing a variety of stormwater management solutions.

Some of its products include the Stormwater Management StormFilter®, which targets a full range of pollutants in urban runoff, such as soluble heavy metals, oil and grease, and the Vortechs system, which removes finer sediment, particles, free oil and debris from urban runoff.