AmeriScan: May 17, 2002

• Estimate of Alaska Petroleum Reserve Quadruples
  
• Wildfire Destroys Seven Homes in Arizona
  
• California Could Save $28 Billion, Protect Environment
  
• Boxer Bill Could Protect Millions of California Acres
  
• 17 States, Virgin Islands Earn Clean Beach Certificates
  
• Wasting Disease Working Group Unites Federal Agencies
  
• Humans Responsible for One Quarter of Sulfur Gas
  
• Second California Condor Chick Born in the Wild
  

Estimate of Alaska Petroleum Reserve Quadruples

The oil remaining in the reserve, located on federal lands west of Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope, could be almost as much as that believed to be under the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. President George W. Bush's national energy plan includes a controversial proposal to open a section of the refuge to oil exploration, due to concerns that known U.S. oil reserves are declining.

USGS scientists have completed a four year reassessment of the undiscovered oil and gas resources of the NPRA, including an economic analysis of the undiscovered oil in the NPRA. The review shows that the federal part of the NPRA contains "significant volumes of technically recoverable oil and gas resources spread over a vast area," the USGS reported Thursday.

Until now, the most recent assessment of the 22.5 million acre NPRA was more than 20 years old and had reported the technically recoverable oil in the entire NPRA as between 0.3 and 5.4 billion barrels of oil (BBO). The 2002 re-assessment shows that between 1.3 and 5.6 BBO are estimated to be economically recoverable, based on varying market prices.

Estimates of technically recoverable oil on federal lands are between 5.9 and 13.2 BBO. By comparison, in 1998, the USGS estimated that between 4.3 and 11.8 BBO lies beneath the 1.5 million acre 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - the area that President Bush proposes to open to drilling.

New estimates of technically recoverable undiscovered natural gas resources on federal lands in the NPRA range between 39.1 and 83.2 trillion cubic feet (TCF), with a mean value of 59.7 TCF. Whether tapping the natural gas resources is economical depends on the availability of a pipeline, which does not yet exist, to transport the product to market in the lower 48 states.

The new NPRA assessment reflects a comprehensive examination of all public domain data and considers new exploration and development strategies being applied on the Alaska North Slope. The review used a methodology similar to that used in the 1998 USGS assessment of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 1002 area.

The USGS noted that when world oil prices are low, drilling in an area with more concentrated oil reserves, such as the 1002 area, may be more economical than drilling in far flung areas of the NPRA. However, "if prices exceed $35 per barrel, NPRA and ANWR 1002 would have nearly equal volumes of economically recoverable oil," the report notes.

Wildfire Destroys Seven Homes in Arizona

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help Arizona fight the uncontrolled wildfire, dubbed the Indian Fire. The fire is threatening several subdivisions near and within the city of Prescott.

"Through close cooperation with the state of Arizona we were able to quickly provide this support to the fire services fighting this dangerous fire," said FEMA Director Joe Allbaugh. "We are proud of the outstanding work they are doing to contain it."

The blaze, which originated in the Indian Springs Campground on U.S. Forest Service land, has already destroyed seven homes in the Ponderosa Park subdivision, about five miles south of Prescott. Fire officials are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

About 200 firefighters are battling the Indian Fire, using air tankers and helicopters to drop water and fire retardant on the fire, and building fire lines with bulldozers and shovels.

The ponderosa pines and scrub oaks feeding the blaze have been dried out by an ongoing drought. On Thursday, Prescott National Forest fire officials imposed a complete ban on smoking and all campfire use of any type on the Prescott National Forest.

Since fire officials restricted campfires on April 18, officials have found 128 abandoned fires on Prescott National Forest Lands.

"With fuel and weather conditions at such extreme levels, it's just a miracle we haven't had a large fire" before the Indian Fire, said Prescott National Forest fire management officer Robert Morales. "It is just a matter of time before one careless user will start a very large fire."

Several other fires are also burning through Arizona forest lands. An 840 acre human caused fire dubbed Springer is burning 40 miles west of Winslow in the Coconino National Forest, and is about 60 percent contained.

The 467 acre Gardner 2 fire is burning about six northwest of Sonoita, and crews have contained the 5,300 acre City Hall fire, which is burning in Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge east of about 20 miles north of Sasabe.

California Could Save $28 Billion, Protect Environment

The coalition of 26 organizations released their report Thursday, outlining areas in which the state could save money while protecting the environment and improving public health. In contrast to Governor Gray Davis' May budget proposal, the coalition says their suggestions provide a solution to the state's current budget crisis that would avoid deep cuts in social services, education and healthcare.

The new report, "Green Watchdog 2002," recommends eliminating subsidies, tax loopholes and other activities that encourage environmentally harmful practices. The recommendations include: requiring refineries instead of taxpayers to pay for the clean up of MTBE contamination, charging fees of timber harvesters, and requiring the agricultural industry to pay for the clean up of pesticide runoff.

The governor and the state legislature are facing the worst budget crisis in California history, the groups say, with the gap between state revenues and expenditures having widened to an estimated $23.5 billion.

The coalition, which includes the California Tax Reform Association, Friends of the Earth and Green Capitol, is that environmental protection and strict fiscal responsibility go together. Pollution is most often the result of poor fiscal accountability, the coalition argues, allowing corporations and individuals to take advantage of free public resources.

"Polluters deliver a one two punch to Californians," said Teri Olle, toxics program director at CALPIRG. "Subsidized by taxpayer dollars, polluting industries get paid to make a mess in California. When they're done ruining the environment and harming our health, taxpayers are left holding the bag as the state spends millions to clean up after them. We need to break this cycle and make polluters pay their own way."

Green Watchdog 2002 marks the second time the national Green Scissors campaign has targeted California's budget. The recommendations highlighted in the report were chosen by coalition members after consultation with a variety of experts, agencies and advocates, in addition to an independent review of the state budget.

"California loses billions of taxpayer dollars on special interest tax breaks at the expense of the environment and public health," said Lenny Goldberg, executive director of the California Tax Reform Association. "Let's end polluters' free ride in our state, and solve this budget crisis rather than worsen it."

To read the "Green Watchdog 2002" report, visit: http://www.greencap.org

Boxer Bill Could Protect Millions of California Acres

"It is crucial that we protect these precious places before it is too late. As of this year, protected wilderness areas account for only 13 percent of the State of California," said Boxer. "During the last 20 years, 675,000 acres of unprotected wilderness ­ approximately the size of Yosemite National Park ­ have lost their wilderness character due to all sorts of activities such as logging and mining."

Boxer's legislation would protect these areas by designating certain public lands as wilderness, and segments of California rivers as wild and scenic. These areas would remain open for low impact recreational activities, but would be closed to logging, construction and motorized vehicles.

While mining and drilling would be allowed to continue in areas where they are already occurring, new mining and new drilling would be prohibited.

Because much of California's drinking water supply comes from watersheds in national forests, Senator Boxer said the legislation would help protect the quality of drinking water. The bill would also protect the hundreds of plant and animal species that live in these areas, including threatened and endangered species such as the bald eagle, the Sierra Nevada red fox and the spring run chinook salmon.

"I am pleased that so many local supporters are throwing their weight behind this bill. This wilderness bill preserves, prevents, and it protects. It preserves our most important lands, it prevents pollution and it protects our most endangered wildlife," said Boxer. "Now it is our turn to protect this legacy of wilderness for our future generations. It's our responsibility."

Senator Boxer said the legislation was developed after thousands of hours of consultation and research with local communities, ranchers, local leaders, elected officials, mountain bikers, businesses, youth camps, federal and state agencies, local property owners and others.

"As a business owner, a Republican, and a rancher, I am thrilled that Senator Boxer has introduced her wilderness legislation to include more of California's special places," said Tim Alpers, former Mono County supervisor and owner of the Alpers Family Ranch. "Setting aside lands as wilderness will guarantee that our natural environment will thrive for generations to come."

The bill will be introduced in the House as two bills ­ the Northern California wilderness bill sponsored by Representative Mike Thompson and the Southern California wilderness bill sponsored by Representative Hilda Solis.

17 States, Virgin Islands Earn Clean Beach Certificates

This year, beaches in Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and Wisconsin make the grade, according to the Council.

For the public, the Blue Wave provides a stamp of approval for beaches, giving visitors an enjoyable vacation and peace of mind. For beach communities, it is an eco-label that means the beach has met a set of rigorous health and safety standards and is managed to protect the natural environment, according to the Clean Beaches Council.

"About 93 million people in the U.S. live in coastal areas placing ever increasing stress on our beaches," said Dr. Joan Rose, professor of water microbiology at the University of South Florida and senior science fellow at the Clean Beaches Council. "Wastewater, for example, is disposed of through rivers or septic tanks into adjacent coastal waters and amounts to a discharge of about 10 billion gallons of sewage per day. The stresses on water quality have become evident."

Beaches certified by the Council must meet the program's criteria for water quality, beach and intertidal conditions, safety, services, habitat conservation, erosion management, public information and education. Beaches that meet these criteria receive the Blue Wave flag, the symbol of the program, which is displayed beachside.

The Blue Wave Campaign is a voluntary program open to both rural and resort beaches. For a beach community to apply for certification, an entity within that community, such as a business, state agency, county agency, or multiple agencies, must sponsor the effort.

The Clean Beaches Council works with state and local environmental and health authorities to verify application data. Blue Wave certification is valid for one year only. The Clean Beaches Council will continue to conduct certifications throughout the country this summer.

"Despite the fact that many sources of pollution have been a serious problem, countless beaches around the country don't monitor water quality using EPA recommended guidelines, nor do they notify the public when beach waters are unsafe for millions of swimmers," said Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society, a member of the Clean Beaches Council.

The Clean Beaches Council, a public-private partnership, claims to run the most comprehensive, national environmental and public safety beach certification program in the country. Now in its fourth year, the Blue Wave Campaign has expanded: the number of beach communities all over the country that participate in the program doubled in size last year and grew another 40 percent this year.

"Beach communities are responding to growing public demand for information about the cleanliness, safety and environmental management of beaches by 'Seeking the Wave' and participating in our program," said Walter McLeod, president of the Clean Beaches Council. "Our Blue Wave Campaign is the only program of its kind which helps families and tourists identify beaches that don't pose a serious health or safety risk and are managed to protect the environment and beach wildlife."

The list of 2002 Blue Wave Beaches is available at: http://www.cleanbeaches.org

Wasting Disease Working Group Unites Federal Agencies

CWD is part of a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), which attack the brain and nervous system. CWD occurs in deer and elk, while cattle can contract bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease, and humans can get a fatal brain disease in humans called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD).

There is no evidence that CWD is linked to disease in humans, or in domestic animals other than deer and elk.

The disease has been detected in wild deer and elk and in farmed elk herds. Wild deer and elk have been found with the disease in Colorado and Wyoming, and wild deer with CWD have been found in Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Several states now have or have had farmed elk herds with CWD, including South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Montana.

"Working together with industry, states and other federal agencies is vital in further addressing this issue," deputy undersecretary of agriculture Dr. Jim Butler said in testimony before a joint hearing of two House Resources Subcommittees. "In particular, working with the Department of the Interior will ensure the most efficient response to CWD by coordinating the efforts of both departments in the areas of research, surveillance and management."

Bobby Acord, administrator of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Steve Williams, director of the Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (UFSWS) will serve as the co-chairs of the working group. The first meeting of the joint working group is scheduled for May 23.

"Both departments bring unique capabilities to this issue," said Chip Groat, director of the U.S. Geological Survey. "This joint federal working group will allow the various agencies to bring the most knowledgeable scientists together to share information and develop a unified approach to aid the states in responding to this disease.'

The U.S. Geological Survey is the principal science and research agency for the Interior Department and conducts biological studies on wildlife diseases through its National Wildlife Health Center. The center coordinates its activities with states and other federal agencies on critical disease outbreaks in wildlife.

APHIS is developing a nationwide program to eliminate CWD from farmed elk. If finalized, the program would require that all captive elk and deer be enrolled before they are moved from one state to another.

In September 2001, the USDA began a program to eradicate CWD in affected farmed elk populations. In April 2002, USDA agreed to buy out farmed elk herds from about 15 ranches in the area of Colorado where free ranging animals have tested positive for the disease.

The White House's fiscal year 2004 budget request includes $7.2 million to establish a certification and control program for CWD.

Humans Responsible for One Quarter of Sulfur Gas

The most abundant sulfur gas in the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere is carbonyl sulfide. While carbonyl sulfide is formed naturally, it is also produced through a chemical reaction in the atmosphere involving carbon disulfide, a chemical produced by a variety of industrial processes.

Human produced carbonyl sulfide has attracted attention as a possible source of increased levels of sulfate particles, or aerosols, in the atmosphere, which have been linked to depletion of the ozone layer. Sulfate aerosols also influence global climate, causing cooling effects by scattering incoming solar rays and reducing the amount of radiation that reaches the Earth.

New estimates obtained from ice core samples collected from the Siple Dome in Antarctica suggest that about a quarter of the modern carbonyl sulfide in the atmosphere comes from human made sources. The results of the study, based on the first such measurements taken from ice, by Murat Aydin and colleagues at the University of California at Irvine, appear this month in the journal "Geophysical Research Letters."

The collected ice core samples provide researchers with an archive of air from 1616 to 1694, allowing them to determine the concentration of carbonyl sulfide prior to industrial inputs.

To collect air trapped within the ice, the researchers crushed the eleven core samples within a vacuum. The samples were analyzed to determine the concentration of carbonyl sulfide, expressed in parts per trillion by volume (pptv), over the 78 year period.

The samples from pre-industrial times contain about three-quarters that of the modern carbonyl sulfide concentrations, suggesting that about 25 percent of the modern atmospheric carbonyl sulfide is generated through human activity, the researchers said.

Second California Condor Chick Born in the Wild

The egg hatched on May 11 in a nest in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary of the Los Padres National Forest in the rugged back country of California's Ventura County. The chick's parents were captive reared at the Los Angeles Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park, then released into the wild at the age of one by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1995.

USFWS biologists have been monitoring the nest for eight weeks. The male condor #98 is eight years old, and the female has just turned five, making her one of the youngest known condors to produce an egg.

In a nearby nest, another condor pair is brooding a one month old chick, the first chick in 18 years to hatch from an egg laid in the wild.

"These condor chicks are a national treasure," said Interior Secretary Gale Norton, who as an associate solicitor with the department in the 1980s, played a role in removing the last remaining condors from the wild so they could reproduce in captivity and be reintroduced later. "They symbolize the achievements of many partners, all dedicated to bringing the California condor back from the brink of extinction."

USFWS biologist Mike Barth, who supervisors condor field operations in southern California, watched the hatching.

"The chick is just a little football sized butterball" said wildlife biologist Mike Stockton. "He is covered in almond colored fluffy down and is very alert and active. The parents are very attentive and one parent is always around to take care of it while the other goes off to feed."

There are 69 condors now living in the wild in California and Arizona, 16 in field pens ready for release and 113 in captivity at the Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. The goal of the California Condor Recovery Plan is to establish two separate populations, one in California and the other in Arizona, each with 150 birds and at least 15 breeding pairs.