• Energy, Agriculture Secretaries Resign
  
• Green Party Campaign Raises Funds for Ohio Recount
  
• Energy on the Agenda as Congress Returns for Short Session
  
• ARCO to Pay $50 Million for Montana Superfund Cleanup
  
• EPA 2004 Year End Shows 40 Superfund Sites Cleaned
  
• Rainforest Group Hits JPMorgan Chase With Negative Ads
  
• Research Will Link Specific Genes to Environmental Diseases
  
• Recycling American Style
  

Energy, Agriculture Secretaries Resign

In Monday's briefing, White House spokesman Scott McClellan praised the departing Cabinet members. "The president greatly appreciates their service and leadership, and he looks forward to continuing to work with them as they work to continue their jobs until their replacements are confirmed by the Senate," he said.

McClellan offered no timetable for when new Cabinet nominees would be announced.

President Bush thanked Abraham for helping to develop his National Energy Policy "to reduce our country's reliance on foreign sources of energy and to provide reliable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy for America's future." But environmentalists across the board have criticized the Bush energy policy for its reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear development in place of renewable energy sources.

Bush praised his energy secretary of launching "new technological research initiatives that will lead to the next generation of pollution-free automobiles and clean-coal power plants."

Abraham has spent time on some alternative fuel sources such as methane and hydrogen. He will address the Methane to Markets Ministerial meeting today about opportunities to further expand international technology based multilateral partnerships that have been a focus of his term, such as the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum and the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy.

Veneman has handled some of the most controversial environmental issues of the Bush administration. The President expressed appreciation for her work to protect the American food supply following the discovery of mad cow disease in the United States last December, and for "skillfully" implementing his controversial "Healthy Forests Initiative" to clear forests against possible wildfires.

President Bush commended Veneman for her efforts to enact and implement "a responsible farm bill with strong conservation provisions."

"She has played a key role in opening markets and in ensuring a level playing field for America's farm products," the President said. Veneman has defended the genetically modified crops and foods manufactured by U.S. corporations and sold around the world.

Cabinet resignations are not unusual after a U.S. presidential election. The resignations of Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans were announced by the White House November 9. Education Secretary Rod Paige and Secretary of State Colin Powell announced their departures on Monday.

Green Party Campaign Raises Funds for Ohio Recount

They say the Ohio presidential election was marred by numerous press and independent reports of mis-marked and discarded ballots, problems with electronic voting machines and the targeted disenfranchisement of African American voters.

Neither Cobb nor Badnarik won any electoral college votes in Ohio. All 20 electoral college votes went to President George W. Bush.

Bush won 2,796,147 popular votes in Ohio at the current count. Democratic Presidential candidate Senator John Kerry won 2,659,664 votes. Badnarik took 14,331 votes, and Cobb did not figure in the Ohio race, but he was a write-in candidate, which qualifies him to demand a recount.

Nationwide, Bush took 286 electoral college votes, and 270 are needed to win. Kerry took 252 electoral college votes.

In the unlikely event that an Ohio recount gives the state's 20 electoral college votes to Kerry, he would have 272, enough to become President. Bush would be left with 266.

Green Party Presidential candidate attorney David Cobb who ran with Vice Presidential candidate Patricia Helen LaMarche. (Photo courtesy Cobb/LaMarche campaign)

"Thanks to the thousands of people who have contributed to this effort, we can say with certainty that there will be a recount in Ohio," said Blair Bobier, media director for the Cobb-LaMarche campaign. "The grassroots support for the recount has been astounding. The donations have come in fast and furiously, with the vast majority in the $10-$50 range, allowing us to meet our goal for the first phase of the recount effort in only four days."

Bobier said the campaign is still raising money for the next phase of the recount effort which will be recruiting, training and mobilizing volunteers to monitor the actual recount.

A number of citizens' groups and voting rights organizations held the second of two hearings Monday in Columbus, Ohio, to take testimony from voters, poll watchers and election experts about problems with the Ohio vote.

No other candidate has stated an intention to seek a recount and no other citizen or organization would have legal standing to do so in Ohio. The Cobb-LaMarche campaign is still exploring the possibility of seeking recounts in other states but no decision has been made yet.

The Green Party of the United States launched its first-ever ad campaign with a full page ad to run in the "New York Times" today. "Sick of cleaning up after other people's parties?" asks the ad, which depicts the back ends of a donkey and an elephant. "Join the party that won't make a mess of things."

The ad encourages citizens to "Register Green. Vote Green. Give Green."

Greens had some election successes in 2004, including Maine Legislator John Eder and San Francisco Board of Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi.

"We're growing in number, running better and stronger campaigns, and winning key elections across the U.S.," said Brent McMillan, the Green Party's national political director.

Energy on the Agenda as Congress Returns for Short Session

ARCO to Pay $50 Million for Montana Superfund Cleanup

The consent decree was negotiated to cover EPA cleanup costs in the Clark Fork Basin from the early 1980s until July 31, 2002.

The EPA has been in litigation over these costs in the federal district court for Montana for many years with the Atlantic Richfield Company - a subsidiary of British Petroleum, commonly known as ARCO.

Under the agreement, the EPA will receive $50 million in payments from ARCO and another $12 million from the US Judgement Fund, for a total of $62 million.

As part of the agreement, ARCO will agree not to assert liability defenses against the United States for reimbursement for the considerable costs it has incurred at the sites or for the conduct of future cleanup actions.

The agreement also settles all of ARCO's counterclaims against several federal agencies which ARCO claims are also liable parties under Superfund.

“This excellent settlement recovers substantial funds that can be used for cleanup at these Superfund sites, and it clears the way for future Clark Fork Basin settlements with Atlantic Richfield that will vastly improve conditions in the basin,” said John Cruden, deputy assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the Justice Department.

“The citizens of Montana will benefit greatly from this settlement, which should expedite future cleanup efforts from Butte to Anaconda and along the Clark Fork River,” said William Mercer, the U.S. attorney for the District of Montana.

The areas covered under the consent decree are the Anaconda Smelter Site, the Clark Fork River Operable Unit of the Clark Fork River/Milltown Reservoir Sediments Site, and the Warm Springs Ponds and Butte Priority Soils Operable Units of the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Site.

The Anaconda Smelter Site covers 300 square miles at the southern end of the Deer Lodge Valley, at and near the location of the former Anaconda Minerals Company ore processing facilities. These facilities were developed to remove copper from ore mined in Butte from about 1884 through 1980, when the smelter closed. Milling and smelting produced wastes with high concentrations of arsenic, as well as copper, cadmium, lead and zinc.

The Clark Fork River/Milltown Reservoir Sediments Site begins just below Warm Springs Ponds in the Deer Lodge Valley and runs 120 miles downstream to the Milltown Dam just east of Missoula. The river and reservoir are contaminated with metals and arsenic from historic mining, milling and smelting activities.

The boundary of the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area site begins above Butte, near the Continental Divide, and extends westward along Silver Bow Creek to and including the Warm Springs Ponds. The site covers 26 miles of stream and streamside habitat. Silver Bow Creek was a conduit for mining, smelting, industrial and municipal wastes for more than 100 years. Vast mine tailings deposits are found along the creek. These deposits contain elevated levels of metals and have been dispersed over the entire flood plain. The site also includes the cities of Butte and Walkerville.

“We are accomplishing two important goals with this agreement. First, the cleanup of the Clark Fork River, Butte, Anaconda, and Warm Springs Pond sites will move forward,” said Tom Skinner, acting assistant administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “And second, the people responsible for this problem will pay for that cleanup.”

“This settlement will hopefully streamline future discussions with ARCO for the remaining cleanup actions in the Clark Fork Basin,” said Carol Rushin, U.S. EPA Region 8 Assistant Regional Administrator for Enforcement. “We’re very pleased we were able to reach an agreement with ARCO.”

The agreement, reached November 5, will be the subject of a 30 day public comment period after the Justice Department issues a Federal Register notice for the settlement, which is still pending.

EPA 2004 Year End Shows 40 Superfund Sites Cleaned

As the Superfund program matures, so too does the size, complexity and cost of sites under or ready to begin construction, the agency said in a statement Monday, explaining why so much of its budget was spent on nine sites.

Last year, the EPA conducted 678 ongoing cleanup projects at 428 sites - including EPA lead, Potentially Responsible Party lead and Federal Facility sites.

The agency provided $104 million for new work at 27 projects across the country – 18 more new projects than the previous year. The EPA listed 11 new sites and proposed 26 sites to be added to the Superfund List.

EPA enforcement actions concluded in fiscal year 2004 will reduce a projected one billion pounds of pollution and require cleanups estimated to total a record $4.8 billion, increases over last year.

"EPA's enforcement strategy is focused on what matters most: achieving real environmental improvements that benefit everyone," said Tom Skinner, EPA acting assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

"We are getting significant, real-world pollution reductions through mechanisms like injunctive relief pushing companies to install more effective pollution controls - and supplemental environmental projects, which improve the environment and public health both nationwide and close to home."

Inspections are up 11 percent, and investigations are up 32 percent over last year, the EPA reports.

But conservation groups say the agency is not doing enough to enforce environmental laws.

The election of President George W. Bush to a second term means that polluters will enjoy four more years of lax enforcement of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC) on November 9.

The EIP released a new analysis showing that civil penalties imposed by the EPA against polluters in 2004 hit a 15 year low. The $56.8 million in 2004 civil penalties is the lowest amount since 1990, the first year for which such "big picture" penalty information is readily available, the EIP reported.

To help address funding challenges, in the FY 2004 and FY 2005 budget requests, the Bush administration has asked for a $150 million increase above the FY 2003 budget. The new Republican controlled Congress will decide on these budget requests.

John Walke, director of NRDC's Clean Air Program, predicted that the EPA "likely will cut back its enforcement efforts against large industrial air polluters even more than it did during the first term."

"It is possible that the agency will drop all of its new source review enforcement cases against coal-fired power plants, and weaken consent decrees with refiners that settled previous cases," Walke said. "The agency also likely will block attempts to force large animal feedlots to comply with the Clean Air Act."

Walke predicted that the administration will continue to cut environmental enforcement budgets at the EPA and the Department of Justice.

The good news, the two groups say, is that some state attorneys general and citizen enforcers will step in to tackle the worst cases when the EPA fails to act.

Rainforest Group Hits JPMorgan Chase With Negative Ads

The outdoor ads were introduced in Chicago, New York and Washington, DC over the weekend. RAN says they are "a first response" to JPMorgan Chase backtracking on its commitment to provide a policy to the environmental community by early October.

In an April 21, 2004 letter to Michael Brune, executive director of Rainforest Action Network, William B. Harrison, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of JP Morgan Chase, committed “to build a broad policy framework by the beginning of October, which will include targets and timelines on initiatives.”

A letter dated September 30, 2004 from David Coulter, vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase, disappointed the environmental community by postponing the release of the financial institution's environmental policy until April 2005 at the earliest.

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., has $1.1 trillion in assets and a combined market capitalization of approximately $130 billion. The corporation operates under two distinct brands in the marketplace. JPMorgan serves corporate and institutional clients as well as high-net-worth individuals. Chase serves U.S. consumer and commercial banking customers.

RAN has sucessfully worked with financial giants Bank of America and Citigroup to bring environmental principles into their organizational structures and decisionmaking. The advocacy group was attempting to perform the same action with JPMargan Chase, when the huge financial institution began to drag its heels.

To bring more pressure to bear, RAN is focusing on what it calls "investments of mass destruction" (IMDs).

Beneath a red headline reading “Stop IMDs,” the new ads show a large version of Chase’s logo framing the "environmental devastation caused by destructive investments," RAN says.

The ad calls on customers to “go to DirtyMoney.org and tell CEO Bill Harrison to stop profiting from environmental destruction.”

The web site will profile a JPMorgan Chase “IMD of the Month” until the company fulfills on its commitment to meet or beat new industry best practices on the environment set by Bank of America and Citigroup earlier this year.

“JPMorgan Chase is making a killing off of radical resource extraction from the most ecologically fragile ecosystems on Earth,” said Ilyse Hogue, director of the Global Finance Campaign at Rainforest Action Network.

RAN is asking JPMorgan Chase to join the United Nations Environmental Programme Finance Initiative and sign on to the Equator Principles, said Hogue.

JPMorgan Chase has not commented on the new ad campaign.

Research Will Link Specific Genes to Environmental Diseases

NIEHS will develop a new RNAi library to help fight disease through its National Center for Toxicogenomics. RNAi, or RNA interference, is a new technology which silences specific genes.

"This new technology gives us a stronger tool box for understanding the environmental response genes," said Dr. Kenneth Olden, NIEHS Director. "By focusing on the environmental response genes, we're building a library of RNAi molecules that'll help us fight diseases."

RNAi technology "turns off" specific genes so scientists can learn more about how the genes influence the cell, Olden says. Knowing how a gene responds to a stress allows scientists to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how chemicals and toxins can undermine our health.

A North Carolina based biotechnology company, Icoria, will carry out the three-year contract, which is the first phase of the NIEHS RNAi initiative.

Icoria, formerly Paradigm Genetics, is a biotechnology company based at Research Triangle Park, that applys its proprietary systems biology platform to the discovery of safer, more effective drugs and agrichemicals.

In addition to the NIEHS contract, Icoria has major collaborations with Bayer CropScience, the Monsanto Company, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, the National Institute of Standards & Technology's Advanced Technology Program, and L'Oreal Inc.

The NIEHS project differs from what others are doing by focusing on genes related to environmental health and toxicology, said Olden. Researchers will be able to more rapidly determine gene function and see which genes are responsible for adverse responses to drugs, chemicals, or other environmental stressors.

"It's a rapid and powerful new tool to augment more traditional and time-consuming methods to accomplish our goal of verifying disease pathways," Olden said. "We're very pleased to carry out this important work that will benefit the entire scientific community by making the information available to the public."

"For a long time, scientists have looked for methods that turn off a gene's influence on the cell which helps us understand the specific gene function," said Olden. "By removing a genetic step from a cellular program and seeing what happens, we gain insight into important cellular responses to stress and ultimately to public health issues like the effects of exposures to environmental toxicants."

The library will be a resource available to the scientific community administered by the National Center for Toxicogenomics. The data will become part of scientific resources offered by NIEHS to the public.

Recycling American Style

"Recycling still gets down to one person taking action," said spokesperson Kate Krebs. "And we know that motivations to recycle vary from one person to another. For some it’s the environment. For others it’s just seen as a civic responsibility."

Ed Pinero, White House Federal Environmental Executive and school children placed the first recyclables of the national event into an America Recycles 2004 bin at the Capital District's Lafayette Park.

The theme of the day was built around America Recycles new tagline, "It all comes back to you." To emphasize the economic benefits of recycling, Krebs pulled a check from a recycle bin made to the "America Worker" for $37 billion dollars reflecting the payroll the recycling industry puts into the American economy.

"Research reveals that the number one motivation to recycle is to preserve and improve our environment. The primary reason people want to preserve our environment is for future generations," she said.

Recycling experts from across the country reflected on the benefits of recycling. Speaker Brenda Pulley of Alcan, the world's largest recycler of aluminum cans, discussed energy saved as a result of recycling.

Preston Read of the American Beverage Association presented an award winning nationwide ad campaign the industry designed to encourage consumer recycling.

Thomas Niemann of Ford discussed the amount of recycled materials being used in automobiles today and showcased the most environmentally friendly SUV on the road today, Ford Escape Hybrid.

The mountain of waste electronics is growing across the country. Now the National Recycling Coalition provides a website with links to state environmental protection agencies, direct links are provided to existing policy and programs on electronics recycling, and a database of electronics recyclers.

States too got in on the recycling effort. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection hosted the Technotrash Collection Electronics Recycling and Swap Pilot Program for Schools.

As part of the Technotrash event, The Connecticut Recyclers Coaltion partnered with GreenDisk to sponsor a school pilot project to encourage recycling of diskettes, CDs DVDs and jewel cases, video and audio tapes and their cases, inkjet and toner cartridges, cell phones and pagers.

Thousands of recycling events were held across the United States. Youth participants were eligible to win one of five 4300 Trek aluminum bikes, and adult participants are eligible to win a new Ford Escape in a random drawing.

And GreenNet World, a Massachusetts citizens' organization would like everyone to know that, "Every day Americans use enough steel and tin cans to make a steel pipe running from Los Angeles to New York... and back." But recycled steel cans are used to make new steel products including cars, bridges, lawnmowers, stoves, and construction materials.