• U.S. Thirst For Oil Threatens Canada
  
• BLM Encourages Wind Power Development
  
• Sprawling Cities Face Many Problems
  
• Freeway Neighbors Exposed to Air Pollution
  
• Centennial Duck Stamp Winner Announced
  
• Critical Habitat Designated for California Plant
  
• Ford, Alcan Collaborate to Recycle Aluminum
  
• Discarded Materials Return as Art
  

U.S. Thirst For Oil Threatens Canada

The U.S. based Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Sierra Club of Canada say oil and gas production in Canada, driven by demand in the U.S., is threatening huge swaths of Canadian wilderness and marine areas, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and exposing millions of Canadians in rural areas to dangerous air emissions.

The oil and gas industry's activities are legal under Canadian law, and are encouraged by government subsidies, the groups add.

The report, "America's Gas Tank: The High Cost of Canada's Oil and Gas Export Strategy," shows that Canada, not Saudi Arabia, is the single largest supplier of oil and gas to the United States. Over the past decade, Canadian oil production has increased by about 50 percent, and gas production by more than two-thirds. Today, about 60 percent of Canadian oil and gas is exported to the U.S. market.

"The United States is the world's biggest fossil fuel junkie, and Canada provides the largest foreign fix," said Matt Price, a research associate at NRDC. "The result? Ruined wilderness in Canada and massive greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. This is clearly a mutually destructive relationship."

NRDC and the Sierra Club released their report in the middle of a heated debate in Canada on ratifying the international Kyoto agreement to reduce greenhouse gasses. The Canadian oil and gas industry has bankrolled a public relations campaign to reject Kyoto in favor of what it is calling a "Made in Canada" solution that would contain no greenhouse gas reduction targets.

"The industry's 'Made in Canada' spin is totally deceptive," said John Bennett, director of the atmosphere and energy program at the Sierra Club of Canada. "What's 'Made in Canada' is air pollution, environmental degradation, loss of habitat and biodiversity."

The report calls for Canada to adopt renewable energy sources, protect wilderness areas from fossil fuel exploitation, and pass tougher laws to limit pollution from the oil and gas industry.

The report is available at: http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/climate/americas-gas-tank.pdf and at: http://www.nrdc.org/land/use/gastank/contents.asp

BLM Encourages Wind Power Development

The guidelines, set forth in a Wind Energy Development Policy issued by the BLM, cover the processing of right of way applications for wind energy site testing and monitoring facilities, as well as applications for commercial wind energy development projects on BLM managed public lands.

"The BLM fully supports the President's National Energy Policy, which is aimed at developing domestic energy to reduce America's dependence on foreign sources of energy," said BLM Director Kathleen Clarke. "Along with traditional sources of energy produced from the public lands - including coal, natural gas and oil - renewable resources such as wind energy can play a important role in meeting American's energy needs."

The BLM Wind Energy Policy provides consistent guidance on land use plan requirements for wind energy development, and the authorization of wind energy activities on public land as Federal Land Policy and Management Act rights-of-way. The policy covers the establishment of rental fees for site testing and monitoring authorizations and minimum rental fees for commercial development.

The policy also addresses the efficient processing and tracking of right of way applications, due diligence requirements, and requirements for environmental review of wind energy activities.

"Continued growth in wind energy development will be extremely important in delivering larger supplies of clean domestic power for America's growing economy," said Pete Culp, special assistant to the BLM director for energy policy.

The BLM now administers 25 wind energy right of way authorizations on public lands in California and Wyoming. The sites cover about 5,000 acres and generate about 500 megawatts of electrical power per year.

The interest in wind energy development is increasing, and the BLM has received some 30 new applications for projects in Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico, California, Wyoming and Washington.

The BLM manages more land - 262 million surface acres - than any other federal agency. Most of the country's BLM managed public land is located in 12 Western states, including Alaska.

Sprawling Cities Face Many Problems

The report, "Measuring Sprawl and Its Impact," is based on a three year research project conducted by professors at Rutgers and Cornell universities.

Unlike previous studies, which attempted to evaluate sprawl based on one or two statistics such as density, "Measuring Sprawl" uses 22 variables to rate metro areas on four different aspects of their development. The scores for each factor indicate how badly those regions have sprawled in terms of spreading out housing and population; segregating homes from the activities of daily life; lacking the focus of strong economic and social centers; and building poorly connected street networks.

The study breaks new ground by going beyond the index to demonstrate how sprawl development patterns affect the way people live.

"For the first time we are able to define sprawl objectively so we can see how it measures up," said Don Chen, executive director of the coalition Smart Growth America. "What this study tells us is that sprawl has a direct and negative impact on our everyday lives."

Among the report's findings:

• More Driving. The daily distance driven per person is more than 10 miles more in the most sprawling places than in the least sprawling, adding up to 40 more miles of automobile travel each day for a family of four.

• More Traffic Deaths. The 10 most sprawling places average 36 traffic deaths for every 100,000 people, while the least sprawling average 23 deaths per 100,000.

• More Air Pollution. Ozone pollution levels are as much as 41 parts per billion higher in the most sprawling areas, which can mean the difference between safe, "code green" air quality and "code red" air quality.

In addition, the research found sprawl to lack even the one benefit defenders most often attribute to it: lower congestion. People in sprawling areas endure no less traffic related delay than those in more compact places, but have fewer alternatives in travel routes and modes, the study found.

The report ranks 83 metropolitan areas, accounting for almost half the country's population, and finds that Riverside-San Bernardino California is the most sprawling overall. It is followed by Greensboro and Raleigh, both in North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Greenville, South Carolina; and West Palm Beach, Florida.

The most sprawling metropolitan area in terms of low density housing is Knoxville, Tennessee; the place with the poorest mix of homes, jobs, and shops is Raleigh; The place with the weakest centers of activities such as town centers is Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, California, and the place with the most poorly connected street network is Rochester, New York.

"This research reaffirms that strengthening existing cities and inner suburbs with new and more compact growth, and improving the mix of homes, jobs and daily activities, are among the best ways to counter uncontrolled sprawl and improve environmental quality," noted Lee Epstein, director of the Lands Program for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

The full report is available at: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org

Freeway Neighbors Exposed to Air Pollution

The studies from researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) examined exposure levels for people who live, work or travel within 165 feet downwind of a major freeway or busy intersection.

The studies - published in the "Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association" and in "Atmospheric Environment" - show that proximity to a major freeway or highway increases exposure to "ultrafine" particles - tiny particles less than 0.1 micrometers in diameter, which are linked to neurological changes, mild pulmonary inflammation and cardiovascular problems.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) now regulates particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, and ultrafines represent the very smallest particles inhaled by the public.

Motor vehicle emissions represent the most significant source of ultrafine particles. Moreover, recent toxicological studies have shown that ultrafine particles are more toxic than larger particles, potentially leading to increased mortality and illness with increased exposure to particulate matter.

"We believe this is the first study conducted in the United States that provides a detailed spatial profile of ultrafine particles near freeways," said William Hinds, a professor of environmental health sciences in the UCLA School of Public Health, who co-authored the studies with Yifang Zhu, a doctoral candidate in the School of Public Health.

The studies, conducted through the Southern California Particle Center and Supersite (SCPCS), assessed the size distribution and concentration of the tiny ultrafine particles near major freeways.

The first study focused on Interstate 405, one of the nation's busiest freeways, with 93 percent of the traffic composed of gasoline powered cars. The second study looked at the 710 freeway, which has more than 25 percent of its traffic derived from heavy duty diesel trucks.

By measuring the number of particles and their size at varying distances from the 405 and 710, Hinds and Zhu concluded that the number of ultrafine particles downwind near both freeways was about 25 to 30 times greater than the number upwind. The number of ultrafine particles dropped with increasing distance from the freeway, falling to 30 percent of peak concentration at 330 feet.

The rapid decrease and dilution in particle concentration was due to several factors, including atmospheric dispersion, coagulation, and wind direction and speed.

Both Hinds and Zhu concur that better understanding of the size and concentration of ultrafine particles is vital, particularly in a city with 85 million vehicle miles traveled on its freeways on an average day.

"The objectives of the study include providing scientists with a way to predict exposure concentrations to ultrafine particles near freeways in order to facilitate health studies and provide data for the development of an air-quality standard for ultrafine particles," Zhu said.

The studies also examined the concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), black carbon (BC) and particle mass. Like ultrafines, CO and BC concentrations decreased by 70 to 80 percent within the first 330 feet downwind of the freeway, confirming the notion that vehicular exhaust is a major source of these pollutants near a major roadway.

Centennial Duck Stamp Winner Announced

The winner, Virginia wildlife artist Ron Louque, has entered the duck stamp contest every year since 1973 and has come close several times, but has never before won.

Louque's acrylic painting of a pair of snow geese bested 249 other entries and will become the 2003 -2004 Federal Duck Stamp, which goes on sale July 1, 2003. The Federal Duck Stamp Contest is sponsored each year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The winning painting depicts two snow geese taking flight with the lighthouse at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in the background. (Photo courtesy USFWS)

All waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are required to purchase and carry Duck Stamps. Ninety-eight percent of the proceeds from the $15 Duck Stamp goes into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which purchases wetlands for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

"I am thankful that the judges appreciated my painting," were Louque's first words. "It's a dream come true. I wanted a fool proof entry so I created 300 compositional studies to show to friends. I got that narrowed down to four and then was stuck. I had eight days to paint what usually takes me two weeks."

The painting's background depicts the lighthouse at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

"I wanted to use a refuge with a distinctive feature as background since next year is the National Wildlife Refuge System's Centennial," said Louque. "The lighthouse is such a majestic feature, plus my painting is based on the effect of light, so I called the manager at Chincoteague NWR and he sent me photos of the lighthouse. There was a flock of snow geese in the picture... It must have been a sign."

Besides the centennial duck stamp, the USFWS has unveiled plans for a new first class postal stamp commemorating the first National Wildlife Refuge on Pelican Island, Florida, which was created by President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14, 1903. The stamp will have a first date of issue and be available for purchase on March 14, 2003.

More information about the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Program can be found at: http://duckstamps.fws.gov

Critical Habitat Designated for California Plant

The final designation reduces the total amount of acreage by 458 acres from the USFWS's original proposal. After receiving public comments, minor changes were made to three of the units to exclude land that did not provide suitable habitat for the species.

The USFWS also added a section on special management considerations that discusses how habitat for the Santa Cruz tarplant can be managed to reduce competition from nonnative species.

"The central coast has many rare plants that are in danger of extinction because of the loss of habitat," said Steve Thompson, manager of the USFWS California/Nevada Operations office. "We'll need the help of all of our partners to save this and other rare plant species."

The Santa Cruz tarplant is an aromatic annual herb native to California's central coast. A member of the aster family, the Santa Cruz tarplant can reach a height of 20 inches and displays heads of yellow daisy like flowers in summer, long after most other annual plants have begun to fade.

Once found along the central coast from Marin County south to Monterey County, the Santa Cruz tarplant now occurs just in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, where it is threatened by development, livestock grazing and competition from nonnative grasses. Populations of the plant grown from experimental seeding occur at Wildcat Canyon Regional Park in Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay area.

On July 17, 1999, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the USFWS and the Secretary of the Interior for failure to designate critical habitat for the Santa Cruz tarplant. A court order resulted in the USFWS proposing critical habitat for the species.

About 78 percent of the proposed critical habitat is on private land; county, regional and city lands total 20 percent, and state lands make up about two percent. The plants have small populations with limited distribution, making them vulnerable to destruction from manmade and natural causes.

Ford, Alcan Collaborate to Recycle Aluminum

Under the new program, Ford recovers aluminum process scrap from its Chicago Stamping Plant and returns it to Alcan for recycling back into autobody sheet. The recovered aluminum has been sold into the general scrap market in combination with other metals in the past, diminishing both its quality and value and making it unsuitable for re-use in autobody applications.

The new closed loop process provides economic and environmental benefits for both corporations.

"This is a win-win proposition for both Ford Motor Company and Alcan, and very well could serve as a model for future aluminum recycling efforts for the automotive industry," said Tony Brown, Ford Motor Company vice president of purchasing.

The aluminum scrap is generated during the stamping of aluminum hoods for the Ford Explorer and the Ford F-150 and Ranger pick-up trucks, as well as hoods for the Lincoln Town Car. Aluminum blanks made of an automotive aluminum alloy, known as AA6111, are cut to the required shape at the Chicago Stamping Plant and the trimmed edges are collected for recycling.

The Chicago Stamping Plant is Ford's highest volume user of aluminum sheet metal. Almost 1.3 million hoods are stamped at the plant each year, generating about 13 million pounds of process scrap to recycle.

Key to the success of the Chicago Stamping Plant process is the ability to segregate the AA6111 scrap from other steel and related byproducts generated in the plant. Ford invested almost $400,000 in modifications to the existing separation system to produce clean aluminum scrap.

This higher value material is then bundled, strapped with non-metallic banding and shipped to Alcan's aluminum plant in Oswego, New York, where it is remelted and rolled once again into automotive sheet. This loop can be repeated almost indefinitely because aluminum does not degrade when recycled.

"The closed loop recycling program we've launched with Ford allows our customer to extract maximum value from aluminum," said Tom Gannon, vice president of Alcan Automotive. "Up to 85 percent of the aluminum's primary value can be retained by segregating the scrap and turning it back into automotive sheet metal."

The program will provide important environmental benefits.

"The recycling of aluminum requires only five percent of the energy used to produce the primary metal," explained Andy Acho, Ford Motor Company's worldwide director of environmental outreach and strategy. "This is an important factor in reducing the total cost of this component to Ford. Moreover, recycling eliminates 95 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with primary production, thereby providing tremendous environmental advantages."

Both Ford and Alcan are members of the Auto Aluminum Alliance, a collaborative research effort between the automotive and aluminum industries that is developing a new process using advanced lasers to improve the sorting of metals from scrapped vehicles. Such advanced recycling technologies will help recover greater quantities of high value aluminum from motor vehicles.

Discarded Materials Return as Art

The exhibit, Return Engagement, includes works made from new and discarded food and beverage packaging, kitchen devices and even kitchen related toys, which the artists have transformed into objects of beauty, contemplation and wit.

The artists had different reasons for selecting reclaimed materials for their pieces. Some make political statements, while others choose items for their ready availability - on average, each American still discards more than a pound of food related trash each day, so there is plenty to work from.

Some works are very personal, while others mine the meaning of shared popular culture symbols and references. For example, a giant stack of paper plates resting on doilies references the early Western ideal of a Greek column, while a large mandala made entirely of lids and bottle tops evokes Eastern spirituality while showing the unintentional beauty of refuse material.

Return Engagement served as the impetus for Copia to recycle more of its own trash as well. Produce, plan material and soil particles are composted on site, producing at least 15 tons of compost for Copia's 3.5 acres of organic gardens.

Almost all empty wine bottles and cardboard cases are recycled. Most supplies used in the center's arts programs are recycled materials, and the leftovers are reused.

Copia recycles paper via collection bins at primary office production sites, and in their lunchroom. The center uses 30/30 recycled paper - 30 percent total recycled fiber/30 percent post consumer content. Bottles, cans, paper, cardboard and qualifying plastic products are also recycled.

The Return Engagement production, organized for Copia by guest curator Susan Subtle Dintenfass, an independent curator based in Berkeley, California, will be on display through January 6, 2003. The exhibit is underwritten by Norcal Waste Systems of Napa Valley, Napa Garbage Service/Waste Management and Upper Valley Disposal/Recycling.

Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts opened to the public in downtown Napa in November 2001 as a cultural center dedicated to the discovery, understanding and celebration of wine and food with the arts. For more information, visit: http://www.copia.org