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Enviros Target Toxic Air Pollution From PVC Plants WASHINGTON, DC, October 9, 2003 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is failing to protect communities and the public from toxic air pollution emitted by plants that produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and related plastics, environmental groups argued today in federal court.The case centers on the EPA's national PVC plastics plant rule, which it issued on July 10, 2002. The plaintiffs say the agency set emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants that relied on an emission standard for vinyl chloride emissions that do not reflect the maximum achievable degree of reduction. Two environmental groups - the Sierra Club and Mossville Environmental Action Now (MEAN) - sued the agency for stricter rules. "PVC plastics plants belch tons of toxic pollutants into the air, contaminating the bodies and homes of plant workers and downwind residents," said Jim Pew, attorney for Earthjustice, who argued the case on behalf of the environmental groups. "EPA knows these emissions endanger people's health, but the agency has chosen to do nothing about it." The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today heard oral arguments in the case. Twenty eight PVC plastics plants currently operate in the United States and are classified as "major sources" requiring emission standards under the Clean Air Act. By law, those standards must reflect the "maximum degree of reduction ... achievable." Pew says that the EPA's standard does not meet this provision and contends it will not require any reduction in current toxic emissions from PVC facilities and fails to set any standard for pollutants other than vinyl chloride. PVC plastics plants also emit large amounts of other hazardous air pollutants, including chlorine, hydrogen chloride, and methanol. The environmental groups argue that the 2002 regulation should be set aside, and a new deadline be set by the court for the EPA to promulgate a proper standard for PVC plants.
Democrat Threatens Energy Bill Filibuster Over MTBE WASHINGTON, DC, October 9, 2003 (ENS) - New York Senator Charles Schumer announced Wednesday that he will try to block the comprehensive energy bill if it includes language to protect producers of the gasoline additive MTBE from product liability law suits.There is growing controversy over MTBE, a potential carcinogen that has been added to gasoline since the 1990s to reduce harmful emissions. Many states are wrestling with contamination to water supplies from MTBE spills or leaks - the US General Accounting Office has detected MTBE in groundwater and drinking water in every state in the nation. The provision in the energy bill would declare that no chemical added to gasoline - neither MTBE nor ethanol - can be declared a "defective product." "This may be the single worst special interest giveaway to polluters that I have ever seen in more than 20 years in Washington." Schumer said. "The idea that we should let the companies whose product literally poisoned our groundwater get away free ... is so incredible and so audacious that words fail to describe it." Schumer says he would try to rally support for the 60 votes needed to sustain a filibuster of the bill if the MTBE provision remains. The New York Senator released new data showing that Long Islanders could see their water bills shoot up 66 percent - an annual increase of $247 - if the provision is enacted. Critics say the liability exemption is unwarranted because oil and gas companies have known for years about the dangers of MTBE and did not take precautions to prevent spills and leaks. Eighteen months ago, a Lake Tahoe, California jury found "clear and convincing evidence" that three major oil companies acted "with malice" and were liable for polluting ground water with MTBE. MTBE manufacturers and refiners say the product they made was in full compliance with the two percent oxygenate standard in the Clean Air Act. They argue the liability provision is narrow and does not jeopardize existing litigation over negligence.
EPA Petitioned to Ban Land Application of Sewage Sludge WASHINGTON, DC, October 9, 2003 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should immediately place a moratorium on the land application of sewage sludge and ultimately to prohibit the practice, a coalition of labor, environment and farm groups say. The petition filed with the EPA by the coalition Tuesday comes in the wake of a Georgia court ruling that land application of sewage sludge - in compliance with the federal agency's sludge rules - caused the deaths of 300 dairy cows at the Boyce family farm in Burke County, Georgia."We have watched for years as the heavy metals and other toxic materials present in sewage sludge, and accumulating in the soil, have sickened and killed animals, and even people," said Laura Orlando, a spokesperson for the coalition. "This Georgia court ruling is a fire bell in the night warning us to end this deadly practice before we irreparably contaminate our nation's food sources and farmland." The coalition includes United Mine Workers of America, Clean Water Action, the Organic Consumers Association, the Center for Food Safety, Farm Aid, and Citizens for a Future New Hampshire. Millions of tons of sludge have been spread on farmland across the United States - the EPA allows the practice by industry for disposal of this hazardous material from wastewater treatment plants. This sludge routinely contains industrial wastes, hospital wastes, radioactive wastes, heavy metals, and synthetic organic compounds as well as human fecal waste. In the Georgia case, more than 23 million gallons of sewage sludge from the Messerly Wastewater Plant in Augusta, Georgia, were applied on Boyce farmland under the provisions of EPA's sludge program. After the Boyce cows were fed hay grown on the sludge-covered fields, hundreds of the cows died. The coalition says the Georgia court ruling adds an important legal precedent to the growing body of evidence that this practice harms public health, livestock and the environment. "This petition is a legal document that compels a formal response within 60 days," added Orlando. "EPA will not be able to dismiss this the way it has ignored the mounting evidence that sludge is a health hazard to people and animals." The coalition notes that a 2002 assessment of the EPA sewage sludge program by its own Office of the Inspector General concluded that, the agency "cannot assure the public that current land application practices are protective of human health and the environment."
Americans Spent $38 Billion in 2001 Watching Wildlife WASHINGTON, DC, October 9, 2003 (ENS) - Some 66 million American spent more than $38 billion in 2001 observing, feeding and photographing wildlife, according to a new economic report released Wednesday by the Department of Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.The report, titled "The 2001 National and State Economic Impacts of Wildlife Watching Addendum," examines national participation in wildlife watching, associated expenditures and the economic activity they generate, employment created and income associated with expenditures, and associated state and federal tax revenue. It finds that for each $1 of direct spending associated with wildlife watching, an additional $1.49 of economic activity was generated. The agency considered direct expenditures by wildlife watchers, for items such as cameras, binoculars and bird food, and for trip related expenses such as lodging, transportation and food. The total industrial output of $95.8 billion resulted in 1,027,833 full and part time jobs with total wages and salaries of $27.8 billion, the report finds. Wildlife watching expenditures generated a total state sales tax revenue of $2.1 billion, a total state income tax revenue of $712 million, and a total federal individual income tax revenue of $3.3 billion. "Many Americans enjoy watching wildlife, however we often overlook the positive impact these activities have on state and local economies," said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Steve Williams. The report relied on data collected in the Fish and Wildlife Service's "2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation." Only participants whose principal motivation for the trip, activity or expenditure is wildlife related were counted by the agency for its study. Residential participants include those whose activities are within one mile of home and nonresidential participants refers to people who take trips or outings of at least one mile. The survey did not include trips to zoos, circuses, aquariums, museums, or for scouting game.
Low Level Ozone Increases Respiratory Risk for Asthmatic Kids CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, October 9, 2003 (ENS) - Asthmatic children who use maintenance medication are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ground level ozone, according to new study.Although the ozone levels in the study were well below the federal standard, statistical analysis revealed that "for every 50 parts per billion increase in ozone, the likelihood of asthma symptoms the following day increased by more than 35 percent among asthmatic children on maintenance medication," said Dr. Brian Leaderer, Yale University epidemiologist and principal investigator for the study. Asthma, an inflammatory disorder of the airways that is characterized by periodic attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing, can be triggered by inhaled allergens such as pet dander, dust mites, molds or pollens. But researchers have also shown that air pollutants such as ground level ozone - an active form of oxygen that is the prime ingredient of urban smog - and fine particulate matter can significantly aggravate asthma symptoms. The study, funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and conducted at the Yale University School of Medicine, was published Wednesday in the "Journal of the American Medical Association." Earlier studies of children with asthma living in highly polluted regions, such as Mexico City and Los Angeles, all concluded that exposure to ozone and fine particles in excess of 120 parts per billion (ppb) and 65 micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3), respectively, greatly increased the risk for respiratory symptoms. "We wanted to design a study that examined the effects of air pollution on a particularly vulnerable population - children with active asthma - in regions where pollution levels were somewhat lower than those in major metropolitan areas," said Leaderer. Study participants included 271 asthmatic children living in Connecticut and the Springfield area of Massachusetts during the spring and summer of 2001. The investigators did not find a significant relationship between the children's exposure to fine particulate matter and daily respiratory symptoms or rescue medication use.
Green Group Says Extreme Weather Cost U.S. $20 Billion in 2002 WASHINGTON, DC, October 9, 2003 (ENS) - Extreme weather events cost Americans some $20 billion in 2002, a cost that could increase if the U.S. does nothing to curb global warming, according to a report released today by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).The organization analyzed data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Flood Insurance Program, Army Corps of Engineers, Small Business Administration, Farm Service Agency, and the Property Claims Service to determine the $20 billion figure. In 2002, the U.S. government spent $13.8 billion on weather related disaster assistance and the insurance companies paid out nearly $5.9 billion, the report details. Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Georgia were the four states with the highest overall spending in 2002, and North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming were the four states with the highest per capita spending. The environmental group issued its report as the U.S. Congress wrestles with U.S. energy policy, which critics say is doing little to change the nation's energy consumption patterns. The report says that clean energy technologies could save American consumers billions of dollars and reduce global warming pollution. "People say we can not change the weather, but due to global warming we may already have," said U.S. PIRG Global Warming Advocate Beth Lander. "While the U.S. does nothing to curb global warming, consumers are losing out on the money saving benefits of clean energy solutions, and we all pay the price to deal with the consequences." The report, titled "The Costs of Inaction: Delaying Action on Global Warming Costs Consumers and the Environment," recommends increasing clean energy use, raising fuel efficiency standards and capping emissions of greenhouse gases. It finds that a 20 percent increase of the percentage of electricity generated from clean, renewable sources by 2002 could global warming emissions from power plants by 19 percent in 2020. This standard, PIRG says, is feasible and when combined with energy efficiency measures, could save American residential utility customers nearly $5.8 billion annually on their natural gas bills alone.
East Asian Giant Softshell Turtle at Brink of Extinction NEW YORK, New York, October 9, 2003 (ENS) - The Bronx Zoo based Wildlife Conservation Society fears the East Asian giant softshell turtle may finally be faced with extinction. The conservation group says recent observations lead scientists to conclude the last member of the species is lingering on in Vietnam's Hoan Kiem Lake."This individual could very well be the last of its kind," said John Behler, curator of herpetology at the Bronx Zoo, who confirmed that the five foot long turtle still exists in Hoan Kiem Lake. "We know next to nothing about this species or its habitat requirements, other than the fact that it is extremely rare and is presumably on the brink of extinction." What scientists do know is that the species has survived for thousands of years in the lakes of Southeast Asia. But freshwater turtles and tortoises across Asia have become increasingly endangered by a wide variety of threats, such as collection for local consumption, and collection for regional and international food and the pet trade. Conservationists say of the 90 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises that occur in South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia and New Guinea, more than a third are listed in the World Conservation Union's 1996 Red List of Threatened Species as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered. There is slim hope that other East Asian giant softshell turtles exist in the Red River flood plain, Behler said. "No one knows how long this turtle has lived in this lake, or where it came from," added Behler. "Hopefully, it is not the last, and perhaps other individuals can be found to study and, if possible, save."
Bee's Occupation Identified by Gene Expression CHAMPAIGN, Illinois, October 9, 2003 (ENS) - An individual bee's occupation can be predicted by knowing a profile of its gene expression in the brain, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.This strong relationship surfaced in a complex molecular study of 6,878 different genes that captured the essence of brain gene activity within the natural world of the honey bee. The researchers report their findings in the October 10 issue of the journal "Science," and note that even though most of the differences in gene expression were small, the changes were observable in 40 percent of the genes studied. "We have discovered a clear molecular signature in the bee brain that is robustly associated with behavior," said principal researcher Gene Robinson, a professor of entomology and director of the Neuroscience Program at Illinois. "This provides a striking picture of the genome as a dynamic entity, more actively involved in modulating behavior in the adult brain than we previously thought." The scientists generated genetic profiles of 60 different bees working as nurses or foragers. A computer program was able to use the profiles to determine correctly, for 57 of 60 the bees, which individual belonged to what group. Behavioral differences between nurses and foragers are part of an age related, socially regulated division of bee labor. Nurses perform care giving duties for their first two to three weeks of life, then shift to foraging for nectar and pollen. As the behavioral transition occurs the bees experience changes in brain structure, brain chemistry, and, as this new study shows, many changes in gene expression. Robinson, whose research is part of a federally funded project to sequence the honey bee genome, has long been interested in the mechanisms involved in honey bee division of labor as a model to understand the relationships between genes, brain and behavior. The study was unique, Robinson explained, because it focused on individual profiles.
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