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Record Oil Prices Spark Interest in Fuel Efficient Cars WASHINGTON, DC, October 8, 2004 (ENS) - U.S. light crude oil hit $53 on Thursday, the third day in a row prices set all-time highs, and new car buyers are looking more carefully than ever at the fresh opportunities to buy fuel efficient vehicles.To inform their choices the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have released the 2005 Fuel Economy Guide showing the top 10 most fuel efficient cars and the bottom 10 gas guzzlers. Hybrid gas-electric cars get the best mileage and the Honda Insight hybrid-electric, manual tops the list - getting 61 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 66 mpg on the highway. The Toyota Prius hybrid-electric comes in second, burning at a rate of 60 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway, according to EPA and DOE figures. By contrast the least fuel efficient vehicle is the Dodge Ram Pickup two wheel drive automatic, which is six times less efficient - getting nine mpg in the city and 12 mpg on the highway. Even the Lamborghinis and Bentleys get better mileage than that, although not by much. "Fuel economy is an important factor for new car buyers," said EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt. "As technology continues to improve, Americans can choose fuel-efficient cars without compromising comfort or style, and this is good for the environment and the wallet." "Fuel efficiency makes economic sense while improving the nation's energy security," Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham said. "The 2005 Fuel Economy Guide and our companion Web site, www.fueleconomy.gov, can help consumers make wise purchasing decisions." The joint EPA and DOE website offers detailed information on vehicle fuel economy, including a complete version of the Fuel Economy Guide. Fuel economy estimates are determined by averaging numbers gathered through tests conducted by manufacturers and verified by EPA. Vehicles are tested in a controlled laboratory setting and the results are adjusted to reflect actual driving conditions. All vehicles are tested in the same way so consumers can compare the results when choosing a vehicle type or class. The mpg estimates appear on window stickers on all new cars and light trucks prior to sale.
Higher Heating Bills Expected This Winter WASHINGTON, DC, October 8, 2004 (ENS) - This winter, residential space heating expenditures are projected to increase for all fuel types compared to what it cost to heat homes last year, according to forecasts released Wednesday by the Energy Information Administration in its October Short-Term Energy Outlook and special report "Winter Fuels Outlook: 2004-2005."Increases in heating fuel prices are likely to generate higher expenditures even in regions where demand for fuel is expected to fall, the agency predicts. Average residential natural gas prices this winter are expected to be 11 percent higher than they were last winter and household expenditures are expected to be 15 percent higher. Heating oil prices are expected to average 29 percent higher compared with last winter and household expenditures are expected to be 28 percent higher. Propane prices are expected to average 17 percent above last winter with 22 percent higher expenditures for propane-heated households. Higher fuel prices, consumer demand and the August and September hurricanes are given as the main reasons for this forecast. This winter, tight global oil markets and elevated crude oil prices are expected to result in higher heating oil, natural gas and propane prices. The cost of imported crude oil to U.S. refineries this winter is projected to average 98.3 cents per gallon (about $41 per barrel) compared to 70.1 cents per gallon last winter. Despite above-average natural gas stocks, average winter natural gas prices, both at the wellhead and retail levels, are expected to be above those of last winter, particularly during the fourth quarter of 2004, in response to production losses in the Gulf of Mexico because of the hurricanes. The average natural gas wellhead price is projected to be up nearly 23 percent from last winter's average. Total U.S. natural gas demand is expected to be up 1.5 percent this winter compared to last winter's demand level. Not only is the typical residential and commercial customer expected to increase natural gas consumption during this heating season compared to last winter but the number of such customers is expected to increase as well, the agency says. Although it will be more expensive, Americans will not run out of fuel this winter, the agency predicts. Still, overall oil inventories in the United States and the rest of the industrialized world remain below normal, largely because almost 500,000 barrels per day of production were lost during the September hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico region. Industry officials estimate that resumption of normal operations could take between 45 and 90 days. Electricity demand is expected to increase by 1.7 percent across the United States this year and by another 2.7 percent next year. Projected electricity demand in the fourth quarter of 2004 is 3.2 percent above the year-ago level, when heating related demand was depressed by mild weather conditions. The Short-Term Energy Outlook and Winter Fuels Outlook: 2004-2005 can be found on EIA's website at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html.
Army Brass Fear Conservation Funding Cuts May Draw Lawsuits WASHINGTON, DC, October 8, 2004 (ENS) - Steep reductions in funding for resource protection programs on U.S. Army bases could leave the service open to lawsuits that could "shut down all training operations," warns an internal memo released this week by Public Employees for Environmental Responsiblity (PEER).In his September 24 memo, Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Major General Larry Gottardi warns that, in the fiscal year that just begun and in future years, Army resource management funding will drop by more than a third. His memo to the assistant chief of staff for installation management states, environmental projects are "considered optional" and, as a consequence, are not funded. The lack of "visibility of the installation funding submissions" allows the funds to be diverted from environmental programs in a way that is difficult to monitor from the outside, he writes. Over the past three years, Congress has granted the Pentagon exemptions from environmental laws on the basis that the military’s own environmental programs were comparable to those of civilian resource agencies. Now that the exemptions have been granted, the funding for those military programs are being cut. Gottardi writes, "Forces Command no longer his visibility of the installation funding submissions, but we understand the magnitude of this policy change is to reduce the FY proposed distribution of conservation program funding from over $60 million to about $40 million." "The policy change also places the training mission in jeopardy by providing a sound legal basis for private parties or conservation activists to obtain court-ordered injunctions and effectively shut down all training operations," Gottardi writes. Gottardi points out that the legal standard for funding natural resource conservation on Army lands was set by the 1997 Sikes Act which he says "clearly identifies" as "Must Fund" any Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) actions necessary to rehabilitate or prevent natural resource degradation that may affect military readiness. In an accompanying memo released by PEER, Colonel Joseph Aldridge, Chief of the Army Reserve Division writes that his division is " in agreement with the current Department of Defense and U.S. Army policies that many INRMP actions are "Must Fund." If these policies do not still apply, Aldridge requests that specific policies be drawn up covering soil sustainment, invasive species, prescribed burning, wetlands management and general natural resource guidance. He cites 38 natural resources projects across the U.S. Army Reserve that were not "validated" for funding. Finally, Aldridge writes, "Sustainability of the U.S. Army Reserve's training areas is crucial to the ongoing military mission."
Vaccine Contracts for Plague, Smallpox Awarded WASHINGTON, DC, October 8, 2004 (ENS) - Companies in Denmark, England and the United States have won U.S. biodefense contracts to make vaccines against smallpox, plague and tularemia, all considered potential agents of bioterror.The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the award of the more than $230 million in contracts on Thursday HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said, "These new contracts are the next steps in our plans to build a robust stockpile of critical medical countermeasures and supplies, so we are even more prepared to respond to a biological attack or outbreak." Bavarian Nordic A/S of Denmark and Acambis Inc. of the United States and England will be following through on earlier work on two smallpox vaccine candidates. These contracts will support larger scale manufacturing of the vaccines as well as safety and effectiveness studies in animals and humans. Avecia Biotechnolgoy Ltd., also of England, will work on a vaccine against bubonic plague, the highly infectious disease that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages, and for which there currently is no vaccine. DynPort Vaccine Company LLC of the United States will be working on a vaccine against tularemia, an infectious bacterial disease characterized by fever, headache and swelling of the lymph nodes most often transmitted by ticks and insects. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, will administer the contracts. "In a short period of time, we have greatly expanded our partnerships with industry to spur the development of vaccines against the most deadly agents of bioterrorism," said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of NIAID. "These important new contracts reflect our commitment to develop medical tools to protect citizens against pathogens that could be deliberately introduced into society."
North American Waterfowl Management Plan Updated WASHINGTON, DC, October 8, 2004 (ENS) - The governments of the United States, Canada and Mexico have signed an update to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The plan is a public-private approach to managing waterfowl in the three NAFTA countries.Interior Secretary Gale Norton signed the plan's latest version on Wednesday in New Gloucester, Maine. The original plan established an international committee with members from each of the three countries. The committee provides a forum for discussion of major, long term international waterfowl issues and makes recommendations to directors of the three countries' national wildlife agencies. Norton said, "Partners updated some of the scientific processes and priority analysis but the landmark approach they developed only 20 years ago to manage continental waterfowl is just as vital today." Ducks Unlimited has been instrumental in the evolution and implementation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). The organization's president, John Tomke, was invited to speak at the signing ceremony. “This Plan is the science-based roadmap that will help take our continent to the ‘net-gain' vision for North America's wetlands and waterfowl habitats,” said Tomke. “It is the best hope for ducks, geese, and other wetland-associated wildlife, and for those people who appreciate and value them." "The NAWMP was the first real plan for habitat conservation on a continental scale, and it has become the template after which many other efforts are being modeled,” Tomke said. The plan is international in scope, covering broad goals such as establishing continental waterfowl conservation objectives and priorities. Projects to achieve the plan's goals take place at the regional and local levels. The projects are carried out through Joint Ventures, which involve federal, state, provincial, tribal, and local governments; businesses; conservation organizations; and individual citizens. Currently, there are 11 habitat Joint Ventures in the United States and three in Canada. Three additional Joint Ventures have been formed to address monitoring and research needs for black ducks, sea ducks and arctic geese. The U.S. delegation to the plan committee consists of two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service representatives and one state representative from each of the four flyway councils. Canada's six delegates represent the federal and provincial governments. In Mexico, delegates represent the federal government, universities and nonprofit conservation organizations. Partners have invested more than $2.2 billion to protect, restore or enhance more than eight million acres of habitat in the plan's 20 year history.
Atlantic Deep-Sea Corals Safe From Monkfish Trawl Gear WASHINGTON, DC, October 8, 2004 (ENS) - The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has voted unanimously to accept a recent New England council decision to protect deep-sea corals in submarine canyons from destructive monkfish bottom trawling gear.These two parallel decisions are the first indication that fishery managers are using new scientific research to protect invaluable marine life, such as deep-sea corals, an international oceans advocacy group says. “Today’s vote to protect these magnificent corals shows that good science can lead to good policies that protect the ocean and its wildlife, while allowing fishermen to continue to fish,” Dave Allison, director of Oceana’s Campaign to Stop Destructive Trawling said on Tuesday after the New England Council vote. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s decision must be approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service in Washington and with that approval will go into effect for the 2005 monkfish fishery. “There is only one more step to finalize the decisions made by the New England and Mid-Atlantic fishery management councils,” said Allison. “Oceana urges the National Marine Fisheries Service to approve these decisions as soon as possible.” The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils manage the monkfish fishing area that runs from New England to North Carolina. The measure bans fishing for monkfish by bottom trawling and gill-netting in the Oceanographer and Lydonia canyons, where marine scientists have identified and studied large deep-sea coral communities. The decision also limits the size of the bottom trawling roller gear and rockhopper gear on the mouth of the nets to no more than six inches in diameter in the submarine canyon areas off the shores of the mid-Atlantic states known as the southern management area of the monkfish fishery. Bottom trawling gear, weighing several tons, is dragged along the ocean floor crushing everything in its path, destroying corals that can take centuries to recover. Scientists are just beginning to learn about the deep-sea coral communities that often lie in canyons off the continental shelf of the United States. These corals are at risk because as shallower fishing areas are depleted, fishermen increasingly use improved technology to fish in the deeper waters where these corals live, says Allison. “We urge the North Pacific and Pacific regional fishery management councils to swiftly develop fishery management plans that protect deep-sea corals and other essential fish habitat in deep ocean canyons from destructive bottom trawling gear.” Oceana is lobbying Congressional leaders to pass legislation that would protect deep-sea corals in all U.S. ocean waters and has filed a petition with the Secretary of Commerce to protect deep-sea corals.
Weakened Caribbean Coral Reefs Sustain Hurricane Damage SANTA BARBARA, California, October 8, 2004 (ENS) - The series of violent hurricanes that battered Caribbean island nations may have made fragile coral reefs the "silent victims" of this savage storm season, said ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau from his Santa Barbara headquarters.Cousteau, founder of Ocean Futures Society, said the storms were harder on coral reefs weakened by human activities such as sewage and pollution discharge, overfishing and related ecological disruption, coral bleaching from warming oceans and coral disease from new pathogens. “Hurricanes have lashed the Caribbean for thousands of years, and healthy coral reefs have been able to rebound because nature allows them to regenerate,” Cousteau explained. “Reefs are like our bodies, and stress reduces their natural resilience to recover from injury. In other words, sick reefs will have a much more difficult time to heal themselves after strong hurricanes, if at all." Cousteau cited a new report by the World Resources Institute which concluded that nearly two-thirds of the coral reefs in the Caribbean are threatened by human activities, exposing island nations to increased economic and ecological risks. The report, "Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean," to which Cousteau wrote the preface, indicates the combination of strong hurricanes and a lessened ability to regenerate has debilitating economic repercussions. “Reefs take a battering from hurricanes, which is a natural occurrence, but the threat increases if they become more frequent,” the report says. “When reefs get knocked down, the cost to people is dramatic. If coral reefs are lost, replacing such natural protection by artificial means would cost coastal communities millions of dollars.” Cousteau is urging Caribbean governments and nongovernmental organizations to do a thorough assessment of the damage once the turbulent seas around the islands begin to calm and sediments subside. "Coral bleaching due to global warming and other human related impacts have left many coral reefs in a very poor state of health. Intense hurricanes, such as we’ve just experienced, can devastate those reefs, obliterating islands’ primary natural resource and safeguards.” “These silent victims of this hurricane season should act as a warning that we must take action to protect the Caribbean’s most vital asset—its coral reefs,” Cousteau said.
Vieques Supporters Ask Superfund Cleanup of Weapons Area WASHINGTON, DC, October 8, 2004 (ENS) - The Fellowship of Reconciliation today will hand deliver to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hundreds of letters from members of the public asking that the lands and waters used by the U.S. Navy for weapons training on the Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra, be placed on the Superfund List.The area, known as the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Area (AFWTA) has been proposed for inclusion on the Superfund List, which would potentially release federal funds to clean up the mess left behind by 100 years of weapons training - amphibious landings, bombing and gunnery ranges, and aircraft strafing. Public comments on the proposed listing must be postmarked on or before October 12, 2004. The comments to be handed to the EPA today come from individuals in Canada, Virgin Islands, Sweden and other countries in addition to almost all the states in the United States. The Fellowship of Reconciliation says that though the bombing ended last year, the island's soil and food chain are still contaminated with heavy metals, unexploded ordnance, depleted uranium, and many other toxic components. Island residents continue to suffer high rates of cancer and other diseases, the group says. "As at other former firing ranges and military bases, the military has left behind a lethal legacy, the lands are still controlled by the federal government, and programs to clean them up are slow-moving and lack funding." In its proposal for Superfund listing, the EPA lists the environmental problems left in the area that need remediation. "Extensive amounts of unexploded ordnance and remnants of exploded ordnance has been identified at the range areas on Vieques, Culebra, the keys of Culebra, and in the surrounding water areas." "Hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants associated with ordnance use may include mercury, lead, copper, magnesium, lithium, perchlorate, TNT, napalm, and depleted uranium among others," the EPA states. "At the base/camp areas, the hazardous substances present likely include a range of chemicals such as PCBs, solvents, and pesticides. Documentation also indicates the presence of sunken ships and other items either originally placed as targets, abandoned, or placed in disposal areas." "An Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registryreview of available analytical data observed past ground water contamination on the Vieques portion of the AFWTA including reports of low levels of explosive related contamination." The surrounding waters "are known to be contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) and likely associated hazardous substances," the EPA said. Vieques is home to about 9,300 residents. In addition, there are some 3,000 residents on Culebra. Vast areas of this facility have been set aside as wilderness area of wildlife refuge, says the EPA. The national wildlife refuges located on the Culebra Archipelago and Vieques provide habitat for at least 25 federally and Puerto Rican endangered species and other sensitive environmental areas, including bioluminescent bays, as well as important archeological sites.
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