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Lawsuit Seeks Cleanup of Radioactive Land Near Los Angeles LOS ANGELES, California, October 28, 2004 (ENS) - Two conservation groups and the City of Los Angeles are suing the Bush administration, alleging it broke longstanding commitments to clean up a radioactively contaminated nuclear facility in Southern California.The Santa Susana Field Laboratory, a federal reactor testing site near Los Angeles, housed 10 reactors, one of which experienced a partial meltdown in 1959. Despite radioactive and chemical contamination, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said last year that it would not clean up the site according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Instead, DOE intends to leave 99 percent of the radioactively contaminated soil untouched and then release the land for potential residential development, the plaintiffs allege. According to the EPA, the cleanup criteria chosen by the Energy Department would permit concentrations of some radioactive materials in the soil 10,000 times higher than EPA remediation goals - concentrations that pose the risk of cancer to one out of every 50 people exposed. Still, once cleanup is complete, the DOE said, "future use of the property for residential purposes is probable." "Surface and groundwater contamination by toxic and radioactive substances does not stop at city borders or respect county lines," said City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. "My office will continue to look out for the health and safety of the residents of Los Angeles and Ventura County to ensure that responsibility for cleanup of the problems at this facility is properly addressed." The lawsuit, filed October 21 in federal court in San Francisco by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Committee to Bridge the Gap, and the City of Los Angeles, alleges violations of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and CERCLA, the Superfund law. It seeks to force the Energy Department to conduct a thorough environmental review of the site and to clean up the radioactive and chemical contamination according to the highest standards. The 2,800 acre Santa Susana Field Laboratory is located on hills between the Simi and San Fernando Valleys in southeastern Ventura County, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. For decades, the site was used to test nuclear reactors and rocket engines. Scientists suspect that the 1959 meltdown released more radioactivity than the meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979. Two other reactors suffered serious accidents in 1964 and 1969, when large numbers of nuclear fuel rods cracked. Radioactive contamination from decades of accidents and spills is widespread. Toxic chemicals such as TCE, dioxins, PCBs and heavy metals also pollute the site - by-products of rocket engine testing and nuclear activities. Fifteen years ago, the two plaintiff groups joined forces with local community groups and shut down nuclear operations at the site. Late last year, EPA officials found the Energy Department in violation of the DOE-EPA 1995 Joint Policy that commits all DOE sites to be cleaned up consistent with EPA standards. EPA also found that under DOE's new plans, it would not be safe to release the site for any unrestricted use such as homes, and that the only acceptable use would be day hikes with limitations on picnicking. "This case could affect nuclear contamination and public health nationwide," said Joel Reynolds, a senior attorney with NRDC and director of its Urban Program. "If the administration can ignore sensible cleanup standards here, at a site with a long history of nuclear accidents and even a reactor meltdown, it will do so anywhere. But if we can enforce a strong federal cleanup policy at Santa Susana, we will establish a precedent to safeguard the public nationwide." "It is hard to conceive of putting houses on top of a former meltdown site," said Daniel Hirsch, president of CBG, another party to the suit and a longtime watchdog of Santa Susana Field Laboratory. "We sue to get the government to live up to its promises, to clean up the mess it made, and place no more people at risk." "We've been lied to for 20 years about the health consequences of this place," said Barbara Johnson, a cancer survivor who lives near the field lab. "I'm so grateful that someone is finally going to force them to clean up this awful mess. It shouldn't take a lawsuit to get the government to protect us."
Profitable Corporate Actions Slow Global Warming NEW YORK, New York, October 28, 2004 (ENS) - The World Resources Institute (WRI) showcased corporate actions to slow global warming at Consolidated Edison’s Environmental Excellence Forum on Wednesday in New York.Nine U.S. corporations based in the northeastern part of the country partnered with WRI in 2003 to form the Climate Northeast initiative. They implemented strategies such as energy efficiency, emissions tracking, and green power purchasing to limit their emissions of greenhouse gases linked to climate change. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Citigroup, Consolidated Edison of New York, Eastman Kodak Company, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Northeast Utilities Service Company, Pfizer, and Staples all involved themselves in climate management strategies. “Forward-thinking companies can be proactive on climate change in a manner consistent with growing their bottom lines,” said Jonathan Lash, WRI president. “These business leaders recognize that taking action on environmental issues is more than being a good corporate citizen; it is also good business.” Case studies from each of the companies are highlighted in a report released at the event, "A Climate of Innovation: Northeast Business Action to Reduce Greenhouse Gases." “Companies can position themselves to be successful in a carbon-constrained world and capture new markets for products and services,” noted WRI and all nine corporate partners in the foreword to the report. Citigroup invested $2.5 million to upgrade centralize its lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning at 270 retail branches in the New York City-Connecticut-New Jersey metropolitan area. Staples decreased its energy use by 12.3 percent since 2001. In 2003, Staples took the money it saved from this $6.5 million energy-efficiency gain and used it to buy renewable energy - and at no additional cost Staples was able to green 10 percent of its energy use. General Electric is diversifying into renewable power technologies, making investments in solar power and wind power. “We are undertaking these projects because they make business sense” said Randolph Price, vice president for environment, health and safety, Consolidated Edison Company of New York. “We hope our experiences will be useful for other businesses interested in getting started with greenhouse gas management programs.” Find out more at: www.climatenortheast.org
Washington Governor Sets Sustainability Standards OLYMPIA, Washington, October 28, 2004 (ENS) - Washington Governor Gary Locke has signed an executive order directing that all new state buildings be built to green building standards and that those over 25,000 square feet be certified to a Silver Rating in the LEED rating system established by the U.S. Green Building Council.It also directs agencies to reduce petroleum use throughout state fleets by 20 percent in five years and directs an additional 10 percent reduction of energy use by state facilities on top of the 10 percent ordered in 2001 by Locke. Additionally, it orders a 30 percent reduction in paper use and an increase in purchases of paper with higher recycled content. “State government must continue to ensure that our investments in government facilities and operations provide long-term social, economic and environmental benefit,” Locke said. “These actions will help both the environment and taxpayers.” Locke previously issued an executive order on sustainability in 2002. It required agencies to adopt sustainability plans and modify their business practices toward the goals of shifting to clean energy, minimizing energy and water use and eliminating waste and toxics in the products we purchase. Locke also called for more action in the state to combat global warming. Locke has joined with Governor Ted Kulongoski of Oregon and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California in the West Coast Governors’ Global Warming Initiative. The three governors are currently reviewing the staff report prepared on the initiative. “Although the issue of global warming is much bigger than just the West Coast states, action on our part is necessary because of the inaction of the Bush administration,” Locke said. Locke called for Washington state to set greenhouse gas emissions targets, including a return to the 1990 statewide emissions level by 2010 and a target of 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. He also called for the state to incorporate aggressive energy efficiency measures into updates of state building energy codes and to set goals and implement strategies and incentives to increase retail energy sales from renewable resources during the next decade.
Bear Baiting, Hounding on the Ballot in Maine HALLOWELL, Maine, October 28, 2004 (ENS) - On November 2, 2004 Maine voters will face this question on the ballot: "Do you want to make it a crime to hunt bears with bait, traps or dogs, except to protect property, public safety or for research?"Baiting involves luring a bear to a bait station with biodegradable materials such as vegetables, meats, pastries or sweets, honey, or other foods. After bears arrive at the bait station, a hunter can choose the size, hide quality, or reproductive state of a bear he/she wishes to take. Hounding is the practice of using dogs to locate, track, pursue, and tree a bear so that the animal may be assessed for size, sex, quality, and whether or not it has cubs, and taken by a hunter if desired. Of the 28 states allowing black bear harvesting, 11 allow baiting and 17 allow hounding. Seven states - Idaho, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Utah, Alaska and Wisconsin allow both baiting and hounding. To help voters make up their mines, the Maine Environmental Policy Institute has posted an unbiased report on its website by By Meredith Gore from Cornell University's Department of Natural Resources. "Black Bears: A Situation Analysis on Baiting and Hounding in the United States with relevance for Maine," summarizes key elements of bear baiting and hunting with hounds, reviews the status of the practices in various portions of the United States, and provides a situation analysis within states recently confronting similar referendums. This report does not offer arguments supporting or rejecting the merit of either side of the debate, but the sides are clear. The hunters say if baiting and hounding are halted, too many bears will overrun the state. They want to be free to kill bears any way they see fit. Supporters of the question say baiting and hounding are cruel and unnecessary. Most bear hunting states do not allow these unsporting methods, yet hunters in the states are able to hunt bears without them, says the Humane Society. Pennsylvania, for example, prohibits baiting, hounding and trapping bears, yet hunters there kill more than 2,000 black bears annually. "Maine is the only state in the country that still permits the inhumane and indiscriminate practice of trapping black bears with leghold traps for sport," the Humane Society says. By the time the vote is counted, this season's bear hunt will be over. Bear hunters will take about 3,500 bears from Maine's bear population estimated near 23,000.
San Francisco Bay Pollution Prevention Award Goes to Oakland SAN FRANCISCO, California, October 28, 2004 (ENS) - The East Bay Municipal District in Oakland, California has won a first-place award for its outstanding and innovative achievements in wastewater treatment and pollution prevention.Alexis Strauss, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Pacific Southwest region, presented the national award to the Board of Directors President Frank Mellon Tuesday in Oakland. The district has made "impressive and effective efforts to reduce the amount of toxic pollutants entering San Francisco Bay from industry and businesses," said Strauss. "The progress they have made in encouraging local businesses to adopt pollution prevention and water conservation practices will go far in helping to restore our precious natural resources." "This is recognition of the tremendous amount of effort EBMUD makes to prevent pollution at the source," said David Williams, director of the district's wastewater department. "It's important that we keep toxics from ever getting into wastewater, because once they get in they are very difficult to remove." The East Bay Municipal District (EBMUD) has focused its efforts primarily on pollutants, such as mercury, that impact the San Francisco Bay. Through a mercury reduction pilot program developed with the University of California's Berkeley campus, the district collected over 1,000 pounds of mercury waste last year, including 300 pounds of elemental mercury. Last year the district required dental facilities that handle mercury to install equipment that would remove up to 95 percent of the mercury before discharging to the wastewater treatment plant. The EBMUD has encouraged industries to eliminate discharges of wastewater containing toxics. As a result, more than 64 percent of the industries recycle or evaporate their wastewater, resulting in no discharges of polluted wastewater to the public sewer system. "The district deserves to be commended for implementing innovative and effective source control measures that have resulted in reducing toxic pollutants to the San Francisco Bay," said Bruce Wolfe, executive officer of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. The EBMUD treats wastewater received from more than 13,000 commercial and industrial facilities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. In addition, the EBMUD serves water to more than 1.3 million customers.
Hawaii Recycles With $397,000 in Federal Funding HILO, Hawaii, October 28, 2004 (ENS) - A new recycling center on the Big Island will soon be keeping aluminum, office paper, glass, and toner cartridges out of the local landfills.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted $397,600 to the County of Hawaii and the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board that will improve recycling in West Hawaii. The West Hawaii project, which opens Saturday, is the second phase of the Big Island's recycling pilot project started at Kea'au in East Hawaii. The West Hawaii project will test recycling models to determine whether making recycling simpler for homeowners will increase public participation and increase the amount of solid waste diverted from landfills. The West Hawai'i project has previously received $223,500 in EPA funding. "Engaging the community and area businesses is vital to making recycling a success, which is especially important on an island with limited area for new landfills," said Jeff Scott, waste division director for the EPA's Pacific Southwest region. "Encouraging and implementing recycling will play an essential role in reducing the amount of solid waste that goes to the already overburdened landfills on the Big Island." The goals of the project are to:
The Kea'au Recycling and Reuse Center in East Hawaii collected 920 tons of material over nine months, raising the residential recycling rate at the Kea'au Transfer Station from two percent to almost 17 percent. The center employs special needs workers to convert newspaper into packing materials. This project is a model for America Recycles Day on November 15. Visit www.americarecyclesday.org for more information.
Nebraska Wetlands to Be Cleansed of Carbon Tetrachloride WASHINGTON, DC, October 28, 2004 (ENS) - Concern about contamination of the groundwater underlying Utica, Nebraska and other rural areas is soon to be resolved.The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wednesday announced that in cooperation with several state and federal agencies, agriculture officials would implement a project to remove contaminants from groundwater. The problem began with the commonly accepted use of fumigants containing carbon tetrachloride to treat stored grain in the in the 1940s and 1950s. The project aims to protect public health while assisting the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to restore 364 acres of historic wetlands in the North Lake Basin Wildlife Management Area north of Utica, Nebraska. This project uses spray irrigation technology and wetland restoration to restore contaminated groundwater through beneficial reuse. The prototype uses specially designed irrigation equipment to "volatilize" or evaporate the carbon tetrachloride contaminants into the air in a manner that will protect public health. The method, which eliminates up to 98 percent of the contaminants, was first demonstrated by the University of Nebraska under initial USDA and Environmental Protection Agency funding. USDA expects to use a similar approach in other rural areas in Nebraska and Kansas, benefiting public health, wildlife and the environment. "This approach to cleaning Utica's municipal groundwater contamination will also provide habitat for waterfowl," said Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman. "Through the beneficial reuse of water, this technique can treat contaminated water, which can then be used for beneficial applications, such as irrigating croplands or creating wetlands." A small-scale USDA pilot project was launched in 2000 to clean up Utica's groundwater. Its success led to today's prototype in the North Lake Basin, located just north of Utica. Less than five percent of the 364 acre North Lake Basin near Utica currently contains water available for waterfowl habitat. This project will provide clean water and create additional waterfowl habitat. Partnering with USDA's Farm Service Agency in this prototype are the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region VII; Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality; Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; Upper Big Blue Natural Resource District; Rainwater Basin Joint Venture; Ducks Unlimited; and the City of Utica. The North Lake Basin prototype was developed by Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with the Farm Service Agency.
New Jersey Converts Former Clay Mine to Bird Habitat, Wetlands TRENTON, New Jersey, October 28, 2004 (ENS) - The state of New Jersey is purchasing a 597 acre former clay mine in Quinton Township, Salem County and adding the land to the Maskells Mill Pond Wildlife Management Area."The S.V. Farming property is a tremendous addition to this wildlife management area," said Governor James McGreevey. "Preserving this property expands our ability to improve and protect water quality and fish and wildlife habitat in the South Jersey region and reinforces our commitment to environmental protection throughout the state." The conservation of S.V. Farming will protect the headwaters of Stow Creek, which discharges into the Delaware Bay. The property is covered with forested wetlands and uplands that are ideal for groundwater recharge. The Maskells Mill Pond Wildlife Management Area supports a diverse bird population including the bald eagle, prairie warbler, scarlet tanager, wood thrush and bobwhite quail. "This acquisition underscores the importance of protecting New Jersey's natural resources and restoring those that have been damaged or destroyed," said Commissioner Bradley Campbell, who heads the state Department of Environment (DEP). "In this case, almost 20 acres of mined wetlands have been restored and permanently preserved and can once again serve as critical habitat for wildlife." An extensive wetlands restoration project mitigated the effects of previous mining activity on the property. The 10 year project restored of 18.4 acres of high resource wetlands and the created an additional 9.9 acres of wetlands. The DEP Green Acres Program purchased the $550,000 S.V. Farming site from Waste Management, Inc. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reimburse the Green Acres Program $109,000 of the acquisition cost through a National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant. The DEP Green Acres Program purchases land to protect environmentally sensitive open space, water resources and other significant natural and historical open space. Land acquired becomes part of the statewide system of parks and forest, wildlife management areas and natural areas.
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