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Florida Beaches, Parks Damaged by Hurricanes TALLAHASSEE, Florida, September 22, 2004 (ENS) - Beaches along the Florida panhandle have sustained widespread erosion and reductions in elevation after three hurricanes in the past five weeks pounded the state, say state engineers and environmental managers who have been flying over Florida’s 1,350 mile coastline assessing the damage.On flyovers along the east, Gulf and Emerald coasts experts from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are documenting impacts to beaches, dunes and coastal communities. North Captiva Island, at the center of Hurricane Charley’s landfall in mid-August, suffered major beach erosion, and a one-third mile wide pass now divides the island, they report today. “Florida’s beaches and dunes act as the first line of defense against storms and high waves, providing a natural buffer for coastal habitats,” said DEP Secretary Colleen Castille. “Our communities and shoreline took a direct hit from three storms. A thorough impact assessment will provide the State with the needed information to begin environmental restoration.” Florida's coastal parks have been damaged and are in need of millions of dollars of emergency funding, said the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Hurricane Ivan last week wiped out about two-thirds of turtle nesting sites at Florida's Canaveral National Seashore. The storm washed out several miles of roads and destroyed pavilions at Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida and Mississippi. All buildings in the park's historic area were flooded, including historic Fort Pickens, built in 1834 in Pensacola, Florida. In the Florida Keys, Hurricane Charley caused extensive damage to the Dry Tortugas National Park worsening the park's existing maintenance backlog. The storm undermined a portion of the first layer of bricks surrounding Fort Jefferson's moat wall, damaged two boat docks, and washed out a land bridge that joined Garden Key, where the 150 year old fort is located, and nearby Bush Key. The NPCA says Everglades National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway have also been damaged. The Kittatinny Point Visitor Center at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey was flooded and roads and trails washed out. In a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, the parks advocacy group encouraged her to request sufficient emergency funding from Congress to address the damage. "The administration needs to request - and Congress appropriate - adequate funding to compensate for the frequent acts of Nature that besiege our parks," said NPCA President Tom Kiernan. "Otherwise, storms drown the parks and their budgets." Prior to Hurricane Ivan, the Department of Interior had requested $7.6 million in emergency funding for Park Service repairs resulting from Hurricanes Charley and Frances. "The total cost will likely now far exceed that," Kiernan warned. The National Parks Service has still not recovered from last year's hurricanes. Hurricane Isabel caused nearly $100 million worth of damages at several national parks, including Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia, where a basement of artifacts was flooded. "The National Park System never received the additional funding necessary to recover from that hurricane," Kiernan said, "and it is imperative that the same mistake not be made again." The fiscal year 2005 Interior Appropriations Bill, which includes funding for the annual needs of the parks, may go to conference as early as this month. For more information and to view the full reports on the three hurricanes, visit www.floridadep.org/beaches.
Scripps Biomedical Facility Next to Everglades Challenged PALM BEACH, Florida, September 22, 2004 (ENS) - The Scripps Research Institute, a center of biomedical research based in La Jolla, California is now planning to expand to Florida with a large new operation in Palm Beach County near the Everglades.With incentives from the state and county governments, the not-for-profit Scripps organization proposes to build the new facility at the Palm Beach Park of Commerce and Mecca Farms starting in October. The development would include workforce housing, shopping and office space. The two sites would be connected by a three mile parkway for bikes, a shuttle, and alternative vehicles as well as automobiles. But local environmental groups oppose the plan because, they say, placing a development the size of downtown West Palm Beach immediately beside the Everglades is wrong. Groups including 1000 Friends of Florida, the Florida Wildlife Federation, Audubon of Florida, and the Environmental and Land Use Law Center support the location of the Scripps development on either of two alternative sites already selected for consideration. The groups say problems at the Palm Beach Park of Commerce site include sprawl, negative impacts to ongoing Everglades and the Loxahatchee River restoration efforts, impacts to neighboring conservation lands and rural communities, and infrastructure costs, as well as secondary and cumulative impacts of the adjacent development that would locate on the borders of this site. Jamie Furgang, representing Audubon of Florida, said, "Locating the Scripps project at the proposed location has the long term potential for undermining all the hard work to date that has gone into the $8 billion plus Everglades restoration effort." The Everglades Coalition, a federation of 44 nongovernmental organizations working to promote Everglades restoration and its viability as a world renowned ecosystem, recently adopted a resolution opposing the location of Scripps at Mecca Farms due to the negative impacts it would pose to the restoration effort. Charles Pattison, executive director of 1000 Friends of Florida, asked, "Why go to a site that threatens the Everglades, costs the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars for new infrastructure, and forever changes the quality of life for the surrounding community when viable alternatives are available?" The Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on the siting of the Scripps facility on Monday, and a second hearing is set for September 30. Find out more here.
U.S. Could Eliminate Oil Use in 50 Years SNOWMASS, Colorado, September 22, 2004 (ENS) - By 2015, the United States can save more oil than it gets from the Persian Gulf; by 2025, use less oil than in 1970; by 2040, import no oil; and by 2050, use no oil at all, according to a new study by the Rocky Mountain Institute."Unlike previous proposals to force oil savings through government policy, our proposed transition beyond oil is led by business for profit," said Rocky Mountain Institute CEO Amory Lovins. "Our recommendations are market-based, innovation-driven without mandates, and designed to support, not distort, business logic," Lovins said. "They're self-financing and would cause the federal deficit to go down, not up." The plan, "Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs, and Security," shows how at an average cost of $12 per barrel, in 2000 dollars, the United States can save half its oil usage through efficiency, then substitute competitive biofuels and saved natural gas for the rest This can be accomplished without taxation or new federal regulation, the study shows. "Because saving and substituting oil costs less than buying it, our study finds a net savings of $70 billion a year," Lovins said. "That acts like a giant tax cut for the nation. It simply makes sense and makes money for all." The RMI study focuses on cars and light trucks (SUVs, pickups, and vans). These vehicles account for nearly half of projected 2025 oil use. The report demonstrates that ultralight, ultrastrong materials like carbon-fiber can halve vehicles' weight, increase safety, and boost efficiency to about 85 mpg for a midsize car or 66 mpg for a midsize SUV. "BMW has confirmed that carbon-fiber autobodies weigh only half as much as steel and have exceptional crash performance," said Lovins. "The resulting fuel savings can be like buying gasoline for 56 cents a gallon." This peer-reviewed Rocky Mountain Institute study is based on its five coauthors' 70 years of combined energy experience, mainly in the private sector, and on extensive industry input. The Pentagon and diverse foundations and private donors funded the research. The report predicts that to fight better and save money, the Pentagon - the world's largest oil buyer - will accelerate the market emergence of superefficient land, sea, and air platforms. "A fuel-efficient military could save tens of billions of dollars a year," said Lovins, who served on a Pentagon task force studying this issue. "As our nation stops needing oil, think of the possibilities of being able to treat oil-rich countries the same as nations that don't own a drop. Imagine too our moral clarity if other countries no longer assume everything the United States does is about oil." The report is introduced in forewords by former Secretary of State, Treasury, and Labor George P. Shultz, an ex-Marine who also chaired the Bechtel Corporation, and by oil geologist and former Shell Chairman Sir Mark Moody-Stuart. The report, its executive summary, and its technical backup is found at: www.oilendgame.com.
Brownfields Cleanup Progress Slow ST. LOUIS, Missouri, September 22, 2004 (ENS) - Cleaning up the nation's contaminated and unwanted properties, known as brownfields, has absorbed $126.7 million in funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in fiscal year 2004, according to a new report released at the Brownfields 2004 National Conference in St. Louis.The EPA issued the report surveying two years of activity by the Brownfields Federal Partnership Action Agenda, a Bush administration initiative announced in November 2002. The Agenda contained more than 100 commitments from 23 federal organizations to address brownfields contamination. The EPA reports that more than 75 percent of the commitments have been met. But while the report touches on what 23 government agencies intend to do about brownfields, it contains little of substance that is new. For instance, while it says that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the Commerce Department, "Managed a substantial and growing brownfields investment portfolio that has increased to a quarter billion dollars in the last five years," it does not say that this money was actually used to remediate brownfields. Instead, the report says the EDA "maintained a National Brownfields Coordinator at headquarters; requested that budget dollars be earmarked for brownfields cleanup activities as part of its Congressional reauthorization legislation; hosted a national satellite telecast entitled Brownfields: Market-Based Solutions for Rehabilitation in March 2004; and held a high-profile session on brownfields entitled Brownfields: Unlocking Economic Opportunity at the EDA‘s national economic development conference in Washington, D.C." The EDA has also, "Continued to consider eco-industrial development proposals in the context of brownfields redevelopment investments and has begun discussing collaborative models to facilitate joint support of eco-industrial development with EPA." The rest of the report is a rehash of old announcements such as the selection of the first three Portfields Pilots by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While the EPA makes much of the Portfields initiative to remediate brownfields in the vicinity of ports, the progress report shows that little has actually been done. Meetings have been held, a website has been built and identification of possible sites is underway, but no cleanups have been done. One sign of progress came from NOAA which provided $90,000 in FY 2004 to serve as seed money to leverage additional finance and technical assistance for the Portfields effort. One of the three demonstration sites - New Bedford - has received $5 million from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to conduct navigational dredging in coordination with EPA‘s Superfund cleanup of New Bedford Harbor. Private sector users are contributing $200,000 to this effort. View the Brownfields Federal Partnership Progress Report at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.
Miners' Health Funded Even if Abandoned Mine Fee Expires WASHINGTON, DC, September 22, 2004 (ENS) - The U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) has published a final rule to enable the agency to continue collecting fees to help cover the costs of health benefits for coal miners even if Congress allows the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) fee to expire September 30.Under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, the agency's authority to continue collecting fees to pay for reclamation of abandoned coal mines will expire on September 30 unless reauthorized or extended. "This is a precaution we have to take," said Jeff Jarrett, OSM director. "We are continuing to work for reauthorization of the AML reclamation fee, but time is running out and we have a responsibility to make sure we can continue to transfer funds to the United Mine Workers of America's Combined Benefit Fund (CBF) even if Congress allows the reclamation fee to expire." The Act also provides that even if the AML fee expires, operators must continue to pay fees to fund annual transfers to the Combined Benefit Fund . Under act, transfers can take place only in years in which operators pay fees. Because collections would no longer be used to reclaim abandoned mine lands and would only fund the Combined Benefit Fund, the fees would be lower than current fees. The United Mine Workers of America fund provides medical benefits for 17,394 coal miners living in 45 states who worked for companies that no longer exist. States with the most miners receiving benefits are Pennsylvania (4,935), West Virginia (3,957), Kentucky (2,507), Virginia (1,200) and Ohio (883). The Bush administration has proposed legislation to extend the Office of Surface Mining's authority to collect the fee for abandoned mine lands (AML) reclamation and to change the distribution of AML funds so that more of the fees being collected would go to the worst AML problems. If Congress reauthorizes the AML reclamation fee before it expires September 30, the rule OSM is publishing will not be needed immediately. But if Congress does not act before the fee expires, the necessary rules will be in place to ensure that fee collection and transfers to the mine workers' fund continue. Because of the urgent need to have a rule in place before the date that the current reclamation fee rates expire, OSM is invoking the "good cause" exemptions of the Administrative Procedure Act and is adopting the rules immediately on an final basis without prior notice or opportunity for public comment. Still, OSM is also publishing a proposed rule inviting the public to comment on the final rules after publication. OSM will evaluate those comments and if necessary publish a revised final rule. Title IV of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) created an abandoned mine reclamation program funded by a fee assessed on each ton of coal used, sold, or transferred - 35 cents for surface-mined coal, 15 cents for coal from underground mines, and 10 cents for lignite. Money from these fees is placed in a fund, which, subject to appropriation, is used to reclaim lands and waters adversely impacted by mining conducted before the enactment of SMCRA and to mitigate the adverse impacts from these sites on individuals and communities. Information concerning the proposed and final rules is available online at: www.osmre.gov. Send comments on the rule to: osmregs@osmre.gov.
New York State Creates Niagara River Greenway ALBANY, New York, September 22, 2004 (ENS) - The State of New York is putting together a greenway of interconnected parks, river access points and waterfront trails along the Niagara River from Lake Erie at Buffalo to Lake Ontario at the site of the historic Fort Niagara.Governor George Pataki Tuesday signed into law a measure creating the Niagara River Greenway Commission to assist in the planning and development of the greenway. The state is acquiring 34 acres of land along Spicer Creek in the Town of Grand Island to provide new public access and recreational opportunities along the Niagara River. Adjacent to Town parkland, the wetland property will be managed jointly by the Town and the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The wetland will be open to Western New York residents and visitors for outdoor recreational activities such as bird watching, hiking, fishing and canoeing. "Today's bill signing is the next step in fulfilling our vision for an interconnected Greenway along the Niagara River stretching from Buffalo to Fort Niagara," Governor Pataki said. "Protecting valuable open spaces such as the Spicer Creek property is critical in the effort to develop a continuous Greenway along the Niagara River. Through these and other conservation initiatives, we are working to connect communities within the Niagara River corridor, preserve one of the state's most important ecosystems, and open up new outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and visitors to the region," Pataki added. The governor was joined by state and local officials at the bill signing ceremony Tuesday at Fisherman's Park in the city of North Tonawanda, where he also announced that the New York Power Authority will provide $200,000 to aid in the planning and development of the Niagara River Greenway. Louis Ciminelli, chairman of the Power Authority said, "This is a hugely important day for the Niagara Frontier. As a life-long resident of Western New York, I've watched the Niagara River and recognized the potential for enhanced tourism, economic growth and environmental progress for years." The Niagara River is a priority project identified in the State Open Space Conservation Plan in recognition of its unique ecosystem that supports fish and wildlife habitat. The 34 acre property being acquired by the state is located along East River Road in the Town of Grand Island and includes rights to a portion of the bed of the Niagara River along 1,600 feet of its shoreline.
Ecological Forecasting Soon to Join Weather Forecasting ARLINGTON, Virginia, September 22, 2004 (ENS) - A new national ecological network is in the works that will allow scientists to predict changes in the nation's ecosystems and their consequences just as the U.S. network of meteorological stations allows forecasters to predict changes in the weather,Work on the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is advancing. When complete, it will be the first national ecological observation system designed to answer scientific questions at regional and continental scales to enable ecological forecasting. Bruce Hayden, an ecologist at the University of Virginia and principal investigator for the project, along with William Michener, associate director of the National Science Foundation's Long Term Ecological Research Network, will direct the NEON project office at the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) headquarters in Washington, D.C. With a two year, $6 million cooperative agreement from the National Science Foundation, the institute will set up a NEON Design Consortium and Project Office to develop a blueprint for the network and a plan for its implementation. NEON is envisioned as field and lab instrumentation deployed across the United States. Plans call for it to be integrated via cyberinfrastructure into a continent wide research platform. "Once built, NEON will transform ecological research." said Mary Clutter, the assistant director of the directorate for biological sciences. "It will create new collaborative environments - bringing together ecologists, engineers, social, physical, computer, and earth scientists - to investigate ecological phenomena that span large geographical areas and long periods of time." Liz Blood, National Science Foundation program director for NEON, says, "The most pressing challenges facing the nation's biosphere - the impact of climate change on forests and agriculture, the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and the causes and consequences of invasive species - result from complex interactions between human, natural and physical systems. "These systems are large spatially, change over time, and cross all levels of biological organization," she said. "To better understand them and forecast biological change, ecologists need a new tool to study the structure and dynamics of ecosystems in the United States."
Honolulu Zoo Habitat Approved for Rusti the Orangutan HONOLULU, Hawaii, September 22, 2004 (ENS) - After seven years in limbo in a tiny cage, efforts to build a new habitat for Rusti the orangutan received a major boost Monday with a $100,000 contribution from a donor to the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI).Erin Keck of The Chelsey Foundation, a Big Island organization devoted to the welfare of animals, presented the check to Dr. Birute Galdikas, founder of the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI). The presentation was made at Rusti’s current exhibit at the Honolulu Zoo. The 24 year old cheekpadded male orangutan, owned by Orangutan Foundation International and brought to the Honolulu Zoo in 1997 for a temporary stay, will now stay in Hawaii permanently. Last month, the Honolulu City Council approved the gift of a new habitat for Rusti, making him a permanent resident of the zoo. Approval had been stalled for years over issues such as the cost of the new habitat, a written agreement specifying that the zoo would have final say over Rusti's care, and an assurance that the deal would not jeopardize the zoo's accreditation with the national zoo association. Groundbreaking on the new habitat is targeted for November 1 and the habitat is expected to be completed by the beginning of next summer. The construction will be shared between the The Chelsey Foundation, the city and OFI, which had pledged $200,000 to the project. “Our zoo personnel have been working with volunteers from OFI to provide caring daily attention to Rusti while he awaits his new home,” said City Managing Director Ben Lee at the presentation ceremony. “We at the City continue to be committed to Rusti’s welfare, and we are delighted that our goal of a suitable home environment will finally be realized.” Rusti was rescued from a zoo in New Jersey closed down by the New Jersey Fish and Game. There he was housed in a small enclosure with one small scratched plexiglass window as his only opening to the outside world. His current cage at the Honolulu Zoo is six times as large, and the new habitat will be even larger and more natural. Dr. Galdikas thanked the City of Honolulu for providing a home for Rusti. She has spoken in the past of the personhood of great apes, stressing their genetic closeness to humans, their capacity for rational thought and ability to solve problems, the similarity of their emotions to those of humans, their ability to recognize themselves in mirrors and the fact that they suffer pain very much like people. The Orangutan Foundation hired a keeper last year trained in the welfare, care and maintenance of orangutans to provide Rusti with five hours of enrichment each day. Scientists may soon have much greater understanding of orangutans. The National Human Genome Research Institute, a part of the National Institute of Health, announced in August that they plan to sequence the DNA of 18 new species, including the orangutan.
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