An updated strategy, the “Revised Research Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program,” will also be released.
“This assessment represents a comprehensive look at the effects of climate change for the United States and will be yet another tool for the nation’s decision-makers to use when planning for the future,” said Dr. Sharon Hays, associate director and deputy director for science for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Hays was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as stating that “climate change of the past 50 years is primarily caused by human activity.”
“Recognizing that this report reflects a snapshot of current research in an area of rapidly increasing knowledge, it’s important to outline an up-to-date strategy for continued research on climate change. The updated research plan that is also being released today does that,” added Dr. William Brennan, acting director of the Climate Change Science Program.
. Analyzing current and future trends in climate for the United States, the report assesses the present understanding of the impacts of climate change on key sectors of the nation, such as water resources, transportation, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health.
Accompanying the scientific assessment is an updated research plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program that provides direction for addressing remaining uncertainties in climate science, including impacts at regional scales and adaptation options. The plan also emphasizes the need for strengthened communication of scientific studies to decision-makers across the United States. An extended opportunity for public review was provided during the development of the revised plan. The release of the plan is part of ongoing extensive strategic planning in the Climate Change Science Program that began in 2007.
EPA Finalizes Amendment to the F019 Hazardous Waste Listing
EPA has amended the F019 hazardous waste listing to facilitate the use of aluminum in automobiles, light trucks, and utility vehicles. This action will encourage motor vehicle manufacturers to use more aluminum parts, producing vehicles that are lighter. Lighter vehicles are capable of increased gas mileage and decreased exhaust air emissions, including greenhouse gas emissions.
Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), F019 is one of EPA's F-Code hazardous waste listings, which includes waste that is generated from common industrial and manufacturing processes. The amendment excludes from hazardous waste regulation F019 waste generated in the auto manufacturing industry, provided the waste: 1) is not placed outside on the land prior to shipment to a landfill for disposal and 2) is disposed of at an appropriately lined landfill. EPA has determined that these changes to the F019 listing are protective of human health and the environment.
MIT Develops Nano 'Paper Towel' for Oil Spills
The scientists say they have created a membrane that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil and can be recycled many times for future use. The oil itself also can be recovered. Some 200,000 tons of oil have already been spilled at sea since the start of the decade.
"What we found is that we can make 'paper' from an interwoven mesh of nanowires that is able to selectively absorb hydrophobic liquids—oil-like liquids—from water," said Francesco Stellacci, an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and leader of the work.
In addition to its environmental applications, the nanowire paper could also impact filtering and the purification of water, said Jing Kong, an assistant professor of electrical engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and one of Stellacci's colleagues on the work. She noted that it could also be inexpensive to produce because the nanowires of which it is composed can be fabricated in larger quantities than other nanomaterials.
Stellacci explained that there are other materials that can absorb oils from water, "but their selectivity is not as high as ours." In other words, conventional materials still absorb some water, making them less efficient at capturing the contaminant.
The new material appears to be completely impervious to water. "Our material can be left in water a month or two, and when you take it out, it's still dry," Stellacci said. "But at the same time, if that water contains some hydrophobic contaminants, they will get absorbed."
Made of potassium manganese oxide, the nanowires are stable at high temperatures. As a result, oil within a loaded membrane can be removed by heating above the boiling point of oil. The oil evaporates, and can be condensed back into a liquid. The membrane—and oil—can be used again.
Two key properties make the system work. First, the nanowires form a spaghetti-like mat with many tiny pores that make for good capillarity, or the ability to absorb liquids. Second, a water-repelling coating keeps water from penetrating into the membrane. Oil, however, isn't affected and seeps into the membrane.
The membrane is created by the same general technique as its low-tech cousin, paper. "We make a suspension of nanowires, like a suspension of cellulose [the key component of paper], dry it on a non-sticking plate, and we get pretty much the same results," Stellacci said.
In a commentary accompanying the Nature Nanotechnology paper, Joerg Lahann of the University of Michigan concluded: "Stellacci and coworkers have provided an example of a nanomaterial that has been rationally designed to address a major environmental challenge."
In addition to Stellacci and Kong (who is also affiliated with MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics, or RLE), other authors are Jikang Yuan, a postdoctoral associate in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and RLE; Xiaogang Liu, now at the National University of Singapore; Ozge Akbulut of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Junqing Hu of the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan; and Steven L. Suib of the University of Connecticut, Storrs. This work was primarily funded by the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT.
Cap-and-Invest Global Warming Bill Introduced
Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) introduced a new global warming bill last week that would reduce global warming pollution according to scientific targets, reinvest any revenue back to American workers and technology, and would re-establish America as a leader in solving the globe’s greatest challenge, climate change.
At a speech at the Center for American Progress, Rep. Markey, chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and a senior member of the Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources Committees, laid out his science- and consumer-based vision for climate legislation.
“I am here today because the chorus for change is deafening. The time for action is now,” said Rep. Markey in his prepared remarks. “We must cap pollution; we must invest in consumers, jobs, and the technology of tomorrow; and America must lead the world in solving our greatest challenges, and we must start now.”
The bill is called the Investing in Climate Action and Protection Act, or iCAP for short, the small “i” a tip of the cap to the technological potential of clean energy. The bill also proffers a new paradigm in global warming legislation: the Cap-and-Invest system. The bill caps pollution at 85% below 2005 levels by 2050. It then uses an auction system that sets a price on carbon and allows companies to compete for reductions, or buy or trade credits within the system.
It then takes the expected $8 trillion in revenues expected from polluters over the length of the bill and reinvests that money back to American families and workers and into promoting a clean energy economy. More than half of the funds from the bill are cycled back to low- and middle-income American families to offset any increases in energy costs from the transition of the economy to low- or zero-carbon energy.
iCAP also invests in green-collar job training for workers in a clean energy economy, mass transit and smart growth, energy-efficiency programs, adaptation measures here in the United States and around the world, and many other programs that will benefit both the economy and the environment.
“We must invest in the American economy and in American workers, and launch an energy technology renaissance that will rival the information technology revolution of the past decade,” said Rep. Markey. “We all benefited from the Industrial Age, and we have watched the dawn of the Information Age. Today, let’s start the Clean Energy Age.”
The bill will be introduced this week.
EPA Fines Water Treatment Plants $8,000 for Failing to Resubmit RMPs for Chorine
When properly implemented, Risk Management Plans (RMPs) help prevent chemical releases and minimize their potential impacts at facilities that store large amounts of hazardous substances and flammable chemicals. Facilities are required to update and resubmit their RMP at least once every five years, which is used by the EPA to assess chemical risks to surrounding communities and to prepare for emergency responses.
“Facilities must provide timely and accurate risk management plan information to the EPA,” said Keith Takata, director of the Pacific Southwest region’s Superfund program. “The plans provide important emergency preparedness and response information and help to ensure that industries are doing their part in preventing chemical accidents.”
The following facilities recently settled with the EPA using expedited settlement agreements, which offer violators reduced penalties if they are able to quickly bring their facilities into compliance with federal regulations:
- Riverside County: Chuckawalla Valley State Prison Water Treatment Plant, Desert Water Agency Water Reclamation Facility
- San Diego County: Miramar Water Treatment Plant, Otay Water Treatment Plant
Chlorine, an extremely hazardous substance, is used at these facilities. Exposure to chlorine can irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory system.
EPA Issues IRIS Toxicological Review of Carbon Tetrachloride
This draft assessment is provided for public viewing and comment. Public comments received on the Toxicological Review within 60 days after the release of the FRN will be provided to the external peer reviewers for their consideration. Any comments not received within the requested time period will be considered by EPA in their revisions. The date and location of the external peer review meeting will be provided in a separate FR Notice.
EPA Launches Interactive Map of Air Pollution Monitoring Stations
EPA Region 3's website has launched an interactive map utilizing the Microsoft Virtual Earth® geospatial technology platform, pinpointing the locations of its mid-Atlantic region air pollutant monitoring stations including those of some surrounding states. The user-friendly geographical search features can locate the air quality condition in any county, city, state, or street address and can be used to identify the area's air quality monitor locations in the event of a chemical spill or other environmental release.
Connecticut and 13 Other States Challenge EPA Ozone Standards in Federal Court
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Gina McCarthy announced that Connecticut is suing the EPA in hopes of overturning new federal ozone standards that are considered too weak to protect public health.
Also included in the lawsuit are California, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Rhode Island, the District of Columbia, and the city of New York.
According to the lawsuit, by approving the standards, EPA ignored the advice of its own scientists who recommended more stringent rules. Ozone is a key component of smog, which exacerbates or causes respiratory illnesses.
"These illegal EPA rules are breathtaking in defying plain law—and will take away breath from millions of Americans suffering from killing and crippling smog," Blumenthal said. "The EPA purposely defies clear scientific proof that ozone and smog must be stopped to protect people from disease and early death. On orders from the White House, the EPA has permitted politics and profits to override science and citizen health—a result that is immoral and illegal.
"I will fight in court to overturn these reprehensible, irresponsible rules, with a powerful coalition of states and environmental and public health advocates. We seek a court order compelling the EPA to set strong and effective standards based on science," Blumenthal said.
"Connecticut has worked for decades to improve its air quality and protect the well-being and health of our residents,” Gov. M. Jodi Rell, said. “Sadly, Connecticut and dozens of other states are once again forced to do what is necessary to ensure the most protective standards for our citizens are put in place and hold EPA to its mission. Not only will this action require EPA to adopt standards that will result in cleaner, healthier air, it will also level the playing field and require pollution sources outside of our region to clean up their act."
Connecticut and the other states filed their appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
U.S. Carbon-Dioxide Emissions Increased 1.6% in 2007
A growing U.S. economy, less-moderate weather conditions, and a drop in hydropower production pushed up U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions from energy use by 1.6% in 2007, according to preliminary estimates by the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Energy Information Administration (EIA). The agency notes that the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 2.2% in 2007, while more energy was needed for both heating and cooling relative to 2006. In addition, electricity generation increased by 2.5%, and carbon-dioxide emissions from the power sector increased even more, at 3%, indicating that U.S. utilities shifted towards energy sources that emitted more carbon. That shift was partially caused by a 40 billion kilowatt-hour decrease in hydropower production, causing a greater reliance on natural gas and coal. Carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants fueled with natural gas increased by 10.5%, while coal-burning power plants increased their emissions by 1.8%.
EPA Requires Safety Measures for Rodent-Control Products
New EPA safety measures are designed to protect children from accidental exposure to rodent-control products. EPA is requiring that 10 rodenticides used in bait products marketed to consumers be enclosed in bait stations, making the pesticide inaccessible to children and pets, and is also prohibiting the sale of loose bait, such as pellets, for use in homes.
"The new restrictions will better protect our children, pets, and wildlife from thousands of accidental exposures that occur every year," EPA Assistant Administrator Jim Gulliford said. "These practical and low-cost measures provide protection while ensuring rodent control products will continue to be effective and affordable for all consumers."
Rodenticide products containing brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone, and difenacoum are known to pose the greatest risk to wildlife and will no longer be allowed to be sold or distributed in the consumer market. Bait stations will be required for all outdoor, aboveground uses for products containing these ingredients. EPA believes that these steps will significantly reduce the amount of product in the environment, providing additional protection for wildlife from poisonings by these more toxic and persistent products.
EPA is requiring that companies manufacturing these products respond to EPA within 90 days regarding their intention to comply with the new requirements. Over the past 10 years, EPA has used a public process and rigorous scientific information to evaluate and address the risks associated with use of rodenticides as part of EPA's mandate to ensure that all pesticides meet current health and safety standards.
EPA Presents Performance Track Awards for Environmental Achievements Above and Beyond Legal Requirements
"Our Performance Track leaders are helping change the way businesses view their responsibility to protect our shared environment," Johnson said. "These companies are meeting this challenge by proving that doing what's good for our environment is also good for business."
Since the program's inception in June 2000, Performance Track membership has grown to more than 500 facilities in 49 states and Puerto Rico, and members have made more than 3,500 commitments to the environment. Through their combined environmental efforts, Performance Track member facilities have reported cumulative reductions in water use of 5.2 billion gallons, greenhouse gas reductions of 309,780 metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent, increases in use of recycled materials in production by 559,991 tons, and conservation of 16,809 acres of habitat. Many of the members' achievements address issues that are vital to the health of our planet but not covered by current regulations.
EPA is designating Xerox Corp., Webster, N.Y., the 2008 Performance Track Corporate Leader for its exceptional corporate-wide commitment to environmental stewardship, continuous improvement, and for its substantial involvement in Performance Track. All five of Xerox's U.S. manufacturing facilities are members of Performance Track. Xerox joins the ranks of other Performance Track Corporate Leaders—Baxter Healthcare Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Rockwell Collins, and Xanterra Parks & Resorts.
Environmental performance awards are being presented to TDK Components USA Inc., Peachtree, Ga.; Rohm and Haas, Kankakee, Ill.; Lafarge Aggregates SE, Douglassville, Ga.; and the Naval Air Engineering Station, Lakehurst, N.J. EPA made its selection based on members' progress toward achieving environmental performance goals and the breadth and challenge of these goals.
The winners for extraordinary efforts in outreach are the Management and Engineering Services, LLC, Longmont, Colo.; Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Palmdale, Calif.; Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC., Wilson, N.C.; and Hewlett Packard, Corvallis, Ore. Outreach award winners make a special effort to inform the public on what it means to be a Performance Track member through presentations, promotional materials, and employee awareness.
Two state agencies—the State of Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Services, and the State of South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Waste Management Division—are receiving special recognition for supporting Performance Track and its members. Louisiana expedited issuance of air and water permits for Marathon Oil based on the company's exemplary environmental performance and Performance Track membership. In South Dakota, the state agency collaborated with Ellsworth Air Force Base to provide regulatory benefits that enable the facility to pursue an ambitious set of environmental goals.
Besides giving out awards, Administrator Johnson will also officially welcome 97 new facilities that have joined Performance Track since May 2007.
Major Companies, Labor, and Other Groups Show Support of Boxer/Lieberman/Warner Substitute to the Climate Security Act
"As Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I am gratified that support continues to build for the Boxer/Lieberman/Warner bill," Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said.
Business
Alcoa
Avista Corporation
Calpine Corporation
Constellation Energy
E2
Entergy Corporation
Exelon Corporation
FPL Group
General Electric
National Grid
NRG Energy Inc.
PG&E Corporation
Public Service Enterprise Group
Labor
Building and Construction Trades Department AFL-CIO
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, AFL-CIO
Laborers' International Union of North America
International Union of Operating Engineers
United Association of Journeyman and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers
Local Government
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California
The United States Conference of Mayors
Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco, CA
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor of Seattle, WA
National Association of Clean Air Agencies
Environmental and Conservation Organizations
Environmental Defense Action Fund
Izaak Walton League of America
National Parks Conservation Association
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Pew Environment Group
Trout Unlimited
Faith Organizations
Evangelical Environmental Network, Evangelical Climate Initiative
National Council of Churches
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Interfaith Power and Light Campaign
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
State Grants Help Promote Motor Oil Recycling Programs
"Improper disposal of used motor oil poses a great risk to the environment, as well as the health and safety of our residents," Board Chair Margo Reid Brown said. "These grants will increase used oil recycling and reduce improper disposal practices."
These projects will help boost the amount of used oil that is recycled yearly. Of the nearly 153 million gallons of used oil generated annually in California, only 59% is now being recycled.
Used oil is very recyclable and can be re-refined or processed into fuel oil. Unfortunately, not enough is being recycled. In 2006, 153 million gallons of lubricating oil were sold in California. Approximately 33%, or 50 million gallons, leaked out of engines or was burned. Yet, of the remaining 102 million gallons, just 88 million gallons were recycled, leaving approximately 14 million gallons unaccounted for and possibly improperly disposed of down storm drains, into lakes or streams, or into the garbage.
The Board’s Used Oil competitive grant program is designed to provide resources to explore new program activities and/or to transfer proven program ideas and best practices to a larger pool of communities in order to enhance overall used oil and oil filter collection and recycling. Competitive grants can spur innovation, which may later be covered by local "Block Grant" used oil and filter collection programs.
Environmental Groups Sue EPA for Failure to Adopt Strong Ozone Standards
Public interest law firm Earthjustice is filing the lawsuit on behalf of the American Lung Association, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Environmental Defense Fund, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), and Appalachian Mountain Club over the standards EPA adopted in March. The standards for ozone pollution—commonly known as smog—are not only far weaker than what was unanimously recommended by EPA science advisors, but also leave public health and the environment at great risk, the groups contend.
"EPA officials ignored the advice of their own scientists when they chose these deficient standards, but they can't ignore the law," said Earthjustice attorney David Baron, who filed the lawsuit. "The Clean Air Act requires EPA to adopt standards strong enough to protect our lungs and our environment. We're fighting to make sure that happens. Stronger standards could save thousands of lives, by some estimates."
Today's lawsuit is being filed as EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson comes under fire for bowing to White House pressure to reject stronger smog standards. Johnson was grilled last week by members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, who asked why he rejected the advice of scientists in setting the standard. He testified beside the head of EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, Dr. Rogene Henderson, who critiqued Johnson's actions, telling committee members: "Policymakers wandered into science and they did not do it well," adding, "willful ignorance triumphed over sound science."
Henderson's committee had recommended that the agency set the health standard at between 60 and 70 parts-per-billion. Instead, Johnson and the EPA set the standard at 75 parts-per-billion, leaving asthmatics, young children, the elderly, and others at greater risk for lung and heart disease than the standard recommended by health experts, the groups contend.
"By enforcing the nation's clean air laws, we can lift the veil of dangerous smog over our cities and prevent its harmful reach across America to our grand forests and croplands," said Vickie Patton, Environmental Defense Fund Deputy General Counsel.
Smog is linked to premature deaths, thousands of emergency room visits, and tens of thousands of asthma attacks each year. Ozone is especially dangerous to small children and senior citizens, who are often warned to stay indoors on polluted days.
The lawsuit also challenges EPA's refusal to adopt a separate standard urged by its scientists and the National Park Service to protect the environment and wildlife in national parks from smog impacts. Ozone pollution can cause substantial damage to trees and plants, stunting their growth, making them much more susceptible to disease, and leading to the yellowing or mottling of leaves. The science advisors unanimously called for a special growing season standard to protect forests and crops from ozone damage, and the Park Service strongly agreed, but EPA—on direct orders from the White House—rejected their advice.
"Visitors to national parks throughout the country can see ugly scars on plants and trees caused by ozone pollution," said Mark Wenzler, director of Clean Air and Climate Programs at National Parks Conservation Association. "The Administration had an opportunity to heal some of this damage, but instead followed a familiar pattern of siding with big polluters over clean air in our parks."
The standards adopted by EPA also ignored the more than 60,000 signatures gathered by Earthjustice as part of the group's Adopt the Sky campaign, which called upon Johnson to set the standard at no greater than 60 parts-per-billion.
"Smoking gun documents disclose that White House political science trumped sound science and the law in setting EPA's ozone standard," said John Walke, Clean Air Director with NRDC. "We must now turn to the courts to enforce the law that EPA and the President refused to uphold."
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Releases Climate Change White Paper
The Committee on Energy and Commerce and its Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality are issuing a series of Climate Change Legislative Design White Papers as the next step toward enactment of an economy-wide climate change program. The White Paper discusses ways to keep costs as low as possible while still achieving environmental goals.
Closed EPA Libraries to Return in Lavatory-Sized Spaces
Ordered by Congress to re-open its shuttered libraries, the EPA is grudgingly allocating only minimal space and resources, according to agency documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). At the same time, EPA is issuing a series of edicts placing virtually every aspect of library operations under centralized control of a political appointee.
In a May 8, 2008, e-mail to EPA employee unions, the agency announced its plan for re-opening four of the closed libraries effective September 1. The unions were given until May 22 to reply or object. The announced plan for the Chicago library, formerly the largest regional library serving the entire six-state Great Lakes area, stipulates:
- The re-opened library will be in a vacant reception area on the 16th floor of a federal building.
- The re-opened library will occupy less than one-tenth the area of the closed library and will be only slightly larger than the typical men’s restroom in that same building.
- No provision is made to restore the unique Great Lakes ecological collection or to recover any of the other holdings from the former library.
Similarly, the regional library in Dallas serving a five-state area will be reduced to “two staff workstations and one patron workstation, each with a PC, desk, and chair.” It will be open six hours a day for four days a week. The fate of its former collection also remains unknown.
“A library requires more space than a lavatory,” stated PEER Associate Director Carol Goldberg. “These plans appear to violate the Congressional order that the agency ‘restore the network of EPA libraries recently closed…’ What part of ‘restore’ doesn’t EPA understand?”
Adding to the disruption caused by its 20-month library closure campaign, EPA has installed one political appointee, Molly O’Neill, the Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information, as library czar, in charge of all library operations, including those serving laboratories and specialized programs.
New rules issued by O’Neill governing every facet of library operations, including detailed directives on handling research and information requests and priorities for materials disbursal or destruction, will go into effect next month. These new rules will repeal agency protocols that have been in effect since 1977.
“Even as many collections remain in crates, EPA has decided to micromanage what is left,” Goldberg added, noting that the agency has still not accounted for many of the library holdings it had removed. “Professional librarians should be making these management decisions, not political appointees.”
Some Biofuels Might Do More Harm Than Good to the Environment, Study Finds
Biofuels based on ethanol, vegetable oil, and other renewable sources are increasingly popular with government and environmentalists as a way to reduce fossil fuel dependence and limit greenhouse gas emissions.
But new research led by a biologist at the University of Washington, Bothell, shows that some of the most popular current biofuel stocks might have exactly the opposite impacts than intended.
The study looked at factors such as the energy needed to produce a renewable fuel source compared with how much energy is produced, the impact on soil fertility and effects on food supply when fuels based on crops such as corn and soybeans are mixed with fossil fuels. Based on those factors, the authors determined that corn-based ethanol is the worst alternative overall.
"It's foolish to say we should be developing a particular biofuel when that could mean that we’re just replacing one problem with another," said lead author Martha Groom of UW Bothell. Coauthors are Elizabeth Gray of The Nature Conservancy and Patricia Townsend of the UW Seattle.
The authors argue that precise calculations are needed to determine the ecological footprints of large-scale cultivation of various crops used for biofuels. They note, for example, that because such large amounts of energy are required to grow corn and convert it to ethanol, the net energy gain of the resulting fuel is modest. Using a crop such as switchgrass, common forage for cattle, would require much less energy to produce the fuel, and using algae would require even less. Changing direction to biofuels based on switchgrass or algae would require significant policy changes, because the technologies to produce such fuels are not fully developed.
The paper's policy suggestions are "not definitive at all," Groom said, "but rather each category calls out a question and is a starting point in trying to find the proper answers."
These concerns are becoming more acute with the rapid rise of both food and fuel prices, she said. The issue is especially touchy for farmers who might for the first time be realizing significant profits on their crops, but it also is a serious concern for motorists.
"I've heard about people getting their gas tanks siphoned, and I hadn't heard of that since the '70s," she said.
A difficulty, Groom said, is that while escalating prices add pressure to find less costly fuel sources, acting too hastily could create a host of other problems. For example, farmers who plant only corn because it is suddenly profitable, and don't rotate with crops such as soybeans, are likely to greatly deplete their soil, which could limit crop growth and promote soil erosion.
Also, some plants are better than others for absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while others perhaps need more cultivation, which requires more fossil fuel for farm equipment. In addition, fertilization, watering, and harvesting all require energy.
The study took about a year to conduct and is a synthesis of peer-reviewed research published in a various journals. The scientists examined the literature looking for indicators of biofuels that are more sustainable and carry a smaller ecological footprint, then used that information to derive the policy recommendations.
The primary audiences for the work are policy makers, students, and other biologists, Groom said. The primary goals are to establish a logical basis to evaluate options for biofuel development and to spur new research to find the most ecologically promising alternatives.
"We don't want to make new mistakes. If we don't ask the right questions to start with, we're going to replace old problems with new ones," she said.
Policy Recommendations Offered in the Study
- Calculate a biofuel's ecological footprint
- Promote only biofuels that can be produced sustainably
- Select highly efficient species for biofuels
- Work to minimize land needed for biofuels
- Encourage reclamation of degraded areas
- Prohibit clearing areas for more cultivation
- Promote use of energy crops that require less fertilizer, pesticide, and energy
- Promote native and perennial species
- Prohibit use of invasive species
- Promote crop rotation on cultivated lands
- Encourage soil conservation
- Promote only biofuels that are at least net carbon neutral
New Canadian Regulations Tighten Controls on Restricted Chemicals
The Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, announced that new regulations for these chemicals, known as explosives precursors, will be implemented under the Explosives Act.
“Following extensive public consultation, the Government of Canada has developed new regulations for specific chemicals that reflect our commitment to public safety and security while minimizing impact on Canadian industry and end-users,” said Minister Lunn. “The new regulations will increase security measures related to the sale of these chemicals as well as prohibit the re-sale of ammonium nitrate by customers.”
The new regulations will require that anyone who sells ammonium nitrate or any of the eight other chemicals be registered with the Explosives Regulatory Division of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and comply with security measures for storage, recordkeeping, and customer identification.
“Our government believes that new controls on explosives precursors are necessary to reduce the risk of terrorist acts,” said Minister Day. “This list of chemicals was drawn up on the basis of expert scientific and security analyses and includes chemicals that pose the greatest risk, and therefore, require regulatory control.”
The nine chemicals to be controlled under the new regulations currently have a wide range of legitimate uses, such as ammonium nitrate, which is commonly used in agriculture as fertilizer. The chemicals are: ammonium nitrate; nitric acid; nitromethane; hydrogen peroxide; potassium nitrate; sodium nitrate; potassium chlorate; sodium chlorate; and potassium perchlorate.
The regulations take effect for ammonium nitrate on June 1, 2008, and for the eight other restricted chemicals on March 1, 2009.
The government will provide registration and annual reporting procedures and services and will undertake outreach activities to raise awareness of the regulations with both sellers and end-users. NRCan will work in partnership with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to undertake compliance inspections for ammonium nitrate utilizing the cross-country network of CFIA inspectors.
Cornell is Studying Fabrics Capable of Rendering Toxic Chemicals Harmless
Cornell fiber scientist Juan Hinestroza is working with the U.S. government to create fabrics made of functional nanofibers that would decompose toxic industrial chemicals into harmless by-products. Potential applications include safety gear for U.S. soldiers and filtration systems for buildings and vehicles.
Hinestroza, assistant professor of fiber science in the College of Human Ecology, is a member of two teams that secured more than $2.2 million from the U.S. Department of Defense; about $875,000 will go directly to Hinestoza's work. Both grants are multi-university collaborative efforts funded through the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
"These nanostructures could be used in creating advanced air filtration and personal protection systems against airborne chemical threats and can find many applications in buildings, airplanes, as well as personal respirators," Hinestroza said.
The first project, in collaboration with North Carolina State University, is aimed at understanding how very small electrical charges present in fibers and nanofibers can help in capturing nanoparticles, bacteria, and viruses.
"Understanding how these charges are injected into the fibers and how they are dissipated under different environmental conditions can open an avenue to significant improvements in air filtration technology," Hinestroza said.
The position and distribution of the electrical charges on the nanofibers will be fed into computerized fluid dynamics algorithms developed by Andrey Kutznetsov of N.C. State to predict the trajectory of the nanoparticles challenging the filter. Hinestroza and N.C. State's Warren Jasper pioneered work in this area a couple of years ago.
The second project, in collaboration with the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), will study the incorporation of a new type of molecules—called metal organic polyhedra and metal organic frameworks—onto polymeric nanofibers to trap dangerous gases as toxic industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents, then decompose them into substances that are less harmful to humans and capture them for further decontamination. The synthesis of these molecules was pioneered by Omar Yaghi of UCLA.
This project will also look into the potential toxicity of these nanofiber–nanoparticle systems to humans in collaboration with Andre Nel from UCLA Medical School.
California GHG Mandatory Reporting Workshops
On June 20, 2008, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff is holding a general workshop for mandatory greenhouse gas reporting. The ARB will provide an overview of the reporting requirements and information about program implementation, with an emphasis on General Stationary Combustion Sources. ARB is also preparing guidance documents for the regulation and would appreciate your input to identify those parts of the regulation where additional guidance would be helpful.
German Scientists Create Non-Polluting Explosives
Scientists in Germany are reporting development of a new generation of explosives that is more powerful than TNT and other existing explosives, less apt to detonate accidentally, and produce fewer toxic by-products.
In the new study, Thomas M. Klap?tke and Carles Mir? Sabate point out that conventional explosives such as TNT, RDX, and HMX, widely used in military weapons, are rich in carbon and tend to produce toxic gases upon ignition. In addition to polluting the environment, these materials are also highly sensitive to physical shock, such as hard impacts and electric sparks, making their handling extremely dangerous. Greener, safer explosives are needed, the researchers suggest.
To meet this need, Klap?tke and Sabate turned to a recently explored class of materials called tetrazoles, which derive most of their explosive energy from nitrogen instead of carbon. They identified two promising tetrazoles: HBT and G2ZT. The researchers developed tiny “bombs” out of these materials and detonated them in the laboratory. The materials showed less sensitivity to shock than conventional explosives and produced fewer toxic products when burned, the researchers say.
Electronic Waste Disposal: A Growing Challenge
Millions of tons of unwanted computers, cell phones, and other electronic waste (E-waste) are filling the world’s recycling bins each year.
C&EN Senior Editor Jeff Johnson points out that barely 15% of the estimated two million tons of E-waste produced each year in the United States is recycled or reused. Leftovers are often shipped to poorer countries like Africa, India, or China, where workers face health dangers as they attempt to remove lesser valued, more toxic parts, the article notes.
But change may be around the corner. Environmental advocates, community groups, Congress, and some in the electronics industry are seeking alternatives to these “informal” recycling efforts, including the manufacture of “greener” electronic parts and equipment, tougher regulations on the disposal and shipping of E-waste, and “take back” programs that encourage manufacturers to collect the E-waste that they produce, according to the article.
Trivia Question of the Week
How much oil does it take per year to produce the plastic water bottles used in the United States?
a. 15,000 barrels
b. 150,000 barrels
c. 15 million barrels
d. 150 million barrels
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