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.Despite warnings from two panels of experts and a revised EPA report on pre-natal exposure to the toxin, the Bush Administration decided to formally propose an EPA rule that would allow polluters to emit more toxic mercury from their facilities. An EPA advisory committee with experts from universities, public health agencies, industry, and advocacy groups wrote a letter to Administrator Mike Leavitt last month, expressing concern over areas of high concentrations of mercury that could develop with the Bush Administration's cap-and-trade proposal to control the heavy metal. A separate National Academy of Sciences report commissioned by Congress brought up its own concerns over the proposed policy and these so-called "hot spots." EPA recently doubled its estimate on the number of children born in the US that are at risk for developmental disorders from pre-natal exposure to the toxic heavy metal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that already, the blood of 1 in 12 women of childbearing age has elevated levels of mercury -- more	Seven Percent Non-Solution The Bush Administration released its 2005 budget request this week and to nobody's surprise, the environment comes up on the short end. The $2.4 trillion budget cuts EPA's funding by over 7 percent. The Administration tried to paint the gutting of the environmental budget in a green light. At a press conference, EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt said "With the President's budget, we can increase the velocity of environmental protection." Whatever that means... Besides cutting the EPA budget, the Administration is looking to slash endangered species recovery efforts by $9.8 million -- a 14 percent reduction -- and decrease the budget for the Forest Service by 7.6 percent. And as if to prove our point that President Bush is the worst anti-environment president in memory, the Bush Budget includes revenue projections for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Report predicts asthma epidemic from pollution April 30, 2004 By Maggie Fox, Reuters WASHINGTON — Poor and minority children are likely to develop asthma at worsening rates due to global warming and air pollution, environment experts predicted Thursday. They released a report showing that as the climate gets warmer, allergens such as pollen and mold will flood the air, interacting with urban pollutants such as ozone and soot to fuel an already growing epidemic of asthma. " It is affecting the trees, the molds, the subsurface organisms," Dr. Paul Epstein of Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment, told a news conference. " The combination of air pollutants, aeroallergens, heat waves, and unhealthy air masses — increasingly associated with a changing climate — causes damage to the respiratory systems, particularly in growing children, and these impacts disproportionately affect poor and minority groups in the inner cities," the report reads. The report finds that asthma among U.S. preschool children, ages 3 to 5, grew 160 percent between 1980 to 1994. " This is a real wake-up call for people who think global warming is only going to be a problem way off in the future or that it has no impact on their lives in a meaningful way," said Christine Rogers, a senior research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. "The problem is here today for these children, and it is only going to get worse." Rogers, Epstein, and the American Public Health Association worked together on the report. Most climate experts agree that the world is becoming steadily warmer and that human activity is much to blame. Burning fossil fuels such as coal and gas releases carbon dioxide into the air. Invisible Blanket The carbon dioxide forms a kind of invisible blanket that traps the sun's radiation. While average temperatures warm, the effects are not predictable and even. Storms may become more severe and some areas may get colder weather. The report finds that in some regions, winter is ending weeks earlier than before and plants are releasing their pollen earlier than ever, accelerating the hay fever season. Pollen and fungal spores can worsen asthma, a serious medical condition whose symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, chest pain, or tightness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 9 million U.S. children have been diagnosed with asthma and more than 4 million have had an asthma attack in the past 12 months. It says 4,487 people died from asthma in 2000, most of them adults. Asthma affects blacks more than any other group and affects 16 percent of children from poor families, as opposed to 11 percent of children living above the poverty line. The CDC also says 9 million U.S. children were reported with respiratory allergies in 2002. The report makes clear links among asthma, allergies, and urban air pollution. " Rising levels of carbon dioxide, in addition to trapping more heat, promote pollen production in plants, increase fungal growth, and alter species composition in plant communities by favoring opportunistic weeds like ragweed and poison ivy," the report reads. "Diesel particulates help deliver and present pollen and mold allergens to the immune system in the lungs," it adds. " The good news is we can do something about this," Epstein said. "Green" buildings with roof gardens to keep them cool and insulation to keep heat from leaking would help, as would improving public transport and encouraging the use of hybrid vehicles that rely less on fossil fuels. ECONOMIC VIEW Factories Move Abroad, as Does U.S. Power By LOUIS UCHITELLE Manufacturing is slowly disappearing in the United States. Why does this matter? The U.S. can't build a future without manufacturing. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/17/business/yourmoney/17VIEW.html?th Just a few of the Rollbacks 2003: *August 28, 2003: The Bush administration finalized controversial changes to federal clean air rules that allow the nation's 17,000 industrial facilities to upgrade and extend their operations without installing additional pollution controls *May 14, 2003: The EPA proposes delaying new rules to reduce smog, endangering the lives of 47 million Americans living in polluted urban areas. *April 11, 2003: The Bush Administration announces that it will restrict the number of acres that are eligible for wilderness protection, potentially allowing development of millions of acres of federal lands. *March 25, 2003: The decision to phase out polluting snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks is overturned despite massive public outcry. *February 3, 2003: The budget proposal for fiscal year 2004 cuts funding to the EPA, land conservation, and renewable energy programs. *January 3, 2003: Certain timber sales are excluded from environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act.   GenSelf Completes Installation of Nation's Largest Residential Rooftop Solar Power System (CSRwire )IRVINE, CA - GenSelf Corporation of Irvine, CA has completed the installation of the largest rooftop residential solar electric power system in the United States. The 44.5kW grid tied system provides approximately 90% of the electricity for a large home in Southern California. The electrical loads include air conditioning units, water pumps, and outdoor lighting for the expansive compound. The system consists of 270 Sharp 165-watt modules and 15 SMA 2500 "Sunny Boy" inverters obtained from SunWize Technologies. The homeowner purchased the system to dramatically reduce the almost $20,000 annual electricity bill and contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. The system will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 95,000 lbs per year (equivalent to almost 13 acres of trees) and provide an estimated annual savings of over $17,500 at current utility rates. The system has a projected lifetime savings of $698,052. This grid tied system is eligible for the Southern California Edison Self-Generation Incentive Program as well as State tax incentives, reducing the installed cost by approximately 56%. "GenSelf and SunWize worked together to design a system that would be economically feasible and qualify for the utility rebate program," stated Gordon Bloom, project manager for GenSelf Corporation. "We are very excited about the results. Partnering with SunWize and Sharp Electronics has helped propel our incredible growth. All three enterprises were instrumental in the procurement and execution of this showcase installation." British supermarket company Iceland, the first supermarket chain to ban genetically modified foods, announced yesterday that it is investing more than $13 million in a push to make organic produce available to customers at prices comparable to those of foods grown with pesticides. Iceland has made deals to buy nearly 40 percent of the world's organic produce, and it plans to invest $1.5 million in the British National Trust's farming program to increase the amount of organic farmland in Britain. source	By Benjamin Spillman The Desert Sun September 6th, 2003 More than 8,800 acres of Coachella Valley land once slated to host homes and golf courses would be set aside to protect plants and animals if environmentalists close a real estate deal they discussed Friday. The massive tract of rough terrain on the outskirts of Joshua Tree National Park will be preserved for wildlife if conservationists can raise $26 million by the end of the year to buy the property, according to E.J. Remson of The Nature Conservancy, the international group brokering the deal. If environmentalists can’t pull the money together, the owner could still develop the land, Remson added. "I don’t even want to think about that," he said. The president of Cathton Holdings, the property owner, did not return calls to confirm the structure of the proposed deal. The pact involves more than 40 percent of the developable land slated for future conservation by local governments in the valley, according to Bill Havert, executive director of the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy. Havert said that if the conservationists can’t raise all the money by Dec. 31, they have the option to buy a portion of the property, a scenario he wants to avoid. "Our intent is to do the full deal," he said. On Monday, the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy is scheduled to consider contributing $10 million to the effort, a crucial donation to the funding drive. The conservancy got the money through Proposition 40, a $2.6 billion conservation bond voters approved in 2002. The rest of the purchase money likely will come from a variety of public and private contributions. "We would not have entered into this deal if we didn’t think we could do it," Remson said. "But it is a large challenge." The property has been the subject of a tug of war between developers who proposed building a 7,000 home, self-contained community and environmentalists who said the virtual city known as Joshua Hills would decimate wildlife in a nearby preserve and spoil the natural beauty of the park. "The visual impact would have been totally inappropriate," said Howard Gross, California desert spokesman for the National Parks Conservation Association, noting the property’s location at the base of Keys View, a popular lookout point in the park. "People come to national parks to get away from views of sprawling development." The development also threatened to block the movement of sand and species to and from the Coachella Valley Preserve. The preserve is the last refuge for most of the valley’s remaining, active sand dunes and the unique species that live on them. The property in question provides some of the sand that feeds the dunes. It also provides safe passage for species between the preserve and the park. Longtime Coachella Valley developer Richard Oliphant recently scrapped his plan to build Joshua Hills, complete with homes, golf courses, high tech jobs and a university. He cited opposition from environmentalists and an unaccommodating proposed county land use plan. Oliphant’s departure left the owners with a choice of continuing to pursue development or striking a deal with the environmental groups. "Life is too short sometimes to go through with the agony of this process," said Marvin Roos, a Palm Springs urban planner who helped craft visions for the property. Roos disagreed with the notion a planned community at the site constituted irresponsible growth. In fact, the large, consolidated parcel gives potential developers more options to accommodate smart growth, he said. "The notion that development of Joshua Hills was sprawl was just balderdash," said Roos, citing the need to keep pace with rapid population growth. "Where are these people going to go? Are they going to go to Wichita?" Despite the promise of jobs and housing, intense development of the rural tract never won support from 4th District County Supervisor Roy Wilson. Wilson, whose district includes the Coachella Valley, opposed making room for a Joshua Hills-style development at that location. "We have to strike a balance out here or we are going to destroy what people moved to the desert for," Wilson said. Interface Flooring Systems Uses Landfill Emissions to Power Plant Yesterday's Waste Fuels Today's Manufacturing (CSRwire )LAGRANGE, GA - The City of LaGrange, Ga., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Interface Flooring Systems today announced the formation of a partnership to convert naturally occurring methane gas from the local landfill into a green energy source to fuel two heaters and a boiler at Interface's Kyle plant. On hand to sign the agreement today were LaGrange Mayor Jeff Lukken and John Wells, president of Interface Flooring Systems. "We believe this is a first for the American carpet industry," said John Wells. "By turning waste into fuel for our manufacturing process, we are eliminating harmful emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy. We are not only reducing our negative footprint, we are moving towards our goal of being a restorative company." Interface estimates it will reduce natural gas consumption at the plant by 20 percent, but the offset of greenhouse gas emissions is more substantial. "The magnitude of this project is such that it offsets the greenhouse gas emissions for all of Interface's North American carpet manufacturing facilities, making them all climate neutral," said Wells, explaining that unburned methane is 21 times as potent as carbon dioxide in its contribution to global warming.
Calling for more use of renewable energy, hundreds of protestors concerned about global warming demonstrated yesterday at the start of the five-day World Petroleum Congress meeting in Calgary, Canada. The congress, which includes more than 2,500 delegates from 87 countries, is the latest target of anti-globalization groups that have protested against the World Trade Organization and World Bank in the last year. If Canada seems an unlikely place to host a petroleum conference, consider this: The country is now the No. 1 energy supplier to the U.S., thanks to soaring oil and gas exports. Massive gas development projects in the Canadian Arctic could be launched by 2010 despite environmental opposition. source	French citizens are calling for the government to crack down on oil tankers that travel through French waters, reacting to a devastating December 1999 spill that dumped 19,000 tons of oil off the nation's Atlantic coast. The accident, which some are calling France's own "Exxon Valdez," could cost some $1 billion in cleanup expenses and economic losses. Everything from the tourist and seafood industries to gourmet salt operations have been disrupted by the environmental disaster. Cleanup work is still going on, and many citizens are incensed that Total, the French oil company that chartered the problem tanker, is refusing to pay for most of the cleanup and is denying all legal responsibility for the spill. source
Organic farms support substantially more birds, wild plants, and other wildlife than chemical-dependent farms, according to Britain's Soil Association, which surveyed biodiversity studies conducted in Britain and Denmark over the last 13 years.	Europeans would be able to return their outdated electrical goods to the products' manufacturers under a new law proposed by the European Commission yesterday. The proposal aims to cut down on heavy metals and other pollutants in municipal waste by requiring manufacturers to take back electrical goods and recycle at least 60 to 80 percent of the products, starting in five years. Goods affected would range from computers to refrigerators to toys. The proposal needs approval from European Union member states and the European Parliament. The EU recently passed a similar take-back law for automobiles. source
German-American automaker DaimlerChrysler AG announced yesterday that it intends to invest about $1 billion in fuel-cell technology and become the first major auto manufacturer to market fuel-cell vehicles. By 2002, the company plans to produce buses equipped with fuel cells, and by 2004 it will sell fuel-cell cars. Meanwhile, Japanese scientists report in the new issue of the journal Science that they have developed a prototype fuel cell that can operate at much lower temperatures than most fuel cells, an advance that may make fuel-cell technology more viable. source	Forty of the 60 main fish species caught commercially in the northeast Atlantic are being scooped up faster than they can replenish themselves, according to a report to be released later this week at a meeting of the international Ospar Commission, which is charged with protecting the marine environment around Europe. The report also found that as quotas are imposed on traditional catches like cod and haddock, the fishing fleets of developed nations are increasingly chasing deep-water species and pushing their numbers down as well. In addition to concerns about overfishing, delegates to the Ospar meeting will discuss chemical pollution of the seas and radioactivity from nuclear facilities. source
A building under construction and set to open in New York City in 2002 may earn the distinction of being the world's greenest high-rise apartment complex. The 26-floor, 250-unit building is intended to be 30 percent more energy efficient than state codes require. It will take advantage of natural light, use motion-controlled and dimmable lighting, and feature energy-efficient appliances. Solar panels will be used to generate electricity for common areas and hallways. Water from bathtubs and washing machines will be recycled for use in toilets and maintenance work. The high-tech, eco-friendly features are expected to push up building costs by about 15 percent. source	About 150 members of Harvard's graduating class this year wore green ribbons along with their caps and gowns at their commencement ceremony, reminders of their pledge to keep environmental and social responsibility in mind as they choose their jobs. Hundreds of graduating seniors at about 50 other colleges and universities have also made the promise, which reads, "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organization for which I work." source
Sweden's environment minister called yesterday for nuclear and coal power to be phased out of the Baltic Sea region and announced that Sweden wants to be a world leader in developing sources of renewable energy. Kjell Larsson, who spoke at a meeting in Lithuania on the closure of the Chernobyl-style Ignalina nuclear power plant, gave no details on how Sweden might implement such a phaseout. Sweden now has 11 nuclear reactors that supply 48 percent of the nation's energy, with the rest coming primarily from hydropower and renewable sources like sun, wind, and biomass. The German government reached an agreement last week to phase out nuclear power within its borders over the next two decades. source	Arnold, Calif., a longtime logging town, is turning against the industry that supported it for decades. A number of residents are opposing a plan by Sierra Pacific Industries to clear-cut a nearby area, fearing that it would damage the town's burgeoning tourism industry, not to mention the area's water supply "People come here for the trees," says Erin Ross, a fifth-generation Arnold resident and businesswoman. "If they're not finding trees ... they're going to go someplace else." The locals say they wouldn't oppose selective logging, but Sierra Pacific is bent on clear-cutting. source
GREEN AND BEAR IT In a victory for environmentalists, British Columbia is announcing a deal today to ban logging in parts of the Great Bear Rainforest. The agreement comes after a five-year campaign led by Greenpeace to preserve the habitat of the spirit bear, a rare snow-white subspecies of black bear living in the coastal rainforest. Details of the plan were not released yesterday, but B.C. Environment Minister Ian Waddell said it would still allow logging in certain parts of the rainforest. Enviros had convinced companies like Home Depot and Lowes to stop selling Great Bear wood, but the boycotts are expected to end after today's announcement. source	WHOA, CANADA Canada's environmental record ranks second-worst in the world compared to 28 other industrialized nations, according to a study by a professor at the University of Victoria. Sweden came out No. 1, while the U.S. brought up the rear in the study, which ranked per-capita measurements of greenhouse gas emissions, water and energy consumption, logging, and generation of nuclear waste, among other factors. The researcher, David Boyd, said the study revealed that "Canadians talk the talk of environmental protection, but we don't walk the walk." But some conservative critics say the study's per-capita methodology was misleading and weighted the results against heavily industrialized countries like Canada with small population bases. source
"Conservancy pledges millions for land" (Palm Springs Desert Sun, 09/09/2003) "Conservationists seeking to add more than 8,800 acres of real estate to the Coachella Valley's land preservation portfolio got a $10 million boost on Monday. The Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy voted...to help The Nature Conservancy...buy the land on the outskirts of Joshua Tree National Park." Spokesperson says the contribution "by no means seals the deal." The group will try to get more funding from the BLM, the state Wildlife Conservation Board and other government and private sources." Desert Sun	ETHICS PROBE: Top Interior official under investigation for conflicts of interest Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles came under investigation this week by his department's inspector general for his cozy relationship with the oil, gas and mining industries that he's supposed to regulate. Griles was a lobbyist for those same industries before he was appointed by Interior Secretary Gale Norton as her second-in-command, and he hasn't stopped his extensive contacts with his former clients, the news media reported. Griles took part in meetings about oil leases off Florida and California, even though his former clients had huge financial stakes in those issues. Before Griles was confirmed by the Senate in 2001, he agreed to refrain for a year from participating in such issues. To learn more, click here
On September 7th, President Bush asked Congress for an additional $87 billion for the war in Iraq, acknowledging that the engagement in Iraq is going to cost many hundreds of billions of dollars. This was a surprise considering that prior to the war, the administration dismissed such estimates, and even fired its top economic adviser, Lawrence Lindsey, for suggesting those estimates were correct. To get some perspective, here are some real-life comparisons about what $87 billion means. $87b Is More Than The Combined Total Of All State Budget Deficits In The United States The Bush administration proposed absolutely zero funds to help states deal with these deficits, despite the fact that their tax cuts drove down state revenues. [Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities] $87b Is Rougly The Total Of Two Years Worth Of All U.S. Unemployment Benefits The unemployment benefits extension passed by Congress at the beginning of this year provides zero benefits to "workers who exhausted their regular, state unemployment benefits and cannot find work." All told, two thirds of unemployed workers have exhausted their benefits. [Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities] $87b Is More Than Double The Total Amount The Government Spends On Homeland Security. more	08/19/2003 Press release from: World Resources Institute Experts Warn Global Changes Threaten World’s Protected Areas (CSRwire )WASHINGTON, DC -- Experts today warned that global changes such as climate change, growing population, and invasive alien species are threatening the unprecedented gains made in establishing parks and protected areas worldwide which today cover nearly 13 percent of the world's land area. Since the establishment of Yellowstone as the world's first national park in 1872, there are now 102,101 protected areas covering 18.8 million square kilometers. The total protected areas have more than doubled in the last ten years. This is larger than Canada, the United States, and Germany combined. "Many of these protected areas are the last strongholds of nature, and now global changes driven by humans are battering their doors," said Dr. Kenton Miller, vice president for conservation of the World Resources Institute (WRI) and chair of the IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). "We must find ways to adapt to these changes to ensure the long-term sustainability of our parks and protected areas."
08/20/2003 Press release from: Burma Campaign UK 'Dirty List' Exposes Companies Supporting Regime in Burma The Burma Campaign UK today publishes an updated version of its 'Dirty List' of companies whose operations are directly or indirectly helping to finance the military dictatorship in Burma. (CSRwire )LONDON - Advertising giant WPP, Ernst & Young, P&O Cruises, Deutsche Post, and Hutchison Whampoa subsidiaries Superdrug and 3 Mobile have all been added to the Burma Campaign's 'Dirty List'. They join British American Tobacco (BAT), Suzuki, Total Oil, construction firm Kajima, Lonely Planet, Austrian Airlines, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Daewoo, and Orient Express. "The 'Dirty List' exposes companies who are directly or indirectly helping to finance one of the most brutal regimes in the world," said John Jackson, Director of Burma Campaign UK. "Foreign investment and trade can benefit developing countries, but in Burma it helps finance a regime that uses rape, torture and murder to oppress its own people." WPP's successful takeover of Cordiant Communications means they now have a subsidiary in Burma - Bates Myanmar. Ernst & Young have a partner in Burma. P&O Cruises have merged with Carnival Corporation, which operates cruises to Burma. Deutsche Post subsidiary DHL has a subsidiary in Burma which is a joint venture with the regime. Superdrug and 3 mobile join the 'Dirty List' as subsidiaries of Hutchison Whampoa, which operates a port in Burma. Gary Player Design, owned by golf legend Gary Player, Intrepid Travel, PanMacmillan, and Noble Caledonia are other new additions to the list. The list mainly targets British companies or companies with a significant presence in Britain. A total of 78 are named and shamed. An updated 'Clean List' of companies who have pulled out or have policies not to trade with Burma is also released today. These include Premier Oil, Kuoni, M&S, Next, Levi's, Texaco and Triumph International.