With hunting season starting around the country, Chronic Wasting Disease is again in the news. CWD belongs to the same group of brain diseases as Mad Cow Disease.  Little is understood about this disease that affects elk and deer, except that all infected animals lose bodily functions and eventually die. According to many scientists, CWD seems more likely to occur in areas where deer or elk are crowded or where they congregate at man-made feed and water stations.  Also, the importation and exportation of deer and elk among states and game farms has most likely contributed to the spread of the disease by keeping herds in close quarters. Once thought to be well-contained in a small area of northeast Colorado and southern Wyoming, the disease now has been detected in the wild in Nebraska, New Mexico, Wisconsin and South Dakota. To learn what your state can do to keep CWD out, visit SERC's Chronic Wasting Disease site at http://serconline.org/CWD.

Headliner: Scientists Say a Quest for Clean Energy Must Begin Now (NY Times 11/1)

Meeting the world's rising energy needs without increasing global warming will require a research effort as ambitious as the Apollo project to put a man on the moon, says a diverse group of scientists and engineers. To supply energy needs 50 years from now without further influencing the climate, up to three times the total amount of energy now generated using fossil fuels will have to be produced using methods that generate no heat-trapping greenhouse gases, the scientists said in the journal Science. In addition, they said, the use of fossil fuels will have to decline, and to achieve these goals research will have to begin immediately. Without prompt action, the atmosphere's concentration of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, is expected to double from pre-industrial levels by the end of this century, the scientists said. As they now exist, most energy technologies, said the scientists, "have severe deficiencies." Solar panels, new nuclear power options, windmills, control technologies for fossil fuel emissions and other options are either inadequate or require vastly more research and development than is currently planned in the U.S. or elsewhere, they said. Some environmental activists criticized the study's focus on still-distant technologies, saying it could distract from efforts to do what is possible now to reduce emissions of warming gases. For more, see http://www.serconline.org/cleanenergypage.html.

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Watchdog: Alaska Group Targets Conservation Candidates for Attacks (Anchorage Daily News 10/28)

Many Alaska candidates -- including governor hopeful Fran Ulmer -- have been assailed during this election by opposing candidates or groups for having the support of environmentalists. Tom Atkinson, executive director of Alaska Conservation Voters, said he has never seen so much anti-environmentalist election talk in his 31 years in Alaska. Much of the "extreme environmentalist" talk has come from a new soft money group called Supporting Alaska's Free Enterprise. Its executive director, Curtis Thayer, said that SAFE is working to counter the growing influence of environmental groups in Alaska's elections. Alaska Conservation Voters emerged about five years ago and showed muscle in the 2000 elections. The group's director, Atkinson, said Alaska Conservation Voters does not oppose development but believes it can be balanced with a clean environment. He thinks voters will resist anti-environmentalist rhetoric. "We want candidates . . . to support clean air, clean water and livable communities," Atkinson said. "We know that the majority of the Alaska public supports the same thing."

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News from the States:

North Carolina Ponders Farm Bill Fund Allocations (Raleigh News and Observer 11/1)

A fund controlled by the North Carolina state office of the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service is suddenly the object of attention from state officials and environmentalists. That's because the state budget is vise-tight and the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) is one of NC’s few governmental money pots that will be significantly fatter in 2003 -- jumping from $3.5 million in 2001 to as much as $12 million, thanks to the Farm Bill that Congress approved this year. By 2007, that amount could rise to as much as $25 million. Representatives of four environmental groups, the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Gov. Mike Easley's office have attended meetings of the committee crafting guidelines for handing out the money. These observers are keenly interested in finding cash for environmental needs. Topping the list are two things that the Governor strongly backs: open space preservation and the conversion of pollution-prone hog waste lagoons to new-technology systems.

Clean Energy Plan helps Midwest (Argus Leader 11/1)

Ten states in the Midwest, including South Dakota, could see a "job jolt," gaining significant numbers of new jobs and income by switching to renewable energy during the next 20 years. Those are the findings of a report presented Thursday by the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC), Chicago. Following the guidelines in the report could create up to 214,600 new jobs across the Midwest region by 2020, up to $5.5 billion in additional worker income and up to $20 billion in increased economic activity, said Hans Detweiler, the ELPC's regional spokesman. The ELPC shortened the study's long title to simply "Job Jolt," referring to potential jobs that would be created if the states pursue the clean-energy plans outlined in the report. The more than 100-page report promotes modern energy-efficient technologies and development of renewable energy resources, especially from wind power and biomass (organic) energy - power locked inside agricultural crops such as switchgrass and cornhusks. The study was done for the ELPC by the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory (REAL), a nationally renowned research center of the University of Illinois. Hundreds of thousands of dollars and many hours went into the research, using the university's economic modeling techniques to determine the economic impacts of implementing the clean-energy development plan, Detweiler said.

Suit Seeks Listing for Wolverines (Billings Gazette 10/9)

Five environmental groups are suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to get more protection for the wolverine, a ferocious member of the weasel family that is in danger of extinction. The chocolate-brown carnivores are disappearing from the cold northern areas they roam and need to be federally protected, the groups said. Wolverine populations once stretched from California to Maine. But David Gaillard a spokesman for Predator Conservation Alliance said it is believed that fewer than 750 wolverines remain in just four states - Montana, Washington, Idaho and Wyoming. The strongest population is in Montana, the only state that still allows the animals to be trapped for their fur. Environmentalists had asked the FWS to consider listing wolverines for protection in the mid-1990s. The agency declined, however, saying too little was known about the secretive, high-terrain dwellers to make an informed decision. The groups petitioned again in 2000, offering a number of scientific studies proving a dwindling population, Gaillard said. The lawsuit seeks to force a decision on the petition.

Schools Learning to keep Pests away without Toxins (Syracuse Post-Standard 10/29)

Pests that once met a toxic end now stay away from school buildings, or they die an environmentally friendly death. A new New York law requires 48-hour notice before use of certain restricted pesticides. Schools all over NY have been looking for poison-free ways to rid their buildings, playgrounds and athletic fields of pests. The process is called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Cornell Cooperative Extension researchers have started a three-year study at the North Syracuse schools to see if IPM techniques can save time and money - something every school district wants. The techniques focus on closing access for pests into buildings and deterring their presence on grounds. Weeds are another pesky problem which is solved with a device called an Aquacide, which steams weeds to death. Potentially, IPM could be taught to all NY's students, modeled after Pennsylvania's curriculum. For more on healthy schools, visit http://serc.com/chemicals/.

Panthers Unwelcome in Arkansas (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 10/28)

A biologist team from seven states is studying 14 potential relocation sites for a group of endangered Florida panthers. The panthers, also called southeastern cougars, mountain lions, or pumas, once roamed AR, MS, TN, AL, GA, SC, and FL. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to strengthen their gene pool and spread the cats out because they produced a record 30 cubs this year. Despite adequate habitat, Arkansas refused to join the team, largely due to public opposition and fear. In fact, in 2001, after 25 years of no wild cats, AR took them off the endangered species list, adopting the policy that they have no cougars. The U.S. FWS could decide to return cats to Arkansas after a 2-year study of the locations, however. A Georgia team member doubts relocation will build the cougar population, especially if the public is not ready for their return.

Suit against EPA Fights use of Pesticide in Florida (St. Petersburg Times 10/29)

Florida Wildlife Federation, the Defenders of Wildlife and the American Bird Conservancy recently filed suit against the EPA for allowing the use of a particularly harmful pesticide for state mosquito control activities. Fenthion, known commercially as Baytex and once used in a product called Rid-A-Bird, is blamed for the death of birds, butterflies, and crabs. Fenthion was nearly discontinued in 1980s and is made exclusively for Florida's mosquito control districts.

Pennsylvania Water Resources Legislation Urged at Planners Meeting (PA DEP 11/1)

Pennsylvania Dept. of Env. Protection Secretary David E. Hess asked PA Planning Association (PPA) members for their support of water resources legislation as part of a comprehensive planning effort across the state. Secretary Hess emphasized that Gov. Schweiker's proposed water-resources legislative initiative would provide an effective way to plan for the state's future. The proposed water resources legislation will provide an opportunity to accomplish four objectives that were recommended at Water Forums held all over PA in spring 2001: Update the state water plan; identify Critical Water Planning Areas; promote voluntary water conservation; and improve stormwater management and establish private water-well standards. Addressing water resources is the last of the three major recommendations made by the Governor's 21st Century Environment Commission. The commission also recommended adopting a watershed approach to the environment, which resulted in the "Growing Greener" Watershed Protection Program, and recommended improving land use policies, which produced the "Growing Smarter" initiative.

Fuel Economy of New Cars Continues to Decline (Charlotte Observer 10/31)

The average fuel economy of the fleet of 2003 model cars and light trucks is 20.8 miles per gallon. That's about 6 percent below the high point of 22.1 set 15 years ago.  In spite of new technology that allows for the development of more efficient conventional cars as well as very efficient hybrids, SUV sales have caused average fuel economy to decline steadily since the 1988 model year.  

Arkansas Rep. Proposes New Alternative Energy Plan (Arkansas News Bureau 10/29)

Rep. Herschel Cleveland, D-Paris, outlined a plan on Monday that would create an "alternative fuels" commission by levying a tax on Arkansas electric and gas users. Under Cleveland's bill, a 25 cents tax would be levied on every residential electric and gas meter each month. Additionally, commercial and industrial users would be charged 25 cents per $1,000 of electric or natural gas use on each monthly bill.  The estimated $2 million in revenue raised by the tax would be used to help finance the development of alternative fuels from resources inside the state including wind, solar, sawdust, and chicken litter from Arkansas’s 2,700 poultry farms.  For more on energy planning, see http://www.serconline.org/cleanenergy.pdf.

Recycle Your Computer with Dell (ENN 10/31)

In a move to reduce the environmental impact of their products, Dell has started a computer recycling program in the U.S. similar to the one available to European consumers. Consumers can send their old computer equipment to Dell (paying only the cost of shipping), who will then recycle it. If the equipment is still useable, consumers can opt to trade up, auction off, or donate their computer instead. Dell joins HP and IBM in offering this kind of service. While recycling programs like this are a huge step forward from dumping old computers in landfills (where they leach toxins), recycling advocates worry that charging consumers to recycle will limit the success of such programs. For more information on how states are dealing with electronic waste, see http://www.serconline.org/ewaste.html. For more information about Dell’s program, see http://www.dellexchange.com/.

Common Herbicide Impacts Frog Populations (ENN 10/31)

Amphibian populations around the world have been declining for decades, and no one knows exactly why. American scientists have been studying the effect of Atrazine, the most common herbicide in the U.S., on frogs for almost 30 years. A number of studies have found negative effects of Atrazine on frog populations, including changes in sex ratio, increased rates of hermaphrodism, and increased mortality. This herbicide is an endocrine disruptor, which means that is mimics the body’s hormones, and can affect the production of testosterone. A recent study in the journal Nature suggests that Atrazine may have similar effects on all amphibians. Atrazine is found in most water sources in the U.S., including rainwater. For more on harmful lawn products, see http://www.serconline.org/greenlawns.html.