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Biomonitoring
Biomonitoring is the direct measurement of environmental chemicals,
their primary metabolites, or their reaction products (such as DNA-adducts)
in people -- usually in blood or urine specimens. Currently, human
exposure information is limited. Reliable and accurate exposure
data are required for studies that examine the relation between
exposure and adverse health effects. Decision makers need information
about which environmental chemicals actually get into people and
at what levels to make decisions about public health issues that
will benefit the American public. Biomonitoring is a type of research
that allows us to measure the "pollution in people" by
analyzing blood, urine, and breast milk samples for pollutants,
synthetic chemicals, and industrial compounds. The data produced
through biomonitoring can support efforts to improve public health
by indicating trends in chemical exposures, identifying disproportionately
affected and particularly vulnerable communities, linking environmental
exposures and pollution-related disease, assessing the effectiveness
of current regulations, and setting priorities for legislative and
regulatory action. More than 85,000 synthetic chemicals have been
introduced in the last 50 years for industrial, farming, and other
uses, yet more than 90% of them have not been tested for their effects
on human health. For more information on biomonitoring and state
actions, visit: http://www.serconline.org/biomonitoring.html. |
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Washington
Gov. Signs Package of Environmental Legislation (Seattle
Post-Intelligencer 4/1)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/167215_enviro01.html
Washington Gov. Gary Locke gave final approval to new, tougher standards
for power plants -- the number one source of carbon dioxide emissions,
which contribute heavily to global warming. The new law, which replaces
the state's policy of determining regulations on a case-by-case
basis, will require all future power projects to offset 20 percent
of their expected carbon dioxide emissions. Plant owners can accomplish
this in a variety of creative ways, from planting trees to paying
for natural-gas-powered transit buses. Existing plants will not
be affected. Gov. Locke says the state's new law is the toughest
in the nation. The legislation is based on an Oregon program that
was started in 1996, and is expected to cost the average household
less than $1 each year. The power plant bill was one in a package
of five bills, signed by the governor last week, aimed at reducing
pollution and strengthening environmental regulations. Other bills
address storm water runoff, oil spill prevention in area waters,
and the introduction of invasive species through ballast water discharge.
Another new law would require the use of "scientifically credible"
data in developing and enforcing water-quality programs that address:
the listing of waters whose beneficial uses are impaired by pollutants;
developing total maximum daily loads (TDMLs) for impaired waters;
determining if beneficial uses are supported; and, determining which
waters are degraded. Proponents of this last bill say it was needed
to clarify rules that were passed in 1995, which required the use
of "best available science," but did not define that term.
They also say the legislation is needed to allow for agricultural
and economic development, after many local governments have proposed
large buffers along waterways. Some environmental groups raised
concerns over the scientific evidence bill, but most are pleased
with Gov. Locke's decision to sign the five-bill package, expected
to help preserve Washington's environmental legacy. |
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Alaskan
Governor Announces Intentions for Offshore Drilling (CNN
& Land Letter 4/1)
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/01/oil.drilling.ap/index.html
http://www.eenews.net/Landletter/Backissues/040104/040104ll.htm#1
Alaskan Governor Frank Murkowski has announced his intention to
open up Alaska's shores for offshore drilling. After condemning
"America's extreme environmental community," he noted
his intention to stimulate oil development in his state, regardless
of what action Congress takes on drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The land slated for development extends
along the whole north coast of ANWR, approximately 350,000 acres
that, by law, extends three miles out from the state's shoreline
and could be available for sale as soon as October. The announcement
follows a move by the Alaskan legislature to open up Bristol Bay
for oil and gas development, shortly after President Bush lifted
a federal moratorium there. It was noted by some environmental groups,
including the Sierra Club, that the move by Gov. Murkowski may be
an attempt to fix the state's recent budget woes. Currently there
is no estimate as to the amount of oil and gas that may be available,
but state officials were quick to point out that ANWR's eastern
edge holds the most promising reserves. State officials also pointed
out that oil and natural gas will not be available for at least
six years, because additional pipelines need to be constructed.
The American Gas Association trumpeted the bold move, but Alaskan
State Senator Donny Olson pointed out that current offshore drilling
activity already has forced hunters to go farther out to sea for
their whale hunts. Gov. Murkowski responded that he was sensitive
to the needs of Alaska Native subsistence whaling and would work
to mitigate the impact on whales. Missing from the conversation
is any discussion of the potentially extensive impacts on other
marine life, and the damage sure to be done by the construction
of additional pipelines. Also missing is any consideration of reducing
energy consumption through conservation and new technology. Instead
of endlessly pursuing fossil fuels, it's time we look to alternative
energy sources for our energy needs. |
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South
Carolina Conservation Funds in Jeopardy (The State
4/2)
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/politics/8335576.htm
State senators and environmentalists say that South Carolina
could miss its chance to preserve some wildlands and historical
sites from development, if a conservation fund is raided.
The land bank, created two years ago, was supposed to be funded
this year. The state can use the money, raised from deed-recording
fees, to issue grants to buy land or keep it from being developed.
The Conservation Bank, by law, is supposed to get $10 million
from next year's state budget, but the $5.3 billion state
budget proposal House members passed to the Senate last month
reserved just $7.5 million for the program -- and $5 million
of that was for beach renourishment. At a State House news
conference, more than a dozen senators, along with business
and environmental leaders, urged voters to tell their senators
to fully fund the Conservation Bank as they debate the budget
this month. Charles Lane, chairman of the Conservation Bank
board of directors, said the program has support from both
parties, and business and conservation groups. They agree
that it's important for the economy and the environment to
preserve land from development. For more on how your state
can fund conservation, visit: http://www.serconline.org/conservationfunding/index.html. |
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Loopholes
Send Millions in Tax Breaks to Developers (San Francisco
Chronicle 3/31)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/31/state1825EST0124.DTL
Millions of dollars in property tax breaks intended to preserve
farmland are going instead to companies that bulldoze farms
to build housing subdivisions, malls, and industrial parks,
an Associated Press investigation has found. It's happening
from coast-to-coast, costing local governments badly-needed
revenue, or forcing them to increase the taxes of other property
owners. The breaks can be enormous. Without them, landowners
would typically pay 2 to 400 times more in property taxes.
In most states, the tax breaks date back to the 1950s and
'60s, when lawmakers became alarmed at the rate at which farmland
was disappearing under concrete and asphalt. But loopholes
in the laws are producing unintended, though perfectly legal,
consequences. Here's what's happening: A developer buys land
with the intention of building on it. During the years when
he readies the property for construction -- preparing architectural
plans, acquiring financing and permits, even building roads
and laying water pipe -- he runs some cows or cuts some hay.
Then he claims the tax break. Because of the loopholes, often
even a pretense of farming can be enough to qualify. Every
state offers some type of tax incentive to protect land from
development. In some states, only working farms are eligible.
In others, the breaks apply to agricultural land, whether
it is being farmed or not, and some also include timberland
or other open space. There has been a lot of talk about reforming
laws governing land preservation tax breaks, but few have
actually changed. |
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Maryland
Septic Tank User Fee Endangers Chesapeake Bay Cleanup (Washington
Post 4/1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40555-2004Mar31.html
A key environmental initiative, proposed earlier this year
by Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich, appears in danger of dying
this legislative season unless an action concerning the controversial
"flush tax" on septic tank users is reconciled.
As proposed by Ehrlich, the original measure would add a $2.50
monthly fee to Maryland sewer bills to finance the modernization
of the state's 66 largest sewage treatment plants. Sewage
plants are the second largest source of nitrogen pollution
in the bay, after agricultural runoff. However, the application
of the $2.50 charge to septic tank users was not included
in the original proposal, and was added while in the Senate
Committee on Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs.
The added measure would give the state Department of Environment
one year to identify the 400,000 Maryland homeowners who use
septic tanks, and figure out how to send them monthly bills.
The chairman of the committee has threatened to prevent the
measure from coming up for vote in the Senate unless the additional
surcharge is agreed upon. |
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New
York: Snowmobile Trail Plan Questioned (Albany Times-Union
4/1)
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?category=STATE&storyID=234311&BCCode=
&newsdate=4/1/2004
Environmental and health advocates want the state to revamp
its proposed snowmobile plan for the Adirondacks, saying it
doesn't go far enough to protect people and the environment
from pollution. New York's Adirondack Park consists of 6 million
acres of public and private land, about 20 percent of the
entire state. The goal of the plan, proposed by the Department
of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in December, is to establish
a snowmobile trail system in the park that connects communities
and other places of interest while protecting the environment
and character of the Adirondacks, according to the DEC. However,
John Stouffer of the Sierra Club questions why the plan fails
to explore the amount of pollution brought in by snowmobiles,
the number of snowmobiles in use, and the amount of trails
that exist. As the popularity of motorized sports, including
personal watercraft, has risen, conflicts have grown debating
the proper use of the area. DEC spokesman Michael Fraser said
the agency will look to strengthen the analysis of potential
impacts of snowmobiles on the Adirondack Park. |
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Florida
Developers Want to Redirect Water Intended for Everglades
Restoration (Miami Herald 3/31)
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8316355.htm
Florida developers are engaged in an effort aimed at encouraging
courts and the Legislature to scrap proposed rules that would
help save water for Everglades restoration and state wetlands.
The goal of the Everglades project is to restore the natural
system that has been drained substantially for years and to
construct reservoirs to trap water to be directed to South
and Southwest Florida. The Florida Department of Environmental
Protection had spent years developing the rules, which were
finalized last week after numerous consultations with competing
business, government, and environmental interests. Two weeks
after those final plans were submitted, the Association of
Florida Community Developers filed a legal challenge, arguing
that the "vague" wording of the rules doesn't clarify
how much water will be reserved for the environment. The group
further questions the very basis of the Everglades project,
calling it one of several "natural systems that no longer
exist." The Association has hired two lobbyists; one
claims she is close to what she calls a "benign"
compromise that would set aside water for the environment,
if water managers can clearly demonstrate a need for it and
they will allow the scientific findings that are the basis
for that need to be peer-reviewed by scientists hired by the
affected parties -- provisions that would severely limit the
environmental benefits of the proposed rules and make it more
difficult to protect the Everglades area. Environmental groups
are very concerned over the industry's push to include such
provisions, but contend that all groups involved, including
environmental advocacy groups like Florida Audubon, will have
to agree to the rules. |
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EPA
Requests States' Plans on Lead Contamination in Schools (Washington
Post 3/28)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29927-2004Mar27.html
Due to recent reports of unhealthy levels of lead in drinking
water at schools and day-care centers across the country,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asking state
governments to submit their existing programs for monitoring
lead levels in water in order to protect children from its
dangerous effects. Schools that lack such programs will be
asked to detail what other steps they are taking to avoid
childhood lead exposure. Numerous environmental groups and
members of Congress have criticized the EPA for its lack of
efforts to respond to lead contamination problems. Excessive
lead levels have been reported in schools in many Washington
D.C. suburbs, as well as in Baltimore, Maryland, and Syracuse,
New York. In Seattle, Washington, some schools plagued with
lead problems began supplying students with bottled water
in January. Many are concerned that the problem could be much
more widespread, since regular lead testing is required of
municipalities, but there are no federal requirements for
testing drinking water in schools. Many years ago, schools
removed lead-lined drinking fountains after EPA tests reported
widespread contamination; today, the problem stems from other
neglected sources, such as solder and plumbing fixtures that
can leach lead even if the water is not corrosive. EPA officials
say such schools are a serious concern because lead can slow
physical and mental development in infants and young children.
In the late 1980s, the EPA required public schools to test
for lead in drinking water, but interpreted a 1996 decision
in federal court as barring it from mandating tests because
that was deemed the purview of the state. New reports of dangerous
contamination levels have many school districts scrambling
to address the issue and to develop action plans. |
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Michigan:
Laws Target Out-of-State Trash (Detroit Free Press
3/27)
http://www.freep.com/news/mich/trash27_20040327.htm
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed 11 new bills that will
curtail out-of-state trash, including waste from Canada, from
being dumped in the state's landfills. The legislation prohibits
landfills from accepting waste that doesn't adhere to the
same standards Michigan has for its own waste, puts a 2-year
moratorium on new landfills, increases landfill inspections,
and tightens enforcement of solid waste laws. Trash from other
states and Canada accounts for about a quarter of the waste
dumped in Michigan landfills. The new rules are expected to
face a legal challenge from Michigan's solid waste industry
on the grounds that the restrictions violate national and
international laws protecting commerce. |
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Maine
Likely to Ban MTBE (Portland Press Herald 3/29)
http://www.pressherald.com/news/state/040329mtbe.shtml
A bill banning MTBE awaits final approval from Maine legislators,
but is expected to pass without trouble and go into effect
on Jan. 1, 2007. Maine is one of 17 states that either have
MTBE bans or are considering them, years after the additive
was discovered to be contaminating water supplies. MTBE was
added to gasoline to reduce harmful emissions from vehicles.
It has since been proven not to be as effective in this area
as originally thought. Additionally, the chemical is highly
soluble and travels quickly through soil to groundwater. MTBE
has been detected in hundreds of public water supplies in
28 states, including, as of 1998, 16 percent of public water
supplies in Maine. Thousands more private wells have been
tainted with the substance, a potential carcinogen that even
in tiny amounts makes water taste like turpentine. MTBE began
appearing in Maine gasoline in 1995, after the state signed
on to the federal reformulated gas program. Connecticut and
New York implemented MTBE bans that began in January. |
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Wyoming:
Governor Proposes Wildlife Fund (Casper Star-Tribune
3/29)
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2004/03/29/news/wyoming/cf4dac2b3fa1457187256e65000945fc.txt
One penny for every million cubic feet of natural gas produced
in Wyoming should go into a state fund to help mitigate habitat
and wildlife impacts from oil and gas development in areas
like the Upper Green River Basin in southwestern Wyoming,
Gov. Dave Freudenthal says. The monies could be used to focus
on securing more habitat and wildlife resources. The fund
would be separate from general assistance granted to municipalities
by the state. The governor estimated the fund could generate
up to $10 million per year, based on current natural gas production
in the state. Wyoming sits on some of the largest natural
gas reserves in the nation. Freudenthal would like to expand
natural gas extraction, but the state needs approval from
the federal Bureau of Land Management before it begins. For
more information on conservation funding, visit: http://www.serconline.org/conservationfunding/index.html. |
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