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.