Some See Clean Water Act Settlement Opening New Path to Green House Gas Curbs
source: http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/03/12/12greenwire-some-see-clean-water-act-settlement-open...
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U.S. EPA settled a lawsuit yesterday by agreeing to use the Clean Water Act to address ocean acidification, a move that some see as opening a side door to federal curbs on greenhouse gases that scientists link to problems in the marine environment.
The settlement with the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity directly addresses EPA's failure to require Washington state to list its marine waters as impaired by rising acidity. The deal requires EPA to begin a rulemaking aimed at helping states identify and address acidic coastal waters.
The effort could lead to the first Clean Water Act effort to protect acidifying marine waters -- a move the center sees leading to restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions, just as the water law led to regulation of air emissions of mercury and pollution that causes acid rain.
Oceans absorb about a third of the carbon dioxide produced by human activities and are becoming more acidic as they absorb more carbon, said Miyoko Sakashita, a senior attorney at the center's San Francisco office.
Ocean acidification, Sakashita said, is "global warming's evil twin."
Scientists estimate that ocean water is 30 percent more acidic than it was before factories, cars, planes and other users of fossil fuels became widespread.
Rising acidity threatens marine life, scientists say. Several studies have suggested that shifting ocean chemistry is particularly dangerous for shellfish, corals and other animals that grow calcium carbonate shells. If water becomes too acidic, it can dissolve those shells, sometimes faster than creatures can rebuild them.
States have taken steps to address rising acidity in lakes and streams, but the settlement represents the first time EPA has agreed to take on ocean acidity. The center's legal complaint started in Washington state, but the group has petitioned every coastal state to address the issue, Sakashita said.
more at link...
The settlement with the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity directly addresses EPA's failure to require Washington state to list its marine waters as impaired by rising acidity. The deal requires EPA to begin a rulemaking aimed at helping states identify and address acidic coastal waters.
The effort could lead to the first Clean Water Act effort to protect acidifying marine waters -- a move the center sees leading to restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions, just as the water law led to regulation of air emissions of mercury and pollution that causes acid rain.
Oceans absorb about a third of the carbon dioxide produced by human activities and are becoming more acidic as they absorb more carbon, said Miyoko Sakashita, a senior attorney at the center's San Francisco office.
Ocean acidification, Sakashita said, is "global warming's evil twin."
Scientists estimate that ocean water is 30 percent more acidic than it was before factories, cars, planes and other users of fossil fuels became widespread.
Rising acidity threatens marine life, scientists say. Several studies have suggested that shifting ocean chemistry is particularly dangerous for shellfish, corals and other animals that grow calcium carbonate shells. If water becomes too acidic, it can dissolve those shells, sometimes faster than creatures can rebuild them.
States have taken steps to address rising acidity in lakes and streams, but the settlement represents the first time EPA has agreed to take on ocean acidity. The center's legal complaint started in Washington state, but the group has petitioned every coastal state to address the issue, Sakashita said.
more at link...
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