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Republican Attacks On EPA Kick Off 2012 Agenda
With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set to finally enact stricter air pollution standards in accordance with the Clean Air Act and two subsequent U.S. Supreme Court decisions requiring them to do so, powerful Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are working to make sure that the new standards never see the light of day. The specific measures being targeted are the EPA’s new standards for carbon emissions from power plant smoke stacks.
Fred Upton (R-MI), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, along with Republicans Joe Barton (TX) and Ed Whitfield (KY) sent a letter last week to the White House, demanding that the Obama administration take action to stop the EPA from regulating carbon emissions from power plants.
From their letter:
“We are concerned about the regulation’s impact on jobs and the economy, and that it will not comply with all applicable Executive Orders…
“In this rulemaking, EPA may be seeking to do precisely what Congress and the American public rejected in the last Congress. The Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade legislation from the 111th Congress would have significantly raised the cost of energy and driven US jobs overseas.
“We ask for your help in supporting policies that will encourage economic growth and job creation rather than additional costly regulations that will raise new barriers to job creation and burden struggling businesses and families.”
The three men certainly know how to include the buzzwords that appeal to American citizens – jobs, economy, raising energy prices – but when put through the truth test, their claims simply don’t hold up. For example, enacting the new standards has the opposite effect on the job market – it would create tens of thousands additional jobs for American workers, not destroy them. The conservative Heritage Foundation has also been beating the drum about regulations raising energy costs, which could actually happen. However, any rate increases would be a corporate decision, not a government decision. The electric energy industry in America currently generates $370.5 billion a year in revenue, with an average revenue of $9.88 per KwH sold. With the national average to produce a kilowatt hour of electricity being around 10 cents, that leaves the company a profit of more than $9 per Kwh of electricity sold, meaning that any rate increases are the result of protecting profits, not because they can’t afford the increase.
So why are these Republicans trying to dismantle the work of the EPA? Simple – they are in the pockets of the dirty energy industry. Fred Upton has received more than $640,000 from electric utilities over his career, and an additional $308,000 from oil and gas. Joe Barton has a combined total of more than $3 million from electric utilities and oil and gas over the course of his career. And Ed Whitfield has gotten more than $600,000 from the two sectors during his tenure in Washington. All of these men have a direct financial stake in the profitability of the dirty energy industry. After all, the more money these companies spend on complying with new standards, the less they have to purchase politicians in Washington.
These latest attacks on the EPA and the environment are not a surprise. In fact, the anti-environmental record of the US Congress over the last year was so awful that Democratic Congressmen Henry Waxman, Edward Markey, and Howard Berman prepared a report last December detailing the numerous ways in which the 112th Congress earned the reputation as the most anti-environmental Congress in history:
“House Republicans have repeatedly voted to undermine basic environmental protections that have existed for decades. They have voted to block actions to prevent air pollution; to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of authority to enforce water pollution standards; to halt efforts to address climate change; to stop the Department of the Interior from identifying lands suitable for wilderness designations; to allow oil and gas development off the coasts of Florida, California, and other states opposed to offshore drilling; and to slash funding for the Department of Energy, including funding to support renewable energy and energy efficiency, by more than 80%.
“The House of Representatives averaged more than one anti-environmental vote for every day the House was in session in 2011. Of the 770 legislative roll call votes taken in the House this year, 22% – more than one out of every five – were votes to undermine environmental protection. During these roll calls, 94% of Republican members voted for the anti-environment position, while 86% of Democratic members voted for the pro-environment position.
“The Environmental Protection Agency was the most popular target of House Republicans. Of the 191 anti-environment votes, 114 targeted EPA; 35 targeted the Department of the Interior; and 31 targeted the Department of Energy.”
And that was just in their first year. Imagine what they can accomplish the next round of elections this coming November.
By Farron Cousins | 6 February 12With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set to finally enact stricter air... more-
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Groups sue Obama administration for scrapping stricter smog rules
Environmental groups sued the Obama administration Tuesday for scrapping a stricter limit for smog-forming pollution, saying the decision violated the law and put politics ahead of protecting public health.
The lawsuit filed in the federal appeals court in Washington by four environmental and public health groups came after the White House last month said it would not support setting a new standard for ground-level ozone until 2013, outraging environmentalists.
Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson had said in 2009 at the recommendation of scientific advisers that she wanted a more stringent standard to protect public health.
But President Barack Obama, facing a re-election race in 2012 and under pressure from business groups and Republicans, rejected the final proposal. The White House said setting a new standard would create "needless uncertainty" at a time when the economy was struggling.
The cost of complying was estimated at between $19 billion and $90 billion a year, making it one of the most expensive environmental regulations ever and earning it a spot on a list of rules targeted by House Republicans.
The Clean Air Act prohibits the EPA from considering compliance costs when setting a public health standard.
"EPA assured us repeatedly that they were going to finalize action on that proposal to strengthen the standard," said David Baron, managing attorney for Earthjustice, which sued on behalf of the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, Appalachian Mountain Club and Natural Resources Defense Council. "Then all of a sudden, the Obama administration abruptly reversed course and said they weren't going to strengthen the standards after all."
The new standard would have replaced one set in 2008 by President George W. Bush. Public health experts, the EPA's scientific advisory panel and Obama's top environmental official have said that standard fell short of fully protecting public health.
Ground-level ozone, the main ingredient in smog, triggers asthma attacks, causes lung damage and increases the risk of dying from lung disease.
Documents released last week by the EPA show that the agency wanted to change the standard from 75 parts per billion measured over eight hours to 70 parts per billion. An advisory committee had recommended a range of 60 parts per billion to 70 parts per billion. It will now move forward with the level set by Bush, while laying the groundwork for a new standard.
The White House said the EPA's proposed regulation was based on outdated scientific evidence. It said other regulations imposed by the EPA would reduce smog in the meantime.
The administration's decision angered environmentalists to a degree unseen in Obama's presidency.
Frances Beinecke, the head of the council and a member of the president's commission on the Gulf oil spill, told the group's members that Obama had "dropped us like a hot potato."
More at the linkEnvironmental groups sued the Obama administration Tuesday for scrapping a stricter... more-
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Thousands dying in UK from 'invisible killer'
Air pollution is a public health crisis that government is not doing enough to tackle, James Grugeon, chief executive of Environmental Protection UK said in London on Tuesday as he launched a national campaign against this “invisible killer”.
Link: http://us.oneworld.net/headlines-news?gclid=CKaU1Z_V7qkCFcl66wodTSsIYQAir pollution is a public health crisis that government is not doing enough to tackle,... more-
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Environmental leaders encourage civil disobedience to stop Keystone XL pipeline
Last week, eleven veterans of the environmental movement issued an open letter to Canadians and Americans inviting them to participate in a massive public protest of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline expansion.
The letter’s signatories, which include David Suzuki, Bill McKibben, and Wendell Berry and climate scientist James Hansen, say that the time has come to move from letter writing and petition signing to something that’s more likely to get the government’s attention: civil disobedience at the nation’s capital.
The invitation can be read in its entirety at tarsandsaction.org, but here are a few choice excerpts (emphasis and links added):
As you know, the planet is steadily warming: 2010 was the warmest year on record, and we’ve seen the resulting chaos in almost every corner of the earth.
And as you also know, our democracy is increasingly controlled by special interests interested only in their short-term profit.
These two trends collide this summer in Washington, where the State Department and the White House have to decide whether to grant a certificate of ‘national interest’ to some of the biggest fossil fuel players on earth. These corporations want to build the so-called ‘Keystone XL Pipeline’ from Canada’s tar sands to Texas refineries.
The pipeline crosses crucial areas like the Oglalla Aquifer where a spill would be disastrous—and though the pipeline companies insist they are using ‘state of the art’ technologies that should leak only once every 7 years, the precursor pipeline and its pumping stations have leaked a dozen times in the past year. These local impacts alone would be cause enough to block such a plan. But the Keystone Pipeline would also be a fifteen hundred mile fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the continent, a way to make it easier and faster to trigger the final overheating of our planet, the one place to which we are all indigenous.
And Secretary of State Clinton has already said she’s ‘inclined’ to recommend the pipeline go forward. Partly it’s because of the political commotion over high gas prices, though more tar sands oil would do nothing to change that picture. But it’s also because of intense pressure from industry. The US Chamber of Commerce—a bigger funder of political campaigns than the RNC and DNC combined—has demanded that the administration “move quickly to approve the Keystone XL pipeline,” which is not so surprising—they’ve also told the U.S. EPA that if the planet warms that will be okay because humans can ‘adapt their physiology’ to cope. The Koch Brothers, needless to say, are also backing the plan, and may reap huge profits from it.
So we’re pretty sure that without serious pressure the Keystone Pipeline will get its permit from Washington.
This won’t be a one-shot day of action. We plan for it to continue for several weeks, till the administration understands we won’t go away. Not all of us can actually get arrested—half the signatories to this letter live in Canada, and might well find our entry into the U.S. barred. But we will be making plans for sympathy demonstrations outside Canadian consulates in the U.S., and U.S. consulates in Canada—the decision-makers need to know they’re being watched.
Twenty years of patiently explaining the climate crisis to our leaders hasn’t worked. Maybe moral witness will help. You have to start somewhere, and we choose here and now.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/environmental-leaders-encourage-civil-disobedience-to-stop-keystone-xl-pipeline.html#ixzz1R0IzA3Vn
more at the link
I say, hell yes.Last week, eleven veterans of the environmental movement issued an open letter to... more-
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Environmental Groups: Slow Down Ships to Avoid Killing and Injuring Whales
Los Angeles Times...
Environmental groups want ships to slow down to avoid killing and injuring whales
June 6, 2011 | 7:21 pm
A coalition of environmental groups is asking the federal government to require ships traveling though California’s marine sanctuaries to slow down to avoid fatal collisions with whales, a problem that they say has climbed to “unsustainable levels.”
Four groups filed petition Monday asking the Commerce Department to establish a 10-knot speed limit for large commercial vessels traveling through California’s four National Marine Sanctuaries in the Channel Islands, Monterey Bay, Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank.
Some freighters travel through those waters at more than twice that speed.
Nearly 50 whales have been hit by ships traveling off the California coastline in the last decade, according to experts, who believe the number is probably much higher because many of the accidents go unreported.
Shipping groups says a speed limit would greatly slow down cargo reaching port and more than double the time it takes the fastest vessels to travel through the sanctuaries.
The petition from the environmental groups is meant to prod the federal government to take steps to fight the growing problem. Some of the most heavily trafficked shipping lanes leading in and out of the ports in Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Francisco Bay run through the migratory paths and feeding areas of endangered whales.
In the 61-page document, the Environmental Defense Center, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth and Pacific Environment say a speed limit would help protect endangered blue, humpback and fin whales from being run over by big ships.
"The overlap of these shipping lanes with California’s national marine sanctuaries puts sanctuary wildlife at great risk,” the petition reads. “While we cannot likely change the behavior of whales and other species so as to avoid ship strikes, we can and must regulate vessel practices to minimize this risk.”
Slower speeds would give whales more time to detect approaching ships and would lower the chances that injuries would become fatal if they are hit, the groups argue. A speed limit also would cut back on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and underwater noise that can harm whales.
In a statement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the Commerce Department that oversees National Marine Sanctuaries and endangered marine species, said it is also concerned with ship strikes to whales and would review the petition.
Shipping groups said a speed limit may not make it any safer for whales and has suggesting realigning shipping routes as an alternative.
“It's just premature to assume that slowing vessel speed is the solution to the ship-whale interaction issue,” said T.L. Garrett, vice president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Assn., a trade group representing ocean carriers that dock at West Coast ports.
Where possible, vessels would probably navigate around the sanctuaries to avoid the restrictions, he added.
Four blue whales were struck and killed by vessels in 2007 near the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, prompting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to designate shipping lanes from Point Conception to Point Dume a “Whale Advisory Zone.”
Since then, the agency has conducted aerial surveys of the area and broadcast seasonal advisories to ship captains traveling through the channel suggesting they limit their speed to 10 knots – or roughly 11.5 mph -- to avoid hitting whales when they’re in the Santa Barbara Channel in high concentrations, usually from May to December.
Because the advisories are voluntary, environmental groups say, they have gone largely unheeded. Shipping groups said most vessels have not opted to lower their speeds.
--Tony Barboza
Photo: Pete Thomas For The TimesLos Angeles Times... Environmental groups want ships to slow down to avoid... more-
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Ten Most Horrible and Shocking Places in The World | Trifter
Sandy and sun-kissed beaches, pristine sea water, and picturesque island sceneries are among the tourist attractions that lure visitors. But, have you ever wondered that there are surprisingly horrendous cities destroyed by subcultures of pollution, gangsters and/or poverty? These places have been considered as the most polluted, horrible, miserable and violent places in the world.Sandy and sun-kissed beaches, pristine sea water, and picturesque island sceneries are... more-
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Republicans in Congress again attacking Clean Air Act
Republicans once again seek to undo all of the work done regarding the Clean Air Act and to make caring for the future of our health and climate irrelevant. They violate the constitution by denying Americans the right to life by their blatant support of policies that perpetuate disease and death. And yet they cry about other bills being unconstitutional when it is their policies that would have us with even more sick Americans. It is immoral to the core. This act was passed forty one years ago, and because of it we have cleaner air and have saved lives. And it was a bi-partisan effort because once in our Congress caring about sick Americans, our environment and our future was not a partisan issue. The Republicans I see in this Congress are a disgrace to it. All they care about is their own economic loss in donations by not bowing down to those they really work for.
Of course, there are those polluter loving Democrats who always chime in with them and they deserve just as much of our outrage. However, there is no denying that on the whole Republicans have done more to block true progress in the areas that will best compliment a comprehensive healthcare and climate change policy. They think they know more about the environment and health than scientists and doctors do. Hopefully, this will not get far, but just to know they would go this far in denying Americans their right to life by continuing to support toxic pollution of our air and increasing GHG emissions to bring us to a tipping point that will cost more than any economic damage they can make up from this shows their true colors. We need to stand up liike others are in this world to preserve what little we have left of our voices. Clean is a RIGHT not a priviledge.Republicans once again seek to undo all of the work done regarding the Clean Air Act... more-
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Free Public Transport? Does it make sense?
# Overall fuel consumption may marginally be reduced for people may not like to travel in free transport for want of amenities and privacy;possibly private vehicular traffic might increase.
# Where is the justification for taxing people who have private vehicles in the form of parking space fees,road up gradation etc as they are already paying road taxes?
# Cars are also seen as status symbols as well;people who use them shall continue using them and more people would go in for purchasing vehicles.
# Human Nature being what it is, people would like to stamp their individuality in owning cars.You can not quantify human nature and reduce it to mere numbers by imagining to follow ‘greatest good for the greatest numbers’
http://ramanan50.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/free-public-transport-does-it-make-sense/# Overall fuel consumption may marginally be reduced for people may not like to... more-
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Three states raid anti-pollution funds - NJ, NY, NH | Concord Monitor
http://www.columbia.edu/~tsn2102/web-images/hotspot.gif
Two of the 10 Northeast states that agreed to dedicate millions of dollars to reduce carbon emissions and promote green energy have reneged on their promise, instead diverting substantial funds to saving their budgets.
New York and New Jersey over the past year have raided accounts set up under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the first mandatory U.S. cap-and-trade program for carbon dioxide. The accounts were created to pay for energy-efficiency programs aimed at reducing the region's pollution by 10 percent by 2018.
Citing their example, New Hampshire dipped into its fund in June to help balance its budget.
New York took $90 million last fall - roughly half of its fund; New Jersey zeroed out its fund, taking all $65 million; and New Hampshire, a much smaller state, took $3.1 million in June. In all three states, the money was used to pay the state's bills.
Defenders of the raids say that in tough economic times, resources should be diverted to the most pressing needs.
But critics argue the moves are shortsighted, saying everyone benefits more in the long run from reductions in energy demand from efficiency programs.
RGGI is a 10-state compact begun two years ago to reduce air pollution by large fossil-fuel power plants.
The amounts paid to the three states were to go into special funds to pay for such energy efficient programs as weatherization and rebates on newer appliances.
New Hampshire did not touch its $2.2 million share of the $66 million in proceeds from the latest auction Sept. 8.
Participating states are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The remaining RGGI states have continued to fund their energy efficiency programs. And New Hampshire diverted federal stimulus money to pay for similar initiatives.
New Hampshire lawmakers also argued higher spending priorities had to be funded.
"Right now, although I believe the situation is improving, the state is very short of enough funds to meet essential survival services," said retiring New Hampshire House Finance Chairwoman Marjorie Smith.
Democratic Gov. John Lynch, who signed the memorandum with the other states and signed New Hampshire's law, also cited the difficult economic times as reason to raid the fund. He did not rule out tapping the fund again and insisted the overall goal to reduce emissions is being met.
"I don't think the issue is where the money comes from. I think the issue is what are the goals and are we addressing the goals as a state. We're spending a lot more money on energy efficiency projects than we ever have as a state," he said.http://www.columbia.edu/~tsn2102/web-images/hotspot.gif Two of the 10 Northeast... more-
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The War Against Air Pollution
The War Against Air Pollution-
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Air Pollution: Silent Killer in the City | How to Protect Yourself from Polluted Air | Video
Air pollution: The silent killer
Air pollution: Silent killer in the city
By Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent
November 16, 2010 8:53 a.m. EST
How to protect yourself from polluted air
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Air pollution can raise the risk of lung and heart problems, Dr. Gupta says
* Urban pollution kills more than a million people annually, according to U.N. figures
* Cities around the world are trying out solutions to tackle the problem
Kobe, Japan (CNN) -- For the last several days, I have been in beautiful Kobe, Japan, reporting about the World Health Organization forum on urbanization and health.
Given that more than half the world's population now lives in cities, with the number expected to increase significantly, the implications on individual health are becoming pretty clear. A lot of the discussion here has been specifically on the quality of the air we breathe, and the news has not been great.
For starters, an Environmental Protection Agency report found the air in many cities is simply too dirty to breathe. Think about that: as things stand now, toxic pollution has become a particular disease of the world's urbanites, affecting more than a billion of its citizens.
And, if you look more closely at the impact of pollution, you see more than half the burden on human health is on people in developing countries already crippled with poverty and few resources.
As things stand now, toxic pollution has become a particular disease of the world's urbanites.
--Dr. Sanjay Gupta
For example, here in Kobe, there is an obvious marriage between the industrial sector filled with at least 15 large factories, and residential areas close by. Walking around the city, you quickly see the consequences of explosive urban growth. The combination of factory emissions with exhaust from trucks, buses and automobiles is proving toxic to human health.
Today, urban pollution kills a million people a year, according to the United Nations. And, conventional wisdom was that it took a long time to develop health problems associated with pollution, but it is simply not the case. A study published in 2007 found that on days when pollution is high, cities see spikes in emergency room visits over the next 24 hours. Just one day.
If you live in a city, chances are you might not even notice just how polluted the air has become. Turns out that within four days of breathing the dirty air in, your body sort of becomes accustomed to it, despite the fact that your airways becomes more inflamed and restricted, and your risk of lung and heart problems start to rise.
The good news is that fixes are being tested in many cities around the world. In Shanghai, coal-free downtown areas have been established, which has already resulted in lower particulate matter. In New York City, there is a ban on idling trucks and buses. And in Bogota, transport management policies have led to increased use of mass transit.
Having spent time in many major cities on every continent in the world, it is safe to say "urbanization" is here to stay. As individuals and as societies, however, it is up to us to try to make the beautiful city we live in a safer and healthier one.Air pollution: The silent killer Air pollution: Silent killer in the city By Dr.... more-
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Fresh Blogging: The Top 50 Clean Air Advocacy Blogs
Air pollution is also known for worsening the conditions of those with cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. While there’s no way to zap all of the pollution from the atmosphere, there are lifestyle changes we can make that will contribute to the clean air movement.
link:
http://mastersinpublicadministration.com/fresh-blogging-the-top-50-clean-air-advocacy-blogsAir pollution is also known for worsening the conditions of those with cystic fibrosis... more-
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Insanity, Salt and the Japanese
In 2007, 8 million people visited US hospital emergency departments (ED) with a mental disorder, 3 million with a substance abuse problem, and 1 million suffering both conditions.
According to latest figures released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, this accounts for one in eight of the 95 million visits to emergency departments by adults that year.
Depression and other mood disorders accounted for 43 percent of the visits, while 26 percent were for anxiety disorders, and 23 percent involved alcohol-related problems. The World Health Organisation (WHO) say depression is a major health problem and predict that by 2020, depression will be the second- largest cause of the global health burden.
The disease is the highest prevalent disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) with about 40 million diagnosed cases in the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, and Japan. In the US alone, there are 15 million cases. Depression can lead to more severe health risks such as suicide and manic-depressive insanity, or, as it is more commonly known, Melancholia.
Approximately 10% of people with depression suffer from Melancholic Depression.
“Melancholia’s almost unique position amongst diseases in that it is characterized by only one essential symptom – mental or emotional depression,” says Robert Thompson, M.B., B.CH.(BELP.), D.P.M.(LOND) former resident medical superintendent, County Mental Hospital, Armagh, Ireland.
In a manic state, attention span is low and a person may be easily distracted. Judgment may become impaired; sufferers may go on spending sprees or engage in behavior that is quite abnormal for them. They may indulge in substance abuse, particularly alcohol or other depressants, cocaine or other stimulants, or sleeping pills. Their behavior may become aggressive, intolerant or intrusive. People may feel out of control or unstoppable.
Suicide
Research by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a component of the US Department of Health and Human Services, shows that 90 percent of people who die by suicide suffer from depression and other mental disorders, or a substance-abuse disorder (often in combination with other mental disorders).
In 2006, suicide was the eleventh leading cause of death in the US, accounting for 33,300 deaths. The overall rate was 10.9 suicide deaths per 100,000 people. An estimated 12 to 25 attempted suicides occur per every suicide death.
Signs of Depression
* Fatigue
* Headaches
* Pain
* Irritability
* Changes in sleep patterns, such as sleeping too much or too little
* Changes in appetite
* Loss of interest in or lack of ability to perform daily activities
* Feelings of hopelessness and pessimism
* Difficulty concentrating
There is no single cause of depression. The condition is associated with an imbalance of brain chemicals, triggered by stress, life events as well as a combination of biological, psychological and social factors, and the physical components of air pollution.
read full article at Heroin and CornflakesIn 2007, 8 million people visited US hospital emergency departments (ED) with a mental... more-
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5 Ways Air Pollution Can Hit Hard on a Hot Day
Hot days are bad enough but when you add in a batch of air pollution, as can be found in most major cities, the air quality only seems to get exponentially worse. Major cities have a tendency to form a sort of “heat island” where temperatures on hot days can actually be 2-22°F (1-12°C) hotter than if you live in a nearby rural community.
Living in a valley versus living by the ocean or on a mountain range can also adversely affect air quality on hot days. The hot weather seems to almost cook the pollution and make it that much harder to breathe. Besides, did you know that ”Ozone persists for hours after forming, so unhealthy conditions often last well into the evening, after the sun has gone down.“?
Therefore you might want to be aware of these 5 ways that air pollution can hit hard on a hot day:
1) Personally – According to the American Heart Association, continued exposure to air pollution could eventually contribute to heart disease and/or strokes. On hot days, this risk is magnified.
Additionally, young children, people with asthma and older adults are especially susceptible to breathing problems in heavily polluted areas and on hot days. So it is advised, for the sake of your health, to keep an eye on the air quality before you plan any prolonged outdoor activities for you and your family.
Kids playing on a hot day
Drinking plenty of water and making sure you don’t get dehydrated is key as well. One of my favorite drinks (besides water) when it’s hot outside is: 1-2 teaspoons Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, 1-2 teaspoons organic honey and 8 ounces of cold distilled water. It really hits the spot on a hot day!
2) Pets – Animals are not able to fend for themselves most of the time. They depend on their owners to feed them, give them water, provide for them, etc. On hot days this is especially important.
Don’t leave your pet in an area where they can’t escape the hot Summer heat. Also, make sure your pet has plenty of water. A dog, for example, usually drinks about .5-1 ounces of water for every pound they weigh. Hot days they will need more. Animals, like humans can suffer from heat stroke, get sunburns and get dehydrated. It is up to you to ensure your dog is well cared for.
When air quality is poor, your pet can experience some of the same symptoms you do. It is important to limit their exercise on hot, heavy pollution days and minimize their exposure to air pollutants too. Here are a few more hot weather pet care tips.
3) Your vehicle – As you probably know, unless you have an electric vehicle, your vehicle is more than likely contributing to harmful emissions and air pollution. Additionally, when air quality is poor, we tend to keep the windows rolled up and turn up the air conditioning. Which, if you don’t keep your vehicle properly maintained, could cause your vehicle to overheat.
One key tip, since gas vapors are quite harmful and contribute to ground ozone levels, is that you don’t fill up on hot “Air Quality Action Days“. If you have to fill up, it is recommended that you do so in the early morning hours or late evening, like after 7pm.
Nobody wants their car breaking down on a hot, pollution-heavy day.
4) Home – One of the first things we do, or are told to do, on a hot day when air pollution is especially heavy is to stay inside. Makes sense, right?! Well, not necessarily so. Indoor air quality can sometimes be up to 50% worse than outdoor air quality.Hot days are bad enough but when you add in a batch of air pollution, as can be found... more-
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Oil, oil, everywhere, but not a drop for fuel
Oil, oil, everywhere, but not a drop for fuel.
This is the stark view of Gulf Coast residents who see a 24,500 square mile oil slick menacing their shores. The devastating BP oil disaster has clearly increased the urgency to dramatically reduce America’s oil consumption; and cutting our consumption would save consumers money, reduce foreign oil imports, help our economy, increase national security, and reduce global warming pollution.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has indicated that oil use reduction (or “oil savings”) provisions would be a central element of the clean energy legislation he plans to bring to the Senate floor in mid July. And a number of other senators have introduced legislation that would either reduce oil use from many sources or focus on a specific sector. By selecting the best provisions from each bill it’s possible to craft a program that would reduce oil use by one-third or more by 2030.
There are three primary ways to reduce oil use: make cars much more fuel efficient, launch cleaner alternative fuels such as electricity for cars and natural gas for trucks, and invest in public transportation. CAP evaluated the major oil savings proposals in senators’ bills that address all three of these needs and chose the provisions with the most oil savings in each category.
Proposed oil savings provisions that will make a difference:
Establish an oil savings goal: Sen. Jeff Merkley’s (D-Ore.) National Oil Independence Program is in discussion draft form. It would establish a goal of reducing oil use by eight million barrels-per-day in 2030, which equals current imports from every major nation except Canada.
Improve fuel economy for cars and light trucks: Sen. Merkley’s plan would increase fuel economy requirements by 6 percent annually from 2017 to 2030. This would increase fuel economy standards to 44.8 miles per gallon for model year 2020, and to 60 MPG for model year 2025. These fuel economy standards are realistic. Sen. Merkley noted that “China will be requiring its vehicles to achieve 42.2 MPG by 2015."
President Barack Obama also ordered the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation to develop new fuel economy and greenhouse pollution standards for model years 2017 to 2021.
Begin fuel economy standards for medium and heavy-duty trucks: Fuel economy standards have never existed for these size trucks even though they’re gas guzzlers. Medium trucks get an average of 9.7 miles per gallon, while heavy trucks get 6.5 miles per gallon. Sen. Merkley’s plan would set the first standard for these vehicles of 15.8 MPG and 10.4 MPG, respectively, by 2030. This would save an estimated 400,000 barrels of oil per day. The Obama administration is also developing the first-ever fuel economy standards for these vehicles.
Establish a “fee bate” program to encourage the purchase of fuel-efficient cars: A “fee bate” program encourages drivers to buy more efficient vehicles by providing cash back for buying cars that are more fuel efficient than the average vehicle in that class. This program is paid for by levying a surcharge on vehicles that are below average in fuel economy in a particular class.
Two bills would establish a fee bate system to boost the purchase of high-efficiency cars, the Efficient Vehicle Leadership Act, S. 1620, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), and the Practical Energy and Climate Plan, S. 3464.
Charge up the electric car industry: One way to dramatically reduce oil use is by developing, producing, and using cars completely or primarily powered by electric batteries rather than gasoline. These cars also produce less global warming and other pollution compared to conventional gasoline vehicles, and are cheaper to operate too. The Chevrolet Volt, which is the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or PHEV, should be available later this year, and it could get 230 MPG.
President Obama set a goal of 1 million PHEVs by 2015. Incentives for purchasing electric vehicles and creation of the infrastructure to recharge them are essential to meeting this goal. The Electric Vehicle Deployment Act would provide incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles and it would also provide $800 million to five as yet unselected communities to deploy 700,000 electric vehicles by 2016.
Fill up more trucks and buses with natural gas: Electricity is an excellent alternative fuel for passenger vehicles, but unfortunately it won’t work for heavier trucks and buses. The large amounts of energy needed to power these weightier vehicles would require too many batteries that would add too much weight and take up too much space. Instead, natural gas -- in the form of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, or compressed natural gas, or CNG -- is an ideal alternative fuel for these vehicles. Because many of these vehicles are short haul, centrally fueled vehicles, only a limited number of natural gas refueling stations are necessary.
LNG or CNG produces one-quarter of the global warming pollution compared to oil-based fuels. And CAP analysis shows that by 2035 natural gas heavy trucks could reduce oil use by 1.2 million barrels per day, or 45 percent of the projected oil consumption of heavy trucks by 2035. These fuels are cheaper per mile compared to diesel fuel as well (if oil is more than $31 per barrel).
The NAT GAS Act, S. 1408, sponsored by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), would create incentives for trucking companies and bus fleets to purchase trucks and buses powered by natural gas.
Implement fuel-efficiency measures for off-road vehicles and other transportation: Off-road and construction vehicles, planes, trains, and boats all use oil-based fuels. Airplanes, for instance, consume about 15 percent of all finished petroleum products.
Invest in more efficient transportation infrastructure: Investments in public transit, high-speed rail, and other low-oil infrastructure are essential to reducing oil use after tackling vehicles and fuels.
The American Power Act, or APA, would invest $6 billion annually in “transportation infrastructure to increase efficiency and decrease oil consumption … [including] almost $2 billion for state and local projects that reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gases.”
Boost renewable fuel use: The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 includes a renewable fuel standard that requires the production of 22 billion gallons of advanced biofuels by 2022, which would save over half a million barrels of oil daily.
Paying for reduction programs:
Only the American Power Act’s provisions come with their own revenue-generating mechanism: the funds from auctioning pollution allowances to the largest carbon emitters under a carbon limitation program. CAP estimates that the funds from APA’s limit on carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants alone could generate $80 billion annually for investment in these and other clean energy technologies. Eliminating $45 billion worth of tax loopholes for big oil companies could also provide revenue to fund oil savings programs. These taxpayer handouts are unnecessary in an industry where the five largest companies made nearly a trillion dollars in profits in the past decade.
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) noted that, “In all of the climate bills, there are significant revenues generated, so that is a possibility. But if we did an energy-only bill, we’re going to be struggling about how to provide revenues.” This means that setting a shrinking limit on global warming pollution, closing tax loopholes, or creating some other reliable revenue stream is essential for funding the programs to significantly reduce our oil use.
Full article at: http://www.grist.org/article/2010-06-29-senate-oil-savings-greatest-hits/Oil, oil, everywhere, but not a drop for fuel. This is the stark view of Gulf... more-
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100 top toxic air polluters in USA Michael Ash: The EPA needs more regulation, not just "inform the public"
Bio
Michael Ash (Ph.D., Economics, UC-Berkeley 1999) is associate professor of economics and public policy at UMass Amherst. His areas of expertise are labor, health, and environmental economics, examined primarily through quantitative models. Ash’s main interests in environmental policy include disclosure and right-to-know laws, greenhouse-gas policy, and environmental justice. At UMass, Ash co-directs the Corporate Toxics Information Project of the Political Economy Research Institute, which publishes the Toxic 100, an index that identifies the top U.S. toxic polluters among the world’s largest corporations. Ash served as staff labor economist for the Council of Economic Advisers (Washington, DC) in 1995-1996 and as Princeton Project 55 Fellow for the Trenton Office of Policy Studies (Trenton, NJ) in 1991-1992.Bio Michael Ash (Ph.D., Economics, UC-Berkeley 1999) is associate professor of... more-
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Air Pollution and Health: Is it a Con?
Poor air quality in parts of Ontario is approaching U.S. levels, with Toronto starting to have pollution readings more typically found in big U.S. cities, such as New York, say research scientists at Environment Canada.
“We are probably quite similar to New York City. I would say they are slightly higher, but not that far off, Toronto levels.”
Toronto and New York have a heavy pollution burden from the high local use of automobiles and from local industries, he said, but also suffer from the long-range transportation of pollutants from coal-fired electricity-generating stations in the U.S. Midwest.
Deaths from Air Pollution
According to calculations by the Ontario Medical Association, exactly 348 people died from air pollution in the Waterloo Region in 2008. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) says, in total, there were 21,000 deaths from exposure to air-borne pollutants in 2008. Of these, 2,682 Canadians were instantly struck down by the acute effects of pollution.(2) The CMA attributes more than 40 percent of acute air pollution deaths to cardio-vascular issues.
In a paper published in the July 2010 issue of the academic journal Environmental Modelling and Software, Ross McKitrick of the University of Guelph, questions the massive death toll attributed to air pollution. He uses new statistical techniques and had access to 20 years of data from 11 Canadian cities, incorporating periods of both high and low pollution levels. Most other smog death studies limit themselves to smaller time periods or specific locales.
McKitrick, and co-authors Gary Koop of the University of Strathclyde and Lise Tole of the University of Edinburgh, found that air pollution has no significant bearing on hospital admissions due to respiratory problems. They reported that smoking and income levels are far more important than any pollutant.
http://arch1design.com/blog/?p=8390Poor air quality in parts of Ontario is approaching U.S. levels, with Toronto starting... more-
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2010 National Sacred Places Prayer Days in northern Michigan: Sacred Eagle Rock, Yellow Dog Plains, Lake Superior
This is from Jessica Koski of KBIC, who attends Yale University and has been a longtime warrior in the fight to protect sacred Eagle Rock and the Yellow Dog Plains.
It announces a new group and events for National Sacred Places Prayer Day involving Eagle Rock:
on Saturday, June 19, 2010 in two northern Michigan cities - Marquette and at the KBIC Powwow Grounds in Baraga.
National Sacred Places Prayer Day: Honoring our Water
All Welcome
June 19, 2010
Water Ceremony
Sunrise
Little Presque Isle Point
Marquette, MI
Community Potluck Picnic and Gathering
12 Noon
Baraga Powwow Grounds Pavilion
Baraga, Michigan
Please join us on Saturday, June 19, 2010 for a day of prayer to protect Native American sacred places.
We will gather at sunrise at Little Presque Isle Point on the shores of Lake Superior to pray for threatened sacred places and to honor the sacredness of the water and Mother Earth.
Eagle Rock, a sacred place to Anishinaabe people, is currently threatened as the proposed mine portal for the Rio Tinto/Kennecott Eagle Mine on the Yellow Dog Plains.
Our fresh groundwater, waterways and Lake Superior are threatened by the Eagle Mine and increasing sulfide and uranium mining interests throughout the Great Lakes region.
Native and non-Native people nationwide will gather at this time for Solstice ceremonies and to honor sacred places, with a special emphasis on the need for Congress to build a door to the courts for Native nations to protect our traditional churches.
We ask that all women who wish to participate wear a skirt in order to honor our traditional way. Women are also welcome to bring blue prayer ties and blue shawls for the water.
A community potluck picnic and gathering in honor of National Sacred Places Prayer Day will follow at the Powwow Grounds Pavilion in Baraga, MI at 12 noon.
Please join to show your support, ask questions and learn how you can help be a part of the movement to protect our sacred places, water and way of life for future generations.
Directions to Little Presque Isle Point:
From Marquette, Michigan, take 550 North towards Big Bay.
Turn right at the Blue Flag for Little Presque Isle Point.
Directions to Baraga Powwow Grounds Pavilion:
From L'Anse, Michigan take US 41 North towards Houghton.
Turn right at the Powwow Grounds sign.
Turn left at the red building and follow the road to the first pavilion.
Please contact jlkoski@gmail.com or 715-550-0124 if any questions.
Hosted by the Stand for the Land and Oshki Ogitchidaawin Aki (New Warriors for the Earth or NWE) which is a new Native/non-Native environmental organization grounded in Anishinaabe traditions with a mission to educate and empower our communities to take action on mining and other social-ecological issues facing our communities.This is from Jessica Koski of KBIC, who attends Yale University and has been a... more-
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Kudzu Linked to Poor Air Quality - Kudzu Produces Ozone, a Component of Smog
Kudzu linked to poor air quality
A study connects the invasive plant — a nitrogen-fixing legume — to production of ozone, a component of smog.
By Eryn Brown, Los Angeles Times
May 22, 2010
Kudzu, a fast-growing and invasive Asian vine introduced in the American South several decades ago, has now blanketed more than 7 million acres of the region, making it sometimes seem more common than the hallmark azaleas, dogwoods and peach trees.
Now there's evidence that the plant also increases air pollution.
A paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported a link between kudzu and the production of ozone, the colorless and odorless gas that is the main component of smog. Ozone can damage lung tissue, increasing inflammation and the risk of asthma attacks.
Some crops and plants are known to contribute to ozone. But this study is the first to establish a connection between an invasive plant and poor air quality, said lead researcher Jonathan Hickman, a fellow at the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
"Tying the two together is an important aspect of this research," said UC Davis plant sciences professor Arnold Bloom, who was not involved in the work. The findings suggest yet another way to assess the effects of invasive species.
Kudzu was planted widely in the Southeast in the early 20th century to help control erosion. But it grew almost too well, not just controlling soil erosion, but taking over abandoned farmland and climbing over stands of native plants, including trees.
A legume, it captures nitrogen from the air and transfers it into surrounding soil.
Normally this is a good thing, Bloom said. Plants need nitrogen to grow. Until nitrogen from the air is broken down into an easier-to-digest form by "nitrogen-fixing" plants and bacteria that work with them, other plants can't access it.
"But there's a downside," Bloom said. The nitrogen-rich soil around kudzu can also emit gases that react with chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, creating ozone.
To measure kudzu's effect on ozone emissions, Hickman and his colleagues identified three locations in Madison County, Ga., where they could study paired plots, or sites where patches of soil covered by kudzu sat next to nearly identical patches of soil without the plant.
They found that the presence of kudzu more than doubled the concentration of nitric oxide coming from the soil.
Plugging their data into a computer scenario in which kudzu covered all nonagricultural, nonurban soils in the region by 2050, they then calculated that, in some areas — specifically parts of Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee — the number of "high-ozone events" would increase by as many as seven days per year, up more than 35% compared with another hypothetical scenario without kudzu.
A high-ozone event was defined as occurring when ozone levels reach 70 parts per billion. The Environmental Protection Agency air-quality standard for ozone is 75 parts per billion. The agency has proposed changing the standard to 60-70 parts per billion.
Aside from altering the visual landscape, invasive species can crowd out native plants, upending long-established, but fragile, ecosystems.
In the Southeast, kudzu is "a poster child for invasive species," Hickman said. Only a few other plants can coexist with it because it grows so dense in summer months that it allows less light through to the ground than a mature forest does.
In addition to facilitating the release of nitrogen oxides from soils into the air, kudzu emits isoprene, a volatile organic compound. "Kudzu is kind of like nature's tailpipe — a tiny ozone machine," Hickman said.
The vine also thrives in carbon-dioxide-rich air, so it may spread even more quickly, and farther north, as atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, Hickman said.
The outlook isn't completely dire. The computer simulation in this study posited "an extreme case, not a plausible scenario."
Kudzu is spreading rapidly — about 100,000 to 125,000 acres each year, Hickman said. It has taken root as far north as Maine and Ontario, Canada, but because it thrives in hot, humid environments, is unlikely to become a scourge far outside the Southeast.
Still, Hickman said, the research brings new attention to yet another consequence of species invasion.
"I'm not sure you'd see an impact on air quality that would cause you to worry from a policy or a health perspective," he said. "But atmospheric air quality hasn't been part of the conversation about invasive species. Maybe it should be in the future."
Eric Davidson, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, a nonprofit institute in Massachusetts that studies the environment, said of the findings: "This means it's more difficult than previously thought to reach our goals of reducing ozone in the lower atmosphere, because the world is a complex place." He did not take part in the research.
"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to reduce these emissions," Davidson said. "But there's no silver bullet that will solve the problem when there are multiple sources" of nitrogen oxides.
http://writersforensicsblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/kudzu-covered-house.jpgKudzu linked to poor air quality A study connects the invasive plant — a... more-
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Most People in U.S. Exposed to Dangerous Pollution
A new report finds that while air quality is improving in many U.S. cities, 175 million people — more than half the population — are still living in areas where the air is often too dangerous to breathe.A new report finds that while air quality is improving in many U.S. cities, 175... more-
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