tagged w/ ozone
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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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News is hard, as any beauty contestant will tell you. Fortunately, our crack Super Frat news team is even lazier than you. Here now are the headlines, rewritten for your enjoyment.News is hard, as any beauty contestant will tell you. Fortunately, our crack Super... more
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The Antarctic ozone hole is about one-third to blame for Australia's recent series of droughts, scientists say.
link :http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13161265The Antarctic ozone hole is about one-third to blame for Australia's recent... more
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We've all done it – thrown out fruit or vegetables because they went rotten. Fungal
contamination is the most common cause of spoilage of fresh produce, with an estimated
30 percent of harvested fruit and veggies falling victim to it.
link:http://www.gizmag.com/ozone-fungal-spoilage-fruits-vegetables/18377/We've all done it – thrown out fruit or vegetables because they went... more
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The depletion of the ozone layer shielding Earth from damaging ultraviolet rays has reached an unprecedented low over the Arctic this spring because of harmful chemicals and a cold winter, the U.N. weather agency said Tuesday.
link:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110405/ap_on_re_eu/un_un_arctic_ozone_layerThe depletion of the ozone layer shielding Earth from damaging ultraviolet rays has... more
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September 16 is celebrated as World Ozone Day every year and it is not just another day to remember but to get into action.September 16 is celebrated as World Ozone Day every year and it is not just another... more
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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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Lost in the recent headlines was Al Gore's appearance in Denver at the annual meeting of the Council of Foundations, an association of the nation's philanthropic leaders. "Time's running out (on climate change)," Gore told them. "We have to get our act together. You have a unique role in getting our act together." Gore was right that foundations will play a key role in keeping the climate scam alive as evidence of outright climate fraud grows.... http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/346-believe-in-global-warmingLost in the recent headlines was Al Gore's appearance in Denver at the annual... more
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worrg
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added this
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2 years ago
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The US Environmental Protection Agency is proposing the strictest health standards to date for smog.
Smog, also known as ground-level ozone, is linked to a number of serious health problems, ranging from aggravation of asthma to increased risk of premature death in people with heart or lung disease.
Ozone can even harm healthy people who work and play outdoors. The agency is proposing to replace the standards set by the previous administration, which many believe were not protective enough of human health.
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/40914The US Environmental Protection Agency is proposing the strictest health standards to... more
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Each continent has its own ecological bane that always gets on the list of the worst polluted places on our globe. Be it dirty air of North America’s cities or extremely contaminated soils found in the smelting hubs of Africa or South America, these places beg for mercy and some substantial clean-up programs. You will not include these locations in your next itinerary, unless you need a warning and reminder of how people should not treat the Earth.
http://opentourist.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/most-polluted-cities/#commentsEach continent has its own ecological bane that always gets on the list of the worst... more
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If we keep doing what we're doing, in a few short years this is what your daily weather report will look like!If we keep doing what we're doing, in a few short years this is what your daily... more
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A gas used for fumigation has the potential to contribute significantly to future greenhouse warming, but because its production has not yet reached high levels there is still time to nip this potential contributor in the bud, according to an international team of researchers.
Sulfuryl fluoride was introduced as a replacement for methyl bromide, a widely used fumigant that is being phased out under the Montreal Protocol because of its ozone-destroying chemistry...Until the new work, nobody knew accurately how long the gas would last in the atmosphere after it leaked out of buildings or grain silos. "Our analysis has shown that the lifetime is about 36 years, or eight times greater than previously thought, with the ocean being its dominant sink,"
Fortunately, though, "we've caught it very early in the game,"This program is also designed to sniff out potential greenhouse and ozone-depleting gases before the industry gets very big."A gas used for fumigation has the potential to contribute significantly to future... more
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Old ass plants and flat panel LCDs. Maybe I won't be buying that new T.V after all, Again more signs that Renewable Energies need our full attention... Old ass plants and flat panel LCDs. Maybe I won't be buying that new T.V after... more
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New song released by former member of the band "O-Zone"(known for Numa Numa), Arsenium.New song released by former member of the band "O-Zone"(known for Numa... more
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Didn't we fix this? Scientists have reported that the hole in the Ozone layer above Antarctica has grown in the past year.Didn't we fix this? Scientists have reported that the hole in the Ozone layer... more
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rwylie
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added this
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3 years ago
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Before we get into another edition of “What You Didn’t See…,” the Bad Guys have a question to ask all of our readers.
Have you ever been to a zoo filled with humans and completely devoid of cages? How about a three ring circus of niggatry? If, for some reason, you say yes. Then you will be called a liar because the greatest show on earth was called the 2008 Ozone Awards/TJs DJs Conference in Houston Texas the weekend before last, and “the shit was bananas (B-A-N-A-N-A-S)!” Now before you say that the term “zoo” means something bad, let me explain what a zoo is. A zoo can be fun as you take a look at animals that you probably wouldn’t see anywhere else do uncivilized things. Some of these animals don’t function well with others while some can be a complete blast to be around. There are also a few animals that can be quite dangerous when wandering amongst the common folk. But there’s some others that you just want to pet and feed.
Find out more here....
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/columns-editorials/id.1203Before we get into another edition of “What You Didn’t See…,”... more
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Regardless of the uproar that the Mike Jones/Trae The Truth fight caused beforehand [click to read], the 2008 Ozone Awards in Houston TX came through with a peaceful ceremony that showed love to the south’s finest while paying tribute to one of its favorite fallen soldiers. The 3rd annual awards show and conference, spearheaded by Ozone founder Julia Beverly and TJ of TJs DJs, continues to become one of the industry's most sough after events because of its ability to aim the spotlight on those often ignored by mainstream media outlets while also being known as one of the first outlets to show artists like Rick Ross, Plies and Trick Daddy love.
Read the rest here...
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.7501Regardless of the uproar that the Mike Jones/Trae The Truth fight caused beforehand... more
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