Environmental, Health and Safety News

While online OSHA training may not be free, it is,...

2010-06-16T13:52:02.842-05:00

While online OSHA training may not be free, it is, in general, more affordable than on-site training - which many people are not eligible to receive from free. Plus, the self-paced, self-scheduled learning environment is beneficial for some people. Websites like OSHA Training offer special discounts for groups, small businesses, and volunteers helping with national catastrophes such as the gulf oil spill.

Yes, It is hard not to agree. Even for those of u...

2010-06-04T13:41:17.269-05:00

Yes,
It is hard not to agree.

Even for those of us who want our struggling nuclear programs to survive.

We are both literally, with nearly all U.S. facilities exceeding their safe mechanical working life by a decade, and figuratively with four decades of nearly a trillion dollar debt to tax payers (between regulatory burden and lack of 'half life' storage) at a breaking point in the program...

Your conclusion to agree that this stuff is 'getting out of hand' just proves your probably good at math and know our renewable 'goals' will not come even close to replacing nuke, coal or even 10% of them by 2020 (peak everything year).

And even IF we built 15 new nuclear plants per year until 2020 (both impossible as improbable due to regulatory burden, cost and protesters against anything that makes sense) it would not even be enough to replace the current nuke fleet that HAS to be decommissioned in the same timeframe.

Who is talking about that 700lb gorilla?

And someone should ask Clinton their 'perspective' on the outlook of accessible uranium and mineral rights to them (you would be surprised by how much of the Clinton name is in... well I will leave it at that).

And my math may be off a little (due to unknown political factors) but not enough to make this 'greatest challenge to save Americas energy programs and secure our future' go away.

Again, I am NOT against nuclear or fossil fuel energy, I just think that the way we have and plan to use them defines our generations as, if not crazy... then extremely naive, greedy and short sighted.
I include myself in that assessment.

Thanks for the feedback it is appreciated,

I agree this nuclear waste stuff is getting out of...

2010-06-04T12:00:04.319-05:00

I agree this nuclear waste stuff is getting out of hand

"...failure of U.S. policymakers to find a permane...

2010-06-04T08:29:45.807-05:00

"...failure of U.S. policymakers to find a permanent solution..."

If, by 'policymakers' one means Congress, I argue that the failure is not in identifying a permanent solution -- that has been done. It's geologic disposal, which is the same solution as that pursued by every, every, other country with a domestic nuclear power industry.

The failure is to make a permanent decision and to stick with it. Congress identified numerous candidate sites for geologic disposal, based on considered analysts from experts. Three were recommended, ultimately, for further analyses. Those three were further reduced to one, Yucca Mountain, based on the cost to characterize the site adequately.

That decision has been criticized, rightly, for its political failings not for its scientific or technical shortcomings.

The laws Congress passed did consider states' rights, giving the Governnor an opportunity to veto, which he did, and which Congress over-rode. The Executive Branch under Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush all pursued and executed the intent and will of Congress.

Senator Reid advocated reversing these Executive and Legislative branch decisions, but without successfully proposing a credible alternative. None of the bills he introduced made it out of committee.

President Obama reversed the decisions of the four preceding Presidents, again without proposing a credible alterantive.

The scientific merits of Yucca Mountain have NOT been debated in a credible manner yet, though the process was well underway; a process which gave thhose opposed to YM on technical merits an ample opportunity to challenge any potential licensing actions.

Reiss Industries should have been fined from Water...

2010-05-26T08:51:51.425-05:00

Reiss Industries should have been fined from Watertown, WI. There should be greater efforts to prevent these problems which cause serious health issues. Why was there no environmental studies completed to rule out that the chemical was no longer in the environment?

What if there was a technology that captured carbo...

2010-04-25T09:18:47.329-05:00

What if there was a technology that captured carbon pollution and at the same time reduced the quantity of coal used for each kWh? Do we need such a technology, at least for the interim until the green works, affordable and at scale?

I like him

2010-04-23T00:27:55.825-05:00

I like him

There is no more problem with importing oil than t...

2010-04-20T14:06:03.654-05:00

There is no more problem with importing oil than there is importing food. The world is now one interlocking economy, much more so than when OPEC tried its embargo back in 1973. While that sparked the biggest oil price increase in history (to that time) it pretty much died on the vine. The same thing would happen if another embargo was tried.

OPEC sticks together like a soup sandwich. They have the problem with cheating, non-OPEN producers (like Russia) and Oil (note: not gas) substitutions. (Like shale gas)

Many of the OPEC countries are very close to running budget deficits. They could not afford to shut down their production.

And if you really believe in peak oil, wouldn't you rather use up someone else's oil first?

Here's the thing. If lab tests paid for by the co...

2010-04-05T10:24:23.744-05:00

Here's the thing.
If lab tests paid for by the cola companies in the 50s said that it was good for babies to drink soda, and they were lieing.
But lab tests paid for by the government or nutrition groups today say that it is bad for babies to drink soda. Why shouldn't we think that the anti-soda groups are lying?

Has anything changed in labs in 50 years other than who pays for the tests?

This is a very interesting blog and so i like to v...

2010-04-05T00:52:14.537-05:00

This is a very interesting blog and so i like to visit your blog again and again. Keep it up.

Sharon

http://www.bukisa.com/articles/268642_tips-for-abdominal-bloating

Thanks 'RedCraig' You make some very strong point...

2010-04-02T09:31:54.558-05:00

Thanks 'RedCraig'

You make some very strong points:

RE: Why do they 'single out nuclear power plants'...It takes thousands of wind turbines scattered over hundreds of square miles to generate the same electricity

-Not to mention the even more enormous land mass solar would use 'RedCraig'

Your genuine and thoughtful points deserve equal in answers.

People fear what they do not understand and I fear the people who don't understand, run programs they don't comprehend. - Haase

I agree that Nuclear HAS to be part of a balanced energy mix in the future, yet like most resources we are doing 'nuclear' horribly wrong, and building a 1000 year waste problem. Using less than 4% of uranium energy we will desperately need. By the time we have our next generation (10-20 years to build) of dated and inefficient reactors online we will be near peak uranium supplies (and yes there are fuel, bed and core designs that 'may' remove this Achilles heel-but we are a decade away from proving the new generations promises)

But, without the next generation of waste reductions and efficiencies... our future generations will look at us baffled by how we filled our landfills and mountains with the same energy we needed to save ourselves?

Like we dig up dinosaur sh%4 for our current energy 'black gold', they will be doing the same to save their future. We only have hope for ours the day we commit to doing it now.

Inarguable Energy Facts:
As long as nuclear waste gives off radiation it is a viable energy resource. As long as consumer, commercial and industrial waste has a chemical break down chain and BTU's it is viable energy and raw material commodity.
(1st Law of energy)

Not 'sexy tech' but sustainable...
I hate to get all 3 R's on this but it is the safest, securest, economical, tangible and sustainable way to a fossil fuel free future. - www.p2.org

The idea that we throw it away to heat a home or power a car and blow 70% of the energy out the tail pipes and chimneys as pollution can only be defined as "insanity"

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. -Albert Einstein

The average person has NO IDEA how critical oil and coal are to the same products and food they consume and throw away everyday.

The amount of chemicals and raw materials that we NEED oil as a raw material to produce is nearly everything you will touch today...
while there are 1000's of drop in replacements to fuel our homes and cars, finding raw materials to replace oil in industrial, consumer and commercial products would take a 'World Effort' and even if we started right now, the task would make putting a man on the moon or mars look easy.

I only try to promote the 'best management practices' for ALL of our energy options in my posts.

Thanks again 'RedCraig', for getting me started with your comment.

-end soap box rant ;-)

Thanks Mark. My suggestions are fairly simple, ch...

2010-04-02T07:49:24.229-05:00

Thanks Mark.

My suggestions are fairly simple, cheap and obtainable. They have to be, to be sustainable.

As everyone 'wins' with my plans, they are not very popular with the controlling interests to say the least.

I linked to the project in a comment on your megacity blogpost.

My ultimate goal is to find trustworthy politician to propose this to Mr. Chu and Pres...

Still lookin ;-)

Yet members of the house and some wonderful Gov. employees follow and read my suggestions... so I am hopeful and always the optimist.

Thanks for offering and sharing your suggestions on the viability of MegaCities.

-Haase

The referenced article makes the point that energy...

2010-04-02T00:21:15.115-05:00

The referenced article makes the point that energy conservation is the most effective of the few solutions available to us. Everyone seems to agree on that point.

What isn't clear is why they single out nuclear power plants for comparison. It takes thousands of wind turbines scattered over hundreds of square miles to generate the same electricity as one nuke; to generate as much as 12,000 nukes would take tens of millions of them scattered over millions of square miles.

Maybe they singled out nukes because they don't consider wind turbines to be practical energy sources. There are some valid reasons to feel that way, but it's awfully short-sighted.

They can't believe that the world will reduce its energy consumption to zero, so they must have concluded that a combination of conservation and nuclear energy is the right approach to avoiding climate change. So this is just another statement of the obvious, except that they understate the value of wind energy. Hardly newsworthy.

Good stuff, thanks for posting. GP Texso Instrume...

2010-04-01T21:48:33.106-05:00

Good stuff, thanks for posting.

GP
Texso Instruments

So what do you suggest?

2010-04-01T16:23:39.179-05:00

So what do you suggest?

It is a pity to observe such employers who are not...

2010-03-30T00:12:42.949-05:00

It is a pity to observe such employers who are not aware about OSHA mandatory regulations!

OSHA training, OSHA certification, OSHA safety training, 40 Hazwoper, EPA training

We need to adapt. Take a look at this article The ...

2010-03-28T07:32:47.893-05:00

We need to adapt. Take a look at this article The Great Transition: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21656220/The-Great-Transition-Navigating-Social-Economic-Ecological-Change-in-Turbulent-Times

Here are the syn-nitrogen & soil Carbon study link...

2010-03-16T13:45:23.136-05:00

Here are the syn-nitrogen & soil Carbon study links I forgot were hyper-linked;
http://jeq.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/36/6/1821

http://jeq.scijournals.org/cgi/content/full/38/6/2295

Biochar viewed as soil Infrastructure; The old saw;
"Feed the Soil Not the Plants" becomes;
"Feed, Cloth and House the Soil, utilities included !".
Free Carbon Condominiums with carboxyl group fats in the pantry and hydroxyl alcohol in the mini bar.
Build it and the Wee-Beasties will come.
Microbes like to sit down when they eat.
By setting this table we expand husbandry to whole new orders & Kingdoms of life.

This is what I try to get across to Farmers, as to how I feel about the act of returning carbon to the soil. An act of penitence and thankfulness for the civilization we have created. Farmers are the Soil Sink Bankers, once carbon has a price, they will be laughing all the way to it.
Unlike CCS which only reduces emissions, biochar systems draw down CO2 every energy cycle, closing a circle back to support the soil food web. The photosynthetic "capture" collectors are up and running, the "storage" sink is in operation just under our feet. Pyrolysis conversion plants are the only infrastructure we need to build out.

Legislation:
Senator Baucus is co-sponsoring a bill along with Senator Tester (D-MT) called WE CHAR. Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration Act! It focuses on promoting biochar technology to address invasive species and forest biomass. It includes grants and loans for biochar market research and development, biochar characterization and environmental analyses. It directs USDI and USDA to provide loan guarantees for biochar technologies and on-the-ground production with an emphasis on biomass from public lands. And the USGS is to do biomas availability assessments.
WashingtonWatch.com - S. 1713, The Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration (WECHAR) Act of 2009

Individual and groups can show support for WECHAR by signing online at:
http://www.biocharmatters.org/

The Clean Energy Partnerships Act of 2009
The bill is designed to ensure that any US domestic cap-and-trade bill provides maximum incentives and opportunities for the US agricultural and forestry sectors to provide high-quality offsets and GHG emissions reductions for credit or financial incentives. Carbon offsets play a critical role in keeping the costs of a cap-and-trade program low for society as well as for capped sectors and entities, while providing valuable emissions reductions and income generation opportunities for the agricultural sector. The bill specifically identifies biochar production and use as eligible for offset credits, and identifies biochar as a high priority for USDA R&D, with funding authorized by the bill.
To read the full text of the bill, go to:
http://www.biochar-international.org/sites/default/files/END09F94.pdf.

Biochar systems for Biofuels and soil carbon sequestration are so basically conservative in nature it is a shame that republicans have not seized it as a central environmental policy plank as the conservatives in Australia have; "Carbon sequestration without Taxes".

Erich, Thanks for your take and all the great info...

2010-03-16T13:32:46.161-05:00

Erich,
Thanks for your take and all the great information and BioChar summaries.

It is appreciated.

To me, in the long run, the final arbiter / accou...

2010-03-16T11:26:59.225-05:00

To me, in the long run, the final arbiter / accountancy / measure of sustainability will be
soil carbon content. Once this royal road is constructed, traffic cops ( Carbon Board ) in place, the truth of land-management and Biochar systems will be self-evident.

A dream I've had for years is to base the coming carbon economy firmly on the foundation of top soils. My read of the agronomic history of civilization shows that the Kayopo Amazon Indians and the Egyptians were the only ones to maintain fertility for the long haul, millennium scales. Egypt has now forsaken their geologic advantage by building the Aswan dam, and are stuck, with the rest of us, in the soil C mining, NPK rat race to the bottom. (see here and here)

The Ag Soil Carbon standard is in the second phase of review by the AMS branch at USDA.

Since we have filled the air , filling the seas to full, Soil is the Only Beneficial place left.
Carbon to the Soil, the only ubiquitous and economic place to put it.

Hope to see you at ISU for the 2010 US Biochar Conference

Dr. Robert Brown , and the team in Ames Iowa are planing the next national biochar conference. The Conference will be June 27-30 in Ames Iowa Hosted by Iowa State University.
http://www.biorenew.iastate.edu/events/biochar2010.html

The Biochar Fund deserves your attention and support.
Exceptional results from biochar experiment in Cameroon
http://scitizen.com/screens/blogPage/viewBlog/sw_viewBlog.php?idTheme=14&idContribution=3011

Research:

This is the finest explanation I have read on the process of biochar testing. Hugh lays it out like medical triage to extract the data most needed for soil carbon sequestration. A triage for all levels of competence, the Para-Medic Gardener to the Surgeon Chem-Engineer.
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/Characterizing_Biochars

The Ozzie's for 5 years now in field studies
The future of biochar - Project Rainbow Bee Eater
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/features/20090211-20142.html

The Japanese have been at it dacades:
Japan Biochar Association ;
www.geocities.jp/yasizato/pioneer.htm

UK Biochar Research Centre
www.geos.ed.ac.uk/sccs/biochar/

USDA in their 2 nd year;
There are dozens soil researchers on the subject now at USDA-ARS.
and many studies at The ASA-CSSA-SSSA joint meeting;
a-c-s.confex.com/crops/2009am/webprogram/Session5675.html

Nikolaus has been at it 4 years. Nikolaus Foidl,
His current work with aspirin is Amazing in Maize, 250% yield gains, 15 cobs per plant;
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/content/trials-maize-reactivating-dormant-genes-using-high-doses-salicylic-acid-and-charcoal

My 09 field trials with the Rodale Institute & JMU ;
Alterna Biocarbon and Cowboy Charcoal Virginia field trials '09
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/node/1408

Most recent studies out;
Imperial College test,
This work in temperate soils gives data from which one can calculate savings on fertilizer use, which is expected to be ongoing with no additional soil amending.
www.iop.org/EJ/article/1755-1315/6/37/372052/ees9_6_372052.pdf?request-id=22fb1902-1c23-4db8-8801-2be7e2f3ce1b

The BlueLeaf Inc./ Dynamotive study are exciting results given how far north the site is at 45 degrees, and the low application rates. I suspect, as we saw with the Imperial College test, the yield benefits seem to decrease the cooler the climate. In 2008, a 20% increase in grain yield was shown and for a forage mixture in 2009 a 100% increase in fresh biomass was obtained. Other parameters showing increases with CQuest Biochar included earthworm, nematode and mycorrhizal root colonization, supporting the hypothesis that biochar may serve as a refuge for soil microbes. Surface soil water infiltration was also greater in biochar amended soil.
http://www.biofuelsjournal.com/articles/BlueLeaf_Inc__and_Dynamotive_Release_2nd_Year_Field_Trial_Results_With_Dynamotive_CQuestT_Biochar-90009.html

Thanks for your efforts.
Erich

Any chronic disease can be dangerous if not treate...

2010-01-29T12:12:51.533-06:00

Any chronic disease can be dangerous if not treated on time this indicates findrxonline in their articles, in many cases the drugs are of great help to counteract the chronic pain, but there are other supplements that science should be regarded as vegetables and vitamin supplements, many consider the medicines are of great help to counteract the pain, especially opioids narcotics such as Vicodin, Lortab, hydrocodone, oxycontin, oxycodone, tramadol, and many others that exist in today's market, but I think we should also consider as an additional alternative to supplement the vitamins such as calcium, B complex, vitamin C, do you think it is a contribution to people with chronic disease?

You can learn more about the mouse on the manufact...

2010-01-23T06:16:28.164-06:00

You can learn more about the mouse on the manufacturers website Combidrive

One additional item to note should be the inclusio...

2009-12-21T17:54:48.567-06:00

One additional item to note should be the inclusion of language that uses animals as a last resort if at all.

Currently, many toxicity tests are based on experiments in animals and use methods that were developed as long ago as the 1930’s; they and are slow, inaccurate, open to uncertainty and manipulation, and do not adequately protect human health. These tests take anywhere from months to years, and tens of thousands to millions of dollars to perform. More importantly, the current testing paradigm has a poor record in predicting effects in humans and an even poorer record in leading to actual regulation of dangerous chemicals.

Hi, Good one on Post IRAQ War toxic materials sen...

2009-12-14T06:40:27.741-06:00

Hi,

Good one on Post IRAQ War toxic materials send Cancer spkies and infant mortality rates soaring.Do you know 1 million children are accidentally poisoned in their homes each year? To Discover the healthy alternative and make your home a safe haven these tips at http://debtfreeliving.toxinchecklist.com may help.

Thanks,
Leo.

That is great news. I have an alternative for meet...

2009-12-11T13:14:40.631-06:00

That is great news. I have an alternative for meetings at City Hall. Reuseable Glass bottles from a company called Vivreau (Vivreau.ca) They supply a machine that dispenses cold filtered flat AND sparkling water, from the tap. They provide you with the resealable bottles, and the bottles have your company name and logo. They are washed in a standard dishwasher (racks included) and it all environmentally friendly. Looks better than jugs too.
Way to go Toronto.