Priorities - ouch

MDNRE Seeking Input on Proposed Change to Dow RCRA License

Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (MDNRE) is seeking public comment on a proposal to change the Dow Chemical Co. RCRA license. The proposed "major license modification" is part of the January 2010 agreement between EPA, MDEQ (now MDNRE) and Dow. The changes would allow Dow to meet some RCRA obligations by carrying out work specified in the 2010 agreement.

EPA is helping MDNRE with distribution of this notice to reach as broad an audience as possible. A public meeting is scheduled for March 11, 2010.

• Public Notice: Hazardous Waste Management Facility Operating License Major Modification (PDF)

Washington State Releases Draft Chemical List to Children’s Product Safety Act

VIA NexReg The Washington Department of Ecology (WA DOE) has released a draft reporting list of 66 chemicals as part of the pilot rule-making process related to the previously enacted Children's Product Safety Act. Under this Act, the WA DOE is responsible for creating a list of high priority chemicals. The pilot approach calls for the agency to have several manufacturers test the draft rule.

Participating manufacturers are expected to provide feedback and the rule is anticipated to be finalized in spring of this year. Once the finalized chemical list is published, manufacturers of children's product will be required to report to the WA DOE if any of the listed chemicals are present in their products.

Read more at NexReg or for more information on the pilot program or to download the draft chemical please visit Bureau Veritas Group

Cap or Tax and Trade who will pay for it?

As you work today, think about this...  Less than half of Americans are taxable, of which nearly half of them pay 0 federal taxes.
In other words ONLY 80 Million hard working Americans are paying back the Tens of Trillions of dollars of debt we are accruing.

Now when we ask who is going to carry the 'extra load' of new 'cap & trade' or 'energy tax' debt?
Spoiler alert - look in the middle (class) section: (via mint)

NOTE: I would never criticize anything I do not have 100's of better ways to improve on.
Sustainable energy programs should never have an 'extra cost', by the term 'Sustainable' the cost should ALWAYS offer near term payback.

In perspective, I understand how people can perceive these 'new' energy programs as 'sustainable' if they believe the economy that subsidizes them is ;-)

Maybe we should be looking at a “Pay it Back tax.” Robin Hood tax could generate $700bn worldwide. The tax would see 0.05% levied on each bank and hedge fund trade ,ranging from shares to foreign exchange and derivatives, creating a cash pile to be spent on measures to combat domestic and international poverty as well as fight climate change.
 

The Guardian and comedian Bill Nighy have just released this video

Reduce your water use - how much do you use?

GOOD - To help put things in perspective, think about this:

your standard trash barrel holds 32 gallons and a mid-sized passenger car—if pumped full of water—has room for a little more than 800 gallons. So, the difference in the amount of water it takes to produce a pound of chicken and a pound of beef is enough to fill almost two whole cars.

As we become more and more aware that we may be using water at an unsustainable pace, the idea of water footprints—the amount of water an individual uses—is becoming more common. Water footprints can be hard to calculate, depending on how far up the chain of production you go, since everything you eat and buy used some water to produce (to feed cows for beef, for example, or to use in the factory that made your cell phone). With our latest Transparency, we give you some examples of how much water is used in some of your daily activities, so that you can begin calculate your footprint and try to reduce your gallons.

Image and content are a collaboration between  GOOD, Fogelson-Lubliner

SOURCES: Department of Energy; H2OConserve; IEEE Spectrum; The Water Footprint Network

USDA researchers focus on 3 major possibilities: Bee Colony Collapse Disorder

FAS.org    Starting in late 2006, commercial migratory beekeepers along the East Coast of the United States began reporting sharp declines in their honey bee colonies... an estimated 35.8%

To date, the precise reasons for colony losses are not yet known.
 Honey bees are the most economically valuable pollinators of agricultural crops worldwide. Scientists at universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) frequently assert that bee pollination is involved in about one-third of the U.S. diet, and contributes to the production of a wide range of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, forage crops, some field crops, and other specialty crops. The monetary value of honey bees as commercial pollinators in the United States is estimated at about $15-$20 billion annually.

.... "it now seems clear that no single factor alone is responsible for the malady." This has led researchers to further examine the hypothesis that CCD may be "a syndrome caused by many different factors, working in combination or synergistically." Currently, USDA states, researchers are focusing on three major possibilities:

• pesticides that may be having unexpected negative effects on honey bees;
• a new parasite or pathogen that may be attacking honey bees, such as the parasite Nosema ceranae or viruses; and
• combination of existing stresses that may compromise the immune system of bees and disrupt their social system, making colonies more susceptible to disease and collapse. Stresses could include high levels of infection by the Varroa mite; poor nutrition due to apiary overcrowding, pollination of crops with low nutritional value, or pollen or nectar scarcity; exposure to limited or contaminated water supplies; and migratory stress.
  

Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder linked from Shirl Kennedy at DocUticker

China won that economic conflict simulation....

With the new US budget, "42 cents of every dollar the federal government spends will have to be borrowed." Without a doubt, it is China and Japan that support over 40 percent of that Treasury debt. You can read more details about this potentially mutually destructive behavior in the New York Post on how America's number one creditor possesses the ultimate weapon.

Editorial Cartoon by Jim Morin, The Miami Herald

Study Says 2 Sodas Per Week Raises Pancreatic Cancer 87%

WebMD  ''People who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87% increased risk -- or nearly twice the risk -- of pancreatic cancer compared to individuals consuming no soft drinks," says study lead author Noel T. Mueller, MPH, a research associate at the Cancer Control Program at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C. The study is published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research....

Cancer of the pancreas was diagnosed in about 42,000 people in the U.S. in 2009, according to American Cancer Society estimates, and about 35,240 deaths from the disease were expected. The pancreas lies behind the stomach. It makes hormones such as insulin to balance sugar in the blood and produces juices with enzymes to help break down fats and protein in foods

See full at WebMD

Are we in recovery? Or is the depression deepening?

DailyReckoning No one knows for sure...Broadly speaking, the period we are in is deflationary. It is a period of credit contraction (at least in the private sector), de-leveraging and depression. How can we be sure? …

Take a look at this chart, for example. What it shows is not a 'jobless recovery.' It shows no recovery at all.

This slump is worse than any since World War II because it is correcting an expansion that dates all the way back to 1945! Credit began increasing right after the war. It kept increasing until 2007. Then, in the private sector, it began going the other way.

That trend continues.

It makes sense from a theoretical point of view, too. Every big credit expansion is followed by a big credit contraction. As credit expands, more and more mistakes are made. You can see how this works by looking at the mortgage industry. The first borrowers were solid. Subsequent borrowers were not-so-solid, but they were still generally reliable. The last borrowers – at the height of the frenzy in 2006 – often had no jobs, no income, and no plausible way of repaying their mortgages. Those mistakes are now being corrected.

Get more depressed from the 'right viewpoint' at DailyReckoning

Message from Madeline working with NGO in Guatemala... ground zero

- Note from my Niece working for an NGO in Guatemala,

Hola a todos,
...I'd like to introduce you to Guatemala City'sMunicipal Garbage Dump.

The dump is located in a natural ravine in the center of the Guatemala City.  The ravine spans about 40 acres of land.  All the garbage from the 3.5 million residents of Guatemala City and four surrounding towns is dumped here.  Nine hundred and twenty yellow trucks can dump up to three times a day, depositing (in our best estimate, but nothing official) 1000 tons of garbage in the dump daily. 

There are no environmental regulations here in Guatemala, so not only residential and business waste goes into the dump but also hospital waste, dead animals from the zoo, toxic waste, dead bodies have also been dumped here but much less now than during the civil war.

So why am I telling you about the dump?
Because this is the population we serve. "Guajeros" is the name given to the people that rummage through the trash looking for recyclable materials that they can sell for a profit.  They collect aluminum, glass, plastic, cardboard, burn mattresses for the metal springs, salvage clothes and furniture they can resell, etc. 

They work in absolutely atrocious conditions.
They are continually exposed to not only the germs found in rotting trash but also worms, rats, and vultures.  The biggest health complaint that we hear of is respiratory problems because the the workers constantly breathing in methane gas, sulfur, and dust...  read on about her journey here

... please send this and my upcoming e-mails to all and everyone you know,

The best index to a person's character is...

(a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and
(b) how he treats people who can't fight back."

Source

Nissan WIN - Closes on DOE $1.4 Billion Loan ...VOLT FAIL

Nissan's all-electric LEAF will be built in a retooled Smyrna, Tennessee, factory as a result of a DOE loan. Credit: Photo courtesy of Nissan North America, In

EERE - DOE announced January 28 that it has closed its $1.4 billion loan with Nissan North America, Inc. to build an advanced battery manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tennessee, and to retool the automaker's existing Smyrna factory so it can build electric automobiles. Nissan plans to use the loan to produce its all-electric vehicle, the LEAF, at the retooled Smyrna plant. Nissan will offer electric vehicles to fleet and retail customers, and the automaker plans to ramp up production capacity in Smyrna so that it can build 150,000 vehicles and 200,000 battery packs annually. The two projects are expected to create up to 1,300 U.S. jobs and to conserve up to 65.4 million gallons of gasoline per year.

The Nissan announcement marks the third loan agreement signed by DOE with an advanced technology vehicle manufacturer, following a $5.9 billion agreement with Ford Motor Company in September 2009 and a $465 million loan agreement with Tesla Motors, Inc. on January 21. DOE has also signed a conditional commitment with Fisker Automotive to build plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by reopening a shuttered auto plant in Wilmington, Delaware. Tenneco, Inc. became the first advanced technology component manufacturer to obtain a conditional commitment from DOE in October of last year.

Congress appropriated $7.5 billion to DOE to support up to $25 billion in loans to companies using U.S. factories to make cars and components that increase fuel economy at least 25% above 2005 fuel economy levels. DOE plans to make additional loans over the next several months to large and small auto manufacturers and parts suppliers up and down the production chain. See the DOE press release and the LEAF page on the Nissan Web site.

DOE Requests $2.4 Billion for Renewable Energy, Efficiency - $28.4 billion budget

(WhiteHouse) President Barack Obama unveiled on February 1 a $28.4 billion budget request for DOE for fiscal year (FY) 2011, including $2.36 billion for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The proposed budget aims to reduce unnecessary energy use, boost renewable energy sources, and strengthen clean energy research as the United States moves toward a clean energy economy. The budget request for  EERE represents a 5% increase over FY 2010, not counting funds provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The President's budget includes substantial increases for many EERE programs, including a 53% increase for wind energy, a 43% increase for the Weatherization and Intergovernmental program, a 32% increase for the Federal Energy Management Program, a 25% increase for geothermal energy, and a 22% increase for solar energy. The proposed budget also includes $57.5 million for facilities and infrastructure at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, including the completion of the Energy Systems Integration Facility. It also proposes $50 million for a new program called Regaining our Energy Science and Engineering Edge (Re-Energyse), an educational effort designed to guide students and workers to pursue careers in science, engineering, and entrepreneurship related to clean energy...Please read full at EERE

See the DOE press release and the DOE Budget Highlights (PDF 4.2 MB) on the DOE budget and performance Web page.

EPA TO HOLD PUBLIC ASIAN CARP REGIONAL MEETING IN CHICAGO - FEB. 12

EPA – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on behalf of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee, will hold a meeting in Chicago on Feb. 12 to discuss plans and get recommendations on Asian carp control efforts. The committee will answer questions and listen to comments from the public. A second meeting will be scheduled in the near future elsewhere in the Great Lakes basin.

Who: Senior representatives from
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
U.S. Coast Guard;
State of Illinois and other Great Lakes states;
City of Chicago;
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago;
White House Council on Environmental Quality; and
Scientific experts

When: 3:00 – 6:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 12

Where: Room 331
Metcalfe Federal Building
77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Ill.

The meeting also will be available via live web stream at:
http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/live

Stay in touch at:
http://www.asiancarp.org/regionalcoordination
 

CBO's Conservation, Energy Efficiency and Fish Recovery updates

The following is from the CBO's Web site (www.cbo.gov)
Summary and Cost estimates for the bills

• S. 1830, Federal Agency Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2009
• S. 2859, Coral Reef Conservation Amendments Act of 2009
• S. 1453, Bureau of Reclamation Fish Recovery Programs Reauthorization Act of 2009

LUX - Biofuels' and Biomaterials' Path to Petroleum Parity Webinar February 10

Join Lux Research's (Wednesday, February 10, 2010 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST)  first-of-its-kind analysis of how bio-based materials will compete with oil, and when and how they'll reach the elusive goal of "petroleum parity." Learn:  
• How biofuels and biomaterials costs stack up against petroleum-based products
• What performance metrics biofuels and biomaterial stack up on – and where they fall short
• Whether biofuels and biomaterials technologies have the potential to scale up to match petroleum's output
• Which biofuel and biomaterial technologies look most promising in the areas of cultivation, processing, and production
• How to follow the path toward petroleum parity and  where the opportunities to profit will arise
Register here

Biofuel Producer Registration Form for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard Regulation

ARB is now registering facilities that produce ethanol or biomass-based diesel for use in California.

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff has posted the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Biofuel Producer Registration Form on the LCFS website here
 

Administration's strong commitment to vigorous OSHA enforcement.

From Cal-OSHA reporter "Today's budget affirms this administration's strong commitment to vigorous enforcement. OSHA received over 100 inspectors in our 2010 budget, as well as an additional 25 requested in 2011. We are also moving 35 inspectors from compliance assistance activities to enforcement."

U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, who says that the department will seek to allocate $1.7 billion for worker protection programs...

Read more at Wall Street Journal (linked via CalOSHA)

Biofuels: the Biggest Supply Response to the 2000s

...by 2008, the biofuels were the largest volume, and also the fastest growing, alternative liquid fuel.  If we corrected for energy density but also excluded the tar sands that is sold directly as bitumen, this would be even more strongly true.

There are four kinds of liquid fuel alternatives to crude oil in actual commercial production at the present:

* Biofuels - ethanol and biodiesel, primarily from food crops around the world
* Tar Sands - synfuel and bitumen, primarily from Canada
* Gas-To-Liquids (GTL) - from South Africa, Malaysia, and increasingly Qatar
* Coal-To-Liquids (CTL) - primarily from South Africa, but just starting in China

Stuart Staniford -  I have argued in the past that there are structural reasons for this: given the comparatively low capital requirements and small plant size of biofuel plants, they can respond much faster to episodes of high oil prices than can the other sources, all of which tend to involve larger, slower-to-build, more capital intensive plants. This has important implications for food and land prices in future oil price shocks. Food prices are likely to rise quickly and markedly in response to oil shocks, public policy permitting.

This is something I argued back in an early 2008 Oil Drum post, Fermenting the Food Supply. Essentially, converting food to fuel becomes increasingly profitable at high oil prices (and at sufficiently high prices this doesn't require subsidies), and because ethanol plants are relatively small and numerous, it's possible to build more of them very quickly, converting ever more of the food supply to fuel.

In the US, 2009 data is now available for the corn harvest, and combining this with data from the renewable fuels association, I updated one of the graphs from Fermenting the Food Supply.  This shows the total ethanol potential for the entire US corn crop in the background (mid pink), and the capacity of ethanol plants either under construction or in production in the foreground (see inset)

The bad news is that we are now in a position to convert over 40% of the US corn crop to ethanol.  The good news is that the process has slowed down, at least for now.  The combination of the 2008 collapse in oil prices, and possibly the beginning of pushback on the ethanol lobby due to the effect on food prices, has caused a reduction in the amount of ethanol capacity buildout.

Still, the ethanol industry is now building from a very high level, and further increases at anything like the growth rates of the mid 2000s would quickly consume most of the remaining corn.

This process is very sensitive to public policy, since the amount of ethanol allowed and/or mandated in gasoline is set by law. 
Please read full by Stuart Staniford

Focus on Fire Safety: Older Adults and Preparedness for Fire

Please thank Shirl Kennedy over at DocuTicker for bringing this up and for the  link ;-)

U.S. Fire Administration Adults age 65 and older are at a higher risk of death from fire than any other age group. According to the USFA report Fire in the United States Fifteenth Edition, older adults account for approximately 32 percent of all fire deaths. Fire prevention and planning are key elements in reducing the risk of deaths and injuries from fire. In the event of a fire, remember that every second counts, so you and your family must always be prepared.

Escape plans help you get out of your home quickly. In less than 30 seconds, a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for a house to fill with thick black smoke and become engulfed in flames. Developing and practicing a fire escape plan and installing and maintaining smoke alarms are ways in which you can prepare for the possibility of a fire occurring in your home. Being prepared in the event a fire occurs may increase your chances of survival. Fire Prevention and Home Fire Safety for Seniors

EyeCandy NOTE: to my colleagues, educators, regulators, scientists and true environmentalists… I am sorry.

US low scoring on 2010 Quality of Life Index

Linked from Shirl KennedyDocUticker

According to the 2010 Quality of Life Index published by InternationalLiving.com the U.S. is less free than Lithuania, Hungary, Malta and 42 other countries. "You can blame much of it on the Patriot Act," says Dan Prescher, Special Projects Editor at International Living... since the passage of the Patriot Act, many Americans have the feeling that their basic rights and freedoms, especially the right to privacy and the freedom from unwarranted searches and seizures, have been drastically reduced."... there is a sense that the Act gives the government wide powers to limit personal freedoms in the name of fighting terror.  Source: InternationalLiving.com

No worries here folks - this is fixable... we are still on the top,  just going through a 'protectionism phase' after 911

Final scores ranked here:

Country	Cost of Living	Leisure & Culture	Economy	Environment	Freedom	Health	Infrastructure	Risk & Safety	Climate	Final Score
France	55	81	69	72	100	100	92	100	87	82
Australia	56	82	71	76	100	87	92	100	87	81
Switzerland	41	86	79	78	100	95	96	100	77	81
Germany	54	82	71	83	100	89	90	100	79	81
New Zealand	62	82	65	77	100	88	70	100	84	79
Luxembourg	44	76	85	77	100	87	66	100	83	78
United States	56	79	67	62	92	78	100	100	84	78

Vermont nuke leaks renew debate over aging plants

From DailyReporter  (AP) — Radioactive tritium, a carcinogen discovered in potentially dangerous levels in groundwater at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, has now tainted at least 27 of the nation's 104 nuclear reactors — raising concerns about how it is escaping from the aging nuclear plants.

The leaks — many from deteriorating underground pipes — come as the nuclear industry is seeking and obtaining federal license renewals, casting itself as a clean-green alternative to power plants that burn fossil fuels.

Tritium, found in nature in tiny amounts and a product of nuclear fusion, has been linked to cancer if ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin in large amounts.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday that new tests at a monitoring well on Vermont Yankee's site in Vernon registered 70,500 picocuries per liter, more than three times the federal safety standard of 20,000 picocuries per liter.

That is the highest reading yet at the Vermont Yankee plant, where the original discovery last month drew sharp criticism by Gov. Jim Douglas and others. Officials of the New Orleans-based Entergy Corp., which owns the plant in Vernon in Vermont's southeast corner, have admitted misleading state regulators and lawmakers by saying the plant did not have the kind of underground pipes that could leak tritium into groundwater.

"What has happened at Vermont Yankee is a breach of trust that cannot be tolerated," said Douglas, who until now has been a strong supporter of the state's lone nuclear plant.

President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address last week, called for "building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country." His 2011 budget request to Congress on Monday called for $54 billion in additional loan guarantees for nuclear power.

The 104 nuclear reactors operating in 31 states, including two in Wisconsin, provide only 20 percent of the nation's electricity. But they are responsible for 70 percent of the power from non-greenhouse gas producing sources, including wind, solar and hydroelectric dams.

Vermont Yankee is just the latest of dozens of U.S. nuclear plants, many built in the 1960s and '70s, to be found with leaking tritium.

"When you have public officials that the public depends on for their health and welfare making casual statements that a radioactive substance is not harmful to you, I think that's ludicrous," Klein said.

There's disagreement on the severity of the risk....

Paul Gunter of the Maryland-based anti-nuclear group Beyond Nuclear, said in many instances, it's impossible to know how much tritium is getting into the environment.

"These are uncontrolled, unmonitored releases from these plants," he said.

Steve Kerekes, spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry group, said the public shouldn't be unduly worried.

Please read full at DailyReporter 

Zero-CO2-Emissions House that Conserves, Generates, and Stores Energy

"Towards a Sustainable Japan -- Corporations at Work"
JFS Newsletter In April 2009, panasonic unveiled its Eco-Ideas House at the Panasonic Center Tokyo showroom in Ariake, Tokyo. Making the most of natural light and wind, both natural assets, the house showcases ways to more efficiently use energy and resources.

It promotes the concept of a virtually zero CO2-emission-lifestyle through the design of the entire house, calling it "CO2±0 in an Entire House," which it says will become a reality within three to five years, by combining the following three energy strategies: significant reduction of energy consumption of home appliances and other equipment and improved home insulation; generation of electricity for home use by installing fuel cells and photovoltaic power generation systems; and storage of home-generated electricity in lithium-ion batteries for later use.

"In the Eco-Ideas House we have proposed an eco-friendly household to make the step forward towards a more comfortable and energy-saving lifestyle by introducing traditional Japanese wisdom that makes the most of the benefits of nature while utilizing modern technologies," -Tomoyuki Hajima

Please see full project at http://panasonic.co.jp/ecohouse/en/

DNR congratulates ERCO on converting its Port Edwards plant to a mercury-free technology

"ERCO's efforts – which involved a major voluntary investment in their Port Edwards plant – have dramatically reduced mercury released into Wisconsin's air and demonstrated that what's good for the environment can be very smart for business," Frank said.

Prior to the conversion the operation of the mercury cell technology resulted in the emission of approximately 1,300 pounds of mercury annually to the environment. The ERCO Worldwide Port Edwards plant was the largest single source of mercury emissions in the state of Wisconsin and accounted for approximately 25 percent of all mercury emissions in Wisconsin.
Total cost of the project was in excess of $100 million. ERCO has indicated that the conversion will extend the life of the facility by 25 to 30 years, increase its production capacity by approximately 30 percent, increase its efficient use of electrical energy and maintain flexibility in facility operations.

The ERCO Port Edwards facility is a chlor-alkali plant and is the third largest producer of chlor-alkali products in North America.

Please read full at WDNR

- Congrats Geoff;-)

Wisconsin seeks federal funding under Great Lake Restoration Initiative

MADISON - Wisconsin is making the most of a historic opportunity to tap into $475 million in federal funding set aside for President Obama's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in 2010....  Potential applicants voluntarily shared their proposals with DNR. Galarneau and other DNR Great Lakes staff reviewed scores of the applications that groups and governments were planning to submit. The idea was to facilitate the process to avoid duplication and improve coordination of projects, to make sure the grant applications were as strong as possible, and to align projects with the 2009 Wisconsin Great Lakes Strategy finalized last year to carry out in Wisconsin the priorities identified in the national Great Lakes Strategy.

Frank says that such work helped Wisconsin submit grant proposals that will compete. "We've laid the groundwork with our partners so that Wisconsin can carry out the Great Lakes Strategy hammered out with the other Great Lakes states over the last several years," he says.

EPA's grant process called for projects that addressed one or more of the five focus areas including toxic substances and geographic "Areas of Concern" where contaminated sediments remain buried in harbors; invasive species; runoff pollution and the health of near-shore areas; restoration and protection of wildlife and their habitat; and projects calling for monitoring, evaluating and communicating projects funded through the initiative.

Please read more at WDNR

War to save Great Lakes crafted in 2005 - Obama on track to uphold funding

Obama seeks $300 million for Great Lakes cleanup designed to ward off species invasions, cleanse polluted harbors and make other environmental repairs released Monday. 

The restoration initiative is based on a wide-ranging Great Lakes cleanup wish list crafted by government officials, scientists and advocates from across the region in 2005.

The amount is down from the $475 million Congress appropriated for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative last year at Obama's request. Administration officials said the drop-off for the 2011 fiscal year is reasonable, with federal agencies under pressure to cut costs.

It "reflects the difficult economic times while recognizing the president's continued commitment to restoring and protecting this vital environmental and economic treasure," the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement.

EPA chief Lisa Jackson described the $300 million request as "robust" in a call with reporters, noting that much of the money from last year's appropriation had yet to be spent.

The deadline recently passed to apply for $120 million in restoration project grants under the 2010 budget. EPA has received more than 1,000 requests from states, Indian tribes, cities, universities and advocacy groups and will award the money in May, a spokeswoman said.

It calls for eventually spending more than $20 billion for measures such as slamming the door on exotic species, removing sediments laced with toxins, improving wildlife habitat and reducing runoff of pollutants that cause algae blooms and oxygen-deprived "dead zones."

Please read more via DailyReporter

Feb Update - OSHA news and reports

Volume 9, Issue 3

Stakeholders invited to "OSHA Listens" public meeting; Webcast offered The "OSHA Listens" public meeting will be Feb. 10 in Washington and also broadcast via the World Wide Web. For more information on the meeting, see the news release. Visit OSHA's Web site in the next week for details on the Webcast.

Worksite and industry-specific data now available to public on Data.gov and agency Web sites . OSHA collects work-related injury and illness data from more than 80,000 employers within specific industries and of a certain employment size.

OSHA will hold informal stakeholder meetings on combustible dust hazards Feb. 17, at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., at the Marriott Perimeter Center in Atlanta to solicit comments and suggestions on combustible dust hazards in the workplace.See the Jan. 25 Federal Register notice for details.  

The Pentagon addresses energy and climate and Boing2 answers math

Bonig2 Pentagon's Quadrennial Defense Review includes a focus on the national security concerns that go along with both climate change, and energy use. Highlights include efforts to convert the nontactical vehicle fleet away from gasoline-dependence, and a Navy plan to deploy a carrier strike group running on biofuels and nuclear power by 2016.

FAQ's via boin2 comments - Please share and add yours
Can anyone provide some figures on percentage of global petroleum usage dedicated to military purposes?

US military energy consumption- facts and figures

EnergyBulletin FACT 1: The DoD's total primary energy consumption in Fiscal Year 2006 was 1100 trillion Btu. It corresponds to only 1% of total energy consumption in USA. For those of you who think that this is not much then read the next sentence. Nigeria, with a population of more than 140 million, consumes as much energy as the U.S. military.

The DoD per capita[2] energy consumption (524 trillion Btu) is 10 times more than per capita energy consumption in China, or 30 times more than that of Africa. Total final energy consumption (called site delivered energy by DoD) of the DoD was 844 trillion Btu in FY2006.

EnergyBulletin FACT 2: Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) sold $13 billion of energy to DoD services in FY2006. More than half of it was to Air Force.

No need to look further than Wikipedia for the basics - The Department of Defense uses 4,600,000,000 US gallons (1.7×1010 L) (4.6 billion gallons) of fuel annually, an average of 12,600,000 US gallons (48,000,000 L) (12.6 million gallons) of fuel per day.

U.S. oil consumption is approximately 21 million barrels/day

Karl Jones, you might've read that the DoD is responsible for the (very large) majority of *governmental* energy consumption, which is reasonable enough !

Google says 12.6 million gallons is 300,000 oil barrels, a suspiciously round number, so I wonder if the gallons was derived from the barrels figure to be more impressive or because they figured no one knew what a barrel is. Google's calculator function will help us here..

FACT - 4.6 billion US gallons = 109,523,810 oil barrels

So it looks like the US-military-oil-year equals about 5 US-civilian-oil-days..
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Haase - Sorry to plug the EnergyBulletin, but they have much awesomeness in content on energy.

Life Changer - wear earplugs and hear batter?

This may offer great hope to those who have to wear earplugs yet need to hear batter .

Hearing aid you wear on your tooth over a back molar. It uses a wireless mic behind your ear to transmit sound to the tooth-unit, which then retransmits the sound through bone conduction -- without having to drill pins into your skull or surgically embed hardware, which is then hard to upgrade when the field advances.

SoundBite detects noise using a microphone placed in the ear connected to a transmitter in a behind-the-ear (BTE) device. The BTE transmits to an in-the-mouth (ITM) device that sends small sound waves through the jaw to the cochlea. There is no surgery needed, and both the BTE and ITM are easily removed to be charged inductively. Sonitus Medical is still preparing the SoundBite for eventual FDA trials for single sided, and (eventually) other forms of deafness.

New Hearing Aid Uses Your Tooth To Transmit Sound

Read from Boing2