Nov 17, 2005

EPA Called Upon To Suspend Costly Gasoline Regulation Causing Harmful Urban Pollution

EPA Called Upon To Suspend Costly Gasoline Regulation Causing Harmful Urban Pollution
NAFA claims EPA justified its national regulation on the evidence of a single test vehicle, which it modified, and whose results were “forced” and then introduced into the record after it was too late for public comment. www.altfuels.us

Aveda Environmental Awards Honor Three Publications for Progressive Paper Use

GAO Report: US Reduces Protection of Waters and Wetlands
Oct 13, 2005 WASHINGTON - In the past four years, the United States has drastically cut back on its protection of waterways and wetlands, whose erosion was cited as a factor in the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, according to a report issued on Wednesday.

BSU professor will help with airplane safety

IdahoStatesman.com - ID,USA
... answer many questions that still remain about passenger health and
safety on airplanes ... chosen as a research partner through a competitive
bid process with other ...

Carbon Monoxide in Fresh Meat: Consumer Deception and a Potential Health Hazard

In 2004 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed the use of carbon monoxide in consumer-ready fresh meat packaging. The use of carbon monoxide in fresh meat causes a chemical reaction that creates a substance that makes the meat look red and fresh beyond the time it is safe to eat. Because consumers use appearance as the principal indicator of freshness, this is a serious issue of deception and food safety.

Latest Environmental new

Attenborough puts focus on global warming...Guardian Unlimited

Rich nations' greenhouse gas emissions may rise: UN...AP via ABCNEWS.com

Exposure to environment issues starts right from school campus...

DENSO Announces New Long-term Global Environmental Policy...PR Newswire via Wards

Climate change will hit least polluting countries hardest...Guardian Unlimited

Rich nations' greenhouse gas emissions may rise-UN...Reuters

Hearing Scheduled to Take Additional Public Comment on Actions Regulating Mercury

Emissions from Utilities...Environmental Protection Agency

Grape biofuel may lift fortunes of French vintners - Nov. 15, 2005

French winemakers look to biofuel production
The winemakers are looking at new outlets for their products, and one wine industry official says the country could produce about 40 million liters of alcohol to be used in biofuels. He says further research could yield increased production and may help some winemakers generate additional income.
CNNmoney/Reuters

Hazardous Waste Reduction - News

THREE DECADES WORTH OF TRASH

Times Picayune - New Orleans,LA,USA ... The list includes landfills; "reduction areas," where debris is burned or mulched ... 31 that an estimated 1 million pounds of hazardous waste had been collected in ... http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1132122546309620.xml

 

Times Picayune - New Orleans,LA,USA... The list includes landfills, "reduction areas" where debris is burned or mulched and ... 31 that an estimated 1 million pounds of hazardous waste had been..

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_11_15.html

 


DASSAULT Falcon Jet winner of state environmental awardArkansas Democrat-Gazette (subscription) - Little Rock,AR,USA... of pre-treated wastewater by 32 percent and cutting hazardous waste generation by ... of Mountain Home, for waste reduction and recycling.
http://www.ardemgaz.com/ShowStoryTemplate.asp?Path=ArDemocrat/2005/11/13&ID=Ar02401&Section=Arkansas


 


The News Journal - Wilmington,DE,USA... by scrubbing toxic material leaving the stack) from hazardous waste disposal rules ... fossil energy, and reduce greenhouse gases -- waste reduction, recycling and ...

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051112/OPINION10/511120314/1111/OPINION

Environmental Protection Grants








EPA OKs pile of $$ for watershedThe US Environmental Protection Agency has chosen the Huff ... intended for innovative water-quality protection projects ... year's selections and the grants program is ...

http://www.athensnews.com/issue/article.php3?story_id=22672

 


EPA Provides $9 Million for Watershed Protection Water and Wastewater - Jacksonville Beach,FL,USA Washington, DC -- Twelve coalitions in as many states are finalists in the competition to apply for US Environmental Protection Agency grants totaling $9...

http://www.waterandwastewater.com/www_services/news_center/publish/article_00808.shtml

 


WSST Amwell seeks creek study volunteers
Lambertville Beacon - Lambertville,NJ,USA ... waterway, which grants it the highest level of protection in the state. A recent $239,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will ..

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15579705&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425410&rfi=6

 

STATE speaker: Controlling invasives takes teamworkRochester Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester,NY,USA Stark, a representative of the state Department of Environmental Protection, was in ... Next year, a million dollars in grants to communities and nonprofits will

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051116/NEWS01/511170320/1002/NEWS

 


US Department of Agriculture, offers loans andgrants in order ... http://lw.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=241657&p=13

 


CENTRAL Ohio watershed group to receive EPA grant
U.S. EPA.gov (press release) - Washington,DC,USA... US Environmental Protection Agency Region 5U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ... is among 12 watersheds nationwide eligible to receive grants for innovative ... http://www.epa.gov/reg5oopa/news/news05/05241.htm

 


GRANTS place premium on protecting estuary... The Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program is a federally funded program through the US Environmental Protection Agency and sponsored locally by Ocean County ...http://tritown.gmnews.com/news/2005/1117/Front_Page/033.html

 


CENTRAL Ohio Watershed Group to Receive EPA GrantPR Newswire (press release) - New York,NY,USA 15 /PRNewswire/ -- US Environmental Protection Agency has chosen the Huff Run ... It is among 12 watersheds nationwide eligible to receive grants for innovative ...

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-15-2005/0004216806&EDATE

 


YORK - The US Environmental Protection Agency's New England ... agencies and nonprofit organizations for environmental education grants for fiscal year ...http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/yorkweekly/11162005/business/73508.htm


 


The Times - no environmental technicians????

GREEN forum slaps SET Environmental issues focal point of event
White Rock Peace Arch News - White Rock,British Columbia,Canada
... He rebutted claims Surrey has no environmental technicians, saying
he knows of at ... from saying more industrial development is needed -
to put more jobs on this .

http://www.peacearchnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=44&cat=23&id=533788&more

Can environmental regulation lead to a more competitive environment?

"Can environmental regulation lead to a more competitive environment?
Apperently so. In the context of the current EU focus on growth and jobs, a paper is being published to review the evidence on the links between environmental regulation and competitiveness.

The Network of Heads of European Environmental Protection Agencies submits this paper as its contribution to the current debate.

What are the main findings?
It finds that a modern approach to regulation can reduce costs for industry and business; create markets for environmental goods and services; drive innovation; reduce business risk and increase the confidence of the investment markets and insurers; assist competitive advantage and create competitive markets; create and sustain jobs; improve the health of the workforce and the wider public; and protect the natural resources on which business and we all depend.

What are the main conclusions?
The paper concludes that there is now significant evidence from international research that good environmental management and regulation does not impede overall competitiveness and economic development. On the contrary, it can be beneficial by creating pressure that drives innovation and alerts business about resource inefficiencies and new opportunities."

American workers' compensation claims result in $20 billion in lost work time and medical claims each year

"Over the last decade, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) have become the largest injury category plaguing computer users in the workplace, home and school. Altogether, RSI represents 62 percent of all North American workers' compensation claims and results in nearly $15 billion to $20 billion in lost work time and medical claims each year, as reported by OSHA. California, a leader in workplace safety, proactively recognized this issue over five years ago when it was the first state to enact regulations (Title-8) requiring employers to address office ergonomics and computer workstation safety."

New OSHA alliance targets young workers

Educating young workers in Rockland, Orange, Ulster, Putnam and Northern Westchester counties about occupational safety and health is the goal of a new alliance among OSHA’s Tarrytown and Albany offices, the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) and the New York State Department of Labor's On-Site Consultation Program (NYS ON-SITE).

Under the alliance, OSHA, BOCES and NYS ON-SITE will work jointly to provide BOCES members, students and others with information, guidance and training to help protect the safety and health of students and young workers, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to falls, electrical, struck-by and caught between hazards, amputations, lead and silica exposures and workplace violence. It will include development of a safety and health curricula and delivery of OSHA's construction and general industry courses. OSHA will work to provide BOCES faculty with Train-the-Trainer courses so they can deliver OSHA safety and health classes to students and provide them with course completion cards.

Nov 16, 2005

National Alternative Fuels Association

NAFA vs. EPA
Summary of NAFA v U.S. EPA, Docket No. 00-1147
    1. First Do No Harm: EPA's New Rules Will Worsen Smog, CEI November 10, 1999, "EPA's own evidence relied upon to support its [NOx Reduction] rule shows that smog will increase in some urban centers, and decline mostly in rural areas. The real result will be increased pollution precisely where populations are concentrated." Also see http://www.junkscience.com/aug99/tier2let.htm


    2. Emissions Down, Smog Up. Say What? By Steven F. Hayward, Joel Schwartz, January 20, 2004, "[A] disproportionate number of exceedances of the ozone standard are occurring on weekends, when emissions of ozone-forming chemicals--especially NOx--are down anywhere from 10 to 40 percent…" Damn the Science, Full Speed Ahead, By Joel Schwartz, 8/20/03, "Recent modeling studies have concluded that NOx reductions … would increase ozone levels in many major cities, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, southern California, and the San Francisco Bay area… Admitting that NOx reductions have become detrimental to ozone control would be a major embarrassment for both EPA and CARB. Both agencies have promulgated stringent regulations that will eliminate most NOx emissions from automobiles and diesel trucks during the next 20 to 30 years, as the fleet turns over to vehicles built to the tougher standards… Therein lies another irony: When EPA in 1999 promulgated a rule requiring a 90 percent reduction in NOx emissions from automobiles, the agency's own analysis concluded that the rule would increase ozone in many areas of the country."4-12


    3. After the rule's promulgation, Congress voiced concern over the apparent EPA's err,13 "[T]he Agency may have failed to conduct sufficient analyses of the potential negative health impacts … including the effect of reducing NOx emissions in areas of the country that are VOC-limited, such that ozone levels respond more to reductions in VOC's than to NOx reductions."

  1. EPA justifies its National Rule based solely upon the test results of a "single" vehicle, which EPA modified prior to testing.


    1. See A REVIEW OF APPENDIX B OF THE U.S. EPA REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS FOR TIER 2 VEHICLE EMISSION STANDARDS AND GASOLINE SULFUR CONTROL REQUIREMENTS, 6/5/2000, Southwest Research Institute14, "It was concluded that methodology used by EPA was faulty and that the data used did not support the conclusion that emissions from Tier 2 vehicles were irreversible… Emissions data from only four vehicles were used to define the Tier 2… The four vehicles were an SUV, a pickup and two minivans…. The SUV [vehicle] emissions were weighted to represent 2/3 of the final estimateThe SUV was a Ford Expedition modified by EPA to meet Tier 2 regulations prior to testing at the EPA lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan."
    2. .

    3. EPA's forced its results to meet a predetermined conclusion. See DECLARATION OF MELVIN N. INGALLS, "[T]here is the distinct impression that the purpose of the evaluation was to produce an average reversibility for Tier 2 vehicles in the Final Rule that was as close as possible to the average reversibility presented in the NPRM. In other words, the EPA's evaluation of the new data was not objective and was made in a way to present a predetermined conclusion."


    4. EPA hid its science and only presented it in the regulation "after the fact" -- after it was too late for the public to comment on it.

  2. EPA grossly understated the true cost of the regulation,
    1. Estimates of the true cost may be upwards to $.50/gal according to some sources
      1. Transcript of NPR segment, Interview: Philip Verleger [Former Carter Official] discusses the price of oil, "August 23, 2004, Mr. VERLEGER: Well, there are two phases. From March to July, [crude oil] prices were pulled up by gasoline. The US has instituted new regulations requiring that sulfur be removed from gasoline, and the refiners in the United States and the world just don't have enough capacity to make gasoline to meet demand, so gasoline prices rose by 50 cents and they pulled up crude oil."
    2. The regulation will cost industry (refineries/automotive) and consumers hundreds of billions dollars.15 Unfortunately, the cost to motoring consumers will grow indefinitely thereafter, because:
      1. Foreign refiners are less able to manufacture the expensive mandated low sulfur gasoline, severely limiting importation of competing foreign gasoline.
      2. The regulation has forced a consolidation of the US refining industry, which has not seen a new refinery built in over two decades.
        1. "Announced refinery closures represent approximately 335,000 bbl/d of total US refining capacity (2% of total U.S. capacity), which can be broken out as 170,000 bbl/d of gasoline production (2% of U.S. gasoline demand)," See SIMMONS & COMPANY INTERNATIONAL, Energy Industry Research, February 25, 2003, Impacts Of Tier II Implementation On The Supply And Deliverability Of Gasoline And Diesel Fuel
      3. Independent refiners, which could not make the huge investment under the regulation have called it quits. This means a consolidation of refinery capacity and puts more power over less gasoline in fewer hands. All the while gasoline demand increases at an estimated annual rate of 1-2%.

    3. Remaining refiners will produce less gasoline.
      1. "We expect implementation of Tier II will result in a 1.5% reduction in the amount of gasoline produced by existing refineries… In aggregate, we expect domestic gasoline production to be decreased by almost 1million barrels per week by 2006," See SIMMONS & COMPANY INTERNATIONAL, Energy Industry Research, February 25, 2003, Impacts Of Tier II Implementation On The Supply And Deliverability Of Gasoline And Diesel Fuel

    4. Thus, higher prices and fuel shortages can be expected.


    5. Detroit has been forced to make substantial investment in new emission control technology in order to comply with the Tier II regulations, which adds a significant extra cost to each new vehicle.

  3. EPA ignored other viable less costly solutions, which could have easily resolved the stated ozone problem, including for example:


    1. Eliminating high polluting vehicles from the road.
      1. It is known that a disproportionately small percent of the existing vehicle pool, normally older/poorly maintained vehicles, contribute to the vast majority of all mobile (vehicular) source air pollution.
      2. Remote sensing technologies exist that can easily identify these vehicles. Owners could then be directed to repair or retire their "high polluting" vehicles.
      3. Eliminating these vehicles would have been significantly more effective, more timely and much less costly16

    2. b. EPA also ignored (substantially less expensive) alternative fuel and other technologies that were readily able to meet the regulation's stated purpose.17

Court Documents: (PDF)

SwRI Report - "A REVIEW OF APPENDIX B OF THE U.S. EPA REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS FOR TIER 2 VEHICLE EMISSION STANDARDS AND GASOLINE SULFUR CONTROL REQUIREMENTS," Southwest Research Institute, June 5th 2000 (SwRI Report).
Initial Brief - (11.5 MB)
Reply Brief - (9.8 MB)
Paul Grant's Declaration - (885 KB)
Mel Ingalls' Declaration - (11.3 MB)



1 A challenge to the EPA's "Tier 2 Vehicle & Gasoline Sulfur Program,"

2 For definition of Ozone see http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&as_qdr=all&oi=defmore&q=define:Ozone

3 Unlike other pollutants, ozone is not directly released into the atmosphere, but is created through a complex series of reactions involving NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOC's) in the presence of sunlight. EPA simplistically characterizes NOx as an ozone precursor, and thus implies that all NOx reductions always yield ozone reductions. This is not accurate since because both NOx and VOC emissions have already been reduced under the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments. Thus, the further reduction of NOx provided as provided in the 1999 regulation only serves to worsen matters. In fact, the National Academy of Sciences has concluded that "NOx reductions can have either a beneficial or detrimental effect on ozone concentrations, depending on the locations and emissions rates of VOC and NOx sources in a region."

4 Heuss, J. M. et al. "Weekday/Weekend Ozone Differences: What Can We Learn from Them," Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 53, pp. 772-788 (2003).

5 Lawson, D. R. "The Weekend Effect--the Weekly Ambient Emissions Control Experiment," Environmental Manager, pp. 17-25 (July 2003).

6 Fujita, E. M. et al. "Evolution of the Magnitude and Spatial Extent of the Weekend Ozone Effect in California's South Coast Air Basin 1981-2000," Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 53, pp. 864-875 (2003).

7 Yarwood, G. et al. "Modeling Weekday/Weekend Ozone Differences in the Los Angeles Region for 1997," Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 53, pp. 864-875 (2003).

8 Marr, L. C. & Harley, R. A. "Spectral Analysis of Weekday-Weekend Differences in Ambient Ozone, Nitrogen Oxide, and Non-Methane Hydrocarbon Time Series in California," Atmospheric Environment, 36, pp. 2327-2335 (2002).

9 Marr, L. C. & Harley, R. A. "Modeling the Effect of Weekday-Weekend Differences in Motor Vehicle Emissions on Photochemical Air Pollution in Central California," Environmental Science & Technology, 36, pp. 4099-4106 (2002).

10 Pun, B. K. & Seigneur, C. "Day-of-Week Behavior of Atmospheric Ozone in Three U.S. Cities," Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 53, pp. 789-801 (2003).

11 Abt Associates, "Tier II Proposed Rule: Air Quality Estimation, Selected Health and Welfare Benefits Methods, and Benefit Analysis Results," EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC, 1999.

12 Photochemical Ozone Formation, Simplied, Donald Stedman PhD, 4-14-04

13 See Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriation Bill, Senate Rpt.106-161 - DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2000, "Tier II/Low Sulfur Rule,"

14 Southwest Research Institute located in San Antonio, Texas, is arguably the premier engine and emissions testing laboratory in the world, http://www.swri.org.

15 The regulation is already in effect (commencing 2004), but will not be fully adopted until 2007.

16 See "Remote Sensing - A New Tool for Automobile Inspection and Maintenance," Don Stedman, PhD [pdf]

17 EPA has also conveniently ignored the beneficial effects of atmospheric sulfur, when it mandated a unilateral reduction of fuel sulfur content. High concentrations of sulfur emitted from smoke stacks (coal fired utilities) is implicated in acid rain and haze, but this is not the case with diffuse concentrations of sulfur emitted from automobiles. It is well known that atmospheric sulfur is the seed of every cloud formed in the sky and that atmospheric sulfur is also a potent natural radiative coolant capable of substantially offsetting the warming effects of greenhouse gases. For example, "In addition to the warming effect of greenhouse-gas increases, however, changes in temperature over the past century are likely to have been significantly influenced by the cooling effect associated with changes in the sulfate aerosol loading of the atmosphere, arising from fossil-fuel-derived sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions," p 1, The Science of Climate Change, Pew Foundation July 29, 1999. EPA ignored this science as well.

Nov 14, 2005

2005 U.S. biodiesel production expected to triple last year's figures 11/12/05 - Grand Island Independent: News

2005 U.S. biodiesel production expected to triple last year's figures 11/12/05 - Grand Island Independent: News: "2005 U.S. biodiesel production expected to triple last year's figures"

"The recent energy crunch causes us to think about energy in a way that we haven't in decades," said Joe Jobe, CEO of NBB. "Americans are recognizing that conservation and alternative energy are a big part of the answer to our energy questions. Many alternative energy sources are theoretical. But with biodiesel, we can supplement our energy supply immediately."

For more information about biodiesel, visit: www.biodiesel.org.

Nov 10, 2005

National Veterans Awareness Week

National Veterans Awareness Week
U.S. Senate Resolution 155 encourages all Americans to observe the week of November 6 through November 12, 2005, as National Veterans Awareness Week with appropriate educational activities.
 
Veterans Day is November 11th remembering those who died and fought for their country.

Regulatory Updates for Air, Water, & Discharge Standards

Wisconsin Air Toxics
First Time Compliance Report Due December 31, 2005
Don’t forget the New 2005 EPA and DNR Air Deadlines for 2005 reporting.
Applicability of December 31, 2005 reporting requirement in chapter NR 445.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/aw/air/health/airtoxics


Frequently asked questions about the reporting deadline in NR 445.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/aw/air/health/airtoxics/051231faq.htm


Need help with Wisconsin Air Toxics? Attend WMC’s Clean Air Act Update 2005.
http://www.wmc.org/governmentaffairs/display.cfm?ID=1129


HURRY! Date: 11/15/2005. For More Info. Contact: kmahlkuch@wmc.org


EPA Revises Pretreatment Rule
New EPA discharge rule could save $10.1 million annually expended on pretreatment requirements. Details about the rule are at: www.epa.gov/npdes/pretreatment


New EPA standard of 10 parts per billion slated to go into effect in 2006.
The National Rural Water Association says the change could cost households $100 to $500 a year each, while the EPA estimates the additional cost could run $25 to about $325 per year.
http://caonline.amcancersoc.org/cgi/content/full/52/1/2

ESS has helped companies comply with wastewater rules for over a decade.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/cfa/EF/RECYCLE/Grantees/envsens.html

Nov 8, 2005

Ford uses “smoke N mirrors”, using Ethanol & Hybrid to the gain “green” buyers & P.R.

DNR report -- Ozone Air Quality Effects of a 10% Ethanol Blended Gasoline in Wisconsin -- found that the legislation mandating 10 percent ethanol in 66 Wisconsin counties would increase emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which together form ozone…
Read more here: http://www.wmc.org/MediaOutlet/display.cfm?ID=1097

A new study by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirms that mandating ethanol in gasoline will worsen ozone problems and increase regulatory burden on businesses…
Read full report here: http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/sep05/358730.asp

Ford believes offering ethanol burning vehicles will earn some “green” buyers:
Fords new “Greener Fuel” is a mediocre attempt to win over the media and ignorant buyers... Without working with environmental groups, Fords Ethanol program could have global environmental ramifications. This is Fords next attempt after failing to put an acceptable hybrid to market…
Read full report here: http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/04/pf/autos/ran_vs_ford/?cnn=yes

Read about how Fords blind effort to be green and win you over with “greener” fuel.
http://detroit.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=50349&type_news=latest

Will the EPA step in ... no, they don't even know how to report correct vehicle MPG ratings… as stated by the EPA, these are “estimates” not real numbers… Well the price at the pump sure is ;-)
Read full report here: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Autos/story?id=1274541

"Automakers shouldn't try to fool consumers by pretending their vehicles get good fuel economy," he said. "They should put gas-saving technology into their cars so that they actually get good fuel economy."
Read quote article here: http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/33609.html

 
Please forward to anyone who cares to read this stuff.

Good morning Sarah, (hey Bill)

Good morning Sarah, (hey Bill)

I am siding with Bill on this one…

Your laptop has less impact than an “old” quartz watch, smoke detector or standard CRT monitor.

When I was NRC certified, I monitored and inspected “free radical” devices and employee radiation levels on a daily basis.

Overall, laptops & PC’s had a “no detect” levels. (Please keep in mind that offices surrounded by concrete, natural rock, or in basements had “above” detect levels simply due to naturally occurring radon & certain stone “free radicals” content.)

I am not sure what doctor would ever state a laptop is a “intense field of radiation”… (or else Apple may have a few more Eco-Issues)

Every physician I work with is well versed and require training on radiation sources and monitoring (hospitals are filled with them).

Some water systems (mine) also have “above” detect levels due to this same natural effect.

In my tens years of monitoring employees I have never told a person they were “silly” or being a hypochondriac for being concerned about exposure. I gave them answers, data and options to protect themselves.

It is never silly to be concern, however it is stupid to worry or act without verifying a problem exists.

Anyone can purchase detection kits to monitor their home and person for radiation, VOC and 100 of hazardous compounds. http://www.labsafety.com/search/dosimeter/

So don’t worry… test your home.

Stay concerned, stay informed and KEEP monitoring your workplace safety.

Hey but what do I know... Chris




P.S. We have a 12” Ibook at work… it is a ergonomic & eye strain “train wreck” that was not designed to work on for more that 2-4 hrs per session. Get a fat (low RAD) 19” LCD and ergonomic wireless keyboard mouse combo – your body will than you later ;-)


Just my thoughts - Legal Disclaimer Linked here (Post intentionally backdated to protect content from crawlers)

Oct 24, 2005

I was scammed and spammed again… by spammers abusing blog comments.

I was scammed and spammed again… by spammers abusing blog comments.

Example:
----- Original Message -----
From: Increase Your MPG
Sent: Monday, October 24, 2005 7:01 AM
Subject: [Environmental, Health & Safety] 10/24/2005 07:01:28 AM

WOW...you have interesting blog... I have been reading blogs off and on and came upon Save Money on Gas I gave it a try and very happy I did... when you get a chance you may want to check it out as well.
Posted by Increase Your MPG to Environmental, Health & Safety at 10/24/2005 07:01:28 AM

My reply:
Sorry, I work with engineers and scientists on proven "viable" options for saving fuel.
This is a "snake oil" scam. Like magnets or the "tornado" they have a negligible impact on fuel efficiency that is typically driven buy the user knowing they have the “snake oil device” installed on there vehicle. It is a placebo effect….Because the new user thinks they have a “fuel saver device” installed they drive more efficiently. The average user can save increase fuel efficiency 20-30% simply by driving more efficiently (DAHHH).

After awhile, the person forgets they have the “snake oil device” and their fuel efficiency returns to normal.

Examples:
•     Set cruise at 55-60 constant.
•     Don’t tailgate.
•     Coast 300 yards to each stop (huge savings)
•     Keep car tuned & tires filled (alignment helps)
•     When possible accelerate smooth and constant with RPMS never exceeding 1500-2000.

I do have FREE and recommended items that REALLY increase MPG 5-10 points that are proven and in use on “real world” cars and trucks.

I also submit my findings to outside expert scientists for testing too assure quality and NON-bia results.

If claims and test results are not verified by an outside expert source… one should only presume it is a “snake oil device”.

My personal thought is that this comment was posted by the same person making the claims on the “snake oil device”. At website http://kbgk.com/
emissioncontrol@kbgk.com

PLEASE let me know if I am wrong or inaccurate in any statements I have made.
I would be more than happy to challenge the owners of this device to submit it to our panel of scientists at the “alternative fuel research board” for a real trial. If it TRULY does work, NO company would refuse a viability study.

Email me if you want the list of 20 things you can do to make any vehicle increase fuel efficiency 4-10 mpg (consistently). NO SMOKE, NO MIRRORS – Just legitimate ways to save a little here and there.

Thanks sooo much for replying to my posts.

Chris Haase

Post Disclaimer:
My comments are my own (I plead the 1st) I have NO outside interests or influence.
This is my personal blog used solely for viewing entertainment and national articles of interest to people who protect.
NO one pays me to post this stuff, I do it as a personal service to protect others & the environment.
You know save the world n stuff ;-)

Jun 30, 2005

Capitalist Willie Nelson fan going to "cash in" on green fuel machines

> Interesting > http://www.olympiagreenfuels.com/

For over 100 years this stuff has been made.

The Germans did some wild VW, tank and rocket tests using biofuels

There are hundreds of guides on how to make it in your kitchen & garage.

Back in 98 I watched the "veggievan" go accross the country.

They really "nailed" how to do it small scale and safely.

I am not sure how someone could "patent" the principal? or if they should.

If they are just patenting a process machine, "kodos"

Because most of the original inventors of the Biodiesel process machines are dead or don't care.

http://www.biodieselamerica.org/biosite/index.php?id=3,0,0,1,0,0

http://www.maximonline.com/the_ride/articles/article_6265.html

http://biodieselamerica.org/biosite/index.php?id=70,242,0,0,1,0


What is interesting to me is how you can across this site???

The http://www.olympiagreenfuels.com/ really seem like they are trying to take advantage of an obvious technology being touted as a “new quick fix” to or global energy crisis. But hey, that’s what capitalism is. He most likely got his idea from watching the presidents or Willie Nelsons promo (see link below).


Biodiesel "fun fact"
Neil Young, Willie Nelson, President George W. Bush and Senator Jim Talent (R-MO) are all featured in this Biodiesel Promotional video which has been produced by the team behind the documentary film, 3min 46sec - Quick Time movie


Google?



Source:
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Jun 27, 2005

Support the coelacanth rescue mission!

Coelacanth

Virtually unique in the animal kingdom, with a saga steeped in science and popular imagination, the fabulous Coelacanth ("see-la-kanth"), that 400 million year old "living fossil" fish, paddles on. Pre-dating the dinosaurs by millions of years and once thought to have gone extinct with them, 65 million years ago, the Coelacanth with its "missing link" "proto legs" was "discovered" alive and well in 1938! At least three people have perished in the quest for the coelacanth, and possibly several others. Read all about it- including the latest efforts to protect the creature, and its pop-up appearances in "out of the way" places. Click in the navbar to the left. Check the News and Recent History sections and don't miss a visit to the Coelashop for t-shirts and other "Coela-gear." Our favorite "Dinofish" is "age-free" and never boring! (In case you think conservation is dull, we put some of our best stuff on that page.)

The web site of the Coelacanth Rescue Mission, a project under the direction of Jerome F. Hamlin to raise Coelacanth awareness. Your feedback is welcome.
http://www.dinofish.com/

Jun 24, 2005

2005 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey

From computer monitoring and telephone taping to video surveillance and GPS satellite tracking, employers increasingly are using policy and technology to manage productivity and protect resources. To motivate employee compliance, companies increasingly are putting teeth in technology policies. Fully 26% have fired workers for misusing the Internet; 25% have terminated employees for e-mail misuse; and 6% have fired employees for misusing office phones.

When it comes to workplace computer use, employers are primarily concerned about inappropriate Web surfing, with 76% monitoring workers’ Website connections. Fully 65% of companies use software to block connections to inappropriate Websites—a 27% increase since 2001 when AMA and ePolicy Institute last surveyed electronic monitoring and surveillance policies and procedures in the workplace. Computer monitoring takes various forms, with 36% of employers tracking content, keystrokes and time spent at the keyboard. Another 50% store and review employees’ computer files. Companies also keep an eye on e-mail, with 55% retaining and reviewing messages.

Employers are doing a good job of notifying employees when they are being watched. Of those organizations that engage in monitoring and surveillance activities, fully 80% inform workers that the company is monitoring content, keystrokes and time spent at the keyboard; 82% let employees know the company stores and reviews computer files; 86% alert employees to e-mail monitoring; and 89% notify employees that their Web usage is being tracked.

Read more at:
http://www.amanet.org/research/pdfs/EMS_summary05.pdf

Jun 20, 2005

President cites rising electricity, gasoline costs

President Bush argued Wednesday that consumers paying high gas prices won't stand for inaction on energy legislation, even though some lawmakers say nothing they can do would immediately ease the problem.

"My advice is, they ought to keep this in mind: Summer's here, temperatures are rising and tempers will really rise if Congress doesn't pass an energy bill," said Bush, who pressured lawmakers to get an energy bill to his desk before the August recess.

"The American people know that an energy bill will not change the price of gas immediately," he said, "but they're not going to tolerate inaction in Washington as they watch the underlying problems grow worse."

The president outlined his four-point plan to reduce high energy prices:
Promote conservation; produce and refine more crude oil in the United States;
develop alternative sources of energy, such as renewable ethanol or biodiesel;
and help other nations, such as China, to become more energy-efficient to reduce global demand for energy.

He said it was time for the United States to expand its nuclear power capacity.

[Excerpt] -By Nedra Pickler, Associated Press Writer
June 16, 2005

Jun 16, 2005

60 percent of American don't trust the press.

'More than 60 percent of the American people don't trust the press.
Why should they?
They've been reading "The Da Vinci Code" and marveling at its historical insights. I have nothing against a fine thriller, especially one that claims the highest of literary honors: it's a movie on the page. But "The Da Vinci Code" is not a work of nonfiction. If one more person talks to me about Dan Brown's crackerjack research I'm shooting on sight.'

Kinsley takes as his model Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia to which anyone can contribute, and which grows by accretion and consensus. Relatedly, it takes as its premise the idea that "facts" belong between quotation marks. It's a winning formula; Wikipedia is one of the Web's most popular sites.

I asked a teenager if he understood that it carries a disclaimer; Wikipedia "can't guarantee the validity of the information found here." "That's just so that no one will sue them," he shrugged.

As to the content: "It's all true, mostly."

What is new is our odd, bipolar approach to fact.
We have a fresh taste for documentaries. Any novelist will tell you that readers hunger for nonfiction, which may explain the number of historical figures who have crowded into our novels.

Facts seem important.

Facts have gravitas.

But the illusion of facts will suffice.


Story emailed from friend http://www.mattpiette.com/blog/



By STACY SCHIFF
Published: June 15, 2005

Employers intruding on workers' personal space

A growing trend finds firms policing their workers' off-duty behavior, alarming employees and worker rights groups. Recent cases include a worker being fired for displaying a political bumper sticker on her car and a casino that claims the right to fire waitresses and servers for putting on too much weight. "The shock is that there's no legal protection," a spokesman for The National Workrights Institute said. USA TODAY

"It's a growing trend,"
"But whether or not they will go further to protect workers is an open question."

Jun 13, 2005

Pseudoscience: A Threat to Our Environment

"Virtually every scientific agency in the U.S. government has been shaken at its foundation by the substitution of pseudoscience for scientific investigation. If our government is to make sound public policy, true scientific investigation must be allowed and encouraged to flourish untainted by political agendas, industry pressure and the pseudoscience these pressures breed. The U.S. Congress and President must stop sacrificing sound science for shortsighted political agendas and must stop substituting true scientific research with pseudoscience."

EXAMPLE of a pseudoscience orginization
(always read between the lines)


"The Greening Earth Society," was established by the Western Fuels Association, a cooperative owned by seven coal-burning utilities. The Greening Earth Society is a think tank dedicated to the idea that increasing amounts of CO2 produced by burning of fossil fuels is good for the environment. The research is based upon a predetermined result, a violation of the scientific method .


Read more on subjects at:
"The Internet Begins With Coal" and written by Mark Mills (The Greening Earth Society) http://www.greeningearthsociety.org/Articles/2000/testimony.htm

Jun 12, 2005

Apples trying to eat Gates - Apple in conspiracy with Intel to destroy Microsoft.

Intel to buy Apple Robert X. Cringely is not the full quid

The famous PBS commentator
Robert X. Cringely has come up with the theory that Apple's decision to use Intel processors is nothing less than an attempt to dethrone Microsoft.

This is what he says:
OS X 10.4 – Tiger – is a 64-bit OS, remember, yet Intel's 64-bit chips – Xeon and Itanium – are high buck items aimed at servers, not iMacs.
So is Intel going to do a cheaper Itanium for Apple or is Apple going to pretend that 64-bit never existed? Yes to both is my guess.
Why announce this chip swap a year before it will even begin for customers?
This announcement has to cost Apple billions in lost sales as customers inevitably decide to wait for Intel boxes.
Then what is the driving force?
Microsoft. Intel hates Microsoft. For Intel to keep growing, people have to replace their PCs more often and Microsoft's bloatware strategy just isn't making that happen, especially if they keep delaying Longhorn.
This isn't a story about Intel gaining another three percent market share at the expense of IBM; it is about Intel taking back control of the desktop from Microsoft. So Intel buys Apple and works with their OEMs to get products out in the market.
That's the story unfolding. Steve Jobs finally beats Bill Gates.
And with the sale of Apple to Intel, Steve accepts the position of CEO of the Pixar/Disney/Sony Media Company.’

That, is the gist of what he wrote.
Full artical here: http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20050609.html

Jun 7, 2005

July 31st - What happened on...

Why is July 31st Important?
1991: Superpowers to cut nuclear warheads
The US and the Soviet Union sign the Start treaty to reduce stockpiles of nuclear warheads by about a third.

1998: UK imposes total ban on landminesThe British Government announces a total ban on landmines, a month before the first anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.

1962: Violence flares at right-wing rallyFormer fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley is assaulted at a rally in London's east end.

1973: Chaotic meeting of Belfast AssemblyLoyalists disrupt the new Northern Ireland Assembly, the first elected body since the British imposed direct rule in March.

1987: Newspaper caught in Spycatcher rowThe Government sues the Sunday Telegraph over secret service memoirs.

Events
1009 - Pietro Boccapecora becomes Pope Sergius IV
1423 - Hundred Years War: Battle of Cravant - The French army is defeated at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne.
1498 - On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad.
1588 - The Spanish Armada is spotted off the coast of England.
1667 - The Treaty of Breda ends the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
1703 - Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers.
1790 - First US patent issued; granted to inventor Samuel Hopkins.
1856 - Christchurch, New Zealand chartered as a city.
1917 - The Third Battle of Ypres starts in Flanders.
1919 - German national assembly adopts the Weimar constitution (to enter into force August 14)
1930 - The radio mystery program The Shadow airs for the first time.
1941 - Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Nazi official Hermann Göring, orders SS general Reinhard Heydrich to "submit to me as soon as possible a general plan of the administrative material and financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired final solution of the Jewish question."
1945 - Pierre Laval, fugitive former leader of Vichy France, surrenders to Allied soldiers in Austria.
1948 - At Idlewild Field in New York, New York International Airport (later renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport) is dedicated.
1954 - First ascent of K2, by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio.
1956 - Jim Laker sets extraordinary record at Old Trafford in the fourth Test of taking nineteen wickets in a first-class match (the previous best was seventeen.
1961 - At Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the first All-Star Game tie in major league baseball history occurs when the game is stopped in the 9th inning due to rain.
1964 - Ranger program: Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photographs of the moon, with images 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from earth-bound telescopes).
1971 - Apollo program: Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover.
1973 - A Delta Airlines jetliner crashes while landing in fog at Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts killing 89
1975 - In Detroit, Michigan, Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing.
1976 - NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, taken by Viking 1
1987 - A rare, class F-4 tornado rips through Edmonton, Alberta, killing 27 people and causing $330 million in damage.
1992 - A Thai Airways Airbus A300-310 crashes into mountain south of Kathmandu, Nepal killing 113.
1996 - MIL-STD-1750A is declared inactive for use in new designs.
1999 - NASA intentionally crashes the Lunar Prospector spacecraft into the Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the moon's surface.
2003 - WON is shut down.

Births
1396 - Philip III of Burgundy, duke of Burgundy (d. 1467)
1803 - John Ericsson, Swedish inventor and engineer (d. 1889)
1816 - George Henry Thomas, American general (d. 1870)
1901 - Jean Dubuffet, painter and sculptor (d. 1985)
1911 - George Liberace, musician (d. 1983)
1912 - Milton Friedman, recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize in economics
1912 - Irv Kupcinet, newspaper columnist (d. 2003)
1913 - William Todman, game show producer
1914 - Louis de Funès, actor and comedian (d. 1983)
1916 - Bill Todman, game show producer (d. 1979)
1918 - Paul D. Boyer, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
1918 - Hank Jones, pianist
1919 - Curt Gowdy, sports announcer
1919 - Primo Levi, author, chemist (d. 1987)
1921 - Whitney Young, civil rights activist (d. 1971)
1923 - Ahmet Ertegun, record company executive
1928 - Kurt Sontheimer, political scientist
1929 - Don Murray, actor
1930 - Oleg Popov, clown
1931 - Kenny Burrell, guitarist
1939 - France Nuyen, actress
1941 - Amarsinh Chaudhary, politician
1943 - William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education and drug czar
1943 - Susan Flannery, actress
1944 - Geraldine Chaplin, actress
1946 - Gary Lewis, rock and roll musician
1946 - Bob Welch, rock and roll musician
1951 - Evonne Goolagong, tennis star
1951 - Barry Van Dyke, actor
1952 - Alan Autry, American football player, actor, mayor of Fresno, California
1952 - Helmuts Balderis, Latvian ice-hockey player
1958 - Bill Berry, rock and roll musician (of the band R.E.M.)
1958 - Mark Cuban, billionaire businessman, producer, Dallas Mavericks owner
1959 - Stanley Jordan, jazz guitarist
1962 - Wesley Snipes, actor
1964 - Jim Corr, singer, musician ("The Corrs")
1965 - J. K. Rowling, novelist
1966 - Dean Cain, actor
1974 - Jonathan Ogden, American football player
1974 - Luca Tiengo, Italian guitar player
1977 - Tim Couch, American football quarterback
1981 - Eric Lively, actor
1981 - Ira Losco, Maltese singer

Deaths
1099 - El Cid, Spanish warrior
1108 - King Philip I of France
1396 - William Courtenay, Archbishop of Canterbury
1547 - King Francis I of France (b. 1494)
1556 - Ignatius Loyola, Spanish priest, founder of the Jesuits
1784 - Denis Diderot, French philosopher and encylopedist (b. 1713)
1875 - Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States (b. 1808)
1886 - Franz Liszt, Hungarian composer
1914 - Jean Jaurès, French politician (d. 1859)
1917 - Francis Ledwidge, Irish poet
1937 - Charles Martine, Apache scout
1944 - Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French pilot and writer
1953 - Robert Taft, U.S. Senator from Ohio and Presidential candidate
1980 - Mohd. Rafi, Indian playback singer (b. 1924)
1993 - Baudouin I of Belgium
2001 - Poul Anderson, science fiction author
2003 - Guido Crepax, Italian comics artist

Holidays and observances
La Hae Hawai‘i - Hawaiian Flag Day
Republic of the Congo - Upswing of the Revolution
Feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
A few hardcore devotees of Harry Potter celebrate Harry James Potter's birthday on this date. The novelist J. K. Rowling, writer of the Harry Potter books, chose this date as the fictional character's birthday as it is her own birthday (see above).