New study appears to support theory of abiotic oil

Houston Chronicle - Most petroleum engineers spurn  abiotic oil, as a crackpot idea, but the notion has percolated along and been popularized by books such as Thomas Gold's Deep Hot Biosphere....but a new paper (see .pdf) published in Energy & Fuels, a peer-reviewed publication, supports the theory of abiotic oil.

For their study geochemists at the Carnegie Institution of Washington combined the key ingredients for the abiotic synthesis of methane in a device and then simulated the high pressures and temperatures near the interface between the Earth's crust and mantle...

"strongly suggests that it is likely that, in deep earth geologic systems, some methane generation is inevitable."

The theory of abiotic oil holds that rapidly rising streams of compressed methane gas reach the crust from the mantle, and when they strike pockets of high temperature they condense into heavier hydrocarbons like crude oil.

Read full at The Houston Chronicle

Hat Tip to Danny Joe ;-)

OSHA and Underreported Work-Related Injuries

NY Times-   "This report confirms that when it comes to the documenting of workplace injuries, we can't just take employers at their word," said Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington and chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety. "The system, to this point, has been all too easy to game."

Employers and workers routinely underreport work-related injuries and illnesses, calling into question the accuracy of nationwide data that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration compiles each year, the Government Accountability Office said Monday.

The report, by the G.A.O., the auditing arm of Congress, said many employers did not report workplace injuries and illnesses for fear of increasing their workers' compensation costs or hurting their chances of winning contracts.

The report also said workers did not report job-related injuries because they feared being fired or disciplined and worried that their co-workers might lose rewards, like bonuses or steak dinners, as part of safety-based incentive programs.

"The widespread underreporting so clearly documented in this report is undermining the health and safety of American workers," said Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa and chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. "If we don't know the full extent of the workplace hazards workers face, we cannot fully address these risks."

The accountability office noted that the rate of workplace injuries — there were 4 million in 2007, including 5,600 fatalities — has declined fairly steadily since 1992, which OSHA attributed to improvements in workplace safety and the decline in the number of manufacturing jobs.

But the G.A.O. report cited several academic studies that found that OSHA data failed to include up to two-thirds of all workplace injuries and illnesses.

The report noted that because of OSHA's "sole reliance on employer-reported injury and illness data" in one of its major surveys, "some academic studies have reported that the survey may undercount the total number of workplace injuries and illnesses."

According to the G.A.O. report, 67 percent of the 1,187 occupational health practitioners surveyed had reported observing worker fear of disciplinary action for reporting an injury or illness, and 46 percent said this fear had some impact on the accuracy of employers' injury and illness records.

One reason workers fail to report injuries, the report said, was that their employers required drug testing after incidents resulting in reported injuries or illnesses, regardless of any evidence of drug use... Please read full at NY Times

Hat Tip - Matt

US and China Come Together on Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicles and Clean Coal

Beijing, China – President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao announced a far-reaching package of measures to strengthen cooperation between the United States and China on clean energy. Please see fact sheets (linked here) for additional details on each of the U.S-China clean energy announcements.

Here are elements of facts
1. U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center. The two Presidents announced the establishment of the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center.

2. U.S.-China Electric Vehicles Initiative. The two Presidents announced the launch of the U.S.-China Electric Vehicles Initiative.

3. U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Action Plan. The two Presidents announced the launch of a new U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Action Plan. Under the new plan, the two countries will work together to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, industrial facilities, and consumer appliances.

4. U.S.-China Renewable Energy Partnership. The two Presidents announced the launch of a new U.S.-China Renewable Energy Partnership. Under the Partnership, the two countries will develop roadmaps for wide-spread renewable energy deployment in both countries.

5. 21st Century Coal. The two Presidents pledged to promote cooperation on cleaner uses of coal, including large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects. Through the new U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, the two countries are launching a program of technical cooperation to bring teams of U.S. and Chinese scientists and engineers together in developing clean coal and CCS technologies.

6. Shale Gas Initiative. The two Presidents announced the launch of a new U.S.-China Shale Gas Resource Initiative.

7. U.S.-China Energy Cooperation Program. The two Presidents announced the establishment of the U.S.-China Energy Cooperation Program. The program will leverage private sector resources for project development work in China across a broad array of clean energy projects, to the benefit of both nations. More than 22 companies are founding members of the program. The ECP will include collaborative projects on renewable energy, smart grid, clean transportation, green building, clean coal, combined heat and power, and energy efficiency.
Read full here www.mygreeneducation.com


EERE - The United States and China have announced a range of clean energy initiatives, including the establishment of a U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center. designed to boost joint research and development of clean energy technology, as well as energy efficiency and electric vehicle initiatives. Read more at DOE's EERE

OSHA Combustible Dust ANPRM Stakeholder Meeting

OSHA schedules stakeholder meetings on combustible dust hazards

OSHA Press Release - but last week the meeting was published in the Federal Register. Yet many stakeholders are not aware of these meetings to be held Monday, December 14, 2009, 9:00am - 4:00pm at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center,775 12th Street NW, Washington, DC. This proposed regulation will have an economic impact throughout the manufacturing sector. Are you aware of the meeting where your input is vital so there is a balanced approach that addresses safety and business in an equitable manner. SUMMARY: OSHA invites interested parties to participate in informal stakeholder meetings on the workplace hazards of combustible dust. OSHA plans to use the information gathered at these meetings in developing a proposed standard for combustible dust. Read more from John Astad here

No intention of softening emissions goals, even amidst the global economic downturn

TIME - Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response. BARACK OBAMA, telling a bipartisan group of governors that he has no intention of softening his goals for reducing emissions, even amidst the global economic downturn...

Obama's Radioactive Regulator and Chu's $100 billion nuclear start

MotherJones - Why did the White House pick a cheerleader for nuclear energy to oversee the industry?

Should a booster of nuclear power with undisclosed business connections to nuclear energy firms be allowed to regulate the industry? By nominating William Magwood to serve on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, President Barack Obama is doing just that. More at MotherJones


(Bloomberg) Chu told reporters on Capitol Hill the loan guarantee program for developers of new nuclear power plants is “clearly inadequate” to make the construction of new nuclear reactors in the U.S. financially viable.

The NEI said Congress should approve another $100 billion in loan guarantees for nuclear plants and other energy sources that don’t emit carbon dioxide. When asked about the NEI proposal, Chu said the Obama administration is “looking at all the things that are within our control to actually restart the nuclear industry.”

City Reliance on Public Transportation

Los Angeles is widely reviled as the city in which no one walks. But Los Angeles is not the most car dependent city according to this data:

Via Matthew Yglesias.

(View original at http://contexts.org/socimages)

Free Live Webcast "Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing of the Future"

As the U.S. look primed to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and international leaders prepare to converge on Copenhagen to draft a new climate treaty, chemical companies will soon need to face the reality of climate change as an economic issue. Companies need to find ways to survive and thrive in this environment, to become productive partners in the quest for sustainability while preserving profits. Both opportunities and pitfalls abound. On November 18 at 10AM EST/3PM GMT, join Chemical Week and KPMG as we discuss these challenges with business and industry leaders.

DSM, which was recently ranked as the top chemical company in the Dow Jones World Sustainability Index, will share its insights into what climate change means for chemical companies. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development will discuss the implications of the upcoming Copenhagen talks, and how the global consensus on climate change is shifting. KPMG will discuss what the chemical industry's climate change agenda may look like in the coming years.

This webcast is a must for anyone concerned with responding productively and profitably to the challenge of climate change.

Register now at ChemicalWeek

House Passes H.R. 2868, Chemical and Water Security Act of 2009

From NPCA - The House of Representatives passed its version of a chemical security bill (H.R. 2868) by a vote of 230-193
The bill includes three separate titles: Title I is the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009 and Titles II and III address drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities. All votes in favor of the bill were cast by Democrats (although 21 Democrats also recorded "No" votes); no Republicans voted to support. The vote defeating the Republication Ranking Member's (Rep. Charles Dent) Motion to re-commit was similar: 189-236. Rep. Dent also offered an amendment, which was consistent with industry's initial position, that would extend the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) current Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) regulations, but that was voted down by a 241-186 margin.

The version of the H.R. 2868 bill passed by the House that will now move on to the Senate, which has no chemical security bill of its own in play at this point, can be found here:

Please read full from NPCA

United States Using Less Water Than 35 Years Ago

ScienceDaily  — The United States is using less water than during the peak years of 1975 and 1980, according to water use estimates for 2005. Despite a 30 percent population increase during the past 25 years, overall water use has remained fairly stable according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.

The report shows that in 2005 Americans used 410 billion gallons per day, slightly less than in 2000. The declines are attributed to the increased use of more efficient irrigation systems and alternative technologies at power plants. Water withdrawals for public supply have increased steadily since 1950--when USGS began the series of five-year trend reports--along with the population that depends on these supplies.

"The importance of this type of data to the American public cannot be exaggerated," said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle. "The Department of the Interior provides the nation with the best source of information about national and regional trends in water withdrawals. This information is invaluable in ensuring future water supplies and finding new technologies and efficiencies to conserve water."

Nearly half (49 percent) of the 410 billion gallons per day used by Americans was for producing electricity at thermoelectric power plants. Irrigation accounted for 31 percent and public supply 11 percent of the total. The remaining 9 percent of the water was for self-supplied industrial, livestock, aquaculture, mining and rural domestic uses.

"Because electricity generation and irrigation together accounted for a massive 80 percent of our water use in 2005, the improvements in efficiency and technology give us hope for the future," Castle said. "The report also underscores the importance of recognizing the limits of the drinking water supplies on which our growing population depends. While public-supply withdrawals have continued to increase overall, per capita use has decreased in many States during recent decades. "These are just a few examples of why, if we want to understand and address the nation's current water issues and prepare to answer future water questions, we need the data provided in this report," Castle noted.

The series of reports provides information valuable to states and water suppliers because the water-use estimates are broken down by state, source, and category of water use. California, for example, is one of four states -- joining Texas, Idaho, and Florida -- that accounted for more than one-fourth of all fresh and saline water withdrawn in the United States in 2005. More than half (53 percent) of the total withdrawals of 45,700 Mgal/d in California were for irrigation, and 28 percent were for thermoelectric power.

The largest uses of fresh surface water were power generation and irrigation, and the states with the largest fresh surface-water uses were California, Texas, Idaho and Illinois. The largest use of fresh groundwater was irrigation, and the states with the largest fresh groundwater uses were California, Texas, Nebraska and Arkansas.

Algae turned into high-temperature hydrogen source

Science Daily - millions of years ago, energy-rich plant matter whose growth also was supported by the sun via the process of photosynthesis. There have been efforts to shorten this process, namely through the creation of biomass fuels that harvest plants and covert their hydrocarbons into ethanol or biodiesel.

"Biofuel as many people think of it now -- harvesting plants and converting their woody material into sugars which get distilled into combustible liquids -- probably cannot replace gasoline as a major source of fuel," said Bruce. "We found that our process is more direct and has the potential to create a much larger quantity of fuel using much less energy, which has a wide range of benefits."
In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles.

This image shows the process by which Photosystem I in thermophilic blue-green
algae can be catalyzed by platinum to produce a sustainable source of hydrogen

A major benefit of Bruce's method is that it cuts out two key middlemen in the process of using plants' solar conversion abilities. The first middle man is the time required for a plant to capture solar energy, grow and reproduce, then die and eventually become fossil fuel. The second middle man is energy, in this case the substantial amount of energy required to cultivate, harvest and process plant material into biofuel. Bypassing these two options and directly using the plant or algae's built-in solar system to create clean fuel can be a major step forward.

Other scientists have studied the possibility of using photosynthesis as a hydrogen source, but have not yet found a way to make the reaction occur efficiently at the high temperatures that would exist in a large system designed to harness sunlight.

Bruce and his colleagues found that by starting with a thermophilic blue-green algae, which favors warmer temperatures, they could sustain the reaction at temperatures as high as 55 degrees C, or 131 degrees F. That is roughly the temperature in arid deserts with high solar irradiation, where the process would be most productive.

They also found the process was more than 10 times more efficient as the temperature increased.

Please read full from Science Daily

Environmental Chemicals Are Feminizing Boys

SlashDot -"Denmark has unveiled official research showing that two-year-old children are at risk from a bewildering array of gender-bending chemicals in such everyday items as waterproof clothes, rubber boots, bed linen, food, sunscreen lotion, and moisturizing cream. A picture is emerging of ubiquitous chemical contamination driving down sperm counts and feminizing male children all over the developed world. Research at Rotterdam's Erasmus University found that boys whose mothers were exposed to PCBs and dioxins were more likely to play with dolls and tea sets and dress up in female clothes. 'The amounts that two-year-olds absorb from the [preservatives] parabens propylparaben and butylparaben can constitute a risk for oestrogen-like disruptions of the endocrine system,' says the report. The contamination may also offer a clue to a mysterious shift in the sex of babies. Normally 106 boys are born for every 100 girls: it is thought to be nature's way of making up for the fact that men were more likely to be killed hunting or in conflict. But the proportion of females is rising. 'Both the public and wildlife are inadequately protected from harm, as regulation is based on looking at exposure to each substance in isolation, and yet it is now proven beyond doubt that hormone disrupting chemicals can act together to cause effects even when each by itself would not,' says Gwynne Lyons, director of Chem Trust."

Hormone disrupting chemicals in household products (Via Guardian)
• Phthalates are used in the manufacture of rubber clogs, rubber boots, soap packaging, products made from PVC, bath mats and soft toys. They are also found in food products as a result of environmental pollution, according to the Danish study.
• Oestrogen-like substances, including chemicals known as parabens, occur in cosmetics, sun creams and moisturising lotions.
• Pesticides, such as DDT, dioxins and PCBs, are also known hormone-disruptors.

Also see "Gender bending' chemicals found in beer and wine "

WI signs bills aimed at protecting children

JS Online - Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law Friday legislation to curb fraud in the state's taxpayer-supported child-care program and to hold welfare officials more accountable when a child suffers abuse or neglect.

 

The senator pointed to two series of ongoing investigative reports in the Journal Sentinel that raised the issues addressed in the new laws.

One, "Fatal Care," exposed weaknesses in the child welfare system and the need for greater transparency after the November 2008 beating death of 13-month-old Christopher Thomas.

 

The second, "Cashing in on Kids," uncovered serious fraud and abuse in the state's child-care program.

Ongoing Journal Sentinel investigation details how parents and child-care providers work in cahoots to easily scam the $350 million Wisconsin Shares program.

 

"Wisconsin Shares is intended to help honest people find honest work," Assembly Majority Leader Thomas Nelson (D-Kaukauna) said in a statement.

 

"With the current economic climate, this is more important than ever."

 

Jauch said: "Caring for children is our most basic responsibility, and we must be continually vigilant in making sure that children are safe and that tax dollars are spent to serve the intended purpose of supporting families."

 

Read the series and ongoing coverage

Oil industry sinkhole could take part of Carlsbad NM with it.

From the BigGav

MSNBC has an article on a town that could disappear into a sinkhole created (indriectly) by oil drilling - Cavern could collapse, taking part of N.M. city (via Polizeros).

The bright yellow signs on U.S. 285 are the first indication that things aren't right in Carlsbad. "US 285 south subject to sinkhole 1,000 feet ahead," motorists are warned.

But there is little other evidence that in southeastern New Mexico's oil country, a giant cavern sits beneath the earth, ready to swallow part of the highway and possibly a church, several businesses and a trailer park.

The cavern was formed over three decades as oil field service companies pumped fresh water into a salt layer more than 400 feet below the surface and extracted several million barrels of brine to help with drilling. State regulators flagged it as a potential danger after concluding that it was similar to two wells northwest of Carlsbad that collapsed without warning last year.

Over the past few decades, communities in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Canada and Europe learned of similar underground danger only after cracks appeared and the ground began to sink. Regulators are trying to determine how to prevent future collapses by better managing a practice that's used throughout the world.

Most brine wells operate far from homes and businesses, but Carlsbad's is unique because it is in a population center — and could prove potentially disastrous.

California's No. 2 Export To China: Trash

Businessinsider

American exports to China soared 341% from 2000 - 2008, according to the US-China Business Council. In fact, China is the third largest U.S. export market, behind Canada and Mexico.

Spearheading the charge is sunny California, the largest American exporter to China by state.

No surprise, right? California's right on the Pacific coast and filled with innovative companies.

Well sort of.

While Computers and Electronics are indeed California's top export to the giant nation, the sad truth is that 'Waste and Scrap' are the Golden State's second largest export to China. California sends about as much junk to China as both Machinery and Transportation Equipment combined.

The rest of the U.S. isn't doing that much better either. As a nation, 'Waste and Scrap' is America's fifth largest export to China, at a whopping $7.6bn.

We might need to rethink what "Made in The U.S.A" exactly means to the Chinese.

Amazon Deforestation plummets 46% in year...

Via TRP -

Deforestation in the Amazon region is the main source of Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions. According to the first National Inventory of Greenhouse Gases, up to 75 percent of Brazil's emissions come from deforestation and land use change.

For this reason, tackling deforestation is at the center of Brazil's strategy to combat global warming. Launched in December 2008, the National Plan on Climate Change sets targets to cut deforestation rates by 80 percent by 2020, which would avoid 4.8 billion tons in CO2 emissions during this period.

Photo Alberto Cesar, Greenpeace

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced that the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon plummeted 46 percent between August 2008 to July 2009, according to a government press release. That is the lowest rate in 20 years, since the government started collecting data 1988.

.. . Brazil's Ministry of Environment claims that deforestation has slowed so rapidly due to the Action Plan for Deforestation Control and Prevention in the Amazon launched in 2004, which strengthened anti-deforestation monitoring and enforcement, demarcated conservation areas and encouraged sustainable livelihood options in the Amazon.

Please read full press release here

Post IRAQ War toxic materials send Cancer spkies and infant mortality rates soaring

Guardian, UK - Doctors in Iraq's war-ravaged enclave of Falluja are dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting. . . Neurologists and obstetricians in the city interviewed by the Guardian say the rise in birth defects - which include a baby born with two heads, babies with multiple tumors, and others with nervous system problems - are unprecedented and at present unexplainable.

 

A group of Iraqi and British officials, including the former Iraqi minister for women's affairs, Dr Nawal Majeed a-Sammarai, and the British doctors David Halpin and Chris Burns-Cox, have petitioned the UN general assembly to ask that an independent committee fully investigate the defects and help clean up toxic materials left over decades of war - including the six years since Saddam Hussein was ousted. . .

50% of warming since 1950 is due to land use rather than greenhouse gases...

Via Anthony Watts, a new study from Georgia Tech has some interesting findings:

"Across the U.S. as a whole, approximately 50 percent of the warming that has occurred since 1950 is due to land use changes (usually in the form of clearing forest for crops or cities) rather than to the emission of greenhouse gases," said Stone. "Most large U.S. cities, including Atlanta, are warming at more than twice the rate of the planet as a whole -- a rate that is mostly attributable to land use change. As a result, emissions reduction programs -- like the cap and trade program under consideration by the U.S. Congress -- may not sufficiently slow climate change in large cities where most people live and where land use change is the dominant driver of warming."

County-level land-use changes from 1950 to 2000, based on censuses of population, housing, and agriculture. A) change in population density; B) change in land area settled at "exurban densities" (i.e., 1 house per 1 to 40 acres); C) change in percent cropland (Brown et al. 2005).

This is similar to what we found around the world's populated land areas in 2007 (McKitrick and Michaels, Journal of Geophysical Research): " . . . extraneous, nonclimatic effects reduces the estimated 1980-2000 global average temperature trend over land by about half."

"As we look to address the climate change issue from a land use perspective, there is a huge opportunity for local and state governments," said Stone.  "Presently, local government capacity is largely unharnessed in climate management structures under consideration by the U.S. Congress.  Yet local governments possess extensive powers to manage the land use activities in both the urban and rural areas."

The Environmental Science and Technology article is available at www.pubs.acs.org

For more on land use change in the USA, see this NASA resource &

How Green Are Your Nukes?

Reason - The role that nuclear power might play in addressing the problem of man-made global warming is fiercely disputed among environmentalists. Two new books by big names in the movement stake out the boundaries of that debate. On the pro-nuclear side stands Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto, by Stewart Brand. And parked in the (more or less) anti-nuclear corner is Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, by Al Gore. A self-described "green," Stewart Brand founded and edited the counterculture Whole Earth Catalog back in 1968. In his first book, Earth in the Balance (1992), then-Sen. Al Gore argued, "We must make the rescue of the environment the central organizing principle for civilization."

Stewart Brand

Once an opponent of nuclear power, Stewart Brand is now a big backer. With regard to the safety, cost, waste handling, and weapons potential of nuclear power, Brand writes, "I've learned to disbelieve much of what I've been told by my fellow environmentalists."

...Brand bases his support for nuclear power on four considerations: baseload, footprint, portfolio, and government-scale. Brand enthusiastically hails the fact that in the 21st century most of humanity will dwell in cities and cities need a steady supply of lots of electricity. Baseload power is the minimum amount of consistent power that utilities must supply to their customers. Brand points out that there are currently only three sources for baseload power: fossil fuels, hydro, and nuclear. Brand dismisses solar and wind as baseload power sources because of their intermittency—the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow.

But what about the costs? Brand breezily waves them aside. "We Greens are not economists," writes Brand. "We don't really care about money. Our agenda is to protect the natural environment, not taxpayers or ratepayers."

Al Gore

Gore notes that in the 1960s, the old Atomic Energy Commission predicted that the United States would have 1,000 nuclear power plants operating by the year 2000. That didn't happen. Instead only 104 plants are currently operating and they generate about 20 percent of the nation's electricity. Construction costs for building a nuclear power plant have increased from $400 million in the 1970s to $4 billion by the 1990s and building times doubled. Gore highlights bottlenecks that could choke any nuclear renaissance, including the fact that critical components such as containment facilities to house reactors are currently being produced by only one Japanese company.

Gore declares, "Once the world chooses to set ambitious goals for scaling up solar electricity development and commits to the investments necessary to further improve the technologies involved, there is no question that solar energy will provide a major percentage of the world's electricity." Brand would certainly argue that exactly the same thing can be said of nuclear energy.

Recently Center for American Progress blogger Matt Yglesias properly accused generally pro-nuclear power American conservatives of favoring "nuclear socialism." For example, Senate Republicans proposed legislation earlier this year aimed at building 100 nuclear power plants over the next two decades. It's pretty clear that Brand falls into that camp. On the other hand, Gore can fairly be accused of solar socialism.In this debate among environmentalists, ecopragmatist Brand wins. If man-made climate change is a big problem, then it doesn't make sense to rule out in advance energy technologies that could contribute to substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Of course, costs matter. The best way to figure out which technologies are cheapest is to set a price on greenhouse gas emissions and let various energy sources compete among themselves.

No subsidies needed.

Please read full at Reason

Cap and Trade "on the Shelf"?

Wall Street Journal - Key Senate Democrats Tuesday said it is unlikely there will be any more major committee action on climate-change legislation this year, the strongest indication yet that a comprehensive bill to cut greenhouse-gas emissions won't be voted on until at least next year.

In the face of the hard-fought debate on health-care legislation--not to mention appropriations bills and finance-reform proposals—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) has dropped his earlier schedules for committees. A Reid aide said he hadn't drafted any new timetable for panel action on climate change.

Even Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.), a climate-bill champion who last week said committees should have climate legislation processed by the end of the year, Tuesday backed off such expectations. "I don't want to create artificial deadlines which get in the way of our being methodical about this," he said.

Instead, Mr. Kerry said he is focused on getting the 60 votes necessary to pass controversial climate legislation -- a higher margin than a simple majority and no mean feat. "The main thing to do here is to build the adequate base of support and consensus," he said.

0-60 MPH in 5 seconds and 275 mpg

From Inhabitat

The Progressive Automotive X-Prize is heating up as the May 2010 start date approaches, and one of our favorite entrants is the eVARO, a three-wheeled plug-in hybrid from Future Vehicles Technology.

The sleek electric vehicle can go from 0 to 60 MPH in 5 seconds and reaches 275 mpg under certain conditions. And for those times when there isn't a gas station in site, the eVARO can cruise for up to 90 miles on pure battery power.

NASA Ames Scientist Develops Cell Phone Chemical Sensor

Click image to enlarge.

Jing Li, a physical scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., along with other researchers working under the Cell-All program in the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, developed a proof of concept of new technology that would bring compact, low-cost, low-power, high-speed nanosensor-based chemical sensing capabilities to cell phones. The device Li developed is about the size of a postage stamp and is designed to be plugged in to an iPhone to collect, process and transmit sensor data. The new device is able to detect and identify low concentrations of airborne ammonia, chlorine gas and methane. The device senses chemicals in the air using a "sample jet" and a multiple-channel silicon-based sensing chip, which consists of 16 nanosensors, and sends detection data to another phone or a computer via telephone communication network or Wi-Fi. The latest-generation of the chemical detector board, about the size of a postage stamp, sensing chip facing down.
Click image to enlarge.


Read more Cool NASA inventions spun off into private sector here

2009 Top-10 Green Building Products - Jetson Green

VIA- Preston Koerner

BuildingGreen has just announced their list of Top-10 Green Building Products.  BuildingGreen sifts the products from new additions to the GreenSpec Directory, a print and online guide that organizes green products according to LEED credits, as well as from coverage in Environmental Building News.  The GreenSpec Directory has over 2,100 products, and these ten are some of the best of what's been added to the directory.  Any favorites among the group?

Pozzotive Plus Concrete Masonry Units (Kingston Block)

Thermafiber Mineral Wool Insulation (Thermafiber)

Invelope Integrated Wall and Rainscreen System (Build Better Walls)

Baltix Recycled- and Biobased Office Furniture (Baltix)

Project FROG Modular Green Classroom (Project FROG)

Rheem HP-50 Heat-Pump Water Heater (Rheem)

Convia Energy Management Infrastructure (Convia)

Pentadyne GTX Flywheel Energy Storage (Pentadyne)

Silva Cell Subsurface Tree Protection and Stormwater System (Deeproot)

Mobile Solar Power Generator (Mobile Solar Power)

While you're here, make sure to check out BuildingGreen's Top-10 Green Building Products from 2008, West Coast Green's Six Clever Products in the Pipeline, and Sustainable Industries' Top 10 Green Building Products mentioned earlier this year.

Oil - We are here

The Oil Situation Is Really Bad

Fears of Panic, Cassandra's Fate

Outside of American pressure, why does the IEA issue reassuring forecasts? Allow me to quote from an extraordinary piece by the Guardian's Madeleine Bunting called Too fearful to publicize peak oil reality.

It is very hard for the average person in the street to come to a sensible conclusion on peak oil. It's a subject that prompts a passionate polarization of views. The peak oilists sometimes sound like those extraordinary Christians with sandwich boards proclaiming that the end of the world is nigh. In contrast, the the international economic establishment – including the International Energy Authority (IEA) – has one very clear purpose in mind at all times: don't panic. Their mission seems to be focused on keeping jittery markets calm…

Faced with these options the majority of people shrug their shoulders in confusion and ignore the trickle of whistleblowers, industry insiders and careful analysts who
have been warning of the imminent decline in oil for over a decade now.

Remember the Queen's question – that uncannily accurate and strikingly obvious question she put to economists at the London School of Economics a year ago after the financial crisis: did no one see it coming? Apply that question to peak oil and the answer is that many people did see it coming but they were marginalized, bullied into silence and the evidence was buried in the small print.

Please read full at ASPO

Also see front page report in The Guardian tells us that "Key oil figures were distorted by US pressure, says whistleblower."

And
Top 10 Euphemisms for Peak Oil
10. TEOTWAWKI
9. End of cheap-and-easy-to-extract oil
8. Oil dependency and depletion
7. TSHTF
6. Our energy challenge
5. Oil demand destruction
4. Energy transition
3. Global peak and decline in oil production
2. Foreign oil dependency
1. Elimination of spare petroleum production capacity

Wohoo! Doyle signs law to limit phosphorus in dishwasher soap.

I just got a little busier ;-) We have formulated phosphate free washer chemistry for over a decade

While Maryland and Washington have led paved the way to banning detergents containing phosphorus and they appear to be working... now Wisconsin is on board.

Several other states have taken to initiative to ban hazardous substances from certain household products and H.R. 2775 would prohibit, as a banned hazardous substance, certain household dishwasher detergent containing phosphorus.

Track the bills progress at Open Congress

Original Story
JS Online: Starting in July, consumers will find automatic-dishwasher detergents in stores with lower levels of phosphorus - and likely less cleaning power - as detergent makers respond to state bans on the substance. A law that limits phosphorus content to no more than 0.5% in automatic-dishwasher soap sold in Wisconsin was signed by Gov. Jim Doyle on Thursday. The law will take effect July 1 to give retailers time to sell their current inventory of soap and switch to phosphorus-free detergent. More than a dozen states have passed similar laws at the urging of environmentalists, and the July date has become the national benchmark for the switch to essentially phosphorus-free dishwasher detergent for home use. Commercial and industrial detergents are not included in the bans. "Phosphorus from automatic dish-washing detergent runs into our lakes, rivers and streams every day, causing unsightly and smelly algae blooms that kill fish, destroy ecosystems and detract from the natural beauty of Wisconsin waters," said Amber Meyer Smith, program director at Clean Wisconsin, the state's largest environmental advocacy organization.

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Expanding Islands of Trash Afloat in the Ocean

PCBs, DDT and other toxic chemicals cannot dissolve in water, but the plastic absorbs them like a sponge. Fish that feed on plankton ingest the tiny plastic particles. Scientists from the Algalita Marine Research Foundation say that fish tissues contain some of the same chemicals as the plastic. The scientists speculate that toxic chemicals are leaching into fish tissue from the plastic they eat.

The researchers say that when a predator — a larger fish or a person — eats the fish that eats the plastic, that predator may be transferring toxins to its own tissues, and in greater concentrations since toxins from multiple food sources can accumulate in the body.

Charles Moore found the Pacific garbage patch by accident 12 years ago, when he came upon it on his way back from a sailing race in Hawaii. As captain, Mr. Moore ferried three researchers, his first mate and a journalist here this summer in his 10th scientific trip to the site. He is convinced that several similar garbage patches remain to be discovered.

"Anywhere you really look for it, you're going to see it," he said.



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BPA "human study, and this can't just be dismissed."

CalOsha Quote of the day: "Critics dismissed all the animal studies, saying, 'Show us the human studies.' Now we have a human study, and this can't just be dismissed."

De-Kun Li, a scientist at the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, which conducted a study into BPA exposure with funds from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Full story in Washington Post Via Source CalOsha

2012 Myth vs. Facts from Information is Beautiful

Great image and summary

Also see NASA FAQ section on 2012
2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won't End?

EPA Announces Final Amendments to Oil Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Rules

From Laura Barnes Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing a final regulation that amends certain requirements for facilities subject to the Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule.  The amendments clarify regulatory requirements, tailor requirements to particular industry sectors, and streamline certain requirements for a facility owner or operator subject to the rule.  With these changes, the agency expects to encourage greater compliance with the SPCC regulations, thus resulting in increased protection of human health and the environment.  This rulemaking marks the completion of the SPCC action, which was proposed on October 15, 2007, finalized on December 5, 2008, and for which the agency requested public comments again on February 3, 2009.

The amendments do not remove any regulatory requirement for owners or operators of facilities in operation before August 16, 2002, to develop, implement and maintain an SPCC plan in accordance with the SPCC regulations then in effect.  Such facilities continue to be required to maintain their plans during the interim until the applicable date for revising and implementing their plans under the new amendments.

Visit EPA for more information about the SPCC rule

Wood chips, grasses to be burned in coal plant test

Via Great Lakes ECHO A Madison electric utility last week launched tests to burn wood chips, native grasses and other forms of biomass in coal boilers at its 50-year-old power plant in Cassville on the Mississippi River.

The tests by Wisconsin Power & Light Co. are designed to help the company explore cost-effective strategies to reduce its carbon footprint and prepare for a national system to reduce emissions linked to global warming, utility spokesman Steve Schultz said Tuesday. Coal-fired power plants are a leading contributor of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. More at JS Online

EPA guide identifies how kids are exposed to pollution

The U.S. EPA has released a document helping identify how children are exposed to pollution.
 The document, "Highlights of the Child-Specific Exposure Factors Handbook," serves as a quick-reference guide to the more comprehensive "Child-Specific Exposure Factors Handbook," published by EPA in 2008. The agency plans for it to serve as an additional resource for those who work on children´s health issues.

The EPA developed the reference guide to provide important information necessary for answering questions about exposure through drinking water, breathing, and eating foods. It contains details about topics such as how much exposure to pollutants children might receive if playing near contaminated sites and how much exposure to various pollutants children might absorb through their skin under specific conditions.

Information on the documents is available at EPA

Source: Waste & Recycling News

EPA RCRA & CAA summary report data from 2004 through 2008

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new information on EPA and state enforcement of hazardous waste and air regulations. In addition, the EPA posted data that allows the public, for the first time, to compare toxic releases with compliance data from facilities. This is part of EPA's ongoing commitment to increase transparency and promote the public's right to know by improving access to available data.

EPA made available new summary reports and data from 2004 through 2008 on EPA and state enforcement program performance with Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requirements. The reports include online graphs, trend information on enforcement and compliance in each state, and comparative reports. Data such as compliance monitoring activity, violations discovered, enforcement actions taken, and penalties assessed are available.

The compliance data posted today tells only one part of the story and does not relate directly to overall hazardous waste management or air quality, which have improved in the United States over the past 30 years as the result of local, state, and federal implementation of environmental programs.

More information on RCRA data:
www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/performance/rcra/index.html

More information on CAA data:
www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/performance/caa/index.html

More information on ECHO:
www.epa-echo.gov/echo

Farmers Growing Genetically Engineered Crops Not Complying with Key Environmental Requirements

Too Many Farmers Growing Genetically Engineered Corn Not Complying with Key Environmental Requirements

One out of every four farmers who plants genetically engineered (GE) corn is failing to comply with at least one important insect-resistance management requirement. That increases the likelihood that pesticide-resistant bugs will threaten the future of biotech crops and some of their non-biotech neighbors. That finding comes in a report released today by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to not renew registrations of the GE corn varieties unless compliance rates improve.

In 2008, 57 percent of the corn acreage in the United States was planted with corn spliced with genes from the Bacillus thuringiensis bacterium, or Bt. Those crops produce natural toxins that are harmless to humans but will kill corn rootworms and corn borers, which otherwise reduce crop yields. Farmers who plant such crops are supposed to plant a refuge of conventional corn in, adjacent to, or near the GE crop. That refuge is designed to reduce the risk that pests that survive the toxin will breed with each other and produce resistant offspring. Resistant offspring would not only reduce yields of the Bt crops, but could also threaten organic or conventional farmers who use natural Bt-based pesticides on non-GE crops. Full Report

Source Shirl Kennedy DocuTicker

Obama slower than Bush in protecting America's endangered species

"Because extinction is forever, delays in protection of the nation's most imperiled species are unacceptable," said Greenwald. "The Endangered Species Act can save these 249 species, but only if they are granted protection."

In George W. Bush's eight years as president, he placed 62 species under the protection of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), an average of eight species per year. While, Bush's slow pace in protecting endangered species frustrated environmentalists in light of continued decline among many species, Obama is moving even slower.

In the ten months that he has been in office, President Obama has listed only one species under the ESA: a Hawaiian plant which is down to only a few individuals. While the Obama Administration has identified 249 species that are candidates for protection, it has been painfully slow in actually granting the protection.

"Continued delays in protection of these 249 species is a failure of leadership by Interior Secretary Salazar," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "And that failure is placing these species at greater risk of extinction. The position of chief of conservation and classification hasn't even been filled yet, exemplifying the failure of the Obama administration to prioritize species conservation." Comment and Read more Here

President Obama Great Lakes Change - landmark cleanup bill

This was a bipartisan accomplishment, set in motion during President George W. Bush's administration when Great Lakes shippers, environmentalists, fishermen and recreational boaters created an ambitious restoration blueprint calling for investments from U.S. and Canadian governments, states and provinces and the private and nonprofit sectors...Without fanfare, President Barack Obama has OK'd a large cash infusion to help clean up the Great Lakes, quietly signing a bill that was years in the making and marks a rare bipartisan milestone.

"President Obama is committed to protecting and restoring the Great Lakes and recognizes this is a shared effort in partnership with regional leadership," White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said. "The Administration is very encouraged that the funding the president requested for the Great Lakes restoration initiative was in the final Interior Appropriations bill as it will help to improve water quality and reduce pollution in the nation's largest system of fresh water." ...It had to be signed by the end of last week or the government would not be able to pay its bills, since Congress has not yet approved all the spending for the current fiscal year and the old resolution was expiring. So Obama signed it, barely 24 hours after the Senate took the last legislative step. While senators, environmental groups and reporters were expecting word from the White House on a signing ceremony or Great Lakes kickoff event, the president's signature was already dry.

...It will mean about $146 million can be spent in the next year to clean toxic sediment and areas of concern, including the lower Cuyahoga River, while $60 million more can go toward removing zebra mussels, keeping out Asian carp and dealing with other invasive species that threaten marine life, shipping and recreation, according to figures in Obama's budget. Another $97 million will go to reduce runoff and contamination from entering streams and rivers from farms and industry, while $105 million will help restore habitat and wildlife, including building the populations of lake trout, brook trout, lake sturgeon and piping plover. Finally, the budget has $65 million for accountability and monitoring.

That's what makes this news "a huge deal," Meyer said Monday. "This is the first time ever that a president has given substantial money to the Great Lakes."

The spending bill also contains $3.4 billion for drinking water and sewer improvements acround the nation. It has another $4 million to add 635 acres to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Summit County.

"This is a great day for the Great Lakes and the people who depend on them for their jobs and their way of life," said Jeff Skelding of the National Wildlife Federation.

Please read from source