Feb 15, 2014
New York, California move to ban beauty products containing microbeads
Grist: Scrubbing dead skin cells off your face and tartar off your teeth trashes the environment if it`s not done right. The right way to do it is with facial scrubs, shampoo, and toothpaste that do not contain microbeads. The microscopic balls of hard plastic flow down drains and pass through wastewater treatment plants, ending up in rivers, lakes, and oceans, where they enter the food chain. Finding microbead-free products isn`t easy right now - you have to read ingredient lists and steer clear of...
Feb 13, 2014
We're One Step Closer to Nuclear Fusion Energy
Scientists with the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced today that they have achieved a critical step in fusion research: For the first time, their hydrogen fuel has given off more energy than it took in. Though an important milestone, the result does not mean that your Delorean is soon going to sport a Mr. Fusion reactor. NIF would need to achieve temperatures and pressures much greater than they are currently capable of before they can harness fusion energy.
Feb 12, 2014
Inertially confined fusion implosion, more energy out of the fuel than what was put into
For the first time anywhere, we've gotten more energy out of the fuel than what was put into the fuel" for a nuclear fusion experiment. This is reported by the Wall Street Journal and other sources from a paper published in the Journal Nature by researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Lab
"What's really exciting is that we are seeing a steadily increasing contribution to the yield coming from the boot-strapping process we call alpha-particle self-heating as we push the implosion a little harder each time," said lead author Omar Hurricane.
Boot-strapping results when alpha particles, helium nuclei produced in the deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion process, deposit their energy in the DT fuel, rather than escaping. The alpha particles further heat the fuel, increasing the rate of fusion reactions, thus producing more alpha particles. This feedback process is the mechanism that leads to ignition. As reported in Nature, the boot-strapping process has been demonstrated in a series of experiments in which the fusion yield has been systematically increased by more than a factor of 10 over previous approaches
Nature - Fuel gain exceeding unity in an inertially confined fusion implosion
"What's really exciting is that we are seeing a steadily increasing contribution to the yield coming from the boot-strapping process we call alpha-particle self-heating as we push the implosion a little harder each time," said lead author Omar Hurricane.
Boot-strapping results when alpha particles, helium nuclei produced in the deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion process, deposit their energy in the DT fuel, rather than escaping. The alpha particles further heat the fuel, increasing the rate of fusion reactions, thus producing more alpha particles. This feedback process is the mechanism that leads to ignition. As reported in Nature, the boot-strapping process has been demonstrated in a series of experiments in which the fusion yield has been systematically increased by more than a factor of 10 over previous approaches
Nature - Fuel gain exceeding unity in an inertially confined fusion implosion
Dupe creates "biological concrete" from sand, bacteria and urine
With energy production and raw material shortages becoming increasingly pertinent issues around the world, designer Peter Trimble has demonstrated a radical method of manufacture that addresses both issues. Dupe is a portable machine that uses a mixture of sand, bacteria and urine to create a material called biostone. The machine is a proof-of-concept design only and is currently set up to create a small stool, but the method can be adapted to create just about anything... Continue Reading Dupe creates "biological concrete" from sand, bacteria and urine
Shared via feedly // published on Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine // visit site
Shared via feedly // published on Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine // visit site
Proton flow battery simplifies hydrogen power
Just as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles – big and small – start heading to the road, researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have come up with the concept of a proton flow battery that could expand the reach of hydrogen-based electrical energy systems as well as provide a potential alternative to lithium ion batteries... Continue Reading Proton flow battery simplifies hydrogen power
CNN: 100,000 gallons Coal slurry spill blackens West Virginia creek
CNN - Inspectors are looking into the cause of a coal slurry spill in West Virginia's eastern Kanawha County after it blackened six miles of a creek, officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection said Tuesday.
More than 100,000 gallons of the coal slurry is believed to have flowed into Fields Creek, a tributary of the Kanawha River, officials said. Inspectors are testing the water to determine exactly how much leaked into the creek, the officials said.
The spill at Patriot Coal was caused when a valve inside a slurry line malfunctioned, the state environmental protection officials said.
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H.R. 3862 -- Clean Water Affordability Act of 2014
Jan 14, 2014, H.R. 3862 — Introduced in House by Rep. Robert Latta (R-OH)
Clean Water Affordability Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a comprehensive and integrated planning approach to the obligations concerning permits for pollutant discharges of a publicly owned permittee. Defines such a permittee as a treatment works that is publicly owned or a municipal separate storm sewer system. Requires the approach to such...
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to assist municipalities and regional sewer authorities that would experience a significant hardship raising the revenue necessary to finance projects and activities for the construction of wastewater treatment works, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Clean Water Affordability Act of 2014”.
SEC. 2. INTEGRATED PERMITTING PROCESS.
(a) In General.—Section 402(a) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1342(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(6) INTEGRATED PERMITS.—
“(A) DEFINITION OF PUBLICLY OWNED PERMITTEE.—In this paragraph, the term ‘publicly owned permittee’ means either—
“(i) a treatment works (as defined in section 212) that is publicly owned; or
“(ii) a municipal separate storm sewer system referred to in this section.
“(B) PLANNING APPROACH.—The Administrator shall establish a comprehensive and integrated planning approach to the obligations under this section of a publicly owned permittee—
“(i) under which permit obligations may be implemented according to a schedule that—
“(I) accounts for the financial capability of the publicly owned permittee;
“(II) prioritizes permit obligations according to the most cost-effective and environmentally beneficial outcomes;
“(III) accounts for the preexisting maintenance, operational, and regulatory obligations of the publicly owned permittee under this section; and
“(IV) enables the publicly owned permittee to implement innovative approaches to meet those obligations; and
“(ii) that accounts for changed circumstances in the obligations of the publicly owned permittee, such as—
“(I) new innovative treatment approaches;
“(II) new regulatory requirements; and
“(III) changes in financial capability.”.
(b) Duration Of Permits.—Section 402(b)(1)(B) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1342(b)(1)(B)) is amended by inserting before the semicolon at the end the following: “, except that a permit with a term of more than 5 years but not more than 25 years may be approved if the permittee has an approved integrated plan established under subsection (a)(6)”.
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Feb. 12th Ceremony by @CoolCalifornia to recognize California's most #sustainable small businesses
Ceremony to recognize California's most sustainable small businesses
State and local elected officials to honor California small businesses for taking effective, voluntary steps to reduce their carbon footprint
SACRAMENTO - The California Air Resources Board and its CoolCalifornia partners will recognize 13 small businesses for implementing climate-smart strategies. Three businesses will receive the Business of the Year award for demonstrating exceptional sustainable business practices and emission reductions. Ten businesses will be acknowledged as “Climate Leaders” for taking effective steps to be more climate-friendly.
WHAT: Award ceremony honoring 2013 CoolCalifornia.org Small Business Awards winners
WHEN: 4 to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Please read full Release Release here:
Feb 11, 2014
HyperSolar Reaches Significant Milestone in Achieving Low Cost Solar Powered Hydrogen Production
Power Engineering: SANTA BARBARA, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 11, 2014) - HyperSolar, Inc. (OTCQB : HYSR ), the developer of a breakthrough technology to produce renewable hydrogen using sunlight and any source of water, today announced that its artificial photosynthesis technology is now capable of producing 1.2 volt open circuit voltage for use in direct solar hydrogen production. This achievement represents another 10% increase over the previous 1.1 volt reached late last year, a significant step towards truly renewable low cost hydrogen.
"We now see a path to production of hydrogen through immersion of low cost semiconductor materials in water," stated Tim Young. "Our approach uses only one type of inexpensive semiconducting material and reduces manufacturing complexity. Use of low cost materials with an industrial scaleable process and may even make it a viable approach for fabricating low-cost photovoltaic modules for other applications beyond water splitting."
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Former Nazi bunker transformed into green energy power plant
Energy and utilities company Hamburg Energie has joined forces with IBA Hamburg to transform a former Nazi anti-aircraft flak bunker into a green energy power plant. The Hamburg-based "Energy Bunker" has already begun producing energy for the local community, but once running at full capacity will provide up to 3,000 homes with heating, and another 1,000 homes with electricity. .. Continue Reading Former Nazi bunker transformed into green energy power plant
Lockheed Martin inks Australian 62.5-megawatt wave energy deal
Baltimore Sun - Lockheed Martin Corp. announced Tuesday that it signed a contract to develop the world's largest wave energy project off Victoria, Australia, calling it a "significant step toward making ocean energy commercially available."
The New Ventures office of Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems and Training Baltimore site signed the deal with Victorian Wave Partners Ltd. to develop a 62.5-megawatt peak power wave energy generation project.
The project will use a wave energy converter buoy pioneered by Ocean Power Technologies of Pennington, N.J. As the buoy moves up and down on waves, the mechanical energy drives an electrical generator, which is sent to shore through underwater cables.
The project is to be built up in three stages, with the initial phase producing about 2.5-megawatt peak power. Once completed, it is expected to produce enough energy to meet the needs of 10,000 homes.
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Air Powered Cars Are Here! range of over 100 miles, and $1.00 to fill up
With a range of over 100 miles, and a cost of about $1.00 per tank of air for the cost of electricity to fill-er-up, the prospects are stellar for this cool car! If you had a windmill powered air compressor, either mechanical or electric generating, you could fill up basically for free.
Air Pod is doing this "Because The World Needs A Clean Car." The big dogs are paying attention as they move into multiple markets including South America.
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Microsoft successfully shows off demo of fuel cells to power datacenters
Neowin: A few months ago, Microsoft announced that it was studying the use of fuel cells to power servers in some of its datacenters. Today, the company revealed that it showed off a demo of this method recently at the National Fuel Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine
In a post on its Datacenters website, Microsoft said:
We successfully demonstrated a rack of servers powered directly off the direct current (DC) output of the fuel cell stack, essentially stripping out most of the infrastructure found in the traditional data center energy supply chain. The result is a very efficient system with a radically simplified supply chain and fewer points of potential failure.
If Microsoft decides to expand this effort to more of its data centers, it could cut the cost of powering the building even when you consider construction costs. It could also lead to energy savings and better use of the power generated by the fuel cell stack. Microsoft stated that the recent demonstration showed that "the electrical efficiency, from fuel cell stack to server, improved by a full third from 39.8% to 53.3%."
Please continue reading from Microsoft successfully shows off demo of fuel cells to power datacenters - Neowin - Neowin | shared via feedly mobile
Feb 10, 2014
86% of Americans say they worry about food safety
Recent salmonella outbreaks linked to Foster Farms chicken, and the release of a study that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has serious safety inspections issues, haven't instilled much trust in food safety in America. That is reflected by a Harris Poll that found that 28 percent of Americans are seriously concerned about food safety, and 58 percent are somewhat concerned, Lynne Terry reports for The Oregonian. Of the 2,256 surveyed, 73 percent said there should be more government oversight.
In response to food recalls, 36 percent of those surveyed who earn less than $36,000 a year said they were seriously concerned, while 21 percent earning between $35,000 to $50,000 responded in kind, and 26 percent of households earning more than $50,000 said they were seriously concerned, Terry writes. (Read more) (Centers for Disease Control map: The agency says the official number of people infected with salmonella is 430, in 23 states and Puerto Rico)
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Feb 9, 2014
Plastic Recycling at Home Promises a Revolution In Local Plastic Production
[Dave Hakkens] graduated from the Design Academy of Eindhoven and decided to try his hand at making affordable plastic recycling machines.
His reasoning?
"We recycle just 10% [of waste plastic]," says Hakkens. "I wondered why we recycle so little so I investigated it. I went to all these companies and I realized that they don't really want to use recycled plastic. So I wanted to make my own tools so I could use recycled plastic locally."
Typical plastic production, like injection molding, uses very large and expensive machines — so expensive that most of the time, companies don't want to risk using inferior recycled plastic, as it might damage the machine, or slow production time. Not convinced that recycled plastic is "inferior", [Dave] has built his own line of machines capable of making recycled plastic parts.
He's built his own rotary molder, a lever-operated injection molding machine, an extruder, and even a plastic shredder capable of taking in most scrap plastic. The results are quite impressive, and the machines are relatively simple to build. He's also decided to make the project open source to encourage others to help save the environment – He hasn't released the plans online just yet, but promises they will come soon! To see the machines in action, and to see what they're capable of, check out Hack a Day // visit site - Shared via feedly
Biogasoline could be joining biodiesel at the pumps
By now, most people have at least a passing knowledge of biodiesel – it's diesel fuel made from plant or animal oils, as opposed to the more traditional and less eco-friendly petroleum. While it's a good choice for people with diesel-powered vehicles, those of us with gas-burning cars haven't been able to get in on the action ... although that may be about to change. .. Continue Reading Biogasoline could be joining biodiesel at the pumps
Feb 8, 2014
Graphene Conducts Electricity Ten Times Better Than Expected!
Physicists have produced nanoribbons of graphene — the single-atom-thick carbon — that conduct electrons better than theory predicted even for the most idealized form of the material (abstract). The finding could help graphene realize its promise in high-end electronics, where researchers have long hoped it could outperform traditional materials such as silicon. In graphene, electrons can move faster than in any other material at room temperature. But techniques that cut sheets of graphene into the narrow ribbons needed to form wires of a nano-scale circuit leave ragged edges, which disrupt the electron flow. Now a team led by physicist Walt de Heer at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta has made ribbons that conduct electric charges for more than 10 micrometres without meeting resistance — 1,000 times farther than in typical graphene nanoribbons. The ribbons made by de Heer's team in fact conduct electrons ten times better than standard theories of electron transport they should, say the authors.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
How to know when your recycling is working, Sweden importing waste
CS Globe - Sweden now has to search for rubbish outside of its borders to generate its waste-to-energy incineration program. It's namely Norway officials who are now shipping in 80,000 tons of refuse annually to fuel the country with outside waste.
The population's remarkable pertinacious recycling habits are inspiration for other garbage-bloated countries where the idea of empty landfills is scarce. In fact, only 4 percent of all waste in Sweden is land-filled, a big win for the future of sustainable living. By using its two million tons of waste as energy and scrapping for more outside of its borders, this country is shown in international comparisons to be the global leader in recovering energy in waste.
The population's remarkable pertinacious recycling habits are inspiration for other garbage-bloated countries where the idea of empty landfills is scarce. In fact, only 4 percent of all waste in Sweden is land-filled, a big win for the future of sustainable living. By using its two million tons of waste as energy and scrapping for more outside of its borders, this country is shown in international comparisons to be the global leader in recovering energy in waste.
Please continue reading CS Globe
Feb 7, 2014
Final EPA Rule Energy Conservation Program: External Power Supplies; Energy Conservation Standards
Feb 7, 2014 — Pre-release — Final Rule — Energy Department
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), as amended, today’s final rule amends the energy conservation standards that currently apply to certain external power supplies and establishes new energy conservation standards for other external power supplies that are currently not required to meet such standards. Through its analysis, DOE has determined that these changes satisfy EPCA’s requirements that any new and amended energy conservation standards for these products result in the significant conservation of energy and be both technologically feasible and economically justified Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit but it remained in effect
See full rule here:
Mercury Education & Reduction Product Fact Sheets - Updated (Please share)
The Interstate Mercury Education & Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC) is pleased to announce its updates to the Mercury-Added Product Fact Sheets for targeted product categories, including:
- Mercury Use in Formulated Products
- Mercury Use in Switches & Relays
- Mercury Use in Dental Amalgam
- Mercury Use in Lighting
- Mercury Use in Measuring Devices
- Mercury Use in Thermostats
- Mercury Use in Batteries
- Mercury Use in Pumps
- Mercury Use in Gas & Electric Cooking Ranges & Other Cooking Equipment
The fact sheets summarize data provided by manufacturers and distributors of mercury-added products to the IMERC-member states in compliance with the state Notification requirements for 2001-2010. They include a trends analysis of mercury use in each product category sold in the U.S.; the amount of mercury used in the products; why mercury has been or continues to be used in the products; manufacturers who have phased-out the use of mercury in their products; and other useful information.
In the coming months, IMERC expects to update these Fact Sheets further by:
· Expanding the information on collection and recycling programs for product categories, identifying limitations where known
· Incorporating an analysis of the 2013 Triennial data for certain product categories, where complete data is available
Please share this announcement with your colleagues.
Hazardous Waste Manifest System: Electronic Manifests; Modification
Feb 6, 2014 — Pre-release — Final Rule — Environmental Protection Agency
Summary
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is establishing new requirements that will authorize the use of electronic manifests (or e-Manifests) as a means to track off-site shipments of hazardous waste from a generator's site to the site of the receipt and disposition of the hazardous waste. This final rule also implements certain provisions of the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act, Public Law 112-195, which directs EPA to establish a national electronic manifest system (or e-Manifest system), and to impose reasonable user service fees as a means to fund the development and operation of the e-Manifest system. The requirements announced here clarify explicitly that electronic manifest documents obtained from the Agency's national e-Manifest system and completed in accordance with today's regulation, are the legal equivalent of the paper manifest forms (EPA Forms 8700-22 and 8700-22A) that are currently authorized for use in tracking hazardous waste shipments. Upon completion of the e-Manifest system, the electronic manifest documents authorized by this final regulation will be available to manifest users as an alternative to the paper manifest forms, to comply with federal and state requirements respecting the use of the hazardous waste manifest. Users who elect to opt out of the electronic submittal to the e-Manifest system may continue to use the paper manifest to track their shipments during transportation, which then will be submitted by the designated facility for inclusion in the e-Manifest system. EPA recognizes that there will be a period of transition to electronic submittals and the Agency will, as we implement e-Manifest, assess what measures might be effective to expedite the transition from paper manifests to electronic manifests. This final regulation further clarifies those electronic signature methods that the Agency recommends for executing electronic manifests in the first generation of the national e-Manifest system. This regulation also specifies how issues of public access to manifest information will be addressed when manifest data are submitted and processed electronically. Finally, this regulation announces, consistent with the mandate of the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act, that the final electronic manifest requirements promulgated today will be implemented in all states on the same effective date for the national e-Manifest system. Authorized states must adopt program revisions equivalent to and consistent with today's federal requirements, but EPA will implement these electronic manifest regulations unless and until the states are fully authorized to implement them in lieu of EPA.
DATES:
This final rule is effective as a final agency action on August 6, 2014. However, the implementation and compliance date for these regulations will be delayed until such time as the e-Manifest system is shown to be ready for operation and the schedule of fees for manifest related services has been announced. EPA will publish a further document subsequent to this rule's effective date to announce the user fee schedule for manifest related activities. This document will also announce the date upon which compliance with this regulation will be required and upon which EPA will be ready to receive electronic manifests through the national e-Manifest system, in accordance with 40 CFR 3.2(a)(2).
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California's state water supply to be turned off this summer [feedly]
Mercury News - For the first time in its 54-year history, the State Water Project, a backbone of California's water system, will provide no water to urban residents or farmers this year because of the severe drought.
The announcement does not mean that communities will have no water this summer. But it does mean that every region is largely on its own now and will have to rely on water stored in local reservoirs, pumped from underground wells, recycled water and conservation to satisfy demand.
Silicon Valley and parts of the East Bay -- particularly residents of Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin, who receive 80 percent of their water each year from the State Water Project -- will feel the impact the most in the Bay Area.
Hardest hit, however, will be the state's huge agriculture industry.
"We expect hundreds of thousands of acres of land in the Central Valley to go unplanted," said Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation. "That will cause severe economic problems in our rural regions -- loss of jobs and economic activity, with all the heartache that entails."
The announcement does not mean that communities will have no water this summer. But it does mean that every region is largely on its own now and will have to rely on water stored in local reservoirs, pumped from underground wells, recycled water and conservation to satisfy demand.
Silicon Valley and parts of the East Bay -- particularly residents of Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin, who receive 80 percent of their water each year from the State Water Project -- will feel the impact the most in the Bay Area.
Hardest hit, however, will be the state's huge agriculture industry.
"We expect hundreds of thousands of acres of land in the Central Valley to go unplanted," said Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation. "That will cause severe economic problems in our rural regions -- loss of jobs and economic activity, with all the heartache that entails."
Please continue reading at Mercury News
Feb 6, 2014
Free Safer Chemistry Challenge Program 2014 Spring Webinar Series
This webinar series provides attendees with an opportunity to learn about chemical hazard analysis and safer chemistry initiatives. Presenters represent industry, nonprofit, academia, and technical assistance providers. The webinars will share successful practices and tools as well as chemical specific transition strategies. Information presented will examine and share safer chemistry innovations, case studies, tools, policy initiatives, and supply chain opportunities.
Don't forget to register for the SCCP webinar next week!
Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Program: A Holistic Continuous Improvement Framework
Thursday, February 13, 2014, 12:00 PM EST
Presenter: Susan Klosterhaus, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, Senior Scientist
Join the Safer Chemistry Challenge Program in 2014 at no cost! The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable invites companies to join the 2025 Safer Chemistry Challenge Program (SCCP). This voluntary initiative aims to motivate, challenge, and assist businesses in reducing their use of chemicals of concern to human health and the environment. The SCCP will also recognize and reward companies for finding safer alternatives to the hazardous chemicals they currently use. Questions can be directed to saferchemistry@gmail.com or Cindy McComas at mccom003@umn.edu. For information on how to become a member of the Safer Chemistry Challenge program visit: http://www.p2.org/challenge
Webinar via @3ECompany: California's Safer Consumer Products Regulations - What you need to know
Don't get caught off guard! The California DTSC will announce the first round of Priority Products under the Safer Consumer Products regulations by the end of March 2014. Your company will only have 60 days to report whether you manufacture, sell, or import a product that falls into that description. Now is the time to evaluate whether the ~200 Candidate Chemicals are present in any of your products.
Join Senior Regulatory Analyst, Kirsten Wallerstedt to understand the implication of this law, how your company may be affected, and what you should be doing now to prepare.
The last day to register is March 4, 2014.
When: Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Time: North American, Central European
In US, ‘Natural’ Food Label Means Nothing - Business Insider
In US, 'Natural' Food Label Means Nothing - Business Insider
...This gray area has led consumer advocates to threaten lawsuit after lawsuit against big food giants, alleging that their claims are misleading and illegal.
"There are just too damn many 'natural' lawsuits," said lawyer Stephen Gardner of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), estimating there have been around 50 in the past decade.
"It only scratches the surfaces of the number of companies that are making these claims. We keep coming across them," he said.
Some lawsuits have been merely threatened by CSPI, and eventually settled out of court after the company agreed to change labeling.
Others have been filed by private parties seeking class action payouts.
The latest involves Kraft Foods, maker of Crystal Light powdered drink mixes which contain artificial sweeteners and colors, a texturizer called maltodextrin and a synthetic preservative called butylated hydroxyanisole.
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Feb 5, 2014
New Bills to Watch: The Chemical Safety and Drinking Water Protection Act of 2014 and West Virginia Source Water Protection Act
Javaneh Nekoomaram: In response to the Jan. 9 Elk River spill in West Virginia, legislators in the U.S. Senate and West Virginia State Legislature have introduced bills that would impose new regulations to oversee and inspect chemical facilities that present a possible threat to sources of drinking water.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the Chemical Safety and Drinking Water Act of 2014, or S. 1961, earlier this month. The bill would establish programs under the Safe Drinking Water Act to include minimum standards for the chemical facility storage tanks. These standards are similar to the existing Oil Pollution Prevention standards; however, the storage of “non-oil” chemicals would now be regulated. The bill’s text may be found at http://www.manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=9ce5d0d4-af36-46d4-a88b-280c681b08cc&SK=CFA7F13D2C630E5ADB184B97C7049C0B.In the West Virginia State Legislature, a bill has been introduced that is intended to implement an above-ground storage tank regulation program in the state. The measure is supported by Gov. Earl RayTomblin (D), Senate President Jeff Kessler (D), and House Speaker Tim Miley (D). The bill’s text may be found athttp://www.governor.wv.gov/media/pressreleases/2014/Documents/20140120172923384.pdf.
Both bills would impose storage tanks construction standards, leak detection, overfill requirements, emergency response and communication plans, notification requirements, and facility inspection requirements. It is difficult to assess the impact of these bills on the coatings industry, since many of the details would be resolved in future regulations. However, the following are just some of the issues to consider.
Please read more at:
India To Build World's Largest Solar Plant
India has pledged to build the world's most powerful solar plant. With a nominal capacity of 4,000 megawatts, comparable to that of four full-size nuclear reactors, the 'ultra mega' project will be more than ten times larger than any other solar project built so far, and it will spread over 77 square kilometres of land — greater than the island of Manhattan. Six state-owned companies have formed a joint venture to execute the project, which they say can be completed in seven years at a projected cost of US$4.4 billion. The proposed location is near Sambhar Salt Lake in the northern state of Rajasthan.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Feb 4, 2014
Due To Extreme Drought, The Number Of Cattle In The U.S. Is The Smallest It Has Been Since 1951
The last time the number of cattle in the United States was this low was 63 years ago. But back in 1951, there were only about 154 million people living in the United States. Now, there are more than 313 million people living in this nation. The size of the U.S. cattle herd has been shrinkingfor seven years in a row, and we are rapidly heading toward a beef shortage unlike anything that this country has ever experienced before. Of course the primary reason for this is the extreme drought which has been plaguing the western half of the country. As I noted recently, 2013 was the driest year that the state of California has ever experienced, and due to the lack of water ranchers across the western half of the nation have been selling off their cattle to be slaughtered. If you check out the U.S. Drought Monitor, you can see that almost the entire state of California is officially experiencing “D3 Extreme Drought” right now. If this drought does not end, we will eventually be facing a food crisis in the United States that is greater than any of us have ever seen in our entire lifetimes.
According to ABC News, the size of the U.S. cattle herd is already down to less than 88 million animals…
The National Agricultural Statistics Service
reports that the U.S. inventory of cattle and calves totaled 87.7 million animals as of Jan. 1. That was down by about 1.6 million cattle, or 2 percent, compared with this time last year.
The agency says this is the lowest January inventory since 1951.
As I noted above, the number of cattle in this country has been shrinking for seven years in a row. If we still had the same number of people that we did back in 1951, this would not be too much of a problem. Unfortunately, the reality is that we now have more than twice as many people to feed.
And of course this drought is not just causing problem for ranchers. If rain does not start falling, there are rural communities all over California that will soon have no water to drink…
The punishing drought that has swept California is now threatening the state’s drinking water supply.
With no sign of rain, 17 rural communities providing water to 40,000 people are in danger of running out within 60 to 120 days. State officials said that the number was likely to rise in the months ahead after the State Water Project, the main municipal water distribution system, announced on Friday that it did not have enough water to supplement the dwindling supplies of local agencies that provide water to an additional 25 million people. It is first time the project has turned off its spigot in its 54-year history.
Are you starting to understand?
This is serious.
Read more by Michael Snyder
West Coast Is “On Track for Having the Worst Drought In 500 Years”
Is the West Coast In the Middle of a "Mega Drought"?
The Los Angeles Times reports:
"We are on track for having the worst drought in 500 years," said B. Lynn Ingram, a professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.
California droughts can last decades … or even centuries. As the San Jose Mercury News points out:
Through studies of tree rings, sediment and other natural evidence, researchers have documented multiple droughts in California that lasted 10 or 20 years in a row during the past 1,000 years — compared to the mere three-year duration of the current dry spell. The two most severe megadroughts make the Dust Bowl of the 1930s look tame: a 240-year-long drought that started in 850 and, 50 years after the conclusion of that one, another that stretched at least 180 years.
"We continue to run California as if the longest drought we are ever going to encounter is about seven years," said Scott Stine, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Cal State East Bay. "We're living in a dream world."
***
Some scientists believe we are already in a megadrought, although that view is not universally accepted.
Bill Patzert, a research scientist and oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, says that the West is in a 20-year drought that began in 2000. He cites the fact that a phenomenon known as a "negative Pacific decadal oscillation" [not linked to climate change] is underway — and that historically has been linked to extreme high-pressure ridges that block storms.
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Starving hives: Pesticides cause bees to collect 57% less pollen, study says
Bees exposed to "field-realistic" doses of insecticides gather less than a half the pollen that they normally do, dooming their young to starvation, UK researches have said. While some scientists hailed the findings, pesticide makers remained unimpressed
In a spin-off of their earlier study, a team of British scientists have revealed how the neurotoxic chemicals contained in agricultural neonicotinoids affect the very basic function of the honeybees – the gathering of pollen, or flower nectar.
"Pollen is the only source of protein that bees have, and it is vital for rearing their young. Collecting it is fiddly, slow work for the bees and intoxicated bees become much worse at it. Without much pollen, nests will inevitably struggle," explained University of Sussex professor Dave Goulson, who has led the study. His comments were made in a statement released alongside the research.
Goulson's latest paper called "Field realistic doses of pesticide imidacloprid reduce bumblebee pollen foraging efficiency" was published at the end of January in peer-reviewed journal Ecotoxicology.
The scientists exposed some of the studied bees to low doses of imidacloprid and tracked their movement with the help of electronic tags. Unexposed bees were also tracked, and each insect flying out and returning to a hive was weighed to find out the amount of pollen it gathered.
It turned out that bees exposed to the neonicotinoid brought back pollen from only 40 percent of their trips asopposed to 63 percent of useful trips which their "healthy" counterparts undertook.
Intoxicated bees cut the amount of pollen gathered by nearly a third - overall, the comparative study showed that the hives exposed to the pesticide received 57 percent less pollen.
"Even near-infinitesimal doses of these neurotoxins seem to be enough to mess up the ability of bees to gather food. Given the vital importance of bumblebees as pollinators, this is surely a cause for concern,"Hannah Feltham of the University of Stirling, another member of the research team, stated.
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Worldwide Cancer Cases Expected to Soar by 70% Over Next 20 Years
Guardian: Cancer cases worldwide are predicted to increase by 70% over the next two decades, from 14m in 2012 to 25m new cases a year, according to the World Health Organisation.
The latest World Cancer Report says it is implausible to think we can treat our way out of the disease and that the focus must now be on preventing new cases. Even the richest countries will struggle to cope with the spiralling costs of treatment and care for patients, and the lower income countries, where numbers are expected to be highest, are ill-equipped for the burden to come.
Please continue reading at Guardian
Feb 2, 2014
Startup Promises Half-Price Gasoline from Natural Gas
MIT: If Siluria really can make cheap gasoline from natural gas it will have achieved something that has eluded the world's top chemists and oil and gas companies for decades. Indeed, finding an inexpensive and direct way to upgrade natural gas into more valuable and useful chemicals and fuels could finally mean a cheap replacement for petroleum.
Natural gas burns much more cleanly than oil—power plants that burn oil emit 50 percent more carbon dioxide than natural gas ones. It also is between two and six times more abundant than oil, and its price has fallen dramatically now that technologies like fracking and horizontal drilling have led to a surge of production from unconventional sources like the Marcellus Shale. While oil costs around $100 a barrel, natural gas sells in the U.S. for the equivalent of $20 a barrel.
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Bacteria and urea turn sand into for more-sustainable concrete
Cement is an energy-intensive product. Making it means heating limestone to 2642 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, 5 percent of the entire world's carbon dioxide emissions come from cement production. Unsurprisingly, there are lots of scientists searching for more-sustainable solutions to cement and the concrete it's the primary ingredient in. One of the newest: A process that stiffens sand with the help of bacteria and urea.
Feb 1, 2014
Increased Cyber Security Can Save Global Economy Trillions
Increased Cyber Security Can Save Global Economy Trillions
Source: World Economic Forum
Failing to improve cyber security could cost the world economy and lead to more frequent cyberattacks, according to a new report released today by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with McKinsey & Company.
The Risk and Responsibility in a Hyperconnected World report addresses options that institutions can take to improve cyber resilience and mitigate the economic and strategic impact of such attacks. With the recent proliferation of cyberattacks, corporate executives need to devote increasing attention to protecting information assets and on-line operations.
The report notes that major technology trends, including massive analytics, cloud computing and big data, could create between US$ 9.6 trillion and $US 21.6 trillion in value for the global economy. However, if attacker sophistication outpaces defender capabilities – resulting in more destructive attacks – a wave of new regulations and corporate policies could slow innovation, with an aggregate impact of approximately US$ 3 trillion by 2020.
Please read full and follow from WEF — Increased Cyber Security Can Save Global Economy Trillions | Full Text Reports... | shared via feedly mobile
World's First Magma-Based Geothermal Energy System
The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) announced it broke through to the Mantle and created a superheated steam pipe capable of producing power at the nearby Krafla Power Plant in Northern Iceland. The system was operational for several months until a malfunctioning valve forced its closure. The IDDP, however, plans to either reopen its first magma-based geothermal bore hole(PDF) — IDDP-1 — or drill another one at Reykjanes. While the IDDP-1 is not the first bore hole to reach the planet's magma, it is the first time an operation has been able to harness the mantle's heat to produce a steam pipe that could power a plant.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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