Apr 26, 2012

US natgas hovers near 10-year low driving chemical industry boom #energy, #jobs

US natgas hovers near 10-year spot low under $2/mmBtu
(Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures were little changed in early trading Friday, hovering near Thursday's 10-year spot chart low under $2 per million British thermal units as mild spring weather and record supplies hung over the market.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/20/markets-nymex-natgas-idUSL2E8FK33W20120420

    

Cheap natural gas feeds chemical industry boom
The shale boom's bounty of cheap natural gas is fueling an industrial renaissance on the Texas coast, one that was in full focus Thursday as Dow Chemical announced the latest piece of a $4 billion expansion of its chemical operations in Southeast Texas.

The $1.7 billion plant Dow announced Thursday, one of four it plans to build or expand at its Freeport complex, is aimed at taking advantage of cheap natural gas produced from shale, which the company expects to be available for the long term.

http://www.chron.com/business/article/Cheap-natural-gas-feeds-chemical-industry-boom-3496064.php

 

U.S. House Republicans attack Report on Carcinogens

Tomorrow (Wed) the U.S. House Committee on Science is hosting a hearing titled, “How the Report on Carcinogens Uses Science to Meet its Statutory Obligations, and its Impact on Small Business Jobs”. It is a thinly-veiled attack on the National Toxicology Program Report on Carcinogens by the chemical industry, that dominate the witness list. However, one witness will be a small business that makes safer chemicals to replace styrene and argues that less-toxic products is good for business. The event will be webcast. http://science.house.gov/hearing/committee-science-space-technology-subcommittee-investigations-oversight-and-committee-small

 

Please see source:http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jsass/science_show_trial_house_repub.html

James Lovelock admits he, Al Gore and others over estimated the speed of climate change @nextbigfuture

MSNBC - James Lovelock, the maverick scientist who became a guru to the environmental movement with his “Gaia” theory of the Earth as a single organism, has admitted to being “alarmist” about climate change and says other environmental commentators, such as Al Gore, were too.

Lovelock, 92, is writing a new book in which he will say climate change is still happening, but not as quickly as he once feared.

He previously painted some of the direst visions of the effects of climate change. In 2006, in an article in the U.K.’s Independent newspaper, he wrote that “before this century is over billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic where the climate remains tolerable.”

Read more at NBF

China talks with Turkey about $20 billion nuclear project @nextbigfuture

The Turkish government recently signed a $20 billion project with Russia to build nuclear power facilities in Akkuyu, Turkey. Now the Turkish government has set its sights on constructing a nuclear plant in Sinop, Turkey. The Financial Times recently reported that China is the primary contender for this contract due to its ability to secure financing without requiring guarantees from the Turkish government. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited China last week, confirming reports of the deal when Energy Minister Tanir Yildiz held talks with Chinese authorities. At these meetings, Chinese Energy authority Liu Tienan pledged full financial guarantees for the $20 billion project.

Not just financial guarantees - but half the price

Starting from French reactors imported in the 1980s, Chinese engineers have developed their own large reactor systems to the point that exports appear possible from 2013.

Having imported two 900 MWe pressurized water reactors for the Daya Bay nuclear power plant, CGNPC engineers embarked on a development program that led to the CPR-1000 design. The first of these began operation at Ling Ao Phase II in September, while 16 are under construction and many more planned. A domestic supply chain has been built up with each project and now only about ten percent of components need to be imported.

By 2013, Zhang said, a further design evolution will clear certain areas of intellectual property retained by Areva, resulting in a Generation III design called the ACPR-1000 that CGNPC could market in other countries.

The current CPR-1000 design sits roughly between today's mainstream Generation II reactors and the latest Generation III units, with digital instrumentation and control systems and a design life of 60 years. Standard construction time is 52 months, and the unit cost for Chinese units so far has been under CNY 10,000 ($1500) per kilowatt. This is less than half the price of US and European nuclear reactors.


  Nuclear construction projects in China have moved forward with the dome of unit 1 of the Fangchenggang plant being lowered into place and heavy components for the primary reactor coolant system of the first EPR at Taishan have being delivered from France.

Read more at NBF »


Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012 could reduce direct spending by $24.7 billion

CBO estimates that enacting this proposal would reduce direct spending by $24.7 billion over the 2013-2022 period, relative to spending projected under CBO’s current baseline. Further details of that estimate are displayed in the three enclosed tables. Because the proposal would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. CBO has not estimated the additional discretionary spending that would result from implementing the proposal; such spending would be subject to appropriation. (Enacting the proposed legislation would not affect federal revenues.) CBO also has not reviewed the proposal for intergovernmental or private-sector mandates.

As posted on the Web site of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on April 26, 2012.

PDF Here

Geothermal Heat Pump System Taps Sewage Instead of Bedrock


eutrophication&hypoxia/CC BY 2.0

Capturing heat from unconventional places is becoming more and more popular as we come to realize all of the many heat sources around us. One such source could provide buildings with a steady, uh, stream of heat: sewage. Philadelphia company NovaThermal Energy is pioneering a technology called sewage geothermal that can tap a city's sewage lines to capture heat for heating and cooling buildings.

The technology, which was developed in Tianjin, China by Jin Da Di Energy Engineering & Technology Co., uses pipes to connect into sewer lines and divert some wastewater flow into a heat exchanger. Wastewater gets its heat from the obvious warm biomatter it contains, but also from dishwashers, showers and industrial processes that send hot water down the drain. In Philadelphia, the wastewater stays at about 60 degrees in the winter and can reach 75 degrees in the summer, temperatures that can heat buildings in the winter and help cool them in the summer.

The system avoids clogs by filtering the water of larger debris before it goes through the heat pump. A device called the "Anti-Block Machine" automatically sprays the water against a screen to prevent buildup of any filth material. You can see the full process in the diagram below.


© NovaThermal Energy LLC

The system has already been installed in several buildings in China and is currently installed in a pilot project at Philadelphia's Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant,
Please read from source
http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/geothermal-system-taps-sewage-instead-bedrock.html

The Department of Labor is poised to put the finishing touches on a rule that would apply child-labor laws to children working on family farms, prohibiting them from performing a list of jobs on their own families’ land.

The Department of Labor is poised to put the finishing touches on a rule that would apply child-labor laws to children working on family farms, prohibiting them from performing a list of jobs on their own families’ land.

Under the rules, children under 18 could no longer work “in the storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials.”

Have we given our generation intellectual educations that do not translate to job skills? #DontDoubleMyRate

“The aim (of education) must bet the training of independently acting and thinking individuals who, however, see in the service to the community their highest life achievement.”

“The school should always have as its aim that the young person leave it as a harmonious personality, not as a specialist.”

“Otherwise, he – with his specialized knowledge – more closely resembles a well-trained dog than a harmoniously developed person.”
- Albert Einstein:

Interesting article at ZeroHedge "Has America Been Crippled By Intellectuals?"

Destroy 4 hydroelectric dams that provide water and flood protection.. When own scientist questions the science – he gets fired.

The Department of Interior plans to destroy four dams on the Klamath River in Northern California so salmon can swim further than 180 miles up the river. But these dams provide water and flood protection to thousands of humans who also live along the river. Clean energy from these hydro dams supply electricity to 70,000 residents in the area. Despite a lack of scientific evidence that dam removal will help the fish, or any study on the human impact of dam removal, the DOI is pressing forward to have the dams destroyed. When their own scientist, Dr. Paul Houser, questions the science – he gets fired.

Watch now :

Nanocrystal-coated fibers show promise for harvesting waste heat @TechPurdue

Recent research in thermoelectric nanomaterials might lead to higher energy efficiency for...

Researchers at Purdue University in the U.S. have developed a new method of harvesting vast amounts of energy from waste heat. Using glass fibers dipped in a solution containing nanocrystals of lead telluride, the team led by Dr. Yue Wu is engineering a highly flexible thermoelectric system that generates electricity by gathering heat from water pipes and engine components... Continue Reading Nanocrystal-coated fibers show promise for harvesting waste heat

Dow Solar rolls out Solar Shingles in California and Texas

Dow Solar is rolling out its new POWERHOUSE Solar Shingles in northern California and cent...

Installing photovoltaic panels is certainly the most common method of generating solar power on a rooftop, and in fact many people might think it’s the only method. There is, however, an alternative – photovoltaic shingles. It makes sense, when you think about it ... why install weatherproof shingles and solar panels separately, if you could get one thing that combined both? Although there aren’t many manufacturers offering such products just yet, this month Dow Solar made its POWERHOUSE Solar Shingles available to consumers in northern California and central Texas... Continue Reading Dow Solar rolls out Solar Shingles in California and Texas

Japan fears nuclear plant sits atop active geological fault.

A nuclear plant in northwestern Japan may be sitting right on top of an active geological fault, the country's nuclear watchdog found on Tuesday, raising the risk that the facility may never resume power generation for fear of an earthquake.

Please read full and follow at:

Skin cancer cases soar by 60% in a decade.

The sharp rise of 62.8 per cent in malignant melanoma cases was described as an “epidemic” by senior Scottish Labour MSP Ken Macintosh, who demanded easier access to lifesaving medicines for melanoma patients as well as improvements on early diagnosis.

Please continue reading at:

EPA is pressed to ban chemicals that studies link to honeybees' demise.

Approximately a third of U.S. bees have been dying in each of the last six winters. The cause of the decline remains unclear, but environmentalists - bolstered by several recent studies - have begun pointing fingers at pesticides.

Please continue reading at:

Discovery of mad cow in California was stroke of luck.

The first new case of mad cow disease in the U.S. since 2006 has been discovered in California. The fact that the discovery was made at all was a stroke of luck. The cow had died at one of the region's hundreds of dairies, but hadn't exhibited outward symptoms of the disease.

Please continue reading at:

Mississippi approves coal-fired power plant pushing aside environmental objections

State regulators approved on partisan lines Tuesday a $2.4 billion coal-fired power plant in Kemper County, pushing aside environmental objections and opponents' calls for a fresh look at the plant's finances.

Please continue reading at:

Cheap, stable, printable liquid solar cells developed @gizmag

The liquid solar cells comprising solar nanocrystal arounf four nanometers in size applied...

Scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) have developed technology to cheaply produce stable liquid solar cells that can be painted or printed onto clear surfaces. The technology relies on solar nanocrystals that are around four nanometers in size - meaning you could fit more than 250 billion on the head of a pin. Their size allows them to be suspended in a liquid solution so they could be printed like a newspaper. The downside, commercialization of this technology is still years away. .. Continue Reading Cheap, stable, printable liquid solar cells developed

NINJA DEER

demotivational posters - NINJA DEER

Urban Heat Drives Faster Tree Growth, 8 times more biomass than in the country

In a new study, researchers say native red oak seedlings planted in New York City grew far faster than in cooler rural settings. After planting seedlings in two city locations, including Central Park, and in separate locations in the Hudson River Valley and the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, researchers from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory found that the city trees produced eight times more biomass than those planted in the country. According to their study, published in the journal Tree Physiology, the city trees were exposed to maximum daily temperatures 4 degrees F warmer than the country trees, and minimum averages more than 8 degrees F warmer, driven largely by the well-known “urban heat island” effect. The warm city nights, in particular, allowed the seedlings to perform more of the chemical reactions needed for photosynthesis.

Please continue reading at:

Parents angry about Labor Dept. rule banning farm chores @PatrickRichar33

The Department of Labor is poised to put the finishing touches on a rule that would apply child-labor laws to children working on family farms, prohibiting them from performing a list of jobs on their own families’ land.

Under the rules, children under 18 could no longer work “in the storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials.”

Please continue reading at:

Apr 25, 2012

999Bottle tracks your mitigated environmental impact one water bottle at a time

With its rubberized dial, the 999Bottle tracks your impact

We all know that using a stainless steel or polycarbonate water bottle is much more eco than using (and tossing) a disposable water bottle. It's kind of the trendy thing right now. But do you really know just how much garbage and energy that you're saving the Earth from? With the 999Bottle, it's easy to find out... Continue Reading 999Bottle tracks your mitigated environmental impact one water bottle at a time

Meat Consumption in China Now Double That in the United States

China’s annual meat consumption of 71 million tons is more than double that in the United States.

Breadfruit Trees are 'Trees That Feed' and Create Jobs in Jamaica


© Ramon Gonzalez

Today Mary McLaughlin works and lives in Winnetka, Illinois, but she grew up in Spanish Town the capital of St. Catherine in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. As a child, her family’s carbohydrate needs were served by a single breadfruit tree growing in their yard.

One day while pondering the issue of food security she had a revelation. If she could plant massive amounts of breadfruit trees in her home country not only would it benefit the environment, but the trees would create micro-economies, combat hunger and lessen the need for expensive imported grains.

The breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family. “It tastes like bread,” she explained with a wry smile when I asked her a couple of years ago what breadfruit tasted like. This exotic fruit-which to me look like the dragon eggs on HBO’s "Game of Thrones"-is very versatile. It's commonly referred to as “loaves of bread on trees.”

Please continue reading at:

Solar Powered Process Could Finally Make Concrete Greener : @TreeHugger


Concrete Forms/CC BY 2.0

Concrete is among the most common building materials in the world, and it has a massive carbon footprint. The 15% of concrete that is cement is behind five to six percent of all man made CO2, producing nine kilograms of carbon dioxide for every ten kilograms of cement. A new solar process may put a big dent in those numbers.

Researchers at The George Washington University have developed a process called Solar Thermal Electrochemical Production (STEP) of CaO without CO2,reported Green Car Congress. As the name implies, it's a way to produce the lime that goes into cement without yielding CO2.

Please continue reading at:

Apr 24, 2012

Fees and anger rise in California water war. @nytimes

In the nearly 80 years since the Arizona National Guard was called out to defend against dam-building, there has been little to rival the feud now under way between San Diego’s water agency and the consortium of municipalities that provides water to 19 million customers in Southern California.

Please continue reading at:

Can heavy metal in foods, cosmetics spur breast cancer spread?

Prolonged exposure to low levels of the heavy metal cadmium may fuel the growth of some breast cancer cells and encourage them to spread, preliminary research indicates.

Please continue reading at:

CRS — U.S. Trade Deficit and the Impact of Changing Oil Prices

Petroleum prices rose sharply between September 2010 and June 2011, at times reaching more than $112 per barrel of crude oil. Although this is still below the $140 per barrel price reached in 2008, the rising cost of energy was one factor that helped to dampen the rate of growth in the economy during the second half of 2011. While the price of oil was rising, the volume of oil imports, or the amount of oil imported, decreased slightly. Overall resistance by market demand to changes in oil prices reflects the unique nature of the demand for oil and an increase in economic activity that occurred following the worst part of the economic recession in 2009. Turmoil in the Middle East was an important factor causing petroleum prices to rise sharply in the first four months of 2011. Although prices for imported oil fluctuated somewhat throughout the year, they averaged 30% higher than in 2010 and added about $100 billion to the total U.S. trade deficit in 2011. The increase in energy import prices is pushing up the price of energy to consumers and could spur some elements of the public to pressure the 112th Congress to provide relief to households that are struggling to meet their current expenses. With oil prices rising to over $100 per barrel in early 2011, the International Energy Agency cautioned that the rising price of oil was becoming a threat to the global economic recovery. This report provides an estimate of the initial impact of the changing oil prices on the nation’s merchandise trade deficit.
Please read full and follow at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS22204.pdf

Massive Methane Release In the Arctic Region - @Slashdot

"Arctic methane release is a well recorded phenomenon. Methane stored in both permafrost (which is melting) and methane hydrates (methane trapped in marine reservoirs) are vulnerable to being released into the atmosphere as the planet warms. However, researchers who are trying to map atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations on a global basis have discovered that the amount of methane emissions in the Arctic region do not total up. Further research revealed that significant amounts of methane releases came from the Arctic ocean (abstract) — as much as 2 milligrams of the gas is released per square meter of ocean, each day — presumably by marine bacteria surviving in low-nutrient environments."

Please continue reading at:

Next-gen cargo ships could use 164-foot sails to lower fuel use by 30% @gizmag

Depiction of a cargo ship equipped with the Wind Challenger Project system of sails

Of the world's nearly 45,000 cargo ships, many burn a low-grade bunker fuel in their engines and produce pollution equivalent to millions of automobiles. To help reduce that toxic load and keep the price of shipping freight reasonable, engineers at the University of Tokyo (UT) and a group of collaborators have designed a system of large, retractable sails measuring 64 feet (20 m) wide by 164 feet (50 m) high, which studies indicate can reduce annual fuel use on ships equipped with them by up to 30%... Continue Reading Next-gen cargo ships could use 164-foot sails to lower fuel use by 30%

A clean, green power source that could potentially meet the needs of 520 million people.

@ecomagination - When people talk about an “all of the above” approach to energy they’re usually referring to the sources we know – gas, hydro, nuclear, solar and wind. But a steady stream of emerging alternatives promises to take advantage of natural processes to produce zero-carbon electricity for untold millions. The latest entrant in this sounds-too-good-to-be-true energy sweepstakes: pressure-retarded osmosis, a kind of reverse water desalination that kicks off energy instead of consuming it.

Scientists at Yale University have recently published an analysis of the process in the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science and Technology. They suggest that it could provide power for half a billion people just by taking advantage of the mixing of fresh river water as it flows into the salty sea at the river’s mouth.

Osmosis: a refresher

To understand this new energy source, you’ll need to recall high school science lessons on osmosis: if two solutions are divided by a semi-permeable membrane, the less concentrated liquid will move into the more concentrated liquid until the two form an equilibrium. This is how plants draw water from the soil, and why potatoes shrink when they are boiled in salt water.

Power from pressure-retarded osmosis could flow all day and night, unlike intermittent solar and wind.

The same process occurs when freshwater from rivers empties into salty oceans. The river water is evenly distributed into the sea. If a semi-permeable membrane could be situated amidst the mixing, however, the energy associated with that exchange could be harnessed. And unlike with solar and wind power, which are intermittent sources, the power would flow all day and all night.

Researchers first struck upon this hypothesis in the 1970s, but their ideas exceeded the technological capacities of the time; a membrane the size of a college campus would be needed to harness energy of any value. In past years, technological advances allowed labs and companies to begin designing economically viable membranes with a greater energy-harnessing efficiency, reigniting the field.

“If you have freshwater on one side and salty seawater on the other side with a membrane in between, because of the chemical potential between them, the water will flow from the fresh to the sea water side,” said Menachem Elimelech, a professor of environmental and chemical engineering at Yale University who co-authored the paper. “We convert osmosis into mechanical work to create energy,” he said.

Pressure-retarded osmosis relies upon pressure from the osmotic flow to push the river water through specially designed membranes that spin a turbine generator and produces electricity. The system can be thought of as a reverse of the way water desalination plants work, since the energy of mixing is equivalent to that of separation.


Norway test case

In 2009, Norway built the first prototype pressure-retarded osmosis power station. Norway’s plant demonstrated that the system could produce electricity, and since then the membrane technology has improved to become more economical and efficient. “In our lab, we produce small scale membranes,” Elimelech said. “In principle, someone can upscale the membranes into a larger system relatively easily.” He predicts a marketable system will be available in two or three years.

Because rivers flow continuously into the ocean, pressure-retarded osmosis would yield a constant source of electricity. The researchers calculated that about 157 gigawatts of renewable power could be harnessed by channeling only a tenth of the world’s river water discharge, taking into account losses and inefficiencies. That figure is the equivalent electrical consumption of 520 million people based on the average global electricity use of about 300 watts per capita, according to the study. Producing the same amount of electricity through coal-fired power plants would release over a billion metric tons of greenhouse gases each year. And unlike, renewables that are located far from population areas, large cities are often situated around rivers mouths such as the Mississippi and Hudson rivers.

Please continue at:

http://www.ecomagination.com/a-jones-for-osmosis-new-potential-for-power-in-rivers-flow-to-sea

It’s time to retire Earth Day...the day has long outlived its usefulness. From @garyglx5 at @GreatLakesEcho

Commentary on another Earth Day and you can put me in the camp that believes the day has long outlived its usefulness.

Gary Wilson - Others are more blunt, as an I hate Earth Day Google search illustrates.

Why spurn a day designed to put a spotlight on Earth’s environmental problems?

It’s simple: Earth Day long ago devolved to the point where it reeks of symbolism over substance.

Corporations use it as another selling opportunity. This year Walmart has an Earth Month Music Special featuring Alison Krauss. They’ve also featured items like recycled flip flops. There’s nothing inherently wrong with either product, but the giant retailer’s message is still consume, not conserve.

Walmart exists to get us to consume mass quantities of its products and a little Earth Day window dressing won’t change that.

But Walmart is an easy target.

What about us? Are we any better than Walmart?

Is our priority consuming or conserving? Are we honest with ourselves when we examine our habits?

It’s always best to first look in your own backyard when you ask a question like that so I checked the Earth Day plans of my town, Oak Park, Ill.

Regular readers may remember Oak Park from my commentary last year when it promoted the 350 carbon emission awareness program. The commentary illustrated the contradiction between what the village says – be aware of carbon emissions – and what the village does – promote the use of cars in its traffic management decisions.

Sure enough, Oak Park is having an Earth-Fest in conjunction with Earth Day. I wouldn’t expect less from a town with no shortage of green ego, deserved or not.

The event’s site says it will feature “the local, sustainable food movement… and eco-focused vendors.”  Fifty vendors will participate and sponsors are Citibank, Waste Management and others.

Despite being a village sanctioned event it is focused around vendors. Vendors sell things, which means the emphasis is on consumption – not conservation. That’s typical Earth Day fare so I inquired about the contradiction.

“The reality is that we live in a consumer-driven society and that isn’t going to change,” says event organizer Maria Ornesto-Moran, owner of Green Home Experts.

“The purpose of Earth-Fest is to give consumers information that will empower them to make informed decisions about and how much they are consuming,” she said.

That sounds good but it’s really doing the minimum, if that.

Like treading water, it will keep you afloat for a while but it won’t get you to shore. I doubt many experts think our consumption rates are sustainable, green products or not.

The incrementalists are similar. They believe every little step like recycling, using rain barrels and driving a hybrid car like a Prius will eventually put us over the sustainability hump.

They perceive they’ve done their part and will tell you so- at least the Prius owners will.

Only good can come from recycling and rain barrel use but those are safe enterprises and don’t require much of us.

As for the hybrid Prius owners, they’re good too but I’d be more impressed if they told me that they’d gone from two cars to one. That would be something to crow about.

And why do hybrid owners not buy another one, as a recent survey showed, when it’s time? Was the first one about symbolism?

I hope not.We already have plenty of symbolism.

How do we get past Earth Day stagnation and complacency?


Please continue reading at:
http://greatlakesecho.org/2012/04/20/its-time-to-retire-earth-day/

PodCast - New OSHA Initiatives, Mexico's landmark climate legislation and more on EHS This Week @Intelex

intelexf - My colleague JP Nadeau joined me for the latest EHS This Week Podcast, sitting in for our regular co-host, Kristy, who lost her voice earlier this week. JP brought us the biggest headlines in safety, including a host of exciting news on a variety of OSHA programs and initiatives. Additionally, we discussed significant climate legislation out of Mexico, as well as the latest data on U.S. GHG emissions. It was a great chat so don't miss it!

Let us know what EHS issues you want to hear about. Write us at paul@ehsthisweek.com or provide a comment below, and let us know if there are any industry leaders or experts you'd like to hear on our program.  APR 20.mp3

Tune in next week!

http://blog.intelexf.com/post.aspx?id=cf6c4183-434f-4c18-a7b9-4252dc381890


Americans want more and better environmental reporting; help us get some

Advocating for improved reporting on the environment is central to my job at Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. But apparently most of you agree that it’s a good idea. In fact, nearly 80 percent of Americans believe news coverage of the environment should be improved, according to a national poll commissioned by the Project for Improved Environmental Coverage. The Opinion Research Corp. conducted the poll April 14-15. And, full disclosure, I’m among a group of environmental journalism professionals who helped craft a vision for the organization that commissioned it. “This poll ...

Please continue reading at:
http://greatlakesecho.org/2012/04/23/americans-want-more-and-better-environmental-reporting-help-us-get-some/

CSB Releases New Safety Video on Fatal Hot Work Explosion at DuPont Facility in Buffalo; #HotWork

CSB Releases New Safety Video on Fatal Hot Work Explosion at DuPont Facility in Buffalo; “Hot Work: Hidden Hazards” Shows Danger of Inadequate Gas Monitoring Safety Video Follows Release of the CSB’s Investigative Report – Approved at a Public Meeting Yesterday Evening

Please continue reading at:

Long-term Medicare & SS deficit tops $63 trillion

Medicare and Social Security, the nation's two largest programs, have long-term deficits of $63.3 trillion, according to annual reports from the programs' trustees released today. The reports underscore the dire need to reform the programs if the nation wants to avert a fiscal crisis. Though most news reports will focus on the trust fund exhaustion date (2024 for Medicare and 2033 for Social Security) the reality is that the trust fund is a farce. The Social Security program is financed primarily by payroll taxes.


Please continue reading by Philip Klein

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/long-term-medicare-ss-deficit-tops-63-trillion/497066
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)