What do you feel about the USA's lack of progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions?
Today's topical article: Methane, Biogas and Natural Gas.
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Envoy: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Growth Slowing
The United States releases about 6.6 million tons of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases each year. The rate of increase is 1.5 percent a year, and that is gradually slowing. It is expected to be 1.3 percent by 2012 and President Bush's target is about 1.2 percent. In contrast, if the USA had ratified the Kyoto Protocol, it would have been committed to reducing emissions to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels. Few countries are right on track, but the 15 EU nations have collectively cut their emissions to 2.9 percent below 1990 levels. President Bush rejected the treaty on economics grounds. Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. goes further, saying "Even if humans were causing global warming -- and we are not -- but even if we were, Kyoto would do nothing to avert it".
Recent news stories involving methane (on Earth) include:
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Other stories
Floods paralyze Central America, kill 164
Much of Central America and southern Mexico were cut off by floods on Thursday in the wake Hurricane Stan. At least 164 people died and rescuers were struggling to get to others swept away by mudslides and to cut-off villages.
Many dangerous chemicals in European blood-WWF
The WWF has carried out its first European Union-wide family testing survey, checking for 107 different man-made persistent, accumulative or hormone-disrupting chemicals, of which it found 73. Grandmothers had most with an average of 63, then children with 59, then mothers with 49. They included chemicals such as flame retardants from computers, textiles, cosmetics and electrical appliances.
Increased cancer risk from LA port complex fumes
People living up to 15 miles inland from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have a higher risk of cancer because of the diesel fumes. One in four Californians will get some form of cancer from one cause or another.
Sale of Gas-Guzzlers Plunges
G.M. and Ford say their S.U.V. sales are down by 50 percent and they expect the decline to continue, as a result of higher gas prices and the end of employee discount offers.
EPA, GE Strike Deal on River Dredging
A deal has been announced between the Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric Co. on dredging PCB-contaminated sediment from the Hudson River. GE dumped an estimated 1.3 million pounds of PCBs into the river from its plants in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls before the substance was banned in 1977. The Hudson River dredging project will begin in spring 2007 and cost some $500 million.
Oyster Bay Listed As Endangered Refuge
The Washington-based environmental group Defenders of Wildlife has issued it's 2005 list of the nation's 10 most endangered wildlife refuges. Among them are the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge close to Theodore Roosevelt's summer White House, and the Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
USDA Targets $200M for Citrus Growers
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has authorised Florida citrus growers for $200 million in compensation for losses they have suffered from citrus canker.
EU plans fishing bans to protect threatened eels
Stocks of eels in European waters have declined drastically over the past 20 years. The European Commission wants to stop eel fishing from the 1st to 15th of every month until each country has a plan to ensure that 40 percent of adult eels can escape from rivers to the sea for spawning.
TV Tower Wires Kill 400 Birds in One Night
Am estimated 600 migrating songbirds died in one night from flying into wires holding up the 1,100-foot WMTV television tower in Wisconsin.
Python Bursts After Trying to Eat Gator
Australia Rejects Crocodile Hunting
There have been two recent fatal attacks on divers by saltwater crocodiles in northern Australia, but the government has decided against allowing trophy hunting, which has been banned since 1971. Numbers have soared from 5,000 to 60,000 since the ban. 600 crocs a year are legally trapped and shot by professional hunters.
Sea Otters Could Return to Southern Calif.
For the past 18 years otters approaching Southern California waters have been taken to San Nicolas Island, a Channel Island off the Southern California coast, partly to try and establish a second colony in case a disaster strikes the first colony just south of San Francisco, and partly to protect the sea urchin industry. Most of the otters have swum back, however, and now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed letting them back. This should please environmentalists and tourists, but perhaps not sea urchin harvesters.
Vets Operate on Giraffe for Skin Cancer
A 13-foot-tall giraffe called Jafari has a tumour on its head, and veterinarians at the National Zoo have operated on it. The giraffe recovered well after the ground-breaking operation which involved 28 helpers and a special padded ladder. Unfortunately the tumour had infiltrated the bone, so it could not all be removed, and the prognosis is poor.
Ariz. Officials to Track Mountain Lions
20 mountain lions near Tucson and Payson will be fitted with tracking collars to see how they and humans overlap.
Season of birth linked to dust-mite asthma
Toronto Mystery Illness Deaths Reach 16
Researchers Reconstruct 1918 Flu Virus
A study of the virus shows that it probably came from birds. The virus has been carefully stored, but scientists believe that many people would have some immunity to it, and that there are vaccines that would be effective against it.
US sends mixed message on bird flu threat, Â Containing Bird Flu Abroad Key to U.S., Farmers Call Avian Flu Safeguards Adequate
U.S. President George W. Bush is urging mass production of vaccines. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt says that the risk of an avian flu pandemic was relatively low and a pandemic probably would not happen, according to one news wire. According to the other, he said, "It's enough of a possibility that it demands our attention," and "no one in the world is ready". His plan is to rush to wherever in the world the outbreak occurred and work with local officials to try to contain it.
With President Bush becoming concerned about a possible bird flu epidemic, and wants Congress to allow the military to get involved if there is an outbreak, but poultry farmers say that current safeguards are adequate.
West Nile Reported in Organ Recipients
Three organ transplant recipients who shared the same donor have been infected with West Nile virus.
Crews Scramble to Put Out Calif. Wildfire
A 6,000-acre wildfire in California was 25 percent contained as crews rushed to protect homes before the hot, dry Santa Ana winds returned.
Northern Plains Recover From Winter Storm
Snow up to 24 inches deep fell in a band stretching across North Dakota, temporarily closing roads, stranding motorists and cutting electricity.
Tammy Floods Homes in Ga.; Storm Weakens
Forecasters: Another Hurricane Could Hit
Another hurricane before the current season ends in 2 months is likely, and there is estimated to be a 15% chance of it hitting the USA, possibly in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita stories
Dems Fight Efforts to Cut Food Stamps
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga, head of the Senate Agriculture Committee has introduced a bill to cut agriculture spending by $3 billion included cuts in food stamps and conservation programs. Many people are depending on food stamps after hurricanes and drought, so there is opposition to the plan.
FEMA to Hold Re-Bid on Katrina Contracts
FEMA chief R. David Paulison said Thursday, "I've been a public servant for a long time, and I've never been a fan of no-bid contracts. Sometimes you have to do them because of the expediency of getting things done. And I can assure that you we are going to look at all of those contracts very carefully. All of those no-bid contracts, we are going to go back and re-bid."
Jackson Pushes for Local Katrina Labor
The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Wednesday that he plans to bus evacuated residents back to New Orleans, saying that there are far too many non-residents doing work there that residents could be doing, as a result of the no-bid contracts.
Bill Clinton Vows to Aid Miss., Ala. Coast
Former President Bill Clinton visited Mississippi and Alabama on Wednesday. He promised that the money that he and former President Bush are raising privately for Hurricane Katrina relief will go where it's most needed.
Carter Son Considers Run for Senate Seat
Saying that he's unhappy with the federal government's handling of Hurricane Katrina, former President Carter's oldest child Jack Carter is considering a run against Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., in 2006.
Levees in New Orleans to Be Rebuilt
The levee repairs for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is only authorised to rebuild the New Orleans levees to withstand Category 3 hurricanes, as before. To build them higher and stronger they would need approval and funding from Congress and it could not be done in time for the next hurricane season starting in June.
Katrina Evacuee Wins $1.6 Million
A month after she was evacuated from New Orleans, a woman has won $1.6 million before taxes playing a slot machine.
New Orleans Sheriff Disputes Flood Account
Inmates of the New Orleans jail say that there were corpses floating in the jail and that they were left without light, food, drinking water or working toilets for 4 days after hurricane Katrina. The New Orleans sheriff disputed the allegations. There were also allegations of abuse from evacuated prisoners.
Parents in La. Home-Schooling Their Kids
Parents unable to find a place for their children, or unhappy with overcrowded classes, or waiting for schools to re-open, are having to home-school their children.
Storm Refugees' Time in Shelters Nears End
There are just over 68,200 hurricane refugees left in shelters, and President Bush has set an Oct. 15 deadline to move them out to more stable housing. This is unlikely to happen, and there is confusion as to who will be paying for what thereafter.
Here's the EPA's Response Activity for Thursday, October 06, 2005 relating to hurricanes Rita and Katrina:
In The Field
Air Monitoring – On 10/5, EPA’s Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) bus team monitored near petrochemical facilities located in St. John and St. James Parishes in Louisiana . EPA’s air sampling group continues with the mobilization and staging of stationary and mobile air sampling and monitoring equipment in Louisiana .
Sampling – On 10/5, sampling continued on flood, outfall, and surface water in New Orleans . EPA’s soil/sediment sampling in affected areas along the Gulf Coast continues. EPA’s ocean water testing vessel, the Bold, is surveying the waters of the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico in the plume of the Mississippi River .
National Priorities List (NPL) – EPA teams continue to assess NPL sites in the area affected by Rita. Twenty seven of the 28 TX sites have been assessed. Four out of the five NPL sites in Louisiana have been assessed. There are 15* NPL sites in the hurricane Katrina-affected area of LA, 6 in AL and 3 in MS. Initial assessments have been conducted on these sites. EPA is still in the assessment phase, and will continue to monitor all the impacted NPL sites. *In previous updates, one additional “NPL Equivalent†site was included in the Louisiana NPL total.
Drinking Water Assessment -- In LA, there are a total of 1591 drinking water facilities that served approximately 5 million people. As of 10/5, EPA has determined that 1171 of these facilities are operational, 178 are operating on a boil water notice, 89 are not operating, and further information is being gathered on 153. In MS, there are a total of 1,367 drinking water facilities that served approximately 3.1 million people. EPA has determined that 1,270 of these facilities are operational, 64 are operating on a boil water notice and 33 are inoperable. In TX, there are a total of 1054 drinking water facilities that served approximately 4 million people. EPA has determined that 476 are operational, 139 are operating on a boil water notice, 135 are not operating, and further information is being gathered on 304. It should be noted that operational facilities may still be in need of repair or reconstruction. EPA’s Water program is continuing to assess drinking water plants in the affected area.
Wastewater -- In LA, there are a total of 317 Public Owned Treatment Works (POTW). As of 10/5, EPA has determined that 292 of these facilities are operational, 14 are not operating, and further information is being gathered on 11. In MS, there are a total of 329 POTW, all of which are operational. In AL , there are a total of 84 facilities with one not operating. In TX, there are a total of 70 POTW. EPA has determined that 49 are operational, 5 are not operating, and further information is being gathered on 16. It should be noted that operational facilities may still be in need of repair or reconstruction. EPA’s Water program continues to assess wastewater treatment plants in the affected area. (Note: POTW numbers are now being reported based on utilization of FEMA disaster designation.)
Debris Assessment and Collection – On 10/5, an informational flyer on debris collection continued to be distributed by EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality in residential neighborhoods. Collection activities continue for household hazardous wastes (HHW) and orphan containers in the hurricane affected area. In addition, EPA personnel continue to offer technical assistance in the disposal of hazardous waste and other debris left behind by the storm. Collection sites are in place in LA, MS, and AL.
Web Site Postings
Flood Water Samples – The following flood water and sediment sample results taken in the New Orleans area were posted on the EPA Web site on 10/6.
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Here's the part of FEMA's National Situation Update for Thursday, October 06, 2005 relating to hurricanes:
Index of topics in this series.
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