And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) AMERISCAN: JUNE 30, 1999 ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JUNE 30, 1999 Unified Federal Watershed Policy Draft Released Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency Introduced in Congress University of Missouri Team Wins Sunrayce '99 Solar System Starts Generating Atop the Pentagon Plants from Around the World Tested for Cancer Prevention 100 Percent Recycled Newsprint Developed Scientists Climb Capitol Steps to Warn of Global Warming Alaska Looks Beyond Resource Extraction Florida Denies Suwannee American a Cement Plant Permit AmeriScan: June 30, 1999 UNIFIED FEDERAL WATERSHED POLICY DRAFT RELEASED The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior released a draft of a Unified Federal Policy for Ensuring a Watershed Approach to Federal Land and Resource and Management. The two primary goals of the policy are to use a watershed approach to prevent and reduce water pollution resulting from federal land and resource management activities and to accomplish this in a unified and cost effective manner. This working draft of the policy is a starting point for discussion and consultation with States, Tribes and others. The draft policy proposes that federal agencies take a watershed approach to federal land and resource management that emphasizes: assessing the function and conditions of watersheds incorporating watershed goals in planning enhancing pollution prevention monitoring and restoring watersheds recognizing waters of exceptional value expanding collaboration with others Later this summer the administration plans to publish this proposal in the Federal Register for public comment and to hold public meetings in Sacramento, Portland, Denver, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Washington, DC. The working draft is available on the home page of the Bureau of Land Management http://www.blm.gov/nhp/whatwedo/cwap/ and the Forest Service home page http://www.fs.fed.us/clean/unified/ A copy can also be obtained by calling the Forest Service at 406-329-3388. * * * TAX INCENTIVES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS Representative Bob Matsui, a California Democrat, introduced the Clinton administration's package of energy efficiency taxes to Congress Tuesday. It is intended to help America deal with global climate change and simultaneously open new economic opportunities. The five-year, $3.6 billion package provides tax incentives for consumers to buy more energy efficient homes, cars and other selected products, such as high-efficiency water heaters and rooftop solar systems. It will also encourage more production of renewable energy, such as wind power and power from farm and forestry resources. Vice President Al Gore commented, "For American families, consumers, and businesses, this legislation is about saving dollars and cents. For our environment, it is about common sense. This past year, a growing body of scientific evidence on global warming has thrown into sharp relief the magnitude of the challenge before us. 1998 was far away the single warmest year on record and it was punctuated by some of the severest weather of the century. I now urge Congress to pass this legislation into law." Gore thanked General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler, who helped develop the incentives for qualifying electric and hybrid vehicles. Republicans in Congress have generally opposed the Clinton administration's energy efficiency initiative until the Senate has ratified the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations climate change treaty, something the Senate has voted to block until developing countries must also cut greenhouse gas emissions. * * * UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI TEAM WINS SUNRAYCE '99 The University of Missouri - Rolla took first place in America's largest solar car race Tuesday as 29 solar cars rolled across the finish line at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. This was the university's fourth Sunrayce competition and its first win. Sunrayce 99 was the fifth biennial intercollegiate solar car race. The 1,425-mile route was the most difficult because of the terrain and inclement weather conditions. The overall winning race time of 56 hours, 16 minutes and 44 seconds (56:16:44) and an average speed of 25.30 mph for the 10-day race. The U. of Missouri's winning entry powered by photovoltaic solar cells. During operation, PV solar cells produce no air pollution, hazardous waste or noise, and require no transportable fuels. The race got underway June 20 in Washington, DC and covered five states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, under consistently cloudy and often rainy skies. Awards include cash prizes, trophies, and an invitation for the University of Missouri - Rolla to compete in the World Solar Challenge in October in Australia. "Sunrayce provides students the challenge of taking an idea from the paper to the pavement as they design, build, and race a vehicle that is powered exclusively by energy from the sun, said Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. "The event showcases the talents of some of the country's brightest young minds while helping to promote the growth of a renewable energy technology." Since its inception, more than 6,000 students from more than 175 colleges and universities have participated in vehicle design, testing or actual racing. * * * SOLAR SYSTEM STARTS GENERATING ATOP THE PENTAGON An enormous installation of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells has started generating electricity on the roof of the Pentagon, the Department of Defense's five-sided headquarters in Washington, DC. The Pentagon is the largest office building in the world. The new PV system has a generating capacity of 30 kilowatts, making it one of the largest solar installations on the east coast of the U.S. "Widespread application of these technologies by the federal government will save taxpayers' money and help speed the development of these clean energy sources," said Energy Secretary Bill Richardson at the official dedication Monday. "The Departments of Energy (DOE) and Defense are leading the charge to implement the President's recent Executive Order to utilize renewable energies at federal facilities." DOE funded $150,000 of the project cost and will direct its ongoing development. The Pentagon will maintain the system, while Virginia Power will monitor its interaction with the power grid. The Pentagon installation uses micro-inverters to transform solar rays directly into alternating current or AC electricity, unlike most PV units that generate direct current or DC battery power. Developed by Ascension Technology of Washington, the SunSine� 300 modules are the first AC solar modules to obtain certification from Underwriters Laboratories. PV systems have no emissions of greenhouse gas. The DOE coordinates President Bill Clinton's Million Solar Roofs Initiative which is designed to increase the installation of solar systems over the next decade. On June 3, Clinton ordered increased use of renewable energies in 500,000 federal buildings. Washington will install 2,000 solar systems at federal facilities by 2000, and 20,000 systems by 2010. Clinton wants to triple non-hydro renewable capacity in the U.S. by 2010. * * * SCIENTISTS CLIMB CAPITOL STEPS TO WARN OF GLOBAL WARMING Fifty scientists from 23 states assembled on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Monday to urge lawmakers to heed their warnings about global warming. Congressman Rush Holt, a New Jersey Democrat who before entering the House last year was assistant director of the Princeton University Plasma Physics Laboratory, joined climate change experts to say that global warming is a serious threat that demands action. "We are astonished that some members of Congress continue to ignore warnings from the scientific community," said Dr. Walt Oechel, director of the Global Change Research Group and professor of biology at San Diego State University. "Climate scientists from around the world are in wide agreement that global warming is real and could greatly disrupt society." The congressional leadership has become increasingly isolated in its attempt to wish away global warming, when even General Motors, British Petroleum, DuPont and Boeing now acknowledge climate change and the serious threat it poses to public health and the environment, the scientists said. "For too long a vocal minority denying climate change has had the ear of Congress," said Dr. Richard Gammon, a professor of Chemistry, Oceanography, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington. Dr. Gammon is a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and science advisor to Union of Concerned Scientists. "Congress needs to be better prepared to make the right decisions about climate change," said Dr. Donald Wuebbles, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Illinois and a lead author on the IPCC. "We can't just ignore the risks to the American people associated with the great potential of human impacts on climate change." * * * PLANTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TESTED FOR CANCER PREVENTION A team of University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) researchers has obtained a five year, $6.21 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to continue testing plants from around the world for their ability to prevent cancer. The team, led by Dr. John Pezzuto, associate dean for research and graduate education in UIC's College of Pharmacy, has tested 2,500 natural products for their ability to prevent cancer since 1991. The finding that resveratrol, a substance found in red wine, inhibited tumor initiation, promotion and progression in mice provided the researchers with one of their most promising leads. Based on this discovery, the National Cancer Institute has selected resveratrol for pre-clinical testing. The tests leading to the resveratrol finding, for instance, originally were conducted with a compound extracted from a legume collected in Peru. After the compound showed promise in early tests, the researchers isolated and identified the active agent as resveratrol. The UIC team will test another 1,000 plants, some of which already have been obtained from Indonesia, Thailand and Panama. The researchers, using new, sophisticated methodologies and technology, will also re-test the 2,500 plants previously analyzed under the program. * * * 100 PERCENT RECYCLED NEWSPRINT DEVELOPED Abitibi Consolidated paper mill at Steilacoom, Washington has developed a new process for producing newsprint made solely from mixed paper including office paper, telephone directories, newspapers and magazines. Only unbleachable paper such as cardboard, has been excluded from the process. Prior to this innovation, only newspapers and magazines could be recycled to produce newspaper. Since these products did not produce enough fiber on their own, the mix had to be supplemented with wood chips and other sources and the recycled paper made up 40 percent of the total mix. With the new process, recycled paper can account for up to 100 percent of the newsprint. The same week as the newsprint innovation was unveiled, Abitibi Consolidated said that as of today it will permanently close one of its two paper producing machines at the Steilacoom plant. As a result of the closure, about 50 jobs will be lost, reducing the number of workers at the plant to about 200. * * * ALASKA LOOKS BEYOND RESOURCE EXTRACTION Noting that the current Alaska economic policy is better suited for the days of the horse-drawn carriage rather than the new millennium, several Alaskan organizations are planning a conference to promote discussion of how to create a stronger, more sustainable future for Alaska's economy. "Can the Last Frontier Have a Sustainable Future?" is a one-day gathering scheduled for July 22 at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage. The event is co-sponsored by the Alaska Conservation Alliance and the Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association (AWRTA). "We seem captive to the myth that aggressive resource extraction represents our whole future," said Kay Brown, executive director of the Alaska Conservation Alliance. "In fact, there are scores of other productive ideas for building a more prosperous, more secure, more sustainable future, but they languish because of our unhealthy preoccupation with oil and other extractive industries." Thomas Power, professor and chair of the Department of Economics at the University of Montana and author of "Lost Landscapes and Failed Economies," will be a featured speaker. Power argues maintaining and capitalizing on a community's natural environment is central to local economic health and vitality. "There is a great need for more substantive discussion of economic options besides massive extraction of public resources at discount rates. This conference is intended to meet that need," said Steve Behnke, executive director of the AWRTA. * * * FLORIDA DENIES SUWANNEE AMERICAN A CEMENT PLANT PERMIT The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has denied the air quality permit application submitted by Suwannee American Cement Company, Inc. for construction of a cement manufacturing plant in Branford, Florida. In making the announcement last week, DEP secretary David Struhs said that the determining factor was the poor environmental record of Anderson Columbia, whose principal runs Suwannee American. The notice signed by Secretary Struhs reads in part, "Based on its review of Anderson Columbia�s compliance history, the Department has determined that the permit applicant has failed to provide reasonable assurance that the proposed installation will be constructed and operated in compliance with the Department�s applicable standards." Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 1999 For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun99/1999L-06-30-09.html *************************************************************************** E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE *************************************************************************** TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS: KFx Inc. Announces $2 Million Payment from Kennecott; Agreement Moves Company Further in Commercialization of K-Fuel Product DENVER, June 30 -/E-Wire/-- KFx Inc. (Amex: KFX) announced today that it has executed an agreement with Kennecott Energy and Coal Company (KECC) to move to the next phase of its work plan under the K-Fuel L.L.C. agreement. Included, as a part of the negotiations, is a $2 million payment to KFx for license and renewal fees under the L.L.C. agreement. The mission of the K-Fuel L.L.C. is to develop a 3 MTPY K-Fuel plant that is economic in today's energy markets. /CONTACT: Seth L. Patterson, 303-293-2992, or John P. Venners, 703-524-1113, both for KFx Inc./ (KFX) /Web site: http://www.kfx.com/ For Full Text and Graphics Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/June99/30june9901.html *************************************************************************** E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE *************************************************************************** TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND STATE EDITORS: Pumpout Sites for Boaters Available From DRBC WEST TRENTON, N.J., June 30 -/E-Wire/-- The Delaware River Basin Commission has created maps that depict the locations of sewage pumpout stations for boaters navigating the tidal reach of the Delaware River and the Delaware Bay. /CONTACT: Christopher Roberts of the Delaware River Basin Commission, 609-883-9500, ext. 205, or [EMAIL PROTECTED]/ /Web site: http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/pumpout.htm / /Web site: http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/ For Full Text and Graphics Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/June99/30june9902.html Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
