OPPT NEWSBREAK Thursday, 18 February 1999 Today's "Toxic News for the Net" Brought to you by the OPPTS Chemical Library http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/oppt_nb.txt NEWS "Headcheese...[Digest]." Washington Post, 18 February 99, E8. 2,600 pounds of headcheese, a seasoned loaf made of the head meat from a calf or pig, distributed by Ba Le Meat Processing & Wholesale is being recalled because it may be contaminated with listeria. The packages of "`Ba Le Gio Thu (Headcheese)'" were produced from January 7 to February 5, weigh from one to eight pounds, and are marked with "`Est 118442'" in the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection mark. "FDA Ordered to Lift Ban on a Diet Supplement." Washington Post, 18 February 99, A6. U.S. District Court Judge Dale Kimball ordered the Food and Drug Administration to lift its ban on imports of red yeast powder from China that contains mevinolin. The agency regarded mevinolin as an unapproved drug because it is identical to Mevacor, a synthetic drug that is prescribed to lower cholesterol. Pharmanex, which markets the powder under the name Cholestin, had challenged the ban. The judge ruled that Cholestin "fits the definition of `dietary supplement.'" The ruling could hamper the government's ability to regulate natural remedies under the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. "Mexico: Halting Forest Fires [World Briefing]." New York Times, 18 February 99, A6. Farmers who set fire to fields in preparation for planting will be fined and jailed if Chiapas state's proposl becomes a law. Fires destroyed 500,000 acres of rain forests last spring. "Shell Does Not Contain Toxic Agents [Metro: In Brief: The District]." Washington Post, 18 February 99, B3. Army officials said a World War I artillery shell found on the grounds of the residence of the Korean Ambassador does not contain toxic chemical agents, but they are not sure if the shell is an explosive artillery round or a harmless smoke round. The shell was found Tuesday during a search for canisters of poisonous chemical agents that may have been buried after World War I. "Coos Bay, Ore. [Nation in Brief: Addenda]." Washington Post, 18 February 99, A13. Nearly 70,000 gallons of fuel oil may have spilled from the New Carissa, the grounded tanker that may be towed about 200 miles into the Pacific Ocean and sunk in 5,000 feet of water. "The Coast Guard said the depth and cold should contain the viscous 135,000 gallons of fuel oil that remain in the bow." PEOPLE IN THE NEWS "Rep. Jeffery Cohelan Dies at 84; Served 12 Years in the U.S. House. Calif. Democrat Was Advocate for Environment, Civil Rights [Obituaries]." Washington Post, 18 February 99, B6. Jeffery Cohelan, a liberal Democrat from California who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1958 to 1970, died February 15 in Washington. He was 84 years old and had Parkinson's disease and colon-rectal cancer. Rep. Cohelan co-sponsored legislation that established the Redwood National Park, and he co-sponsored a bill that made Point Reyes peninsula, north of San Francisco, part of the national park system. "Anchorage [Nation in Brief: Addenda]." Washington Post, 18 February 99, A13. Joseph Hazelwood, the former captain of the Exxon Valdez, was ordered to begin his sentence for his role in the 1989 oil tanker spill by picking up trash on Alaska state lands. He was sentenced to perform 1,000 hours of community service. ACROSS THE USA, from USA Today "Montgomery, Alabama [Across the USA]." USA Today, 17 February 99 13A. In an action which affects about 4,000 Alabama farms, regulators adopted rules requiring farmers to show that they are managing animal waste properly, especially hog-breeding operations. "Washington, DC [Across the USA]." USA Toda, 17 February 99, 13A. At Anacostia River Day Pride Cleanup, volunteers picked-up trash along the river. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton plans to file a bill in Congress that would create a program to continue this pick-up. "Lansing, Michigan [Across the USA]." USA Today, 17 February 99 13A. Gov. Engler has been criticized in letters from environmental and public health groups who are unhappy with his stand against federal pollution guidelines. His office has offered to cut smog levels by half of that which is required by EPA. "Charles City, Virginia [Across the USA]." USA Today, 17 February 99 13A. Waste Management, Inc. has been temporarily barred from transporting dangerous materials into Virginia. The company is accused of illegally dumping medical wastes into a Charles County landfill. EDITORIAL AND COMMENTARY "The Sprawl Brawl [Commentary]." Washington Times, 18 February 99, A16. Ben J. Wattenberg, a nationally syndicated columnist and a senior fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, discusses Vice President Al Gore's advocacy of "Smart Growth." "Politically, green sounds too good to be true. It may be. It messes around with two great American liberation movements: personal transportation and a spread of your own." CAR CORNER "EPA Wants Light Trucks to Meet Car Standards." Washington Post, 18 February 99, E1, E8. EPA will propose new rules that would require light trucks and sport-utility vehicles to meet the same emission standards as cars and would require oil companies to produce cleaner gasoline. Under the new rules, cars would move from the current standard for emissions of nitrogen oxides from 0.4 grams per mile to 0.07 grams per mile in 2004 (the current standard of 0.2 grams in the Northeast will apply nationally by 2001). Light trucks will move from the current standard of 0.7 grams to 0.2 grams in 2004, and to 0.07 in 2009. Manufacturers of diesel vehicles will be required to produce vehicles with average emissions of 0.07 grams per mile. The rules would require sulfur in gasoline to be reduced from 330 parts per million to 30 parts per million, phased in from 2004 through 2006. The rules will help improve air quality and reduce acid rain, but are also expected to increase gasoline and vehicle costs. "Duncan Endorses `Parkway-Like' Link of I-270, I-95. Md. Panel Nearing Decision on Connector." Washington Post, 18 February 99, B1, B8. In a letter to Maryland Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan endorsed building a "`parkway-like road'" linking I-270 and I-95 north of the Capital Beltway. Environmentalists oppose the project, saying it would destroy streambeds, parkland, and communities, while business leaders say the project will relieve traffic congestion and fuel economic growth. Planning for such a road began just after World War II, and a task force appointed by Gov. Parris N. Glendenning is now trying to decide whether to complete an environmental review of the project. * All items, unless indicated otherwise, are available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxics Substances (OPPTS) Chemical Library Northeast Mall, Room B606 (Mailcode 7407) Washington, D.C. 20460 (202) 260-3944; FAX x4659; E-mail for comments: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Due to copyright restrictions, the library cannot provide photocopies of articles.) *Viewpoints expressed in the above articles do not necessarily reflect EPA policy. 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