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This document is also available as a PDF. ENN AmeriScan: June 1, 1999 From Mark Graffis <ab758@virgin.vip.vi>
Organization ?
Date 3 Jun 1999 03:38:22 GMT
Newsgroups misc.activism.progressive
Message-ID <7j4tbe$p9u$1@news.missouri.edu> Environment [19]ENS -- Environment News Service CLINTON INTRODUCES WATER QUALITY PROTECTION In his weekly radio address Saturday, President Bill Clinton announced
three new actions to improve water quality: expanded public health
protections for thousands of miles of federal beaches; measures to
prevent sewage spills that force beach closures; and a comprehensive
strategy to better protect rivers and other water bodies on federal
lands. Clinton directed the National Park Service and other agencies
to expand water quality monitoring along thousands of miles of federal
beaches - including the Cape Cod, Cape Hatteras, and Pt. Reyes
National Seashores - to identify pollution sources. He directed the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work with states to
strengthen pubic health protections at other beaches, with a goal of
stricter state water quality standards no later than 2003. The EPA was
also directed to propose within one year a new national rule to
prevent overflows from sewage systems - the major cause of beach
closures. The President directed federal agencies to adopt a
comprehensive strategy to better safeguard rivers, lakes, and other
bodies of water on federal lands, after consultation with states,
tribes and other stakeholders. * * * BRACK WINS INDY 500 WITH NUCLEAR POWER FUNDING team At the 83rd Indianapolis 500 Race on Sunday, Kenny Brack, driver
of the #14 Power Team car owned by A.J. Foyt, won the race, taking the
lead on the last lap. Sunday was a successful day for Power Team at
the Indy as two Power Team cars finished in the top six. In addition
to winning the most watched sporting event in the world, A.J. Foyt's
teams also finished 3rd with driver Billy Boat, and 6th with driver
Robbie Buhl. All three teams benefited from the PECO Power Team
sponsorship. Power Team is the marketing arm of PECO Energy, Inc.,
which owns and operates several U.S. nuclear power plants including
Peach Bottom Units 2 and 3 situated along the Susquehanna River in
York County, Pennsylvania. PECO aims to win at the nuclear power game
too by operating safely and expanding its reactor holdings. A May 10
performance assessment by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
recognized Peach Bottom's engineering group for safty and improved
methods of investigation used during the troubleshooting of problems.
The overall performance at Peach Bottom remained "acceptable." PECO
has formed a joint venture with British Energy, named Amergen, which
is in the process of purchasing Three Mile Island Unit 1. The purchase
has been approved by the NRC. PECO has also reached agreement to
purchase Clinton nuclear generating station in Illinois. PECO's Power
Team is online at: [20]http://www.pwrteam.com/ 1 of 5 7/25/99 8:15 PM ENN AmeriScan: June 1, 1999 http://ww2.altavista.com/cgi-bin/news?msg@60868@misc%2eactivism%2eprogressive * * * YUCCA MOUNTAIN HIGH & DRY, USGS SCIENTISTS SAY One of the great worries about using Yucca Mountain, Nevada as a
permanent high-level nuclear waste repository is that even in the
desert water will invade the storage chambers and dampen the
containment vessels, releasing radioactive material into the
environment. But now a new study by three U.S. Geological Survey
scientists has found the site to have been dry for millions of years.
The slow growth rates of calcite and opal minerals that coat fractures
and cavities in Yucca Mountain attest to the mountain's hydrological
stability say the researchers, who presented the results today at the
spring meeting of American Geophysical Union in Boston. "There is no
evidence at Yucca Mountain, based on the distribution of calcite and
opal, that water has ever flooded the potential repository area," said
James Paces, a USGS scientist from Denver, Colorado. Paces described
cavities in the volcanic mountain's interior as being relatively free
of deposits of calcite and opal. Where they are found these deposits
are restricted mostly to the lower surfaces. "If water had filled the
cavities, minerals would have been deposited on the walls and ceilings
as well," Paces said. "Instead, our data indicate that the minerals
formed from thin films of water flowing downward into open spaces."
The long term hydrologic stability of Yucca Mountain, 100 miles
northwest of Las Vegas, is an important factor in evaluating it as a
potential site for storing nuclear waste. It is the only site being
evaluated. The mountain is a thick accumulation of 11-to
13-million-year-old volcanic rocks, 1,600 to 2,00 feet of which are
above the present water table. Because the USGS team knows how much
water forms calcite and opal deposits over a given period of time,
they were able to determine how much or how little water had seeped
through the mountain. * * * FIREFIGHTERS HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL IN FLORIDA, NEVADA, ARIZONA The National Interagency Fire Coordination Center (NIFC) reports
wildfires have scorched thousands of acres and continue to burn in
Florida, Nevada and Arizona. More than 400 fire fighters from up to 30
states are battling the largest of the fires, the Friendly fire in the
Osceola National Forest, Florida, which has crossed over into southern
Georgia. The fire, located about eight miles from the communities of
Benton, Florida, and Council, Georgia, has burned more than 53,000
acres. Firefighters report it is about 20 percent contained with an
estimated date of full containment of June 20. There have been no
reports of damage or injuries, but sections of Florida Highways 2 and
94 are closed due to heavy smoke. Fires are also burning in Arizona
and Nevada, but crews have made good containment progress on the fires
in each state. The Blue Garden fire, located 35 miles south of
Caliente, Nevada, has burned about 10,000 acres. The fire is 20
percent contained with full control projected for June 3. Another
Nevada fire, the 1,900-acre Rainbow Ranch fire, is about 70 percent
contained and should be fully contained today. There were no injuries
or damage to structures reported associated with either of the Nevada
fires. In Arizona, the Jump Complex fire, 30 miles south-southwest of
St. George, Utah, is 80 percent contained. Firefighters report they
are planning for full containment by Wednesday. * * * FUTURE ALFALFA SPROUTS MAY BE GROWN FROM IRRADIATED SEEDS Treating alfalfa seeds and sprouts with a combination of irradiation 2 of 5 7/25/99 8:15 PM ENN AmeriScan: June 1, 1999 http://ww2.altavista.com/cgi-bin/news?msg@60868@misc%2eactivism%2eprogressive and chlorine effectively safeguards them against contamination by E.
coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
scientists report. ARS scientists Donald Thayer, Kathleen Rajkowski
and William Fett found that a combined treatment of irradiation and
chlorine solution not only killed both organisms, but extended the
shelf life. They conducted the studies at the ARS research center in
Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. The research is part of the effort by a task
force from several federal government agencies and industry to find
ways to control microbial contamination of sprouts. Since 1995, raw
alfalfa sprouts have been recognized as a source of foodborne illness
in the U.S., with several outbreaks of both E. coli O157:H7 and
Salmonella. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised those at high
risk - including children, the elderly, and persons with compromised
immune systems - to avoid eating raw alfalfa sprouts. Since fragile
sprouts cannot withstand abrasive physical washing, cleaning the seeds
has become the primary focus. In tests, the scientists used the
irradiation dose approved for irradiating meat. Along with
irradiation, they subjected alfalfa seeds to two percent, 2.5 percent,
and three percent weight-per-volume concentrations of calcium
hypochlorite (a chlorine source). The 2.5 and three percent
concentrations reduced E. coli O157:H7 99.99 percent. The scientists
say the best way to eliminate pathogens is a combination of
irradiation and chlorine because sprouts can be contaminated
internally, which would prevent a surface disinfectant from working
effectively. * * * STACHYBOTRYS FUNGUS FORCES EVACUATION OF TEXAS FAMILY Melinda Ballard, a Dripping Springs, Texas resident, wants to warn the
world about a fungus called Stachybotrys. Ballard has filed a criminal
complaint with the Hays County Sheriff's office against two Farmers
Insurance Group employees, claiming the insurance company's personnel
was negligent in settling a claim, which resulted in an infestation of
her home by the Stachybotrys, which caused her and her family to
become sick. "My family and I have been living a nightmare for five
months because of Farmers Insurance. Yet Therese McConnell, a Farmers
claims adjuster and one of the employees against whom the complaint
was filed, was told early-on that delaying the repairs could result in
the growth of dangerous mold." The Utah Department of Public Health
describes Stachybotrys as "a type of slow growing saprophytic fungus
that grows well on materials that have a high cellulose concentration,
such as straw, grass, saw dust and lumber. Wet drywall (plaster board)
and ceiling tiles. Persons with chronic exposure to the toxin report
cold or flu like symptoms with sore throat, diarrhea, headaches,
fatigue, dermatitis, intermittent local hair loss and general malaise.
The toxins may also suppress the immune system." Ballard says, "We had
to evacuate our home last month after tests by microbiologists from
Texas Tech University confirmed high levels of this toxin that were
airborne and aggressive. The Farmers-hired microbiologist also found
Stachybotrys in our home. It's going to cost at least $1 million just
to get personnel trained in hazardous materials handling to come in
wearing protective suits and HEPA respirators and remove all the
infested building material and take it to a designated disposal area."
Ballard said tens of thousands of other people may be suffering from
Stachybotrys, but just do not know it. * * * OREGON STRUGGLES TO REVERSE WATER CONTAMINATION The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), working with 3 of 5 7/25/99 8:15 PM ENN AmeriScan: June 1, 1999 http://ww2.altavista.com/cgi-bin/news?msg@60868@misc%2eactivism%2eprogressive local agencies and organizations, has begun a multi-year watershed
improvement initiative in the streams and rivers around Oakland and
Sutherlin. Like many streams in Oregon, the Calapooya and Sutherlin
Creeks have water quality problems that have degraded several uses of
the water, from drinking water to fish habitat. DEQ is partnering with
both cities, Douglas County, the Soil and Water Conservation District,
the Sutherlin Chamber of Commerce, and the Umpqua Watershed Council to
make this effort a community based approach. DEQ is currently working
with businesses by offering technical assistance that includes waste
reduction opportunities. Households can also help keep pollution out
of streams by keeping waste out of land-fills, septic systems, and
stormwater systems. To help households do more for waste prevention,
the local governments, with funding from DEQ, are holding
free-of-charge household hazardous waste collection events on June 12
in Roseburg and June 13 in Oakland. The City of Oakland is already
working to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility. DEQ is also
working with the City of Sutherlin to improve the water quality of
Cooper Creek, which is a source of drinking water. * * * GET THAT WATER CHESNUT OUT OF MY BAY It's fine in Chinese food, but not in Chesapeake Bay. To protect
public safety and preserve native species in Chesapeake Bay
tributaries, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will
soon begin to remove dense populations of water chestnut from the
Sassafras River near Lloyd Creek in Kent County and the Bird River in
Baltimore County. Water chestnut is native to Asia. "Water chestnut
seeds include four, hard half-inch spines that can penetrate shoes and
are large enough to keep people off beaches," said DNR Secretary John
Griffin. "This dangerous plant is also an ecological nightmare. It
prevents the growth of beneficial aquatic plants and submerged aquatic
vegetation, and creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes." The plant
was first recorded in the Sassafras River in 1964. "Water chestnut
reproduces very rapidly; one acre can produce enough seeds to cover
100 acres the following year," said DNR biologist Mike Naylor. "Seeds
can remain viable in sediments for up to 12 years. Based on Maryland's
experience, and that of eight other states with water chestnut control
programs, scientists agree that if actions are taken now, a much
larger problem can be prevented." DNR plans to begin mechanical
removal of plants in the Lloyd Creek area of the Sassafras River on
June 11. A massive volunteer effort to manually remove plants will
follow June 13 and 14. Where mechanical and hand removal are
ineffective, the herbicide 2,4-D may be used. "Timing is critical,"
said Naylor. "There is a tight biological window available before the
plants release seeds." Anyone interested in volunteering to help
remove plants can contact DNR Tributary Team Coordinator Christy Mills
at 410-260-8988 or find out more online at:
[21]http://www.dnr.state.md.us * * * EARTHWATCH TEAM ASSESSES PUERTO RICAN REEFS Conducting a rapid-assessment baseline to measure the effects of coral
diseases, human impacts, and predators on Caribbean coral reefs will
be the task of Earthwatch volunteers this summer in the Mayaguez and
Mona Islands, of Puerto Rico. In the past 14 months alone, scientists
say, 40 percent of the worlds reefs have been subjected to severe
bleaching. Changing water temperatures or pollution force symbiotic
algae to leave their coral hosts, draining the coral of essential
nutrition and leading to the death of entire reefs. Scientists have
been finding increased incidents of coral disease all over the world. 4 of 5 7/25/99 8:15 PM ENN AmeriScan: June 1, 1999 http://ww2.altavista.com/cgi-bin/news?msg@60868@misc%2eactivism%2eprogressive But knowledge of modern reefs is only as old as scuba technology, and
scientists are still guessing how much of the damage to reefs is
caused by humans, or how much is natural, how much is cyclical. Marine
biologists Andrew and Robin Bruckner, working with the University of
Puerto Rico and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Adminstration, are trying to establish such a baseline for two
offshore reefs, near Mona and Mayaguez islands, where human impacts
are minimal and where the reefs are still untouched. The data they
collect will be added to ReefBase, an international coral reef
database used by researchers and managers to set up management plans
that minimize disease and reduce human impact. Scuba certified
Earthwatch volunteers will spend August assisting the Bruckners to
document these pristine reefs. 33. http://ens.lycos.com/ 5 of 5 7/25/99 8:15 PM |
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