Friday, January 07, 2005

[Alternative fuel vehicles] As Hybrid Cars Multiply, So Do Carpooling Gripes A surge in the number of hybrid vehicles has left carpool lanes nearly as congested as the regular lanes they are intended to relieve, a Virginia transportation task force said yesterday. [Source: Washington Post -- need a login/pw?] 12:17:17 PM Google It!    [Environmental regulation] Coatings and Composites Coordinated Rule Development (CCCR) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a Web site that discloses the latest information on new and existing National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs). The site is expected to be updated regularly. 12:13:21 PM Google It!    [Profile] An interview with Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists The Bush administration is gearing up to push for second-term priorities -- including an energy bill, power-plant emissions legislation, and amendments to the Endangered Species Act -- under a cloud of accusations that it has manipulated federal scientific research on these and other issues to support its agenda. These arguments have been voiced most prominently by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonpartisan advocacy organization that issued a statement in 2004 charging the White House with "[m]isrepresenting and suppressing scientific knowledge for political purposes." UCS President Kevin Knobloch is well-positioned to weigh in on the debate about politics and scientific integrity. Knobloch began his career as a journalist, then spent six years as a legislative staffer for former Sen. Timothy Wirth (D-Colo.) and former Rep. Ted Weiss (D-N.Y.). He was UCS's legislative director for arms control and national security from 1989 to 1992, at the height of the controversy over whether a Star Wars missile defense system would work. After earning a master's degree in public administration from Harvard, Knobloch served as director of conservation programs for the Appalachian Mountain Club before returning to UCS in 2000 and taking the helm as president in 2003. Grist traveled to UCS headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., to speak with Knobloch about the next phase of the scientific-integrity debate and how nonscientists can get involved. [Source: Grist Magazine] 12:11:03 PM Google It!    [Energy efficiency] DOE Launches New Web Site With Energy-Saving Tips DOE has launched a new Web site with detailed information and tips on how to save money by developing smart energy habits. The site, www.EnergySavingTips.gov, serves as a consumer-friendly portal to detailed energy-saving information from various federal agencies. 12:08:56 PM Google It!    [Profile] Looking Beyond Enforcement at the EPA An independent and a career auditor, U.S. EPA Inspector General Nikki Tinsley breaks the mold-- and, she says, an occasional rule. [Source: Washington Post -- need a login/pw?] 12:07:06 PM Google It!    [Alternative energy] Researchers Alarmed by Bat Deaths From Wind Turbines Thousands of bats have died at Backbone and on another nearby wind farm in Meyersdale, Pa. -- more per turbine than at any other wind facility in the world, according to researchers' estimates. The deaths are raising concerns about the impact of hundreds more turbines planned in the East, including some in western Maryland, as the wind industry steps up expansion beyond its traditional areas in the West and Great Plains. [Source: Washington Post -- need a login/pw?] 12:04:16 PM Google It!    [Grants] Rohm and Haas Company Contributions Program The primary focus of the Rohm and Haas Company Contributions Program is to improve the quality of life in company communities and to improve the quality of science and math education internationally. Support is provided in communities throughout the world where the company has a significant operating presence. The funding areas of interest are education, including K-12 science, technology, and math education; the environment, including environmental education; civic and community; health and human services; and arts and culture. Applications are accepted year-round from nonprofit organizations in communities with company facilities worldwide. Rohm and Haas has a significant presence in the Chicago area. 12:01:59 PM Google It!    [Grants] Project AWARE Foundation The Project AWARE Foundation is committed to the conservation and preservation of the aquatic environment, both marine and freshwater, throughout the world. The Foundation funds projects that have a direct benefit to the aquatic environment such as public education, grassroots conservation and enhancement projects, environmentally focused research that leads to conservation measures, public awareness initiatives, environmental assessment and monitoring projects, and volunteer-supported community activism. Micro Grants of up to $1,000 are available for local grassroots efforts and Macro Grants of $1,000-$10,000 are available for regional, national, or international efforts. Community groups and grassroots organizations throughout the U.S. and internationally are eligible to apply. The next deadline for applications from the U.S. is February 15, 2005. 11:56:50 AM Google It!    [Green lifestyle] Time to Sweat 'Big Stuff' As a new year approaches and brings environmental challenges, some advocates are urging people to think big as they make their 2005 resolutions. [Source: Arizona Republic] 11:52:35 AM Google It!    [Meetings] ‘Straddling the Divide’ The Illinois State Water Survey is collaborating with the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission to organize a conference on water resources planning in the Lake Michigan region. This conference, entitled 'Straddling the Divide', will be held Feb 15-16 in Chicago, and will be attended by policy makers, scientists and engineers from IL, IN, MI, and WI. 11:50:35 AM Google It!    [Grants] Great Lakes Commission Seeks Grant Applications for Soil Erosion, Sediment Control The Great Lakes Commission is seeking grant applications for local projects to improve water quality through the reduction of soil erosion and sedimentation under the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control. Funding is available for projects the following categories: Demonstration projects involving measures to physically limit erosion or sedimentation; program development to strengthen existing infrastructure for erosion and sediment control; and information and education efforts. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2005. All applications must be submitted electronically. 11:49:20 AM Google It!    [Grants] The Impact of Climate Change & Variability on Human Health Applications due Mar 24, 2005. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) and National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA), in cooperation with the EPA Global Change Research Program, announces an extramural funding competition supporting research on the consequences for human health of global change - including climate, climate variability, land-use, economic development, and technology. Under the Global Change Research Act of 1990, the United States Climate Change Science Program (USCCSP) is required to undertake scientific assessments of the potential consequences of global change for the United States (e.g. Patz et al., 2000). EPA is interested in the analysis of health outcomes that may be affected by future global changes and a better understanding of the consequences of global change for human health. The two priority research areas for this solicitation are: 1) heat- and cold-related illnesses and 2) waterborne diseases. 11:46:29 AM Google It!    [Grants] Environmental Behavior and Decisionmaking: Determining the Effectiveness of Environmental Information Disclosure and Provision Applications due Apr 13, 2005. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking proposals from researchers in economics, business administration, law, decision sciences, and other social sciences to address issues associated with environmental information disclosure. Researchers are invited to identify how environmental information obtained through information disclosure rules and voluntary programs is used and by whom, the consequences such use has on behavior, and the resulting changes in environmental performance (e.g., discharges, emissions or exposure). Primarily, EPA wants to better understand how required disclosure of environmental information about contaminants in drinking water, toxic releases or residues, chemical or oil spills, emissions, discharges, waste storage and disposal, potential liabilities, toxicity, or recycling and reuse of chemicals influences environmental behavior, practices and performance at the level of facilities, firms, markets, communities or state regulatory and enforcement agencies. Secondarily, EPA is interested in the effects of voluntary information provision on firm or facility environmental performance, profitability, reduced transaction costs, increased market share, enforcement costs, etc. 11:42:50 AM Google It!    [E-waste] EBay, Intel Launch Initiative to Recycle Used Electronic Gadgets EBay Inc. and Intel Corp. launched a recycling program Thursday to motivate Americans to safely dispose of mounting piles of used computers and other electronic gadgets. [ENN Recycling Channel] 11:37:40 AM Google It!

© Copyright 2005 Laura L. Barnes. Last update: 10/25/2005; 12:09:00 PM.