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Tuesday, August 02, 2005
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In the interest of resolving scientific questions, the EPA, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - members of a broader Interagency Working Group on Perchlorate led by the Office of Science and Technology Policy - referred scientific issues, EPA's 2002 Draft Health Assessment on Perchlorate and related documents to the National Academy of Sciences' (NAS) National Research Council (NRC) for review. The NAS is a deliberative society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific research. The NAS released its report on January 11, 2005. The EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) summary for perchlorate and perchlorate salts is based on this report (NRC, 2005) and can be located at www.epa.gov/iris. Several documents and other information sources were provided by EPA to the NAS prior to its first meeting on October 27th, 2003. This archival information is made public at this website. Please note that these documents are made available for archival purposes and are superseded by the 2005 NRC recommendations and EPA's IRIS summary on perchlorate and perchlorate salts, which represents the Agency's current thinking on this subject.
- Disposition of Comments and Recommendations for Revision to "Perchlorate Environmental Contamination: Toxicological Review and Risk Characterization" (External Review Draft, January 16, 2002): (PDF, 365 pp, 4 MB, about PDF)
EPA's 2002 External Review Draft perchlorate health and ecotoxicological risk assessment was submitted to an external expert peer panel for review. That panel's review generated comments (Peer Panel Report, June 2002). As part of the scientific process, EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment submitted its responses to those 2002 peer panel recommendations and public comments to the NAS perchlorate panel.
- Compilation of Public Comments Received by the U.S. EPA on "Perchlorate Environmental Contamination: Toxicological Review and Risk Characterization" (2002 External Review Draft):
This is a complete list of the comments received from the public and stakeholders on EPA's 2002 draft risk assessment report. Their full comments that were submitted to the Agency are included.
- References Associated with Disposition of Comments on the U.S. EPA's "Perchlorate Environmental Contamination: Toxicological Review and Risk Characterization" (2002 External Review Draft):
This is a compilation of those studies and other materials referenced in EPA's disposition of comments report (see #1) that are not readily available in the published literature.
- Perchlorate Risk Characterization: US EPA Technical Perspective:
At the first meeting of the NAS perchlorate panel on October 27, 2003, EPA made a presentation (PowerPoint format) on the Agency's 2002 draft health assessment that included some recommendations for revision. [Recent EPA Catalog Records.]
2:46:19 PM Google It! 
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(Washington, D.C. -- July 29, 2005) (Contact: Eryn Witcher, 202-564-4355 / witcher.eryn@epa.gov) Marcus Peacock will be the new deputy administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. Peacock was nominated by President Bush on June 1, 2005 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 28, 2005. Peacock comes to EPA from the Office of Management and Budget where he served as associate director for Natural Resources, Energy, and Science. In that position he and staff were responsible for reviewing the budget and policies of the natural resources, energy, and science agencies of the federal government, including EPA. He also has served as the government-wide leader for the Budget and Performance Integration initiative of the president's Management Agenda.
Peacock earlier served as the subcommittee staff director for the U.S. House of Representatives on the Oversight and Emergency Response Subcommittee of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In that position he managed oversight hearings and legislation in the 106th Congress related to the activities of EPA, the Department of Transportation, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Peacock holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Southern California, and a master of public policy degree from Harvard University.
EPA Administrator Steve Johnson praised Peacock's extensive environmental background: "His capable leadership will reinforce the agency's commitments to the sound science that provides the American people with lasting results. I look forward to working together as the agency continues to fulfill its mission of improving the nation's environment and protecting public health." [ChemAlliance Environmental News]
2:44:03 PM Google It!
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A report finds pesticide use in or near U.S. schools sickened more than 2,500 children and school employees over a five-year period, and though most illnesses were mild, their numbers have increased. Story by AP's Lindsey Tanner appears in the Santa Fe New Mexican, 7/27/05. [SEJ: Environmental Journalism Today]
2:42:33 PM Google It!
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"Improving the security of our nation's drinking water and wastewater infrastructures has become a top priority since the events of 9/11. ... This Web site provides resources for water utilities, state and local governments, public health officials, emergency responders and planners," and others. Features vulnerability assessments, emergency-planning tools, research, legislation, and related resources. From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). [Librarians' Index to the Internet]
2:38:53 PM Google It!
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Questions and answers about global warming: is it happening, is the sea level rising, definitions of the greenhouse effect, the relationship of El Niños and global warming, and sources for more information. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). [Librarians' Index to the Internet]
2:37:52 PM Google It!
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A final rule that classifies mercury-containing equipment as universal waste will help eliminate mercury in the environment and encourage mercury recovery and improved, safe management of mercury waste. Previously, unregulated households and some small businesses were not required to manage used mercury containing equipment as a hazardous waste, resulting in some mercury waste getting thrown in the trash. Under this rule, used mercury-containing equipment will be readily collected for recycling or disposal at a properly permitted facility.
Mercury-containing equipment includes various types of instruments that are commonly used in industry, hospitals and households, such as thermometers, barometers and mercury switches. Other items already managed as universal waste include batteries, thermostats and fluorescent lamps.
This final rule imposes management standards similar to those for universal waste thermostats because of similarities in the waste streams. Under the system, recordkeeping, storage and transportation requirements for generators of waste, collectors, and transporters are reduced to encourage local governments, communities, and retailers to set up collection programs that will pull these wastes out of municipal trash and into the hazardous waste system. Stringent federal hazardous waste management requirements for final disposal or recycling remain unchanged. EPA estimates that about 1,900 generators handling approximately 550 tons of mercury-containing equipment annually will be affected by this rule.
For more information on the rule, go to: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/electron/crt.htm. [U.S. EPA Hazardous Waste News]
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Environment--United States
Source: CDC (via DocuTicker)
New, CDC Releases Extensive Survey of Americans' Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
"The Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, released today by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shows a significant decline in exposure to secondhand smoke and continued decreases in children's blood lead levels. The report also suggests the need for more research into health effects of exposure to low levels of cadmium."
Summary ||| Direct to Full Text [ResourceShelf]
2:23:50 PM Google It!
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Energy--United States--Statistics
Fuel Economy
Source: EPA 2005 Fuel Economy Trends Report Now Available on the EPA Website "EPA is releasing its annual report, 'Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2005.' The report provides data on the fuel economy and performance characteristics of light-duty vehicles (cars, vans, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), and pickup trucks) for model years 1975 through 2005. Since 1997 fuel economy has been relatively constant, ranging from 20.6 to 21.0 miles per gallon (mpg). Model year 2005 vehicles are estimated to average 21.0 mpg. This is 0.2 mpg higher than 2004, but five percent below the fleet-average fuel economy peak value of 22.1 mpg achieved in 1987."
2:09:51 PM Google It!
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Here's a riddle: What has two faces and just one name? The answer: Many large companies, at least when it comes to their corporate responsibility practices when compared to their lobbying efforts. [Joel Makower: Two Steps Forward]
2:06:11 PM Google It!
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SustainableBusiness.com's latest update includes a number of gems, including this one:
The current issue of the Journal of Industrial Ecology... focuses on consumption & industrial ecology and is online free of charge.
This issue breaks new ground in providing systematic and quantitative assessments of the impact of consumption - what we buy and what we use - on the environment. The articles address the relationship between consumption and factors such as diet change, time use, U.S. house size, worktime reduction, product life spans, quality of life, NGO advocacy strategies, and the rebound effect, as well as the environmental impact of consumption at the household, city and national levels in countries around the world. [Gil Friend]
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Via Gil Friend:
Last week's quote of the day. Amory Lovins, interviewed in the Wall Street Journal's 'Automotive Report' special section (7/25/05):
America's choice is very simple: Do we continue to import very efficient cars to displace our demand for foreign oil, or do we make efficient cars and import neither oil nor the cars.
Articles on safety, hydrogen, and China's potential fuel cell leapfrog too.
More WSJ surprises. Even more surprising, the Wall Street Journal's lead article that same day (7/25/05) focused on the challenge and puzzle of endocrine disruptors:
An especially striking finding: It appears that some substances may have effects at very low exposures that are absent at higer levels.... the new science of low-dose exposure is challenging centuries of accepted wisdom about toxic substances and rattling the foundation of environmental law.
Environmental law is founded of course, on the traditional dose-response curve: more stuff has more impact, less stuff has less impact. If that's does longer correct, it tosses the notion of safe thresholds and acceptable tolerance into a cocked hat. And elevates the strategic attractiveness of 'zero waste' and 'cradle to cradle' approaches to both business strategy and product design.
2:01:49 PM Google It!
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This website of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) outlines biomass benefits and provides information on feedstocks, conversion technologies, integrating biorefineries, and more. You'll also find a document database, and separate sections on various biomass uses such as ethanol, biodiesel, biomass power, and industrial process energy. [SEJ: Useful links]
1:59:29 PM Google It!
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The other half of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry says a design revolution is on. [Homepage RSS]
1:57:09 PM Google It!
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From certified flooring and furniture to biomass energy, responsibly harvested wood can offer truly renewable and resilient products. [SIJ News]
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From high school linemen to pickup trucks, everything seems bigger in Texas. Apparently renewable energy is too. [Energy]
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Nike is working with the Oregon Department of Energy to develop a set of best practices for greenhouse gas reduction at 124 contract footwear factories worldwide. [Energy]
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Ninety-five percent of Americans don't know tech trash equals e-waste, according to a new survey. [Recycled Markets]
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After Oregon's Department of Transportation developed standards of reuse and recycling for new construction projects, Eugene, Ore.-based Staton Construction quickly answered the call. [Recycled Markets]
1:18:34 PM Google It!
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King County's Solid Waste Division seems to think commercial property managers are key to responsible e-waste recycling. [Recycled Markets]
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Apple Computer Inc. in June announced free recycling of its iPod products at Apple retail outlets. [Recycled Markets]
1:17:13 PM Google It!
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Following successes in 2003, Dell Computer Corp. announced in June it aims to bring in 50 percent more e-waste for reuse and recycling. [Recycled Markets]
1:16:38 PM Google It!
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Ford has been engaged in an ambitious multi-year project to reshape the financial and environmental costs associated with vehicle painting. [Green Car Congress]
1:04:47 PM Google It!
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Mazda Motor, in collaboration with the Nippon Paint Company, has developed a new electrodeposition basecoat (e-coat)that substantially reduces both volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and CO2 emissions generated as part of the vehicle painting process. [Green Car Congress]
1:02:48 PM Google It!
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Is it possible to grow cotton in a clean and sustainable way, without the chemicals normally used in its production? [ENN Business Headlines]
12:59:34 PM Google It!
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In a region where the number of hybrid cars on the road rivals that of sport utility vehicles, owners of the low-emission hybrid vehicles are anxiously awaiting a decision on whether a state law letting the vehicles into carpool lanes is allowed by the federal government. [Environmental Health News]
12:55:50 PM Google It!
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The dead zone, large patches of water along Louisiana's coast containing very low levels of oxygen, was smaller than last year's but, at 4,564 square miles, still more than double the goal set in a multi-year abatement plan. [Environmental Health News]
12:55:08 PM Google It!
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Monday, officials said gases from ruminating dairy cows, not exhaust from cars, are the biggest single source of a chief smog-forming pollutant in California's San Joaquin Valley. [Environmental Health News]
12:54:27 PM Google It!
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Britain's carbon dioxide emissions are expected to rise significantly in 2005 for the third year running and will reach the highest level since 1992, when the UK signed the Climate Change Convention at the Rio Earth Summit and pledged to combat global warming. [Environmental Health News]
12:53:41 PM Google It!
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Approximately 100 new fellowships will be awarded for research in environmental fields of study through the agency's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program. The STAR program provides educational support for full-time masters and doctoral level students who plan to pursue environmental careers; with a focus on developing future leaders in environmental science, education, assessment, and restoration efforts. Deadline for applications is Oct. 18, 2005. Awards for this selection process will be made by May 30, 2006 for the fall term.
More than 1,300 applicants compete each year for approximately 100 fellowships through a rigorous merit review process. A 2002 National Academy of Science (NAS) report gave the STAR program an outstanding rating. The NAS report said STAR research results had improved the scientific foundation for decision making at EPA since the program's inception in 1995. EPA has awarded more than 1,000 fellowships to students in almost every state and the District of Columbia.
Examples of project areas undertaken by previous fellows include environmental engineering, environmental health sciences, toxicology, and the ecology of aquatic and terrestrial systems. Fellows will receive up to $37,000 per year, with masters degree candidates eligible for up to two years of support and doctoral candidates for a total of three years. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or be lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Information on STAR fellowships is available at: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/fellow. Detailed application information can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2006/2006_star_fellow.html. [U.S. EPA Grants News]
12:53:02 PM Google It!
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The Hydrogen Pathways Program at the University of California - Davis contributes to the understanding of hydrogen as a transportation fuel through research. [EERE Network News]
12:51:52 PM Google It!
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Duluth, Minnesota, is one of many ports benefiting from an uptick in wind power installations. With its location on the westernmost point of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the port draws ships delivering wind turbine components to Minnesota and Manitoba, including five shipments so far this year. [EERE Network News]
12:51:15 PM Google It!
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Coney Island may bring to mind images of amusement parks and beaches, but it now has a whole new claim to fame: the largest solar canopy in the United States. A new 210-kilowatt solar power system arcs magnificently over the newly renovated Stillwell Avenue subway terminal there. [EERE Network News]
12:50:41 PM Google It!
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The new Massachusetts Green Communities Initiative, part of a national initiative, will help build 1,000 energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, affordable homes throughout the state. Part of the initiative will provide $8.5 million in grants to employ renewable energy in the homes. [EERE Network News]
12:49:26 PM Google It!
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Via sustainablog:
From Portland's KATU via EnergyBulletin.net, news of a debate ranging within US colleges of agriculture: should these schools offer majors in organic agriculture? Instructor James Cassidy at Oregon State University says "yes": "One of the only places to make money in agriculture these days is in this specialized market." While many ag. schools do offer courses in organics, the idea of a full-fledged major is receiving a tepid response:
...hopping aboard the organics bandwagon could be a tough sell at more traditional land-grant schools, which have turned their focus to research, leaving less appetite for hands-on training.
"For some of the schools that have very conventional agriculture departments, they don't know what to do with students that want to run an organic farm," said Laura Sayre, a writer and researcher for newfarm.org, a Web site run by the Rodale Institute, a sustainable food nonprofit. "They can't really assimilate them."
In addition, starting up such a major can carry an implicit critique of traditional programs, said Matt Liebman, director of the graduate program in sustainable agriculture at Iowa State University in Ames.
"It implies that everyone else is non-sustainable, and they find that fairly threatening," Liebman said. "It can imply a critique of traditional agriculture, and its effects on the environment, or farm size." As is so common these days, community colleges are taking the lead in this area. As a teacher at an 1890 Land Grant institution, I can't imagine a better way to attract more students to the fields of agriculture and agribusiness. The field itself, from my understanding, is in decline, and something a bit more cutting-edge could prove attractive to students sitting on the fence. Also, I know that at my university (at least from my own observation), many of our agriculture majors come from Carribean and African nations. Organics could provide a way to make these poor countries much more self-sufficient, and even create more goods for them to sell in the global market. Finally, this gets the concept of organic foods and agricultural products into a larger market of ideas, which can only help the economic market for these commodities.
12:46:12 PM Google It!
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© Copyright
2005
Laura L. Barnes.
Last update:
10/25/2005; 12:11:24 PM.
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