Browsing environmental news sources so you don't have to. Contact Laura Barnes (lbarnes@istc.illinois.edu) with questions, comments, and suggestions.
Follow ENB on TwitterEPA scientists will celebrate Sustainability Month, part of the Year of Science 2009, by connecting with the public through blogs, podcasts and demonstrations of the importance of sustainability in our communities. The Year of Science 2009 was created by the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) to engage the public in science by showing why science matters in their communities and everyday lives.
Read the full story in Technology Review.
On more than one occasion in recent weeks, President Obama’s science advisor, John Holdren, has said that he supports research into geo-engineering, a controversial approach to addressing climate change that would involve large-scale engineering projects designed to cool the earth in the event that efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions fail to curb global warming.
It’s not clear whether Holdren’s personal views will prevail at the White House, but coordinated federal research on geo-engineering would be a marked change from current policy. Very little money is currently spent on this kind of research, and there is no coordinated effort to assess the potential benefits or risks of the various approaches that have been proposed. In part, this is because so many experts have ruled out geo-engineering entirely, citing the potential for unforeseen side effects. Holdren’s position, however, reflects that of a growing number of researchers who say that a continued growth in carbon dioxide emissions and a lack of effective political response to global warming could make geo-engineering necessary.
Announcing: ACEEE’s 5th National Conference on Energy Efficiency as a Resource
September 27-29, 2009
The Drake Hotel, Chicago, IL
Across the United States, policy initiatives are raising the bar for energy efficiency programs. How can we achieve these ambitious goals? ACEEE’s 5th National Conference on Energy Efficiency as a Resource will explore new opportunities and challenges in utility-sector energy efficiency policies and programs for both electricity and natural gas.
Energy efficiency’s importance as a utility resource has never been greater than it is now, as the industry faces high and rising fuel construction costs; growing concerns about system reliability; and increasing calls for action to address global warming.
Look for more information coming soon about conference registration, as well as for opportunities to submit a presentation proposal. More information about the conference and the Call for Abstracts (available online next week) can be found at: http://aceee.org/conf/09ee/09eeindex.htm. Registration materials will be posted at this site in mid-June.
Read the full post at EcoGeek.
Data centers are typically very carefully controlled environments with large chillers keeping all the equipment at a regulated temperature. All of this cooling requires a large amount of energy, but data center developers are discovering a far less energy-demanding and low-tech way to keep things cool: outside air.
A trade group called The Green Grid that focuses on increasing energy efficiency in data centers has released online tools that allow data center operators to figure out if their center is a good candidate for outside cooling. Depending on the location and set up of the data center, the tool will calculate the possible energy and monetary savings of using outside cooling.
Read the full post at EcoGeek.
So it turns out the reason that everyone was getting all angry about ethanol last year was the wrong reason. The alternative bio-fuel, which is mostly made from corn, was widely blamed last year for skyrocketing food costs. But, this year, a Congressional Budget Office report has concluded that only a small percentage of the increase in food prices was due to ethanol.
A new landmark study published today documents for the first time the process in which increased mercury emissions from human sources across the globe, and in particular from Asia, make their way into the North Pacific Ocean and as a result contaminate tuna and other seafood. Because much of the mercury that enters the North Pacific comes from the atmosphere, scientists have predicted an additional 50 percent increase in mercury in the Pacific by 2050 if mercury emission rates continue as projected.
Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.
Life cycle analysis of Greenhouse gas (GHG) for biodiesel is a new part of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) and, under the proposed parameters established by U.S. EPA, biodiesel made from waste vegetable oils or yellow grease is among the top performing environmental fuels. The National Biodiesel Board, the American Soybean Association and others, however, think the EPA proposed ruling for the implementation of RFS2 is potentially damaging to soy and virgin vegetable oil-based biodiesel. “I think it’s wonderful that waste grease performs so well under this ruling,” said Charles Neece of FUMPA BioFuels in Redwood Falls, Minn. “But it seems like they aren’t giving us any other options.”
Read the May 2009 issue of the NRMRL newsletter.
Groundwater that has become contaminated by chemicals that are sparingly soluble in water, such as chlorinated solvents, presents a serious ecological and human health risk. Groundwater remediation scientists at EPA’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory are using absorption and light refraction analysis to determine the saturation distribution of common groundwater contaminants in order to facilitate research on the development of effective methods for remediating sites impacted by these chemicals.
Renewable energy sources don’t have to conflict with preserving wildlife and wildlands in the Western U.S. Working with Google Earth, NRDC has developed this interactive resource to help environmentalists, renewable energy developers, utility companies and others meet the challenge of finding the best sites for renewable energy.
Via Docuticker.
Keeping Posted on the Energy Bill
Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural ResourcesConsistent with providing the press/public with the very latest on the bipartisan energy legislation that Senate Energy is developing, we draw your attention to two new drafts posted to our web:
Read the full story in Building Design & Construction.
Following 11 months of construction, the main building at the Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room has been named the first gaming facility in the nation– and the first building in Daytona Beach– to achieve LEED Gold Certification for energy efficiency. The complex was designed by JCJ Architecture, an award-winning firm with extensive green building experience.
Read the full story in Building Desing & Construction.
Across the country, government agencies are either cutting or shrinking programs that use or fund renewable energy projects. Green power — from wind farms, solar power or other renewable energy sources — remains more expensive than traditional power sources.
Read the full opinion piece in the New York Times.
Fighting protectionism and climate change can be done at the same time by unilaterally eliminating tariffs on clean technology products.
Download the fact sheet. From the summary:
As part of proposed revisions to the National Renewable Fuel Standard program (commonly known as the RFS program), EPA analyzed lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from increased renewable fuels use. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) establishes new renewable fuel categories and eligibility
requirements. EISA sets the first U.S. mandatory lifecycle GHG reduction thresholds for renewable fuel categories, as compared to those of average petroleum fuels used in 2005. The regulatory purpose
of the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions analysis is to determine whether renewable fuels meet the GHG thresholds for the different categories of renewable fuel.
Read the full document. From the At A Glance fact sheet:
EPA does not perform oversight of radon testing device accuracy or reliability. The 1988 Indoor Radon Abatement Act required that EPA establish proficiency programs for firms offering radon-related services, including testing and mitigation. EPA established and operated proficiency programs until 1998, when it disinvested in these programs. According to Agency representatives, EPA has neither the authority nor resources to ensure radon testing devices and testing laboratories are accurate and reliable. EPA asserts that it shares oversight responsibility with States and industry, including the two national proficiency programs operating under private auspices. However, without oversight, EPA cannot assure that radon testing devices provide accurate data on indoor radon risks or that radon testing laboratories accurately analyze and report radon results.
Recent studies – while not nationwide in scope – have identified problems with the accuracy of radon testing devices. Also, a recent New England study identified problems with the quality of laboratory analyses of radon testing. Nonetheless, a key 2009 EPA publication on the Agency’s Website continues to state that radon testing devices provide reliable measurements of indoor radon levels. In its 2009 A Citizen’s Guide to Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Radon, EPA states:
MYTH: Radon testing devices are not reliable and are difficult to find.
FACT: Reliable testing devices are available from qualified radon testers and companies.
However, EPA does not have data within the last 10 years to support that radon test kits or testers are reliable.
Chairman Henry A. Waxman, Subcommittee Chairman Edward J. Markey, Chairman Emeritus John D. Dingell, Congresswoman Betty Sutton, Congressman Jay Inslee, and Congressman Bart Stupak reached an agreement on a “Cash for Clunkers” program that will help the auto industry while cleaning our air. This agreement is based on H.R. 1550, introduced by Congresswoman Sutton, and H.R. 520, introduced by Congressman Inslee.
See also: Fact Sheet: Cash for Clunkers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing its strategy for increasing the supply of renewable fuels, poised to reach 36 billion gallons by 2022, as mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Citing financial and environmental reasons for the change, the governor said he hoped local governments and businesses would follow the state’s lead.
