Jul 02 2010

Kyoto may push factories to pollute more: U.N. report

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(Reuters) - A Kyoto Protocol scheme may be encouraging projects to emit more greenhouse gases because of incentives to earn carbon offsets from subsequently destroying these, a U.N. report said. The projects under investigation are the most lucrative under Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and account for more than half carbon offsets sold under the scheme. Limiting their output could impact carbon prices.
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Jul 02 2010

Deep in the Ocean Depths

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The dark deeps of the ocean has always been mysterious because they are dark (of course) as well hard to visit and see what is down there. For example the Coelacanth, long thought extinct, lives down deep and was only discovered in 1938 as well the elusive giant squids of legend. A study of the occurrence of fishes in the ocean's deepest reaches (the hadal zone, below 20,000 feet)has provided evidence that some species of fishes are more numerous at such depths than experts had thought. The authors of the study, which is published in the July/August issue of BioScience, observed 10 to 20 snailfish congregating at a depth of 25,000 feet around a baited video lander in the Japan Trench. The observation period lasted only five hours, so the occurrence of so many snailfish was a surprise.
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Jul 02 2010

EPA issues greenhouse gas reporting requirements for coal mines, industrial wastewater treatment systems, industrial landfills, and magnesium production facilities

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The reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by major sources of these pollutants is gaining momentum. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing requirements under its national mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting program for underground coal mines, industrial wastewater treatment systems, industrial waste landfills and magnesium production facilities. The data from these sectors will provide a better understanding of GHG emissions and will help EPA and businesses develop effective policies and programs to reduce them. Methane is the primary GHG emitted from coal mines, industrial wastewater treatment systems and industrial landfills and is more than 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide at warming the atmosphere. The main fluorinated GHG emitted from magnesium production is sulfur hexafluoride, which has an even greater warming potential than methane, and can stay in the atmosphere for thousands of years.
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Jul 02 2010

MillerCoors Hits Waste Goals 5 Years Early

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June 30, 2010 – MillerCoors, a leader in brewing industry sustainability practices, released its 2010 Sustainable Development report yesterday in which the company announced that it had exceeded its 2015 waste reduction goals 5 years early, and has achieved "zero waste" at two of its brewing facilities.
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Jul 02 2010

Starbucks Pilot Program Recycles Cups into Napkins

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This fall, stores in the Chicago will start sending used cups to a Green Bay, WI, paper mill, where a Georgia Pacific facility will turn them into napkins. The program will start small but is a significant step to address the company’s devouring of 3 billion paper cups and 1 billion plastic cups annually. Starbucks wants recycling at all of its stores by 2015 and the company's leadership is focusing on two approaches: first, recycling bins at all of its stores, and second, finding a market for all those dirty cups that otherwise end up in a landfill.
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Jul 01 2010

US EPA voids significant Texas air permit program in effect for 16 years

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For the past 16 years the state of Texas has been issuing air quality permits to refineries and other major sources that permitted emissions caps on facilities, and allowed facilities to comply with the caps in a manner that gave them some operating flexibility while not exceeding the overall facility cap specified in the permit. This approach, also used in other states, is generally applauded by companies, regulatory agencies, and also by environmental groups. It is a win-win for everyone. So why did EPA void the program? First, state programs operate under authority delegated by USEPA, so EPA does have the right to disapprove a state program it deems to be inadequate under the federal Clean Air Act. A major problem with the EPA action disapproving the Texas permitting program is that there are existing sources in Texas permitted under the program that are relying on the permit terms in their existing permits and have based their business decisions on an existing established permitting program that has been in place since 1995.
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Jul 01 2010

Dispersants in the Gulf

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EPA continues to carefully monitor BP’s use of dispersant in the Gulf. Dispersants are generally less toxic than oil and can help prevent some oil from impacting sensitive areas along the Gulf Coast. EPA believes BP should use as little dispersant as necessary and, on May 23, EPA directed BP to reduce dispersant usage by 75 percent from peak usage. EPA and the Coast Guard formalized that order in a directive to BP on May 26. Over the next month BP reduced dispersant use 68 percent from that peak and EPA will continue to urge BP to reduce the volumes used. However, dispersants come in many varieties with different effectiveness and toxicity. EPA has just released a study of such available options.
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Jul 01 2010

Ensuring Seafood Safety in the Gulf of Mexico

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The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is having a devastating impact on marine wildlife. Fishery stocks are off limits in the affected areas. However, there are still large portions of the Gulf which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has kept open to fishing activities. To ensure the safety of the seafood caught in these areas, federal and state agencies have joined together to implement a comprehensive and coordinated safety program.
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Jul 01 2010

Greener palm oil arrives in the United States

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The first shipment of palm oil certified under sustainability criteria have arrived in the United States, according to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). AAK, a vegetable oils and fats manufacturer based in Malmo, Sweden, announced the arrival of the first shipment of segregated RSPO-certified palm oil to its refinery in Port Newark, New Jersey.
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Jul 01 2010

Bikes’ Niche in Urban Transport Expanding

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The District of Columbia last week opened its latest set of dedicated bike lanes, part of a citywide effort to encourage cycling. The lanes run down the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue, the busy thoroughfare that connects the U.S. Capitol and the White House and a high-profile route meant to demonstrate the city's seriousness about cycling.
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