Fw: Mold in Buildings: Environmental Health Problem: Gallon Environment Letter

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:

: THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER

: 506 Ave., Montreal, Quebec H3Y 2R5

: Ph. (514) 369-0230, Fax (514) 369-3282

: Email cibe@...

: Vol. 6, No. 4, March 1, 2002

:

:

:

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:

: CALIFORNIA IS FIRST STATE TO REQUIRE MOLD DISCLOSURE

:

: Mold is becoming a serious indoor environmental disease. It forms between

: the walls of buildings in moist climates, especially when the buildings

are

: not properly constructed. California recently became the first state to

: require owners and landlords of commercial or residential property to

: disclose the presence of mold. Under the Toxic Mold Protection Act, the

: state Department of Health Services is required to develop new mold

: standards for indoor environments and report on the progress on developing

: those standards by July 1, 2003. Owners and landlords will have to begin

: disclosing the presence of excessive mold six months after the standards

are

: adopted. Also, a California jury awarded a family more than US $2.7

million

: for personal injuries due to exposure to toxic mold case. The plaintiffs

had

: moved into an apartment complex in August 1997. Shortly thereafter, they

: complained about mold but management did not fix the problem. One member

of

: the family spent five days in a hospital in acute respiratory distress.

They

: vacated the apartment and left their belongings behind. They said that

they

: had to pay more rent in their new place. In addition, they had nearly

: $125,000 in medical bills. Initially, the plaintiffs just wanted the

: apartment complex to reimburse them for their belongings and moving

expenses

: and filed their lawsuit after the apartment management refused. At another

: California apartment complex, the owner has agreed to a settlement for 85

: apartments that had been infested with mold. The settlement payments

ranged

: from $7,500 for one bedroom, $9,000 for two bedrooms, and $15,000 for

three

: bedrooms. In addition, tenants do not have to pay back rent that has been

: unpaid since June 1999. The 300-apartment complex has been completely

: vacated and mold remediation is underway. Source, The Schnapf

Environmental

: Report, a bi-monthly newsletter, published by Law Professor Lawrence P.

: Schnapf, 55 E.87th Street, #8B, New York, New York 10128. Telephone: (212)

: 996-5395. Fax: (503) 213-9314. E-Mail: LSchnapf@....

: Subscription rate for the Schnapf Environmental Report is $95 for one year

: (six issues) or $25 per issue.

:

:

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:

: MOLD REMOVAL AND CLEAN UP BECOMING A MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS

:

: Specialty environmental companies providing the expertise and technology

for

: mold removal are being called upon to help solve the problem. For example,

: during the past few months, school districts in the Chicago,

Massachusetts,

: Ohio, and Maine area have had to shut down schools while mold was removed

: from the buildings. One mold cleanup at a Chicago area high school is

: expected to take five months to complete at a cost of $1.275 million. It

is

: believed that mold problems in homes are caused by water leaks. The most

: common source of leaks are broken washing machine hose, leaky dishwasher,

: cracked water or sewer pipe, condensation associated with air conditioning

: equipment, leaking windows and roofs. Moisture problems in school

buildings

: can be caused by a variety of conditions, including roof and plumbing

leaks,

: condensation, and excess humidity. Some moisture problems in schools are

as

: a result of recent building design changes that make buildings more air

: tight for increased energy efficiency. These new " environmentally-sound

: buildings " don't allow moisture to escape easily often resulting in the

: creation of mold and " sick building syndrome " .. However, EPA has said that

: some of the moisture problems in schools are also associated with delayed

: maintenance or insufficient maintenance budgets in order to keep up these

: newer types of buildings. Source, The Schnapf Environmental Report, a

: bi-monthly newsletter, published by Law Professor Lawrence P. Schnapf, 55

: E.87th Street, #8B, New York, New York.

:

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:

: U.S. COMPANIES AVOID LATE TRI REPORTING FINES BY VOLUNTARILY REPORTING TO

: TRI - LATE

:

: By law, companies in the United States must report to the Toxic Release

: Inventory ( " TRI " ). TRI was created under the Emergency Planning and

: Community Right to Know Act ( " EPCRA " ). A number of U.S. companies at first

: failed to report their emissions and releases to the TRI. However, four

: Pennsylvania companies avoided $238,555 in penalties by voluntarily

: reporting and correcting environmental violations at their facilities to

the

: TRI. The violations involved failing to file Toxic Release Inventory

( " TRI " )

: forms under the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act

: ( " EPCRA " ). Armstrong World Industries of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, failed

to

: submit TRIs for a variety of hazardous chemicals it stored. EPA waived

: potential fines of $115,885 penalty. Con-Lime, Inc. of Bellefonte,

: Pennsylvania, failed to file TRI reports for lead compounds stored at its

: facility from1997 through 1999. EPA waived a potential penalty of $16,500.

: Mathews Marble Manufacturing Inc. of Bridgeport, Pa., failed to file TRI

: reports for 1998 and 1999. EPA agreed to waive a potential penalty of

: $8,420. Southco Inc. of Concordville, Pennsylvania, failed to file TRI

: reports for various manufacturing and lubricating oils. EPA agreed to

waive

: $97,750 in potential penalties. A Syracuse, New York company had agreed to

: pay a $13,000 fine and perform a supplemental environmental project

( " SEP " )

: to settle claims that it failed to submit TRI reports for certain

hazardous

: chemicals used at its facility from 1997 to 1999. Under the SEP, the

company

: agreed to $20,000 worth of emergency response equipment including a

: motorboat for the City of Syracuse Fire Department. The Fire Department

will

: use the equipment to respond to emergencies in and along Onondaga Lake and

: connecting rivers.

:

: Sprint United Management Co. agreed to pay $250,000 after voluntarily

: disclosing violations at 1,100 of its cellular and paging-related

: facilities. After performing an environmental compliance audit, the

company

: informed EPA it had failed to file TRI reports for sulfuric acid, lead

: and/or diesel fuel at 258 facilities located in 37 states. Sprint also

: failed to file Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans at

: 203 facilities located in 23 states. The amount of the penalty is equal

to

: the economic benefit Sprint had gained from delaying compliance. EPA and

: other government agencies have established programs that provide reduced

: penalties for companies that voluntary disclose violations. Last month,

the

: Securities and Exchange Commission ( " SEC " ) identified 13 factors that it

: would consider when determining to refrain from taking enforcement actions

: or reducing penalties. The 13 factors were identified in a Report of

: Investigation, Exchange Act Release No. 44969 (Oct. 23, 2001). Source, The

: Schnapf Environmental Report, a bi-monthly newsletter, published by Law

: Professor Lawrence P. Schnapf, 55 E.87th Street, #8B, New York, New York.

:

: **************************************************************************

:

: RECYCLING OLD COMPUTERS FROM OECD COUNTRIES HARMING ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

OF

: DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

:

: An investigation by an international coalition of environmental

: organizations reveals that huge quantities of hazardous electronic wastes

: (E-wastes) from old computers, printers, scanners, etc. are being exported

: to China, Pakistan and India where they are processed in operations that

are

: extremely harmful to human health and the environment. The

organizations --

: Basel Action Network (BAN) and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) with

: support from Toxics Link India, Greenpeace China and SCOPE (Pakistan) --

: have released a full report on the investigation entitled: " Exporting

Harm:

: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia " . The investigation uncovered an entire

area

: known as Guiyu in Guangdong Province of China, surrounding the Lianjiang

: River just 4 hours drive northeast of Hong Kong where about 100,000 poor

: migrant workers are employed breaking apart and processing obsolete

: computers imported primarily from North America. The workers were found to

: be using 19th century technologies to clean up the wastes from the 21st

: century. The operations involve men, women and children toiling under

: primitive conditions, often unaware of the health and environmental

hazards

: involved in operations which include open burning of plastics and wires,

: riverbank acid works to extract gold, melting and burning of toxic

soldered

: circuit boards and the cracking and dumping of toxic lead laden cathode

ray

: tubes. Many tons of the E-waste are being dumped along rivers, in open

: fields and irrigation canals in the rice growing area.

:

: Already the pollution in Guiyu has become so devastating that well water

is

: no longer drinkable and thus water has to be trucked in from 30 kilometers

: away for the entire population. " We found a cyber-age nightmare, " said Jim

: Puckett, coordinator of BAN. " They call this recycling, but it's really

: dumping by another name. Yet to our horror, we further discovered that

: rather than banning it, the United States government is actually

encouraging

: this ugly trade in order to avoid finding real solutions to the massive

tide

: of obsolete computer waste generated in the US daily. BAN referred to the

: fact that the United States is the only developed country in the world

that

: has failed to ratify the Basel Convention, a United Nations environmental

: treaty which has adopted a global ban on the export of hazardous wastes

from

: the worlds most developed countries to developing countries. Further, the

: U.S. has actually exempted toxic E-waste from its own laws governing

: exports, simply because the material was claimed to be destined for

: recycling. BAN and SVTC are calling on the United States to follow

Europe's

: example and immediately implement the global ban on the export of

hazardous

: wastes from the United States to developing countries and likewise to

solve

: the E-waste problem " upstream " by mandating that the electronics industry

: institute " take-back " recycling programs, toxic input phase-outs and green

: design for long-life, upgradeability and ease of recycling. The Basel

Action

: Network (BAN) is a global network of activists working for global

: environmental justice and against trade in toxic wastes, toxic

technologies

: and toxic products. For a copy of the full report visit the websites

below.

: Video material and still photos are available. For more information

contact

: Jim Puckett, BAN: Phone: 1.206.652.5555 or Ted , SVTC: Phone:

: 1.408.287.6707, Ext. 305. Visit the website http://www.ban.org . Silicon

: Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) is a 20 year community-based coalition that

: advocates for cleaner production, and sustainable occupational and

: environmental health practices within the electronics industry. Visit

their

: website at http://www.svtc.org .

:

: **********************************************************************

:

: NRDC ANNOUNCES ENERGY INDEPENDENCE CAMPAIGN FOR U.S. IN A LETTER WRITTEN

BY

: ROBERT KENNEDY JR.

:

: While President W. Bush would have the U.S. taxpayer continue to

: subsidize and exploit oil and gas imports from regions around the world,

: threatening the U.S.'s energy independence, the environmental groups have

: taken a much more sound economic stand. They have decided to help the U.S.

: move toward a more militarily-solid energy independence and energy source

: diversity within the United States. For example, the Natural Resources

: Defense Council's (NRDC) has launched the " Declaration of Energy

: Independence " a campaign aimed at pressuring the White House to pursue

: energy efficiency and conservation rather than depending upon foreign

: sources and destroying the US' last wild places in pursuit of the last

: accessible oil. F. Kennedy, Jr., senior lawyer for NRDC wrote a

: letter to the President stating that: " there is nothing patriotic about

: handing over our natural heritage to the oil industry. But that's exactly

: what the White House wants to do in the name of national security. The

: Declaration of Energy Independence calls on the U.S. government to pursue

a

: sustainable energy future that will preserve -- not destroy -- our last,

: unspoiled wildlands. We have little time to lose. With the nation's

: attention focussed almost exclusively on the war against terrorism, the

Bush

: administration has moved quietly but aggressively in recent months to open

: up fragile wildlands to giant energy corporations. In Utah, they were in

: such a hurry to lease millions of acres of our redrock canyonlands for oil

: and gas development that they skipped the environmental review that is

: required by law. My colleagues here at NRDC have already gone to federal

: court to block this illegal giveaway of redrock country. "

:

: Kennedy continued, " If we really want to declare energy independence, then

: the only answer is to dramatically reduce our appetite for oil. For

: starters, we could increase the fuel efficiency of our cars and light

trucks

: to 40 miles per gallon. That would save nearly two million barrels of oil

a

: day by the year 2012 -- more than all the oil we imported last year from

: Saudi Arabia. " Visit their website on this issue at

: http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/oilsecurity/securityinx.asp .

: Read the full declaration of energy independence at the website

: http://www.savebiogems.org/declaration.asp .

: *************************************************************************

:

: WHILE COLD SNAP IN MEXICO KILLED MILLIONS OF MONARCH BUTTERFLIES, ILLEGAL

: LOGGING COULD FINISH THEM OFF

:

: Reuters News Service wrote that, " Mexico could do little to prevent a cold

: snap that killed about 250 million Monarch butterflies last month, but

: naturalists say the government can do something about an even greater

threat

: to their survival: illegal logging. " Reuters went on, " the red and black

: butterflies, which winter in Mexico each year after a migration from

Canada,

: died on January 12 and 13, 2002, after they were soaked by bitter rain and

: assailed by freezing cold. " We can't do anything about these (natural)

: catastrophes, " said Dr. Ernesto Enkerlin, president of Mexico's National

: Commission for Protected Natural Areas, a government body. " But we can do

: something to ensure a better habitat so that butterfly populations are

: better able to resist when these things occur. " The Monarchs need full,

: healthy and old forests to shield them from moisture and cold nights. The

: trees hide them from the rain and help keep in the warmth left by the sun

: during the day. Since 1968, about 44 percent of the Monarch sanctuary

woods

: region in hilly Michoacan State of Mexico, has been depleted, mostly by

: rampant illegal logging allowed by the government, the study said. " And

the

: study by scientists at Mexico City's National Autonomous University shows

: that the rate of depletion between 1986-99 was faster than in the 1968-86

: period. " The situation is getting worse, " said Dr. Lincoln Brower,

: considered one of the world's foremost specialists in the annual Monarch

: butterfly migrations from Canada to Mexico.

:

: Illegal loggers continue to operate in the region, despite the risk of

: being thrown in jail if caught and receiving economic incentives to leave

: the trees alone. The World Wildlife Fund in Mexico and the government have

: established a $6 million fund to help people who live on the butterfly

: sanctuaries and buffer zones to look to other industries to make a living.

: Using only the interest on the fund, in 2000, the WWF began paying owners

of

: land used by the butterflies to halt logging. In June, the group plans to

: pay $18 a hectare (2.5 acres) to landowners who agree not to cut down

their

: trees. But Enkerlin and Brower say that's not enough to pay off would-be

: loggers in the region. " Only when the Monarch is worth more to them than

the

: trees will they stop, " said Enkerlin. The government is working to help

: people in buffer areas - the forest perimeter - move into other industries

: like eco-tourism and crafts, he added. In a separate program, the

government

: plans to plant trees over 24,700 acres (10,000 hectares) of buffer area in

: the coming two years. Scientists like Brower complement that initiative,

: even though the consensus is that it will be many years before the forest

: acquires its former density. The question for many is whether it may be

too

: late. " The pressure is on and usually the environment loses when it's up

: against the logging industry, " Brower said. Source, " Logging threatens

: Monarch butterflies in Mexico, " by Pav Jordan, Mexico City, Reuters

: Limited., February 15, 2002.

:

: ************************************************************************

:

: SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION FOR THE 2002 STOCKHOLM INDUSTRY WATER AWARD

:

: Companies that have contributed to pollution elimination or reduced

: freshwater consumption through innovative programs, policies, processes or

: products now have the opportunity to be nominated for the prestigious

: Stockholm Industry Water Award. Nominations will be accepted until

February

: 28, 2002 (oops, OK next year), from businesses and industries whose

: resources, competencies and experiences have helped to reduce the effects

of

: the escalating world water crisis. The Stockholm Water Foundation presents

: the award in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering

: Sciences and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The

: award was founded to stimulate business contributions to sustainable water

: development and recognizes innovative corporate development of water and

: wastewater process technologies, and foster environmental improvement

: through improved performance in production processes. The award will be

: presented in August 2002 during the World Water Week in Stockholm. The

2001

: award went to the General Motors Ramos Arizpe automobile complex in

Mexico,

: which used innovative water and wastewater treatment and recycling

: techniques to conserve water in a water-short area. For nomination forms

and

: criteria, contact SIWI, Sveavägen 59, SE-113 59 Stockholm, Sweden, tel +46

8

: 522 139 60, fax +46 8 522 139 61, or e-mail siwi@.... Forms may also

be

: downloaded from the website http://www.siwi.org .

:

: **************************************************************************

:

: WRI SPEAKS OUT ON CORRUPTION IN INDONESIA'S FORESTS

:

: The rather cautious World Resources Institute (WRI), based in Washington,

: D.C., seldom jumps into sensitive issues, but it did when it directly

: addressed corruption and illegal logging in Indonesia. WRI released a

report

: entitled, " The State of the Forest: Indonesia " . It is the first

: comprehensive map-based assessment of the forests of Indonesia. It

provides

: a detailed analysis of the scale and pace of change affecting Indonesia's

: forests. The report found that Indonesia is experiencing one of the

highest

: rates of tropical forest loss in the world. It is losing nearly 2 million

: hectares of forest annually. If current trends continue, the lowland

forests

: of Sumatra and Kalimantan will disappear by 2010. WRI stated that,

" illegal

: logging has reached epidemic proportions. The country's demand for wood

: fibre now exceeds legal supplies by 35 to 40 million cubic meters

annually.

: An estimated 65 percent of it comes from illegal sources. " WRI added that,

: " Deforestation is largely the result of a corrupt political and economic

: system that regards natural resources as a source of revenue to be

exploited

: for political and personal gains. " Indonesia is home to the largest area

of

: contiguous tropical forest in Asia, and the third largest in the world.

The

: report is published by Global Forest Watch, an initiative of the World

: Resources Institute, and its partner, Forest Watch Indonesia. FWI will be

: launching the report on the same day in Jakarta, Indonesia. For more

: information contact Adlai J. Amor at ph. 202-729-7736 or email,

: aamor@.... For more information contract s, lead author,

: Dr. Victor Barber, lead author Dirk , director, Global

Forest

: Watch World Resources Institute, 10 G. St., NE (8th Floor), Washington DC

: 2002 . Copies of the report are available at:

: http://www.dooleyonline.net/media_preview/index.cfm . Visit the World

: Resources Institute at the website http://www.wri.org/wri .

:

: **********************************************************************

:

: ECONOMICS OF MINING IN ALASKA NOT ALL THAT GOOD

:

: A study released today shows that the economies of so-called

: mining-dependent communities in Alaska receive little benefit from metal

: mining. Economist Dr. Power of the University of Montana released

the

: surprising findings in a report entitled, " The Role of Metal Mining in the

: Alaska Economy " (PDF). Power's data shows that almost half of the

industry's

: profits leave the state while Alaska both subsidizes the industry and

: assumes much of the risk of paying for environmental damage should the

: mining companies go bankrupt. " Alaska's metal mines are an asset that

could

: spur long-term economic vitality for the state, but that potential has not

: yet been realized with most of the benefits leaving the state, " Dr. Power

: said. Power pointed out that the Fort Knox Mine, at the time it poured its

: millionth ounce of gold in September of 1999, had not yet had to pay any

: royalties to the State of Alaska because its deductions of " costs " allowed

: it to show no taxable " net income. " " Mining does not make sense when it is

: undermining our state's economy, " said Mara Bacsujlaky, Assistant Director

: of the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. " Mining companies are getting

a

: free ride based on poor economic accounting.

:

: Metal mining is directly responsible for only about one-half of one

percent

: of Alaskan jobs and personal income: about 2,000 of Alaska's 400,000 jobs

: and $87 million of Alaska's $1.9 billion of personal income in the year

: 2000. Even after applying any reasonable " multiplier " to these numbers,

: metal mining would continue to provide only a small sliver of total

Alaskan

: jobs and income. In the so-called " mining dependent " cities of Fairbanks

and

: Juneau, metal mining is directly responsible for only about one and two

: percent of total jobs, respectively. The very modest role of metal mining

to

: Alaska's economy is often obscured by exaggerated estimates of metal

: mining's benefits built around double and triple counting or counting

value

: that is not created in Alaska. Such exaggerated estimates of impacts

ignore

: basic economic accounting rules established almost a century ago. Source,

: Environmental Media Services, 1320 18th Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington,

: DC 20036, ph. (202) 463-6670. For more information contact, Prof.

: Power, Univ. of Montana, ph. 406/243-4586, or Mara Bacsujlaky, Northern

: Alaska Environmental Center, ph. 907/452-5021, Ext. 28, or Keeney,

: Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, ph. 907/586-6942. Visit the website

: http://www.ems.org/alaska_mining/anchorage.html .

:

: ************************************************************************

:

: EARTHSCAN PUBLISHES ATLAS OF ENDANGERED SPECIES WORLDWIDE

:

: Earthscan based in London, U.K., has published " The Atlas of Endangered

: Species: Threatened Plants and Animals of the World, " by Mackay.

: Based on information provided by WWF and the World Conservation Monitoring

: Centre, this Atlas provides a comprehensive and easy-to-use reference to

the

: species under threat and their habitats, explaining the nature and extent

of

: the threats and why it is so important to address them. The world is

facing

: a mass extinction. Up to a fifth of all living species may have ceased to

: exist within a generation. The Atlas includes 50 full-colour global maps;

: regional maps to illuminate key aspects; colour photos of rare creatures;

: and detailed case studies. See more about the book at

: http://www.earthscan.co.uk/asp/bookdetails.asp?key=3601 . Visit the

: Earthscan website at http://www.earthscan.co.uk .

:

: ************************************************************************

:

: SEE THE CITES INTERNATIONAL WEBSITE ON THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES

:

: Visit the website of the UNEP Secretariat for the Convention on

: International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). It is packed with

: information on threatened and endangered species and efforts to protect

them

: from poaching, habitat encroachment, and other human abuses. You can also

: see the latest CITES newsletters now available online in English, French

and

: Spanish. The entire edition is devoted to a closer look at the future of

: the Caspian Sea sturgeon and international and national efforts to

: sustainably manage the endangered resource. You go to the websites for

: English at http://www.cites.org/eng/news/world/8.pdf

: French -- http://www.cites.org/fra/news/world/8.pdf

: Spanish -- http://www.cites.org/esp/news/world/8.pdf

:

:

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:

: EMCORE CORP. IN THE U.S. INCREASES SIZE OF ITS SOLAR BUSINESS

:

: EMCORE Corp. a U.S. semiconductor company based in Somerset, New Jersey,

has

: reached an agreement to acquire certain assets of the Applied Solar

Division

: business of Tecstar Inc. This will make it the world's largest independent

: solar panel integrator. Under the agreement, EMCORE will pay US$21 million

: for the solar cell business and operations of Tecstar. " EMCORE has the

most

: advanced solar cell technology available today, " says president and CEO

: Reuben s. " By acquiring Tecstar, we are combining our

: industry-leading technology with Tecstar's proven flight heritage to offer

: manufacturers an integrated solution to meet all of their satellite power

: needs from a single source. " The purchase will vertically integrate all

: aspects of satellite solar panel construction within EMCORE, and provide

the

: New Jersey firm with solar panel manufacturing expertise that dates back

to

: 1958. The acquisition allows EMCORE to expand its product offerings to

: include cover interconnect cells and solar panels. The acquisition will be

: done through a Chapter 11 reorganization of Tecstar. See the full story at

: http://www.solaraccess.com/news/story.jsp?storyid=1464 . Source,

: SolarAccess.com, Oliver Strube, ph. (603) 924-4405 email

: oliver@... . Visit their website at

: http://www.emcore.com/html.html .

:

: *************************************************************************

:

: U.S. SOLAR ENERGY COMPANY ASTRO POWER INSTALLS SOLAR SYSTEM IN U.K.

: BUILDINGS

:

: The United States, solar module manufacturer, AstroPower, Inc. has

installed

: systems on two environmentally advanced buildings in Britain. Both

: buildings, located in a business park in Wales, feature a 13.2 kW APex

: solar array. The combined system, designed and installed by Dulas Ltd,

will

: generate 23 MWh of electricity a year. Each array comprises 110 PV

modules,

: which incorporate AstroPower's 8 " cells manufactured from the company's

: continuous-sheet Silicon-Film process. The roof-mounted PV arrays will

: produce most of the power required for the 3,228 ft2 buildings. " The

opinion

: that the U.K. is not well-suited for solar is rapidly waning, " says Guy

: of Dulas. " With a grant program for renewable energy pending, and

: applications such as this to prove the potential of solar power, the U.K.

: will soon expand its current two megawatts of installed solar electric

: power. " In addition to PV systems, the buildings feature passive solar

: heating, natural ventilation, and recycled newspaper and cellulose

: insulation inside timber walls. Designed for low-energy use, the buildings

: have received the highest grading under the Building Research

Establishment

: Environmental Assessment Method. BREEAM is an international method to

: determine the quality, energy use, and environmental and health

implications

: of new building developments. Contact AstroPower, Inc., 461 Wyoming Road,

: Newark, Delaware 19716-2000, ph. 302-366-0400. Visit AstroPower, Inc.'s

: website at http://www.astropower.com/ . See the full story at

: http://www.solaraccess.com/news/story.jsp?storyid=1420 .

:

: **************************************************************************

:

: PRESIDENT BUSH'S BUDGET WEAK ON SUPPORT FOR CLEAN WATER

:

: The Water Infrastructure Network (WIN) expressed serious concern about the

: Bush-Cheney fiscal year 2003 budget for drinking water and wastewater

: infrastructure funding. For the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund

(SRF),

: the federal government proposed the same amount as last year - only $850

: million. For the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, only $1.25 billion was

: proposed, which is $100 million less than fiscal year 2002. These are

small

: numbers for a nation used to dealing in trillions of dollars and spending

: hundreds of billions on weapons and war ventures. The drinking water SRF

has

: yet to be budgeted at its authorized level of $1 billion per year, and

: funding for the clean water SRF has remained flat for several years.

: According to the Water Infrastructure Network (WIN), consisting of nearly

40

: organizations representing drinking water and wastewater agencies, local

: elected officials, labour, environmentalists and engineering and

: construction firms, the budget proposal falls far short of infrastructure

: needs. Hearings last year before the Senate Committee on Environment and

: Public Works documented a shortfall of up to $1 trillion in the needed

level

: of investment for meeting federal requirements and the repair and

: replacement of aging infrastructure over the next twenty years. Local

: governments and utility ratepayers currently shoulder over 90 percent of

all

: spending on drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. WIN is asking

: Congress to commit $57 billion over the next five years for investment in

: drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. This is half the amount of

: the spending shortfall documented by WIN over that period, and if fully

: funded, still leaves the federal share of drinking water and wastewater

: funding at less than 20 percent of total spending. To see the nearly 40

: organizations that make up WIN, go to http://www.win-water.org . For more

: information contact A. McTavish, Government Relations Coordinator,

: American Public Works Association - Washington, DC , ph. (202) 408-9541,

: Ext.3010. Visit their website at http://www.apwa.net/govtaffairs .

:

: ************************************************************************

:

: REPORT ON U.S. EPA ENFORCEMENT FOR THE YEAR 2001

:

: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its report

on

: enforcement for the year 2001. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

: reported that there was a record-setting expenditure of $4.3 billion by

: violators for pollution controls and environmental cleanup. The program

also

: secured commitments for an estimated reduction of more than 660 million

: pounds of harmful pollutants and the treatment and safe management of an

: estimated record 1.84 billion pounds of pollutants. " With our state and

: local partners, we set a high priority on areas that posed serious threats

: to health and the environment, " said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman.

: " The Administration is determined to actively pursue those who fail to

: comply with the law while working closely with the regulated community to

: find workable and flexible solutions. " The EPA settled 222 civil judicial

: environmental cases and issued 3,228 administrative orders and field

: citations. It pursued a vigorous criminal program resulting in prison

: sentences totalling 256 years-an increase of more than 100 years over

: FY2000-for criminal violations. These violations resulted in nearly $95

: million in fines and restitution. Enforcement are resulted in supplemental

: environmental projects totalling $89 million, up 60 percent from $55.8

: million in FY2000. For more information contact Hewitt, National

: Center for Environmental Economics, US EPA (MC 1809), 1200 Pennsylvania

: Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20460, ph. (202) 260-3378, fax (202)

260-5732

: fax, email Hewitt.@... . Visit the website at

: http://www.epa.gov/economics/ . The enforcement press release is

: http://www.epa.gov/epahome/headline_020102.htm .

:

:

***************************************************************************

:

: APPLY FOR $55,000 AAAS GLOBAL STEWARDSHIP FELLOWSHIP IN U.S.

:

: As a scientist, you may be interested in the Revelle Fellowship in

: Global Stewardship sponsored by the American Association for the

Advancement

: of Science (AAAS). Each year, the fellowship is awarded to an emerging

: leader in the U.S. scientific community who shows an ability to make a

: significant contribution to domestic or international environmental

issues,

: encompassed under the umbrella of global stewardship. The focus of the

: fellowship will be on human interaction with ecosystems, which may include

: work in such areas as population, sustainable development, global climate

: change, food security, and related environmental concerns. The Revelle

: Fellow may be placed in the Congress, an executive branch agency, or a

: non-governmental organization within the Washington, DC, environmental

: policy community. Application deadline is January 2003. Applicants must

be

: U.S. citizens and must have a Ph.D. or an equivalent doctoral-level degree

: by the application deadline from any physical, biological or social

science,

: or any relevant interdisciplinary field, and at least three years of

: post-degree professional experience. Federal employees are ineligible. The

: stipend is $55,000. For more information contact Rica Asuncion- email

: rasuncio@... . The fellowship year begins September 1, 2003. For

: application instructions and further information, contact: 1200 New York

: Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005. Phone: 202/326-6700. E-mail:

: science_policy@.... Web: http://www.fellowships.aaas.org .

:

: **************************************************************************

:

: PEW FOUNDATION REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS ON FRESH WATER

:

: The Pew Foundation has issued a new report entitled, " Aquatic Ecosystems

and

: Global Climate Change: Potential Impacts on Inland Freshwater and Coastal

: Wetland Ecosystems in the United States " . The report draws on a variety of

: sources to summarize researchers' current understanding of the potential

: impacts of climate change on U.S. aquatic ecosystems. View the press

release

: and full report: http://www.pewclimate.org/projects/aquatic.cfm

:

: *******************************************************************

:

: AUSTRALIA HAS CALCULATED PER CAPITA GHG EMISSIONS

:

: The Australia Institute has calculated greenhouse gas emissions per capita

: for Annex B countries on a comprehensive basis, i.e. including all sources

: and sinks, using latest national reports to the UNFCCC. The five highest

per

: capita emitters are: Australia (27.6 tonnes CO2-e), Luxembourg (24.2),

: Canada (21.9), the USA (21.1) and Ireland (15.4). The average for the

: European Union is 10.3 tonnes, a figure heavily influenced by its largest

: members, Germany (11.9), UK (11.4), France (8.2) and Italy (9.0). Annex B

: countries were responsible for emissions of more than 14.5 billion tonnes

of

: CO2-e in 1998. The USA contributes the largest amount (39.5%), followed

by

: Japan (8.7%), the Russian Federation (7.4%), Germany (6.6%) and the United

: Kingdom (4.6%). The paper may be read under " What's New " at The Australia

: Institute website www.tai.org.au. A commentary on Australia's per capita

: emissions can be found under " Media Releases " on the same website. If

there

: are any problems reading the paper please email me at exec@....

: For more information contact Clive Hamilton,

:

: ********************************************************************

:

: APPLY FOR THE $100,000 SOPHIE FOUNDATION ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE

:

: The Sophie Foundation is now looking for candidates for the Sophie Prize

: 2002. The Sophie Prize, which is one of the world's most generous

: environment and development Prizes (US $ 100,000), is international and it

: is awarded annually. The Sophie Prize is established to inspire people

: working towards a sustainable future. The Prize was established in 1997 by

: the Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder and his wife Siri Dannevig. The 2001

: winner was ATTAC France, Association for the Taxation of financial

: Transactions for the Aid of Citizen (France) www.attac.org a worldwide and

: pioneering movement that challenges the uncritical economic growth and the

: negative effects of neo-liberalism. The winner in 2000 was Sheri Liao

: (China), environmental journalist and activist. Ms. Liao founded the NGO

: Global Village of Beijing (GVB) www.gvbchina.org in March 1996 and has

: initiated a series of environmental projects carried out in the media and

: through public lectures, media events, workshops and other outreach

: activities. The winner in 1999 was Herman Daly (USA) and Kocherry

: (Kerala, India) www.wffp.org for their efforts in setting focus on

: alternatives to the adverse effects of economic globalisation and its

: consequences for resource management. They have shown that present

economic

: policies impoverish people and environment and each in their own right

have

: made constructive contributions to altering the course of this

development.

: The award is available to voluntary organizations and independent research

: institutions worldwide, specialising in the field of environment and/or

: development. To learn more about us you could visit our web:

: http://www.sophieprize.org For more information contact Anette Langtvet,

: Director, The Sophie Foundation, Nedre gate 8, 0551 Oslo, Norway, Tel.

+47

: 22 87 01 00, Fax +47 22 87 00 99, E-mail: sophiefo@... .

:

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: Canadian Institute for

: Business and the

: Environment,

: Montreal & Toronto

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: rights reserved.

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