BIO BUS PROMOTES BENEFITS OF BIODIESEL
by Sarah Morgan

Project Bio Bus will be rumbling through Texas promoting the use of biodiesel, which is being touted as a cleaner alternative to petroleum-based fuel and can be made from a variety of renewable sources including soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, and animal fats.

Last summer, students from Middlebury College in Vermont took the 35-passenger school bus dubbed "Bio Bus" on a three-week jaunt through several northeastern states. The bus made the journey powered only by biodiesel. Their fuel of choice - vegetable oil, some of which was donated by local pizza shops and fast food restaurants they stopped by on their route.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site, the student’s Bio Bus is not the first of its kind. The Web site states that Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine in 1895 and originally designed the engine to run on a variety of fuels including vegetable oil. When Diesel demonstrated the new engine at the World Exhibition in 1900, he used peanut oil for fuel, the EPA states. Since then, petroleum-based fuels have become the norm due to the relatively low cost, and biofuels have fallen by the wayside until recent environmental concerns pushed it back into the spotlight.

Biodiesel has enjoyed a spike in popularity over the past five years. The National Biodiesel Board estimated a sales volume of about 25 million gallons in 2003, compared with 500,000 gallons only four years earlier. The growth in sales is paralleled by the growing availability of biofuels, with production facilities popping up across the United States and Europe. In the United States, there are 37 plants that have already been built or are proposed for construction as of July 2004, according to the National Biodiesel Board. This includes three in Texas, one in Pasadena, one in Corsicana, and one in Oak Ridge. Furthermore, according to the EPA, two U.S. vehicle manufacturers have begun biodiesel "research initiatives," and more than 40 federal and state fleets already use biodiesel blends.

"Typically users would blend biodiesel with petroleum," said Kurt Lyell, co-founder of Austin Biofuels, which has been distributing biofuel to those in the Austin area for about a year. Lyell, also an engineer, said that most users purchase what is known as B20, a blend of 20 percent biodiesel with 80 percent petroleum diesel.

Even a B20 blend yields major emissions reductions. The EPA states that with B20, carbon monoxide is reduced by 10 percent, particulate emissions are reduced by 15 percent, and sulfate emissions are reduced by 20 percent. Total reduction of hydrocarbon emissions is recorded at 10 percent. Using 100 percent pure biodiesel results in significantly higher reductions including 50 percent less carbon monoxide, 70 percent less particulate emission, and 100 percent less sulfate than with petroleum diesel. Any percentage of biodiesel will work in diesel engines, though some mechanical problems may be incurred by using 100 percent pure biodiesel, usually the problems result from fuel filter clogs.

Another reason for using the blends as opposed to a purer form is the cost. Biodiesel continues to be more expensive than regular diesel. On average, Lyell said a gallon of 100 percent biodiesel costs $3.40. But, B20 costs about $1.99, a figure comparable to a regular gallon of diesel.

"Most of the expense is just transportation," explained Lyell. "We see that instead of having huge conglomerate cluster plants … it makes a lot of sense to build smaller plants to eliminate transportation costs." Currently, Lyell’s supplies come from a plant in Florida that uses recycled cooking grease.

Additionally, biodiesel provides the same levels of vehicle performance as petroleum diesel, and some studies show that it may even be better for your engine because it provides increased lubricity, which can lead to a longer engine life according to the Bio Bus project. Also, biodiesel is biodegradable, causing less of a mess after a spill, and it is nontoxic and therefor safer to handle and transport.

So why isn’t everyone jumping on the bandwagon?

Though most who have already been turned on to the fuel remain unabashedly optimistic about its future, others remain skeptical. Most concerns center around the industrial issues involved.

One company that manufactures biodiesel is Proctor and Gamble, the mega-company which manufactures everything from Tide laundry detergent to Pepto-Bismol and has been under fire for their animal testing policies for years from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Another company, Monsanto, the company making headlines recently for their genetically modified foods, is also manufacturing biofuel – from genetically modified soy and corn.

Another concern is land use. To grow enough crops for supplying biodiesel and food would require a large amount of land. However, one study done by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a division under the Department of Energy, shows that certain types of algea can also be used to make biodiesel. If the algea was used instead of corn or soy, the land use would be reduced significantly, requiring about 11,000 square miles, wrote Michael Briggs, a physicist with the University of New Hampshire’s Biodiesel Group. This amount of land would produce about 140 billion gallons of biodiesel, enough to replace both the 60 billion gallons of petroleum diesel and the 120 billion gallons of gasoline that the United States consumes each year, Briggs said.

One final problem with the use of biodiesel seems to be the biggest selling problem with environmentalists. Biodiesel actually raises the amount of nitrogen oxide emissions by two percent with B20 and nine percent with B100. However, laboratories have found additives that will reduce these emissions as well.

"My typical customers are individual drivers of diesel engines," Lyell said. "Mostly people with older Mercedes or people with new Mercedes or Volkswagens." But Lyell, and many other biodiesel fans, are trying to change that slowly but surely. Lyell said that he hopes to have his own plant in the Austin area someday.

The students with the Bio Bus project will be in Texas in mid-November. They plan on stopping by schools to demonstrate and discuss the benefits of biodiesel. To find out more information, or to ask them to stop by a school or facility in your area, visit http://www.projectbiobus.org.

CENTERPOINT ASKING FOR $1,400 PER FAMILY IN ELECTRICITY BILL HIKE
by Jimmy Myatt

The Public Utility Commission in Austin is currently hearing arguments that could increase electricity bills by almost $10 a month for the next 12 to 15 years for about 85 percent of Houston households.

World Internet News, a non-profit online newsroom at the University of Houston, is hosting a Public Forum (at http://www.worldinternetnews.org) about a claim by CenterPoint Energy to recover $4.4 billion in so-called "stranded costs" from its investments, primarily in 1973 in the South Texas Project nuclear plant.

The 14.2 megawatt twin reactors went online 10 years behind schedule and about 800 percent over budget because of construction and design defects and anti-nuclear litigation, according to Greenpeace and anti-nuclear activist Paul Robbins, who wrote the Austin Environmental Directory. The plant was repeatedly shut down because of leakages and failed safety inspections – even as recently as August of 2003, according to an STP press release. The plant is located 90 miles southwest of Houston near Bay City.

The plant was the first nuclear plant in Texas. The South Texas Project has two of the largest nuclear reactors in the United States and ranks in the top 20 for nuclear electric generating units in the world in output.

Aligned against CenterPoint in the case is a diverse group – 30 cities including Houston, the state of Texas and the Texas Medical Center. Advocates for millions of residential consumers contend in filings submitted to the Office of the Public Utility Counsel that ratepayers are not responsible for bailing out the energy giant from its debt. Their main point is that the profitability of the nuclear plant, based on payments already made by ratepayers, has more than repaid the investment and so the stranded costs are a phantom.

The director of regulatory analysis for the Office of the Public Utility Counsel, Clarence Johnson, said, "We believe, based on the analysis that we’ve done, that there is no need for stranded cost recovery in this case." At the core of CenterPoint’s claims is a little-known company called Texas GenCo, which owns 32 percent of STP and is buying up an added 12 percent. Texas GenCo was a spin-off of CenterPoint, which was itself spun-off from Reliant Energy when the company separated its regulated and de-regulated business activities. Reliant was the successor corporation of Houston Light & Power, the original investor in STP.

In the corporate restructuring, Reliant Resources became deregulated and took the bulk of assets, and CenterPoint remained regulated and was loaded with immense debt, according to Johnson.

Stock market and energy analysts in briefs and testimony filed for the PUC have questioned the stripping of assets and the bundling of liabilities to preserve claims to the "stranded costs."

As for GenCo, it remains an attractive subsidiary. CenterPoint currently owns 81 percent of GenCo. About half of CenterPoint’s board of directors also sat on the GenCo board.

With $4.4 billion in unrecovered investment costs, GenCo was supposed to be considered a losing investment setting up the big "true up" windfall, according to a senior energy executive and analyst, but rising natural gas prices have made GenCo’s solid fuel plants, including the STP reactors, profitable.

Reports filed with federal regulators show that the STP nuclear power plant has the lowest average fuel cost of any power plant in the United States at four-tenths of a cent per kilowatt-hour. STP's cost is the best reported by any American nuclear plant, according to a STP press release.

In fact, GenCo has no debt, owns one of the most profitable merchant energy fleets in the country and was the fifteenth-best performer on the New York Stock Exchange during its first year of trading in 2003.

CenterPoint critics and financial analysts are repeatedly arguing that the big utility has deliberately suppressed the value of GenCo's stock to enhance the possibility of collecting the $4.4 billion.

The "true-up" for stranded costs was based on a GenCo stock price of $36.26 per share, according to CenterPoint’s filing to the PUC on March 31, 2004. After the "true-up filing and a GenCo move to purchase a large part of STP, the stock has been steadily rising.

Shares of Texas GenCo closed at $46.85 on July 8, 2004. That constitutes a 29 percent raise in market value in a little more than three months.

Meanwhile, with a possible electricity rate increase of $1,400 per family at stake, an investigative reporting team in the School of Communication at the University of Houston saw a need for more in-depth coverage.

For more on the PUC hearings go to:
http://interchange.puc.state.tx.us/webapp/interchange/application. Next to "Control Number," type in 29526.

Starting on July 12, an online discussion will take place and last all next week to coincide with the hearings. To participate in the forum go to
http://www.worldinternetnews.org. Click on: "Public Forum."

NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF TEXAS WILDSCAPES WORKSHOP

The Houston chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas is currently accepting registration for their seventh annual Wildscapes Workshop and Plant Sale; Landscaping with native plants to attract wildlife. The event will be held Saturday, September 11 from 9am to 3pm and will include a book sale, a plant sale with hard to find plants, exhibits, lectures, door prizes and more. For more information or to register, contact Glenn Olson at houston@npsot.org or, (281) 345-4151.

KPC GAINS MORE LAND TO PRESERVE WORTHWHILE RESOURCES

Katy Prairie Conservancy, a pioneering advocacy local land trust, recently acquired the Warren Ranch, a 6,500-acre working ranch west of Interstate 10 and Highway 290 in Houston. The Warren Ranch is a vital piece of the Katy Prairie that includes a lake where hundreds of thousands of migratory birds make their wintering grounds. During the Cypress Creek/Katy Prairie Christmas Count 2004, ducks, waterfowl as well as the Hermit Thrush and the Winter Wren were observed and counted at the Warren Ranch Lake. KPC’s mission is to continues to preserve sustainable portions of the Katy Prairie for the benefits of its wildlife and its legacy as a valuable resource for Texans. For those interested in learning more about KPC and to participate in a KPC event, a volunteer training for an Amphibian Watch will be held Saturday, July 17 from 2:30pm to 7:30 pm at the KPC field office, 31950 Herbert Road. For more information contact KPC at (713) 523-6135 or visit
http://www.katyprairie.org/events.html

HOLA ANNOUNCES TUITION SCHOLARSHIP FOR 2004-2005

Houston Outdoor Learning Academy announces the availability of scholarships for the school year 2004-2005. HOLA provides an experiential adventure-based school coupled with integrated outdoor and environmental education objectives, international travel, and community service elements for students in grades six through twelve. The scholarships provide educational opportunities for students who enjoy the outdoors to learn in an alternative accredited school. For more information regarding scholarships or school curriculum contact founders Dan and Laura Zimmerman at (713) 224-4652 or submit a letter of interest to HOLA Scholarship Entry, 2731 Houston Ave, Houston, TX 77009.

ARTIST BOAT PROMOTES PRESERVATION OF ECOSYTEM

The Artist Boat Inc. combines science and art to promote awareness and preservation of coastal habitats. According to a recent newsletter, Executive Science Director, Tina Proctor said, "Students write passionately about their personal experiences. Artist Boat's Eco-Art Adventures provide students with unique experiences in their local natural environment. Their experiences not only help them understand the nature of science, but are also catalysts for creative writing." Artist Boat offers field trips and eco-art workshops that include canoe and kayak lessons, birding, watercolor painting, and the opportunity to study and observe local ecology. While exploring habitats, participants will conduct hands-on, outdoors environmental education activities, then reflect on their experience by painting or writing. The next upcoming Eco-Art Kayak Adventure is Saturday, July 17, from 9am to 3pm at Dollar Bay. To learn more about The Artist Boat, contact Tina Proctor at (409) 770-0722, or email tproctor64@hotmail.com

GULF COAST INSTITUTE NEWS

The Gulf Coast Institute said farewell last week to Catherine Pernot. David Crossley, president of Gulf Coast Institute, praised Pernot at a farewell luncheon for her work at Gulf Coast Institute for the past two years. Crossley said that her work reflected "thoughtful analysis of transportation and other urban issues." Pernot was responsible for analysis of the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan in several issues of the Houston Transportation Bulletin that sparked interest with citizens and elected officials. The 2025 RTP, is the most comprehensive transportation plan in Houston. According to the March issue of the Houston Transportation Bulletin, "it includes all road, transit, bike/pedestrian, and airport projects for the Houston-Galveston area over the next two decades." With the 2025 RTP being adopted, Gulf Coast Institute and the Houston-Galveston Area Council will host the next Livable Houston/Smart Growth bring-your-own lunch meeting, Wednesday July 28, from noon-1:30 pm to discuss future models for the 2028 RTP. For more information about Gulf Coast Institute contact, David Crossley at (713) 523-5757 or http://www.gulfcoastideas.org

CORRECTION

In last week’s update, the coalition note for Help Endangered Animals Ridley Turtles, had an incorrect phone number. The number given for the Hatchling Hotline belongs to the National Park Service at the Padre Island National Seashore. To contact Carole Allen, call (281) 444-6204.

TEXAS FOREST SERVICE 2004 URBAN FORESTRY PARTNERSHIP GRANT

The Texas Forest Service, the agency responsible for protecting and enhancing the state's forest resources, offers financial assistance in the form of challenge grants. The Partnership Grants are designed to start or improve a local urban forestry program or to educate the public about the importance of urban trees. Grant awards range from $1,000 to $10,000 and must be matched dollar-for-dollar (except for the application for a new professional staff position, for up to $30,000). Applicants may include any local or state government entity, schools, or nonprofit groups. Application deadline is July 15, 2004. To apply, e-mail the program secretary at lscasta@tfs.tamu.edu, or visit: http://www.texasforestservice.tamu.edu
Go to the Urban Forestry page and click the link for grants.

CONSUMER GUIDE DETAILS ILLS AND ALTERNATIVES FOR COMMON PRODUCTS

A free online consumer guide published in March by the Worldwatch Institute describes the environmental, social, and health harms associated with a wide range of products, including appliances, baby products, DVDs, clothing, cell phones, and food. The guide takes a behind the scenes look at how products are made, and offers simple advice and alternatives that enable people to reduce some of the ills associated with the things they buy.
For each product, the guide also describes successful efforts by governments, businesses, and nonprofit groups around the world to reduce negative impacts associated with common products.
http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/goodstuff

NEW REPORT IN PARKS FOR PEOPLE SERIES

The Trust For Public Land’s Parks for People initiative works in cities across America to ensure that everyone--in particular every child--enjoys access to a park, playground, or open space. A new Parks for People report by Peter Harnik, director of TPL's Center for City Park Excellence, highlights the need for parks in Newark, New Jersey. The report's release follows by several months the publication of TPL's Parks for People white paper, which makes the case for new city parks nationwide. Upcoming Parks for People publications will focus on other US cities.
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=13843&folder_id=175

A HANDBOOK FOR ACTIVISTS

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Wilderness Forever has created a handy-dandy guide to taking action. Learn how to draft your own action letters, organize enjoyable activism events, and get in touch with local media.
To obtain your own tree-free version of the guide:
http://www.wildernessforever.org/action/index.html
Learn more about the Wilderness Act:
http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Wilderness/act.cfm

EPA SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS

The EPA Summer Opportunities for Students website is now up and running. The site provides a web portal through which students may enter to learn about EPA programs, offices, and summer employment opportunities. They also will be able to submit a job application directly to the EPA location where there is a vacancy.
http://www.epa.gov/ohros/student