DANGEROUS LEVELS OF POLLUTANTS RELEASED DUE TO LOOPHOLES, REPORT SAYS
by Sarah Morgan

Due to rules loopholes and lax federal oversight, industrial plants across the nation, particularly in Texas, are emitting more toxic chemicals than maximum federally allowed levels, putting millions at risk from cancer-causing chemicals, according to a report released this week by the Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention and the Environmental Integrity Project.

The report, Gaming the System, points to "upset" loopholes in particular. An incident such as equipment malfunction, maintenance procedure, or a shutdown often can allow a plant to reroute pollution so that it is vented directly into the air, bypassing required pollution controls. In many cases, these emissions go unreported, and agencies in almost half of the states allow emissions labeled as upsets to exceed the federal standards established in the 1990 amended Clean Air Act, the report says. The report also argues that such under-reporting leads to inadequate regional pollution control plans.

Coinciding with the report was the release of a videotape in which citizens documented some of these emissions.

Looking at thirty facilities in Texas and seven in Louisiana, including refineries, chemical plants, gas plants, and a carbon black plant, the report found that at least 63,411, 603 pounds of pollution were emitted in one year due to upsets.

Many of the pollutants released are linked to cancer, and respiratory, neurological, and reproductive problems. The report specifically mentions benzene and butadiene, chemicals associated with cancers, including leukemia: "Benzene is ranked by the US Environmental Protection Agency as one of two chemicals posing the greatest national cancer risk." Furthermore, refineries tend to be sited in clusters, facilitating the transport of oil and the exchange of by-products. This creates a higher concentration of pollutants in nearby communities, which are often low-income or minority neighborhoods.

The report is calling for the EPA as well as individual states to eliminate the loopholes that allow most upsets to go unreported and to increase enforcement of pollution regulations. The upsets can be minimized through better facility management, the report contends, and these facilities need to have electronic monitoring to provide more accurate emissions records.

To read the full report, visit http://www.environmentalintegrity.org.

NATURAL GAS EXPLOSION NOT AS SAFE AS AUTHORITIES SAY
by Sarah Morgan

Natural gas from an underground storage cavern in Liberty county, about 40 miles northeast of Houston, exploded Thursday morning followed by another explosion Friday morning, sending plumes of thick smoke hundreds of feet into the air and forcing some residents to evacuate, authorities said.

The storage cavern is part of Duke Energy’s Moss Bluff facility, which, according to Duke’s web site, stores about 16 billion cubic feet of natural gas and is linked to other major pipelines that stretch from Texas to New York.

The Houston Chronicle reported that no one was hurt in the explosions. Firefighters have decided to let the fire burn itself out, which could take several days. The gas supply has been cut off and homes within a three-mile radius of the site were evacuated, according to the report.

Although a spokesperson for Duke Energy told the Houston Chronicle that there are no environmental concerns associated with the explosion, natural gas is a fossil fuel and the burning of any fossil fuel emits several pollutants. Natural gas burns more cleanly than petroleum, but it still releases carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and methane, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Medical studies have shown that these pollutants can cause respiratory problems, though John Wilson, Executive Director of the Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention, feels that this incident shouldn’t cause too many health issues. He said the bigger concern would be the cause of the explosion and whether or not such a problem could affect the storage of more dangerous substances in a similar way.

Authorities have said that the first explosion was caused by a gas leak, but there is no further information available at this time.

WATER UTILITIES SAY NO TO WATER CONSERVATION GUIDELINES
by Sarah Morgan

The Texas Water Development Boards’ Water Conservation Implementation Task Force has created a guide for regional water planning groups and water suppliers that is intended to aid in water conservation, but water utilities and those that promote water development are attacking the guide as too stringent, according to a Sierra Club action alert released today.

In a state where both drought and flooding are persistent problems and a growing population is steadily depleting water resources, water conservation is a notable topic. With projected water use for 2050 at about 6.5 trillion gallons, Texas’ current resources would be able to supply only about 62.5 percent of that projected need, according to Texas Environmental Profiles, a joint project of the Texas Center for Policy Studies and Environmental Defense.

The Water Conservation Implementation Task Force has drafted several recommendations for Texas aimed at "identifying, evaluating, and selecting best management practices for municipal, industrial, and agricultural water uses and evaluating the costs and benefits of the selected best management practices," according the task force’s Web site. These plans offer voluntary guidelines, recommending that a water utility make an average one-percent reduction in per capita water use each year. The ultimate goal is 50 gallons per capita per day for residential indoor use.

These guidelines are voluntary, allowing water utilities to consider these goals in adopting their own conservation goals. The guides are intended to serve as an alternative to new water resource development and "will reduce the need for new and environmentally destructive development projects," according to the Sierra Club.

Though some water utilities are concerned that these recommendations are unreasonable, the Sierra Club said that other states have adopted similar policies and that the water utilities are shying away from making a real effort to conserve Texas’ water.

Though the Sierra Club said that task force’s guidelines are not perfect and the plan needs some changes, the overall recommendation to reduce the gallons of water used each day is a reasonable step in the right direction. For more information, visit
http://lonestar.sierraclubaction.org/showalert.asp?aaid=808

2004 BAY DAY FESTIVAL

The Galveston Bay Foundation will hold the 2004 Bay Day Festival on Saturday, September 18, from 9 am to 4 pm at Sylvan Beach in La Porte, Texas. This event will feature a variety of bay activities including hands-on exhibits and demonstrations, as well as live music, food courts, and arts and crafts. Bay Day is focused on developing public awareness about the diverse resources and multiple uses of the Galveston Bay system and is free and open to the public. GBF is currently accepting exhibitor registration. All exhibitors must register by September 1. For more information, visit http://www.galvbay.org, or call (281) 332-3381. Ext. 207.

MASTER NATURALIST PROGRAM SEEKS APPLICANTS

The Houston and Galveston chapters of the Texas Master Naturalist program are offering fall training classes for volunteers who want to learn about and help conserve the state’s natural resources. The Texas Master Naturalist program — now with 26 chapters statewide — aims to develop a corps of well-informed citizen volunteers who educate their communities about the management of natural resources. Volunteers receive about 40 hours of training on topics that include interpretation and management of natural resources, ecological concepts, eco-regions of Texas and natural systems management. Volunteers are expected to give 40 hours of service a year in community education, demonstration and habitat enhancement projects. They are also expected to pursue a minimum of eight hours of advance training in areas of personal interest. Galveston training begins August 26 and Houston training begins August 28. For details or to register for Galveston, call (281) 534-3413, ext.3 or e-mail jk-massey@tamu.edu; for Houston, contact (281) 855-5600 or e-mail: gcmn@tamu.edu.

AIA HOUSTON GREEN TOOL BOX SERIES

The Houston chapter of the American Institute of Architects, through its Committee on the Environment, works to sustain and improve the environment by advancing environmental knowledge and values, and by advocating best design practices for integrating built and natural systems, to the profession, industry, and public. As part of this mission, the committee is holding a Green Tool Box series focusing on environmental architecture. Upcoming events include a discussion on being a green architect by Laverne Williams, an AIA environmental associate. Williams has more than 25 years of experience in green building design in and around Houston. Williams will discuss green techniques that work for southern climates on Tuesday, August 31, from 4 pm to 6 pm at 3000 Richmond, suite 500. For more information or to register, visit http://aiahouston.org/cote/aiacote-calendar.htm.

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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