BP Signs Settlement To Limit Air Pollutants From Its New Whiting, Indiana Refinery Expansion

BP signed a settlement agreement last week with the state of Indiana, federal agencies, and environmental and community groups that will reduce the amount of air pollution emitted from the company’s expansion of its Whiting, Ind. oil refinery.

Canadian tar sands oil extraction. Image courtesy of the Sierra Club’s Wisconsin John Muir Chapter.

Local communities in Northwest Indiana as well as Chicago residents would be the most immediately effected by any pollution coming from the refinery.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said that “BP’s air permits did not accurately reflect the pollution realities of the Whiting refinery’s expansion” in including tar sands.

“Tar sands are a nasty source of oil that threaten our climate and they also emit dangerous pollution into the communities where they are refined,” said Ann Alexander, NRDC lead attorney for the community and environmental groups fighting the permits.

The settlement agreement calls for millions of dollars in added pollution controls and monitoring equipment to address increased emissions associated with the facility’s use of tar sands oil.

The NRDC estimates that the controls will eliminate about 4,000 tons of regulated pollutants annually, including volatile organic compounds such as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides.

BP will also be required to put air monitors in place that will help increase information about emissions from refineries processing heavy oil.

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Sewage Feeding Slimy Green Algae Bloom in North Central Florida’s Santa Fe River System

Any of North Central Florida’s residents and tourists that were planning to spend some time either on or near the Santa Fe River System are going to have to make other plans for this Memorial Day weekend and for some time to come.

Sections of Florida’s Santa Fe River System being covered in slimy green algae created by sewage runoff and other pollutants. Photo courtesy of stateofwater.org.

Pollution from sewage, manure, and fertilizer runoff has created an outbreak of a thick slimy bright green algae bloom, and local authorities are recommending that no one swim, fish, or drink the water near the outbreak.

The Santa Fe is normally known for its clear springs and river bottoms filled with limestone and sand. It has been a haven for fish and other wildlife such as turtles, manatees, and an array of birds.

“Last weekend, boaters witnessed water that looked like thick, florescent green pea soup near Poe Springs” country park, according to a report by the Earthjustice, which is a nonprofit public interest environmental law firm.

Florida’s Lee County health department has had to issue warnings for people avoid contact with the waters and to keep their pets and livestock away too!

A drinking water plant on the county’s Caloosahatchee River – that serves about 30,000 people – has also been shut down due to pollution. The pollution is also affecting popular tourist beaches on Sanibel Island and Fort Myers.

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Airplane-Car Hybrid Makes Successful First Test Flight On The Road To Production Next Year

Terrafugia Inc. successfully completed the first test flight of its production prototype Transition Street-Legal Airplane. The Transition flight lasted eight minutes and reached an altitude of over 1400 feet, while staying in the vicinity of New York State’s Plattsburgh International Airport.

Photo courtesy of Terrafugia Inc.

The flight showcased the two-seater’s maneuverability and maximum speed of 115 mph. The plane has a flight range of 490 miles. Six additional phases of flight testing are still being planned to continue development and demonstrate compliance with the light sport aircraft standards.

The plane is scheduled for commercial production beginning next year, with about 100 planes already reserved, which the company says is “a backlog of over $25 million.” Marketed to pilots and those wanting to become pilots, the estimated retail price for one of these planes will be about $280,000.

So far, the company is only pursuing U.S. regulatory compliance, where the plane will be certified as both a light sport aircraft and a multipurpose passenger vehicle.

Terrafugia says that since the plane will be certified as a light sport aircraft, “the Transition will require at least a sport pilot license to fly, which requires a minimum of 20 hours of flight time and passing a simple practical test in the aircraft.”

“You will also need a valid driver’s license for use on the ground. Terrafugia will provide familiarization training to every customer,” the company added.

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A Sneak Peek at the Environmental Working Group’s Household Cleaners Hall of Shame

While we know that most household cleaners can be dangerous – which is why we put the safety latches on the cabinets to keep babies out– we may not realize just how dangerous they are even when properly used.

Image courtesy of enviroblog.org.

These days a lot of greenwashing (labeling products as natural) and other safety claims are made in advertisements to sell products by putting consumers’ minds at ease. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a consumer advocacy non-profit group, decided to take a look at these claims and found some frightening results.

Jane Houlihan, EWG senior vice president for research and co-author of the EWG Cleaners Hall of Shame, said that, “Cleaning your home can come at a high price with cancer-causing chemicals in the air; having an asthma attack from fumes; or getting serious skin burns from an accidental spill.”

“Almost any ingredient is legal and almost none of them are labeled, leaving families at risk,” she added.

This Cleaners Hall of Shame is a preview of a more comprehensive EWG Cleaners Database project that is due for release in fall 2012.

Stock photo.

The current report defines greenwashing as cleaners being labeled non-toxic, green, or safe, while containing hazardous ingredients.

Among the worst offenders is Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner, which the EWG says is labeled non-toxic and biodegradable, but contains the solvent 2-butoxyethanol that can irritate eyes and if absorbed through the skin, can damage red blood cells.

“Worse, the company website instructs the user to dilute the product significantly for even the heaviest cleaning tasks. Yet it comes in a spray bottle that implies it should be sprayed full-strength. Such use would result in higher exposure (and risk),” said the report.

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Watch Bald Eagle Parents on Live Webcam As They Expect Their Chicks to Hatch Any Day Now

Like any expectant parents, bald eagles “Independence” and “Franklin” are anxiously waiting for their three little chicks to hatch sometime this week, and it can all be viewed live 24/7 from streaming web cameras placed at the nest by the American Eagle Foundation (AEF).

Photo courtresy of the American Eagle Foundation.

“In the near future, we’ll be open to suggestions from our viewers regarding possible names for the chicks that will hopefully soon hatch and eventually be released into the wild when they reach full-size at 13-weeks. One or more of the young will be released in honor of fallen U.S. soldiers,” said Al Cecere, president and founder of the AEF

Independence and Franklin are in their 11th year as a captive breeding couple at the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

The pair bonded in 2002 and has already produced 27 eggs and 24 eaglets – most of which have been released into the wilds of East Tennessee.

 
This parent pair can’t be released back into the wild because they have permanent disabilities from injuries suffered from gunshot wounds when they lived in Alaska. Since being relocated to Tennessee, the pair has lived inside the large netted avian natural sanctuary.

When their eaglets hatch, they will be fed several times a day and often at night. As a practice, food is placed inside the aviary at the bottom of the hill from the nest twice a day – morning and evening – by the AEF staff.

“The amount of food provided daily is more than enough for the babies to be fed numerous times. In fact, there are usually leftovers at the end of each day,” said the foundation.

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