EPA Seeking Public Comments On Proposal To Ban Boats From Dumping Sewage Into Lake Erie

In an effort to improve the water quality in Lake Erie and taking boaters needs account, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said, last week, that it has explored the issue and has made some “tentatively” determinations.

The EPA said that “there are adequate facilities around Lake Erie for boats to pump out their sewage, allowing for the establishment of a ‘no discharge zone’ for 593 square miles of the lake, its tributaries and bays, and 84 miles of shoreline that comprise the New York State portion of the lake.”

A small boat harbor on Lake Erie in Buffalo, NY. Stock photo from 123rf.com.

In more detail, the proposed no discharge zone includes waters from the Pennsylvania-New York State boundary, as well as the Upper Niagara River and harbors including Barcelona Harbor, Dunkirk Harbor, and the Buffalo Outer Harbor.

The no discharge zone – which was proposed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation – means that boats would be banned from discharging sewage into the water, and instead would have to dispose of their sewage at specially-designed pump-out stations.

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Despite Temporary Freeze, EU Regs on Foreign Airline Emissions Still Causing Worldwide Worries

Even with the European Union’s recent decision to defer airline emissions trade requirements for foreign flights coming and going from the EU until the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) meets again September, many countries around the world haven’t put much stock in any potential outcomes, and have been coming up with their own alternative contingency plans.

Cartoon courtesy of China Daily.

In the United States, President Barrack Obama signed into law, last week, the “European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011,” which gives the U.S. Transportation Secretary the authority to prohibit U.S. civil aircraft operators from participating in the EU’s emissions trading scheme, where the Secretary feels it would negatively impact U.S. interests.

In imposing prohibitions regarding U.S. aircrafts, the Secretary would be required to take into account:

• the impacts on U.S. consumers, U.S. carriers, and U.S. operators.
• the impacts on the economic, energy, and environmental security of the United States.
• the impacts on U.S. foreign relations, including existing international commitments.

The Secretary would also be required to hold a public hearing at least 30 days before enacting any U.S. prohibitions of EU regulations.

The new law also gives the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and “other appropriate officials of the United States Government” negotiating power related to aircraft emissions, including their environmental impacts, but prohibiting the right to impose any taxes or penalties related to the EU’s emissions trading scheme.

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Seattle Still Debating Design Plans For A Project To Rebuild Its Crumbling Downtown Seawall

In the recent aftermath of Hurricane Sandy’s devastating destruction on the East Coast of the United States, citizens in the City of Seattle on the West Coast have decided to take preventative measures to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to them – they just haven’t hammered out all the details yet!

The Elliot Bay Seawall (also called the Alaskan Way Seawall) originally being built in 1934. Photo courtesy of the Seattle Department of Transportation.

Earlier this month, Seattle residents overwhelmingly approved city funding for a new seawall for the city’s downtown district.

On Election Night, 77 percent of Seattle residents voted in support of the seawall measure – also known as Proposition 1 – to approve “a $290 million, 30-year bond measure and excess property tax levy for the purpose of replacing the Alaskan Way Seawall and associated infrastructures, including city-owned waterfront piers,” says the project’s budget legislation fiscal notes.

For years, city officials had been trying to gain public support to finance the project, warning of the danger of the now heavily deteriorating seawall.

The day of the vote, Seattle Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, chair of the council’s transportation committee, urged citizens to pass the measure in a statement telling them that the “aging seawall” had been considered vulnerable to an earthquake collapse ever since the Nisqually earthquake hit Washington State in 2001.

The Nisqually earthquake was one of the state’s largest quakes on record, registered at a 6.8 and lasting about 45 seconds. The Nisqually earthquake violently shook the Puget Sound region from Olympia to Everett 10 years ago, caused roughly $2 billion in damage, injured 400 people and was blamed for one fatal heart attack, said The Olympian in 2011 on the 10-year anniversary of the quake.

Rasmussen warned voters that if the seawall collapses it will have “grave effects” on the businesses, utilities, and roads along the waterfront and into downtown Seattle.

An even more graphic picture was illustrated in the project’s legislative fiscal notes, saying:

The existing Alaskan Way Seawall was not designed to withstand earthquakes and has been structurally weakened due to tidal forces (of Elliot Bay), aging materials and marine borer damage. There is a one in ten chance of an earthquake leading to liquefaction and seawall failure, within the next ten years.

Failure of the seawall could disrupt public transportation and utilities, damage regional commerce and potentially lead to loss of life.

In addition, Pier 58 and 62/63, which are publicly owned, have reached dangerous levels of deterioration. Pier 58 is seismically vulnerable, and Pier 62/63 is structurally compromised to the degree that limited physical activity is now permitted.

“Approximately 50 percent of the existing wall (is) currently damaged,” says the project’s ordinance.

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The European Commission Approves The UK’s Green Investment Bank For Full Lending Power

The United Kingdom Green Investment Bank is now open for business with full commercial lending power after receiving approval from the European Commission earlier this month.

Image courtesy of theprisma.co.uk.

Yesterday, United Kingdom Business Secretary Vince Cable announced to the House of Commons that the bank began full operations earlier this week – on Oct. 29, 2012 to be exact.

Cable explained that beginning the bank’s commercial operations was contingent on state aid approval from the European Commission, which on Oct. 17, 2012, gave approval relating to the bank’s remit, operating model, and initial government funding of £3 billion for the period until March 2015.

The bank is being funded to the extent that it will not need to borrow before 2015. After that, it will be given borrowing powers if its targets for reduction in the national debt are being met.

Under the terms of the state aid approval this month, the bank will be able to make commercial investments across the following green sectors: offshore wind, waste, non-domestic energy efficiency, biofuels for transport, biomass power, carbon capture and storage, marine energy, and renewable heat.

Giving a more specific picture of its plans, the bank says that its initial priority sectors until 2015 will be “offshore wind, commercial and industrial waste, energy from waste, non-domestic energy efficiency, and support for the Green Deal. Subject to state aid clearance, at least 80 percent of the funds committed by the bank over the spending review period will be invested in these priority sectors.”

The bank also says that up to 20 percent of its funds during this time “may be committed outside the priority sectors, including areas such as marine, and carbon capture and storage.” Investments in nuclear power may also be considered, with the bank reminding that “this is all subject to state aid approval.”

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Salmonella Inside Major Peanut Distributor Causing More Recalls For Big Brand Products

The ongoing international peanut product recalls resulting from Salmonella found in the Portales, New Mexico peanut processing plant of Sunland Inc. has now reached 240 products from brands including: American Choice, Archer Farms, Arrowhead Mills, Cadia, Dogsbutter, Earth Balance, Harry & David, heinen’s, Joseph’s, Valencia, Natural Value, Open Nature, Peanut Power, Serious Food, Sprout’s, Sun Harvest, Sunland Natural, Trader Joe’s, and Tropical Traditions.

Image courtesy of flutnut.com.

Retailers that have been affected include Starbucks, and others, including: Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Walmart, Kroeger, Target, and Costco.

A wide number of people have reported becoming ill from the Salomella since the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention began tracking the outbreak late last month.

At the most recent count, the CDC says that 38 people have become ill with the outbreak strain Salmonella Bredeney across 20 states – Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

As of today, Oct.24, 2012, the CDC has broken down the demographics of the people who have gotten ill, finding the ages ranging from one to 79 years old, with 66 percent being children under 10 years old, and also 62 percent being male. So far 10 people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported so far.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration explains that Salmonella is “an organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.”

“Healthy people infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis (an inflammation of the inside lining of the heart), and arthritis,” adds the FDA.

The FDA further explains that, “The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. However, in some cases, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient requires hospitalization. Older adults, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have severe illnesses from Salmonella infections.”

The outbreak was first discovered from testing conducted by the Washington State Department of Agriculture laboratory that isolated the Salmonella strain from an open jar of Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter (sku 97111) from a case-patient’s home.

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