Friday, 25 Aug 2006

Stop Us If You've Heard This One

EPA must consult wildlife officials about pesticide use

Yesterday a federal judge overturned a two-year-old regulation that allowed the U.S. EPA to approve pesticides without consulting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about toxic impact on rare animals and plants. Ruling in favor of nine environmental groups, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenor declared that the Bush administration had "plainly violated" the Endangered Species Act. The case is a bit of déjà vu: In 2001, the same green groups clashed with the same EPA over the same issue, and the same Coughenor ended up ordering the agency to evaluate the impacts of 55 pesticides on salmon. Instead, the agency created the rule that allowed it to bypass the USFWS, leading the green groups to sue again. Coughenor wrote that there was "overwhelming evidence on the record" that slackening the pesticide-approval process could harm endangered species. The EPA responded that there was overwhelming evidence off the record that the chemical industry didn't feel like dealing with a bunch of silly rules about "species."


For Washington Toxics Coalition director Gregg Small, one of the biggest challenges of the job is getting people to recognize problems they can't see. Many pollutants are microscopic, but they have toxic effects when they build up in our bodies and the environment over time. As InterActivist this week, Small addresses concerns from readers about weaning our dependence on chemicals, getting backing from health-care professionals, determining which everyday products may be harming us, and more.

God Hates BP

BP hits more snafus in Prudhoe Bay

Beleaguered oil giant BP has halted leak testing on pipelines in Alaska's Prudhoe Bay oil field after learning that workers may have been exposed to asbestos. Since a major spill in the oil field in early March, as many as 200 workers have been stripping insulation off of corroded pipelines to ready them for leak testing. Asbestos, which can cause lung disease or cancer if inhaled, was found in concentrations of 5 to 10 percent in the tarlike resin between the insulation and the pipe. Work will be suspended pending an assessment of health risk and determination of whether further safety equipment or training is needed. Meanwhile, a major BP processing plant broke down on Wednesday, dropping Prudhoe production to nearly one-quarter its normal output of 400,000 barrels of oil a day. Fixing the mechanical failure could take several days, costing Alaska roughly $1.5 million a day in oil taxes and royalties. BP executives were hiding under their desks and unavailable for comment.

The Definition of Insanity

Bush administration will open 8 million Alaskan acres to oil drilling

As only makes sense following a disaster in northern Alaska involving oil spills and corroded pipelines, the Bush administration next month plans to open 8 million northwestern Alaska acres to oil and natural gas development. The area, in the National Petroleum Reserve, contains "a significant amount of oil that will help decrease our dependence on imported oil," says Julia Dougan of the Bureau of Land Management, by which she meant, "dude, we're jonesing." Included are 373,000 acres near wetland-rich Teshekpuk Lake, which is also hunting grounds for native Inupiat residents. "The Teshekpuk Lake area is biologically rich nursery grounds for birds from many continents and mammals which sustain our Inupiat families and communities, and must be protected from leasing activities," says resident Rosemary Ahtuangaruak. As the U.S. is a democracy, we're sure the concerns of the Inupiat will be given full and careful consideration while the first wells are being dug.

Diss Me Cate

EPA whistleblower says agency misled on health hazards of 9/11 dust

A U.S. EPA whistleblower has gone public with accusations that the agency downplayed the health hazards of dust from the collapsed World Trade Center. EPA senior scientist Cate Jenkins -- who has long clashed with her employer -- says the agency relied on misleading test reports in 2002 and 2003. A few months after 9/11, the U.S. Geological Survey found that the dust was highly alkaline, some of it as corrosive as drain cleaner, and even capable of causing burns. But the EPA used data from independent New York University scientists, who found that while more than 95 percent of the dust was high-alkaline large particles, smaller particles, which are more likely to be inhaled deeply, were pH neutral. Recovery workers and residents have complained of various ailments since the attack, which some doctors attribute to high-alkaline dust.