Born In A Barn Syndrome:

Something Mom used to say to us as kids,

"Were you born in a barn?!
Close that door,
We're not trying to heat the whole neighborhood!"

I guess she'd never heard of Global Warming...

Daniel A. Stafford
(c) 10/26/2003.

A Growing Backlash Against Waste
by David Suzuki



Back in the early 1990's, environmental concerns topped the polls. Everyone, it seemed, was worried about the impact of human beings on the biosphere. It was as though the collective inertia of decades of unchecked industrial growth had suddenly caught up to us. When we stopped to take a breather, we realized there were consequences to all our actions - pollution, global warming, habitat loss and species extinction to name a few. We saw our species had the power to alter the very systems which sustain life on Earth and it scared us.

Unfortunately, it didn't penetrate our lifestyles. We did make some strides - we phased out ozone-depleting chemicals and started recycling and reducing some air pollutants. The problem was, once we made a few changes, we reverted to assuming everything was fine. Corporations and governments all developed bureaucracies focusing on environmental problems and we thought they were taking care of things for us.

This made us all feel better, but it blinded us to other growing problems. Many of the well-meaning people who were putting out their blue boxes once a week then walked across their driveways to get into massive SUVs to drive to work - alone. Most didn't even recognize this as an environmental problem. They felt they needed a vehicle and SUVs were big and looked safe. SUVs also looked like they could take people out to the wilderness in complete comfort. Who wouldn't want that?

Automotive manufacturers took advantage of this fantasy by using beautiful natural imagery in their commercials and advertisements. And boy, were they effective. By the late 90's, the majority of cars hitting the roads of North America weren't cars at all, but "light trucks" - a government classification term used to describe everything from pickups to SUVs and minivans.

This classification provided a convenient loophole for vehicle manufacturers. Light trucks are exempt from stricter "passenger vehicle" fuel-efficiency regulations, so they could burn more fuel and pollute more. Why? Because in the late 1970's automobile manufacturers lobbied for the measure, originally as protection against more fuel-efficient competitors from Europe.

At the time it didn't seem to be a big deal. Back then pickups were largely for farms and industry, and no one had heard of SUVs. All this would change as the auto industry found they could make enormous profits by slapping a passenger-vehicle type of body on a truck frame powered by an old-technology gas-guzzling engine. Toss in a dozen cup holders and leather seats and dealers couldn't keep them in the showrooms.

So a loophole, combined with effective advertising created a fad, which led to a decade of massive growth in greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector. Air pollution and smog, which had been slowly shrinking in the late 80's, thanks to better fuel efficiency regulations for cars, is once again choking our cities. We're back where we started - or worse.

But change is afoot. Led by California, the pressure is on to update our antiquated fuel-efficiency regulations. And the charge is no longer being championed by only environmentalists. Average people are beginning to realize how wasteful large SUVs are. The "backlash against SUVs" even recently made the front page of USA Today. People are beginning to see them as big, dirty, safety hazards.

If that's the case and tastes are changing, do we really need improved regulations? Well, it would hardly be prudent to leave the fate of our health and well-being to automotive fads. Fuel efficiency is simply not a priority for manufacturers. In fact, the 2003 vehicle fleet on average actually burns more gas than the 2002 models. Better regulations to reduce greenhouse gases and smog are thus urgently needed. Let's call a car a car and a truck a truck, and bring fuel efficiency standards up to date.



David T. Suzuki PhD, the Chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster. David has received consistently high acclaim for his thirty years of award-winning work in broadcasting; explaining the complexities of science in a compelling, easily understood way. He is well known to millions as the host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's popular science television series, The Nature of Things. Take the Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org

Elusive Cancer Killer's Deep-Sea Hideout Discovered After a Nearly 20-Year Hunt



From Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
Monday, October 27, 2003

FT. PIERCE, Fla. -- In 1984, HARBOR BRANCH scientists exploring deep waters off the Bahamas in one of the institution's Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles discovered a small piece of sponge that harbored a chemical with a remarkable ability to kill cancer cells in laboratory tests. Despite almost two decades of searching, though, the group was never able to find enough of the sponge to fully explore its potential. But now that process can finally begin because, thanks to some creative detective work, the team has found the animal's secret hiding place and collected enough of it to support years of intense research.

"It's just amazing," says Amy Wright, director of HARBOR BRANCH Biomedical Marine Research, of the sponge she has been on a career-long quest to find. "This is our next cure, I know it's our next cure."

A chemical produced within the sponge, which has not yet been given an official name, has proven in one test of cancer-fighting potential to be about 400 times more potent than Taxol®, a widely used treatment for breast and other forms of cancer. As important, preliminary experiments have also shown the compound to be fairly non-toxic to normal cells.

But the limited amount of the sponge initially collected was not enough to carry the team through the long process of developing a potential medical treatment, which involves careful study of exactly how a chemical kills cancer cells and of its chemical structure. "Since 1984 it has been on our target list for every dive," says Wright, who first studied the compound as a postdoctoral fellow at HARBOR BRANCH during the '80s.

On various expeditions over the years, scientists found only tiny pieces of the sponge, then last year two slightly larger pieces, but still they did not have enough to do the required research. So, in preparation for a cruise this year to the Bahamas that ran from Oct. 9 through the 24th, Wright and her team used clues from where each piece had been collected to put together a profile of the habitat where it must live.

The technique worked perfectly, and on the first submersible dive targeting an area that fit the profile, they found the sponge. "You know, you have these hypotheses, but when it is actually there, it just floors you that the hypothesis worked," says Wright, "We were really excited. I was just dancing around."

The sponge was found in water over 1,000 feet deep in an area the researchers often refer to as the "dead zone," because it is generally characterized by bare rock and very low biodiversity. The sponge, which can grow to about the size of a softball, had eluded researchers for so long because they generally avoid this area in favor of exploring more diverse habitats.

Wright predicts that the quantity of the sponge collected on the expedition using the submersible should be enough to carry the team through the full multi-year drug discovery process, possibly even to the first phase of human trials. "I never thought I would see that much of the sponge ever," says Wright, "Now we have enough to move forward."

If the chemical continues to show promise as the research process progresses, it would eventually be licensed to a pharmaceutical company, which would take the compound through clinical trials. A key step before that could happen would be for HARBOR BRANCH and its collaborators to develop a method to sustainably produce the chemical without having to collect it from wild sponges, which would be both economically and ecologically unfeasible. Possible methods would be raising the sponge through aquaculture, producing it synthetically, or, if the chemical turns out to be produced by a microorganism within the sponge, raising cultures of that microorganism. The full process of turning the chemical into a commercially available cancer treatment would likely take more than a decade.

The mystery sponge's hideout was found on an expedition to the Bahamas that covered some 1,300 miles and took the team throughout the island chain almost as far south as the Turks and Caicos Islands. For more information about this expedition as well as background articles on the team's research, please visit HARBOR BRANCH's online expedition site at: http://www.at-sea.org

HARBOR BRANCH has already patented nearly a hundred potential pharmaceuticals from the tens of thousands of the organisms the Biomedical Marine Research group has collected since the '80s at sites around the globe. Several of these are in various stages of development as potential commercial drugs. Discodermolide, a compound produced by a deepwater sponge found in the Bahamas, is currently in the first phase of human trials as a cancer treatment.

For more information please contact Mark Schrope at 772-216-0390, or schrope@hboi.edu. Photos and B-roll related to the discovery are available to journalists.










For more information, contact:

Mark Schrope
Media Relations
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
5600 US 1 North
Fort Pierce, FL 34946
schrope@hboi.edu


Web site:

http://www.hboi.edu

States and cities challenge EPA air pollution rules


Tuesday, October 28, 2003
By Devlin Barrett, Associated Press


WASHINGTON — Lawsuits filed Monday by 13 states and more than 20 cities — which seek to block changes to the Clean Air Act — contend that new rules from the Bush administration would weaken protections for the environment and public health.

The Environmental Protection Agency regulation makes it easier to upgrade utilities, refineries, and other industrial facilities without installing additional pollution controls.

The rule, proposed in December and signed by EPA's administrator in August, was made final Monday. It will take effect in two months, and states have up to three years to comply.

The agency said in a statement it does not believe the rule will result in significant changes in emissions, and it "preserves the public health protections" under law.

Attorneys general for 12 states — New York, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin — and legal officers for New York City, Washington, San Francisco, New Haven, and a host of other cities in Connecticut complained about the regulations that they contend will weaken protections for the environment and public health.

Illinois filed a separate but similar claim, and other states, including California, are considering legal action. Their filings could be consolidated later with the 12-state suit.

They argued only Congress can make sweeping changes to such a bedrock law.

"We are not going to sit by quietly and allow the energy interests in this country to receive special treatment while so many of our children and elderly are needlessly suffering from respiratory problems that are, in essence, brought on by bad environmental policy," Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly said.

The rule broadens EPA's interpretation of routine maintenance for older plants. Before the rule change, operators who did anything more than routine maintenance were required to add more pollution-cutting devices.

Under the new rule, industrial facilities avoid paying for expensive emissions-cutting devices for up to 20 percent of the replacement costs for major equipment.

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer called the rule an attack on the Clean Air Act.

"The president is taking the nation in the wrong direction on environmental policy," Spitzer said.

Scott Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, a group of power companies that support the rule change, argued it would clarify regulations, and "no litigation from the Northeast attorneys general can produce anything but confusion."

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. A similar group of states also filed suit in that court to challenge a previous batch of the administration's related changes to the Clean Air Act.


Source: Associated Press

Two new stories from ENN,

First:

Tuesday, October 28, 2003
By Alister Doyle, Reuters


MOSCOW — With solutions costing up to a mind-numbing $18,000,000,000,000,000, it is among the most expensive questions in history: How do you stop people from causing dangerous global warming?

Eighteen quadrillion dollars is almost 600 times the 2002 world gross domestic product, estimated by the World Bank at $32 trillion. If you glued 18 quadrillion dollar bills end to end, they would stretch way past Pluto.

Luckily, most estimates of the costs of curbing global warming by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) run to just hundreds of trillions of dollars over 100 years — a relative pin prick for a growing world economy.

But the costs of cleaning up human emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide produced by factories and cars and of shifting toward cleaner energies such as solar or wind power are starting to give governments nightmares.

"The long-term costs could be enormous," said Andrei Illarionov, an adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin who has backed away from previous promises to quickly ratify the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol on curbing global warming.

Kyoto, a tiny first step towards reining in human emissions of nontoxic carbon dioxide from fossil fuels blamed for blanketing the planet and driving up temperatures, will collapse without Russia's approval. The United States pulled out in 2001.

"Maybe the money would be better spent on promoting economic growth, on ending poverty, or on helping developing nations," he told a climate conference in Moscow this month, pointing to the highest IPCC estimate of almost $18 quadrillion by 2100.

Bush Says Kyoto Costs Too Much

Beyond Kyoto, which runs to 2012, climate experts say quadrillions of dollars in the 21st century may hang on interpretations of the word "dangerous."

At root is the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, ratified by the United States, which aims for "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human) interference with the climate system."

A heat wave in Europe this year killed about 15,000 people in France. About 1,300 died in a heat wave in India. There were 562 tornadoes in the United States in May, more than any month on record. Was any of that caused by humans and "dangerous?"

If so, humanity would have to start...(Read on in: Global warming, the quadrillion dollar question)

And second:

Tuesday, October 28, 2003
By GreenBiz.com


WASHINGTON, D.C. — Investments in green buildings pay for themselves 10 times over, according to a new study for 40 California government agencies.

The study — by the Capital E group, Lawrence Berkley Laboratory, and participating California state agencies — is the most definitive cost-benefit analysis of green building ever conducted.

With this study, the California Department of Finance has recognized for the first time the existence of financial benefits associated with improved health productivity and lowered operations and maintenance costs in green buildings.

The California Board of Regents also drew on the early findings of this study and is moving forward in pushing for all state higher education new construction to be "green." This study, drawing on national data for 100 green buildings and an in depth review of several hundred existing studies, found that sustainable buildings are a cost-effective investment.

"Green" or "sustainable" buildings use key resources like energy, water, materials, and land much more efficiently than buildings that are simply built to code, the study points out. They also create healthier work, learning, and living environments with more natural light and cleaner air and contribute to improved employee and student health, comfort, and productivity. Sustainable buildings are cost-effective, saving taxpayer dollars by reducing operations and maintenance costs as well as by lowering utility bills.

The report concluded that financial benefits of green design are between $50 and $70 per square foot in a LEED building, more than 10 times the additional cost associated with building green. The benefits include cost savings from reduced energy, water, and waste; lower operations and maintenance costs; and enhanced occupant productivity and health.

"Total financial benefits of green buildings are over ten times the average initial investment required to design and construct a green building," concluded the authors. "Energy savings alone exceed...(Read on in: Green building investments yield high returns, says study)

On CNN for a day or two only:

Arctic being 'transformed' by warming

Friday, October 24, 2003 Posted: 1:01 PM EDT (1701 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- NASA scientists released new evidence this week that the Arctic region is warming up and its sea ice cover is diminishing, with implications for further climate change throughout the globe....read on in the title link above.

From the





Dear Readers,

We’ve come so far , but there is still no resolution to the biodiesel provisions of the energy package. It is possible that negotiations could wrap up today. Please keep the calls and letters going to your Members of Congress.

Click here to see a letter and list of Senators who signed it in support of the biodiesel tax incentive. If your Senators signed it, please tell them thanks and ask them to speak to the leadership of their respective parties to urge them to include the biodiesel incentives in the final package. If your Senators didn’t sign it, please ask them to do so to go on record in support of the biodiesel tax incentive.

Please also contact your Members of the House and give them this simple message:
Include biodiesel tax provisions in the Energy Bill!


If you live in California, please contact Congressman Bill Thomas (R-CA) , Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. Ask him for his support to keep the biodiesel provisions in the Energy Bill. His contact numbers are 202-225-2915 and fax 202-225-8798. Since his phone lines are likely to be busy, please fax him a brief letter and blind copy NBB (573-635-7913). Thank you!

* To see a copy of the legislation click here.
* To see the description of the biodiesel tax incentive click here.
* To see a list of Senators signed on click here.


Joe Jobe
Executive Director
National Biodiesel Board
www.biodiesel.org

Great Lakes Daily News: 22 October 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Port of Toledo site in running for coal-coke plant
----------------------------------------
A consortium of investors is considering Toledo Lucas County Port Authority
land for a plant that would turn coal into coke, a key ingredient in steel
production, and create as many as 150 new jobs. Source: The Toledo Blade
(10/22)


Niagara Falls survivor says depression, not derring-do, drove him to jump
----------------------------------------
A man who went over Niagara Falls head first said Wednesday that he was
driven by depression, not a desire to become a daredevil. Source: Booth
Newspapers (10/22)


EDITORIAL: Time to protect natural treasures of Toronto area
----------------------------------------
Ribbons of green criss-crossing the Greater Toronto Area are under attack as
never before. Strong municipal defenders are needed more than ever to
protect those areas against sprawl. Source: The Toronto Star (10/22)


Deer disease cost put at nearly $15 million in Wisconsin
----------------------------------------
Combating chronic wasting disease has cost Wisconsin almost $15 million and
the price tag continues to grow, according to a report issued Tuesday by the
Legislative Audit Bureau. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (10/22)


Vineyard nuisance strikes again in northeastern U.S., Ontario
----------------------------------------
Winemakers and grapegrowers in the northeastern United States and Ontario
are being plagued once again by Asian lady beetles -- an insect that can
ruin the taste of their wine. Source: Wine Spectator (10/21)


Taking the Kalamazoo River from ugly to lovely
----------------------------------------
Battle Creek officials are debating whether to move forward with a project
to convert a concrete-lined stretch of the Kalamazoo River to a more natural
state. Source: Battle Creek Enquirer (10/21)


EPA to evaluate park for bacteria testing
----------------------------------------
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to evaluate Maumee Bay
State Park as a potential site for an advanced bacteria-testing technique
that would yield results in as little as two hours. Source: The Toledo Blade
(10/21)


Calmer waters could be ahead for Great Lakes Aquarium
----------------------------------------
The Great Lakes Aquarium is in a better financial position one year after
running out of money and being taken over by the city of Duluth. Source:
Duluth News Tribune (10/21)


EPA goes light on pollution sanctions
----------------------------------------
Western Michigan legislators were relieved to learn Monday that new air
pollution rules likely will not damage the local business climate or saddle
motorists with tailpipe tests. Source: The Grand Rapids Press (10/21)


Two-day conference focuses on state of Lake Michigan
----------------------------------------
Scientists, environmentalists and government decisionmakers gathered Tuesday
in Muskegon for a two-day conference on the health of Lake Michigan. Source:
The Muskegon Chronicle (10/21)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


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From Alt Power Digest:

There are 5 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. New Way To Generate Electricity
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
2. SHEC - Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
3. Chinese Water Splitter
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
4. Enter your biofuel event into the calendar
From: "Steve Spence" sspence@green-trust.org
5. EERE Network News -- 10/22/03
From: Tom Gray tomgray@igc.org


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 02:28:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: New Way To Generate Electricity

Electrokinetic microchannel battery by means of electrokinetic and microfluidic phenomena:
Jun Yang, Fuzhi Lu, Larry W Kostiuk and Daniel Y Kwok - Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G8, Canada:
E-mail: daniel.y.kwok@ualberta.ca
Received 23 April 2003, in final form 25 June 2003: Published 20 October 2003:

Abstract:

Pressure-driven flow in a microchannel induces a streaming current due to the presence of an electrical double layer in the interface between the electrolyte solution and channel wall. As the streaming current is of the order of a nano-amphere and is additive, we propose here a method to develop an electrokinetic battery consisting of an array of microchannels that converts the hydrostatic pressure of a liquid into electrical work. We have given oscillating analytical solutions by means of an electrical circuit analysis to model the multi-microchannel battery.

Using superposition of the appropriate Fourier series, the derived analytical solutions are useful to predict the current when there is more general time-dependent flow through a microchannel array. To illustrate the idea, we have studied steady-state pressure-driven flow in micropore porous glass filter and compared the results with those predicted from our model. From a 30 cm hydrostatic pressure drop, an external current of 1–2 µA was obtained by means of water passing through the micropore porous glass filter. A larger current can be obtained by simply using a solution with higher salt concentration. This results in a new and potentially useful method of energy conversion by means of an array of microchannels.

URL: http://stacks.iop.org/0960-1317/13/963

DOI: 10.1088/0960-1317/13/6/320
PII: S0960-1317(03)62496-4
More At http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0960-1317/13/6/320/

========================================


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 2
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 02:29:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: SHEC - Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation

http://www.shec-labs.com/press/releases/2003October21press.htm

SHEC Labs develops Anti-Coking fuel reformation technology:

SASKATOON, October 21, 2003:
SHEC LABS - Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation today announced a breakthrough in "Dry Fuel Reformation" technology with the development of SHEC labs "Anti-Coking Dry Fuel Reformer".
SHEC labs has developed a "Dry Fuel Reformation" catalyst that can be used in conjunction with its' "Advanced Solar Concentrator" technology as well as other sources of heat to reduce the amount of fossil fuels required for the production of hydrogen.

There is an existing market today for the production of hydrogen from natural gas for industries such as ammonia based fertilizer, petroleum refining, methanol production and a host of other industries. Currently, the global market produces about 15 Trillion cubit feet of hydrogen per year by "Steam Reforming" natural gas. These markets are in the tens of billion of dollars annually. Future markets will include distributed electrical power for homes and businesses that utilize fuel cells fuelled by hydrogen derived from existing natural gas infrastructure. With automobile manufacturers developing both hydrogen consuming internal combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles, another market for hydrogen far exceeding existing markets will evolve.

One of the problems in the "Fuel Reformation" industry is the plugging of fuel reformers with carbon deposits that form over time and is referred to as coking. Industrial plants must shut down in order to physically remove the carbon deposits costing millions of dollars of lost production. SHEC Labs first successfully tested its anti-coking technology to reduce the affects of carbon buildup in mid September of 2003. In all tests performed, we were able to dramatically reduce and virtually eliminate coking, keeping the pathways of our prototype fuel reformer completely clear.

In the future, SHEC labs plans to integrate its "Dry Fuel Reformation" technologies into the marketplace, reducing the amount of natural gas used to produce hydrogen. With the lower operating temperatures of our "Dry Fuel Reformation" catalyst and the application of our "Advanced Solar Concentrator" technology we will be able to slow the depletion of our finite natural gas reserves and save financial resources for companies in these industries all the while reducing emissions.

Anticipated future licensing agreements will create a substantial revenue stream for SHEC labs.

For more information, contact:

Ray Fehr, V.P. Marketing
SHEC LABS - Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation Phone: (306) 956-1133 Fax:
(306) 956-1144 E-mail: information@shec-labs.com www.shec-labs.com
========================================


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 3
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 02:29:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Chinese Water Splitter

Mike Johnston wrote:

Abstract:

An apparatus for generating Hydrogen and Oxygen by means of electrolysis without requiring an external power. There are two main electrodes(the Anode and the Cathode) built at both sides of the Electrolysis compartment, in the said compartment there are multiple Electrode plates and gas separating membranes connected in series. At the upper part of the compartment, ducts convey Hydrogen and Oxygen separately to the repsective Gas Concentrating compartments. There is a separation built between the Electrolysis Compartment and the Gas concentrating Compartments. The Current Generating Tunnel is at the outskirts of the Electrolysis Compartment, the electrolyte can flow without hindrance from these Tunnels to the Electrolysis Compartment. Permanent magnets are fixed to the wall of the Current Generating Tunnels and Current Collecting Metal Connectors of both Positive and Negative poles are fixed to the ends of the permanent magnets for energy collection. These Metal Connectors are interconnected in series as shown in the drawings, the first connector is then connected to the Cathode and the last connector is connected to the Anode of the Electrolysis compartment. This invention does not require an external energy or traditional power to maintain the Electrolysis process.

Claims:

1. A generator of Hydrogen and Oxygen by Electrolysis, without requirement of an external energy. The housing (3) of the device has two electrodes (the Anode(2) and Cathode(2)) connected at each end of it, inside the housing, a Electrolysis Compartment (1) containing Gas Separating Membranes (4) inserted between multiple Electrolytic Plates(6), these multiple sets of membranes and plates are manufactured and wrapped up by isolating rubber frames (13), there are Gas Concentrating Compartments (7), (20) for both Hydrogen and Oxygen separately, a division (8) is between the Gas Compartments and the Electrolysis Compartment. Some holes (5) are drilled in the division in order to convey gas produced to the indivudual Gas Concentrating Compartment for separate collection. The claim concerns to the Current Generating Tunnel (9) that is built around the Electrolysis Compartment, the said Tunnel communicate with the latter at the bottom, the upper part of the tunnels also communicate with the Electrolysis Compartment. There are permanent magnet bars (23) fixed to the walls of the tunnel, at the ends(North and South) of the magnet bars are the Positive electrodes and the Negative Electodes respectively(24) , (25), these electodes are interconnected in series as shown in the drawing, being the first electode connected to the Anode and the last one connected to the Cathode.

2. The claim concerns about a circulation pump (26) is installed in the circuit between the Current Generating Tunnel and the Electolysis Compartment for electrolyte circulation.

3. The claim concerns about the addition of the Current Generating Tunnel (22) around the Electrolysis Compartment.

4. The claim concerns about claims (1) and claim (3), that the isolating frames are elastomer isolating frames( rubber).

5. The claim concerns about claim (4) that the current producing sources are permanent magnet bars.

Description of the operation of the apparatus:

An apparatus for splitting water into Hydrogen and Oxygen without the requirement of an external power

This invention concerns a Generator of Hydrogen and Oxygen by means of electrolysis without requirement of an external supply of energy, such as electric current, petroleum derivated products or coal. According to Chinese Patent ZL 95220793, a type of H2-O2 Generator by electrolysis is disclosed. Such generator has a housing and a liquid deposit, with anode and cathod on both sides of the housing, with multiple sets of electrolysis plates and gas separating membranes inserted in the Electrolysis Compartment. At the top of the compartment there are two gas concentrating compartments, one for the H2, and the other for the O2. In order the generator to work, electrolyte has to be introduced into the compartment, and electricity is required. The apparatus consumes a great deal of electricity. The improvement of this invention is the elimination of the external power source such as electricity, petroleum derivated products or coal for producing H2 and O2. This is done by the following solution: an apparatus consisted of a housing with electrodes at each side of the housing, inside the Electrolysis Compartment multiple sets of Electrolysis Plates and Gas Separating Membranes are connected in series, each Plate and Membrane is framed by isolating elastomer, at the top of the Compartment there are compartments for the collection of H2 and O2 separately. They are separated from the Electrolysis Compartment by a division sheet. Holes are drilled through this sheet in order to convey the gases to the upper compartments. Outside the Compartment wall, a Current Generating Tunnel is located, both top and bottom of the tunnel communicate with the top and bottom of the Electrolysis Compartment. Multiple permanent magnet bars are fixed to the wall of the Tunnel. Collecting Electodes are fixed to the north and south ends of the magnet bars for current collection. The first of the electode is connected to the Anode and the last point of the last electrode is connected to the Cathode of the Electrolyser.

The apparatus works as follows: Introduce electrolyte into the Electrolyser Compartment. The electrolyte consists of a Sodium Hydroxide solution at 20~30% (30% weight NaOH, 70% weight distilled water), activate the pump to circulate the solution, the circulating electrolyte within the Current Generating Tunnel will interact with the Permanet magnet bars, producing positive and negative ions, these ions cut the magnetic flux and will induce electric currents, the Collecting Electrodes will collect the induced currents to the Anode and Cathode, and the Electrolysis will initiate. While the process maintains and intensifies, heat will be soaked up by the electrolyte and the liquid will self circulate through the Tunnel by convection, and finally the circulation will self-sustain, therefore pump can be disconnected eventually. But in order to archive high production rate of gases, the pump can maintain its functioning.

Drawings of the invention

Drawing 1 Conceptual design of the apparatus (drawing 2 B-B cut-through view)

Drawing 2 Drawing 1 A-A cut-through view of Gas Concentration Compartments

Drawing 3 Electrolytic Plate

Drawing 4 Gas Separating Membrane

Drawing 5 Connnection of the Collecting Electodes with magnet bars and Anode and Cathode

Drawing 6 Transversal view of this invention Drawing 7 Pump location and other particulars

Referencing to Drawing 1 and 2, the apparatus has a rectangular housing (3), made of alkali resistant plastic (such as Polyethelene or Silicone), with a removable base (19), On one side of the Electrolysis Compartment is the Anode(2) and the Electrolytic Plate(12), on the other side is the Cathode(11) and the Electrolytic Plate (10), Inside the Electrolysis Compartment (1) there are multiple sets of Electrolytic Plates (6) with Gas Separating Membrane (4) inserted in-between. Sixty sets are used in this invention. Each membrane and its respective Plate are built with its individual isolating elastomer frame (look at drawing 4), The rubber frame (13) is mold formed by injection to the membrane (4), the membrane is nylon-polyester fabric, of 300 seive finess and 0.08mm thick. The rubber frame (14) is mold formed by injection to the Electrolytic Plate(6). At the bottom of the frame there is a channel for pressure balancing(21), also there is a returning path (15) at the bottom of the basement, through the channels(21), each electrolytc plate element can balance the level of liquid during the operation. The Division (8) separates the Electrolysis Compartment from the Gas Concentrating Compartments, holes (5) are drilled through the Division, and convey the hydrogen generated at one side of the membrane to one of the gas collecting compartment (20), the oxygen generated at the other side of the membrane is conveyed through the another set of holes to (7). (17) and (18) are exits for the H2 and O2 respectively. Curent Generating Tunnel(9) are located around the Electrolysis Compartment, both the top and bottom of the tunnel is connected to the top and bottom of the compartment. Multiple permanent magnet bars are fixed to the wall of the Tunnel. For this purpose, 40 Strong Rare Earth Magnets( BaFe) are used(See drawing 5). Collecting Electrodes (24) and (25) are fixed to the ends of the magnet bars, according to drawing 6 they are connected in series and also fixed to the anode and cathode of the apparatus. Drawing 6 shows the lateral disposition of the Tunnel (22)with respect to the Electrolysis Compartment, Drawing 7 shows the tunnel is connected to the compartment through channel (27), a circulation pump (26) is connected between them. For a higher rate of gas production, the permanent magents bars can be replaced by electromagnets, but then it will require an external power source.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 12:21:00 -0000
From: "Steve Spence" sspence@green-trust.org
Subject: Enter your biofuel event into the calendar

Please got to http://www.veggievan.org/phorm/ and make sure your
biofuel event is submitted to the VeggieVan calendar. Thousands of
people see this calendar daily. Help us get your word out!


________________________________________________________________________
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 09:57:47 -0400
From: Tom Gray tomgray@igc.org
Subject: EERE Network News -- 10/22/03

======================================================================
EERE NETWORK NEWS -- October 22, 2003
A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
http://www.eere.energy.gov/
======================================================================

Featuring:

*News and Events

DOE Awards $20.4 Million to 13 Building Efficiency Projects
Canada to Join International Hydrogen Partnership
Oklahoma Gains a Massive 102-Megawatt Wind Power Plant
Toyota Launches U.S. Sales of its New Prius
Netherlands Team Holds Wide Lead in World Solar Challenge
Will Electrokinetics Yield a New, Clean Energy Source?

*Site News

DOE Launches "Energy Savers," a New Web Site for Consumers

*Energy Connections

DOE Report: U.S. LNG Imports Doubled in First Half of 2003

*About this Newsletter


----------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS AND EVENTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DOE Awards $20.4 Million to 13 Building Efficiency Projects

DOE announced last week its award of $20.4 million to 13 projects that will advance energy efficiency in buildings. Industry partners will contribute more than $10 million to the projects, bringing the total
investment to more than $30 million. The three-year projects will aim to develop advanced technologies for lighting systems, windows, water heaters, and air conditioning systems.

Among the technologies being investigated are: LED (light-emitting diode) light sources using nanomaterials, organic materials, and other novel materials; new phosphor coatings for fluorescent lamps; wireless lighting control systems; advanced windows that use extremely lightweight insulating materials, called aerogels; "smart" windows that mirror over in direct sunlight to reflect heat; electrochromic windows, which can be electronically lightened or darkened; commercial heat pump water heaters that use carbon dioxide as a refrigerant; air conditioning systems that add fresh outdoor air to maintain indoor air quality; and magnetocaloric air conditioners. Magnetocaloric cooling devices, sometimes referred to as magnetic refrigeration, use a metallic refrigerant that exhibits the magnetocaloric effect: it heats up when placed in a magnetic field, and cools when the magnetic field
is removed.

See the DOE press release at: http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES.


Canada to Join International Hydrogen Partnership

After an October 16th meeting with Herb Dhaliwal, Canada's minister of natural resources, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced that Canada intends to join the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy. Secretary Abraham proposed the hydrogen partnership in April during his speech to the International Energy Agency Ministerial Meeting. Several other countries have shown interest in joining the partnership, which Secretary Abraham will kick off this fall by hosting the first ministerial meeting of the partnership.

The International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy will support the deployment of hydrogen technologies by establishing collaborative efforts in hydrogen production, storage, transport, and end-use technologies; creating common codes and standards for hydrogen fuel utilization; and sharing information necessary to develop hydrogen-fueling infrastructure. See the October 16th press release on the DOE Web site at: http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES.

For more information on hydrogen technologies, see DOE's Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies Program Web site at: http://www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/.


Oklahoma Gains a Massive 102-Megawatt Wind Power Plant

The first major wind power plant in Oklahoma went online last week, bringing 102 megawatts of wind power to the state. The Oklahoma Wind Energy Center, located near Woodward in northwest Oklahoma, was developed by FPL Energy and is providing half its power to the Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E) and the other half to the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA). It features 68 1.5-megawatt turbines, manufactured by GE Wind Energy. See the link to the OG&E press release on the company's home page at: http://www.oge.com/.

The OMPA press release is available in PDF format only at: http://www.ompa.com/pressrel.pdf.

For background on the project, see the July 11th press release from
FPL Energy at: http://www.fplenergy.com/news/2003/contents/03065.shtml.

Oklahoma will soon gain its second wind power plant, as Zilkha Renewable Energy is building a 74.25-megawatt wind project near Lawton. Zilkha expects to complete the project, called the Blue Canyon
Wind Farm, in December. See the Zilkha Web site at: http://www.zilkha.com/whatweredoing.asp?id=3.


Toyota Launches U.S. Sales of its New Prius

Toyota Motor Sales officially launched U.S. sales of its new Prius last week. The upgraded hybrid-electric vehicle is not only larger than its predecessor, but also achieves a higher mileage: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the new Prius will achieve 60 miles per gallon (MPG) in the city and 51 MPG on highways, for a combined city/highway mileage of 55 MPG. In contrast, the
earlier version earned an estimated combined city/highway mileage of 48 MPG. In terms of emissions, the Prius has earned an AT-PZEV (Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) rating, which
means that it is an SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) with zero evaporative emissions.

Toyota is also holding the line on pricing for the new vehicle, keeping the base MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) at just under $20,000. But it may be awhile before you see one on a dealer's
lot: the company has already received nearly 12,000 pre-orders for the new Prius. Toyota currently plans to manufacture 36,000 Prius hybrids for the U.S. market this year.

The new Prius is packed with features to appeal to the technology hound, including drive-by-wire technology for the throttle and shifting systems, an electronically dimming "electrochromic" rear-view
mirror, and a keyless entry and start system. See the Toyota Prius Web site at: http://www.toyota.com/prius/.

California drivers may have a new reason to buy a hybrid vehicle: On October 2nd, the State of California requested authority from the Secretary of Transportation to allow hybrid vehicles to drive in the HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes, even if they're not carrying a passenger. See the Toyota Prius press releases at: http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_library/display.html?kw=Prius.


Netherlands Team Holds Wide Lead in World Solar Challenge

The World Solar Challenge is underway in Australia, and at the end of Tuesday's racing, the Nuon Solar Team from the Netherlands holds a commanding lead. The lead vehicle, called the Nuna II, was one of
three solar cars that reached Alice Springs on Monday, but the team widened its lead on Tuesday. A team from Melbourne, Australia, is trailing the Nuna II by 46 minutes, and the U.S. team from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is in third place. As of Tuesday, 22 solar cars were competing in the race.

By the time you read this newsletter, the race will probably be decided, as the lead teams were expected to reach the finish line in Adelaide by Wednesday afternoon. That translates to early Wednesday morning in the eastern United States, or late Tuesday night on the West Coast. See the "Latest Updates" and "Media" pages on the World Solar Challenge Web site at: http://www.wsc.org.au/latestupdates.htm
and .


Will Electrokinetics Yield a New, Clean Energy Source?

A team of researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada announced Monday that they have discovered a new method of generating electricity. The researchers forced water through a filter made of
porous glass, causing an electrical charge to build up on the filter via the electrokinetic effect -- the physical separation of charges within a liquid, such as water, due to its interaction with a solid surface, such as glass. Using the pressure caused by a 30-centimeter column of water (a column about one foot high), the researchers were able to draw a current of 1.5 micro-amps from the glass filter. That's an extremely small current, but the researchers believe that using saltier water and a greater number of "microchannels" -- the miniature channels existing in the pores of the glass filter -- could yield a
practical power source.

Although the authors described the technique as possibly "a new alternative energy source to rival wind and solar power," it suffers from a potentially fatal flaw, namely, its low conversion efficiency.
According to the authors' paper, published Monday in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering (a publication of the Institute of Physics), the amount of electrical energy produced by the technique is expected to be less than 0.05 percent of the mechanical flow energy consumed by the pressure drop across the microchannels -- at least, for dilute solutions. That suggests that for any natural source of flowing water, such as a river, a conventional turbine-generator would yield far more electricity than would an electrokinetic device.

However, the devices should be more efficient when driven by salt water, and may have an application in tidal or wave energy devices that aim to convert the energy in flowing seawater into electricity.
See the announcement from the Institute of Physics at: http://www.iop.org/news/632.

See also the October 20th press release on the University of Alberta Web site at: http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/expressnews/.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
SITE NEWS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DOE Launches "Energy Savers," a New Web Site for Consumers
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/

DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) launched a new consumer-oriented Web site in early October, called "Energy Savers: A consumer guide to energy efficiency and renewable energy."

The new site combines the popular "Energy Savers" booklet with new content on ways to save energy at home, as well as ways to use renewable energy to provide power, hot water, and heating and cooling for your home. It even includes information on how to buy energy-smart vehicles, including alternative-fuel vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. The site features the "look and feel" of the redesigned EERE Web site, and can be accessed by selecting "Consumers" on the EERE home page at: http://www.eere.energy.gov/.

People looking to save energy at home can also turn to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), which just launched the eighth edition of its popular "Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings." Although the full booklet is available for a fee, a quick checklist and a list of the most energy-efficient home appliances are both available for free on the ACEEE Consumer Guide Web site at:
http://aceee.org/consumerguide/.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENERGY CONNECTIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DOE Report: U.S. LNG Imports Doubled in First Half of 2003

U.S. imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the first half of 2003 were more than double the amount imported in the first half of 2002, according to a new DOE report. DOE's quarterly report on natural gas
imports and exports found that the United States imported a total of 201.5 billion cubic feet of LNG during the first half of 2003, compared to only 96.9 billion cubic feet during the first half of 2002. In fact, for the entire year of 2002, the United States imported only 228.7 billion cubic feet of LNG, an amount nearly equaled in the first half of 2003.

The increase in LNG imports reflects an increased emphasis on finding new ways to meet U.S. natural gas demands, which are beginning to outstrip domestic supplies. Although natural gas can be brought to the continental United States from Alaska, Canada, and Mexico via pipelines, overseas sources of natural gas must be converted to LNG for shipping to the United States. According to the DOE report,
LNG imports are currently coming from Algeria, Nigeria, and Trinidad. See the report for the second quarter of 2003 by selecting "Summary Reports" on DOE's Office of Fossil Energy Web site at:
http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/gasregulation/analyses/analyses.html.

Meanwhile, the major energy companies continue to announce agreements aimed at insuring a future supply of LNG to the United States. On October 14th, for instance, BG LNG Services, LLC -- one of four
current importers of U.S. LNG -- signed a 20-year agreement to import LNG from Nigeria at a rate of about 117 billion cubic feet per year.

Two days later, ExxonMobil Corporation announced a 25-year agreement to import LNG from Qatar to the United States. The $12-billion agreement will bring in about 730 billion cubic feet of LNG per year,
starting in 2008 or 2009. See the BG Group and ExxonMobil press releases at: http://www.bg-group.com/news/archive_2003/141003-pr.htm and http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/Newsroom/News_Room.asp.

While companies are lining up overseas LNG supplies, security and environmental concerns still make it difficult for LNG importers to build new U.S. LNG import terminals. For some companies, the answer is
to build terminals in Mexico and import from there via pipelines. For others, like BHP Billiton, the answer is to build a floating terminal offshore. BHP Billiton's proposed Cabrillo Deepwater Port would be located 21 miles off the California shore and would convert the LNG into natural gas, which would then be piped to shore via an undersea pipeline. See the company's Cabrillo Deepwater Port Web site at:
http://lngsolutions.bhpbilliton.com/index.asp.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You can subscribe to this newsletter using the online form at:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/about.cfm.
This Web page also allows you to update your email address
or unsubscribe to this newsletter.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
home page is located at: http://www.eere.energy.gov/.

If you have questions or comments about this
newsletter, please contact the editor, Kevin Eber, at
kevin_eber@nrel.gov.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Great Lakes Daily News: 21 October 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Man survives plunge over Niagara Falls
----------------------------------------
A man survived a plunge over Niagara Falls with only the clothes on his
back, witnesses said, the first person known to have done it without safety
devices and lived. Source: CNN (10/21)


MMSD to set nets to catch condoms
----------------------------------------
Milwaukee's sewerage district has put on the fast track a never-before-tried
$2 million system to filter used condoms from discharges at its Jones Island
plant. The issue came to light in spring when a fisherman reported seeing
what he called a "slick" of hundreds of used condoms floating in Lake
Michigan. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (10/21)


CN wants to buy DM&IR and Great Lakes Fleet
----------------------------------------
Two cornerstones of the Twin Ports' transportation industry soon could have
new owners. The deal will likely cost the area some jobs but may, in the
long run, enhance its role as a regional transportation center. Source:
Duluth News Tribune (10/21)


COMMENTARY: Michigan becomes Democratic primary player
----------------------------------------
In his long battle to make Michigan an earlier player in the Democratic
presidential nomination process, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin argued that contenders
needed to focus as much on the Great Lakes as on Iowa's great fields of
corn. With its Feb. 7 caucus, Michigan will be the earliest major industrial
state to vote next year. Source: The Detroit News (10/21)


Tall ship favorite Larinda meets sad end
----------------------------------------
The Larinda, a popular attraction during last summer's Tall Ship events on
the Great Lakes, was recently recovered from Halifax Harbor after sinking
during a hurricane on Sept. 29. Source: The Bay City Times (10/21)


State efforts to preserve farmland face challenges
----------------------------------------
Michigan tax credits to save farmland often can't compete with big money
from developers building subdivisions, malls and office complexes. Source:
The Macomb Daily (10/20)


Leaders sober, hopeful after touring polluted sites in White Lake
----------------------------------------
There were many grim faces Friday as White Lake area leaders showed the
director of Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality the legacy of
pollution left by once-flourishing chemical companies. Source: The Muskegon
Chronicle (10/18)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


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Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
www.glin.net/forms/dailynews_form.html or send an e-mail message to
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Another day of Alt Power Digest:

There are 4 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Republicans Say Hair-Breadth From Energy Plan
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
2. Energy Bill Held Up by Tax Package Dispute
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
3. Smooth Gasoline Switch Expected in California
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
4. China To Put Corn Into Gas Tanks To Clean Up
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)


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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:02:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Republicans Say Hair-Breadth From Energy Plan

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/22590/story.htm

(REUTERS) USA: October 20, 2003:
WASHINGTON - Despite urgings from their House and Senate leaders, the Republicans negotiators overhauling U.S. energy policy were stymied last week by disagreements over modernizing the electric grid and the future of the gasoline additive MTBE.

Nor did they agree on $16 billion in tax breaks and incentives to encourage building of power plants, development of alternative energy sources and construction of an Alaska natural gas pipeline. Nonetheless, the Energy Committee chairman from each chamber said the high-level discussions - limited to party leaders and committee chairmen - were close to wrapping up the bill. Louisiana Republican Billy Tauzin, chairman of the House panel, said agreement was "a hairs-breadth" away. "We're still hopeful we can get it done tomorrow," he said. "It is fair to say we are within two items," said New Mexico Republican Pete Domenici, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee. But he declined to say which items had been locked up or if negotiators had deleted a White House-backed proposal to allow oil and gas drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge.

A Senate aide tabbed electricity and renewable fuels as the sticking points for the negotiators. A Senate Finance Committee staff worker said there was no agreement on the tax portion of the bill. Tauzin and Domenici met privately for nearly an hour after a session with House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Earlier this week, the leaders told the chairmen they wanted them to produce a bill by late Thursday so it could be taken to a floor vote next week.

DEMOCRATS NOT INVITED

Democrats, who have complained about being locked out of the bill-writing process by Republicans, were not invited to this week's meetings. They probably will not get a chance to work on the bill until a formal meeting of negotiators is called, preparatory to sending the bill to full Senate and House.
No amendments are allowed when a so-called conference report is called for a floor vote.

Three issues in particular have split Republicans and stopped the bill in its tracks during the past month.
Virtually all lawmakers agree on the need for stricter standards of power transmission reliability since the August blackout, but Southern Republicans want the bill to prohibit federal regulators from requiring all utilities to join regional grids. The Southerners view the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's grid rule as usurping state authority. The proposed ban of gasoline additive MTBE, a suspected carcinogen blamed for groundwater pollution, is another source of disagreement. Delay opposes a ban and wants language that would protect MTBE producers from liability lawsuits.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle - who backs corn-based ethanol as a substitute for MTBE, as do many Midwestern lawmakers - said earlier this week he had not decided whether to support a filibuster if the final version of the bill protects MTBE manufacturers from lawsuits. Another dispute centers on Domenici's opposition to a tax credit guaranteeing a minimum price for natural gas that would be shipped through a proposed $20 billion pipeline from Alaska to the lower 48 states.
Alaska's Republican senators say the tax credit is crucial for construction, but House lawmakers and the Bush administration say it would distort markets and discourage gas development in other parts of the country.

Story by Chuck Abbott and Tom Doggett

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
========================================

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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:03:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Energy Bill Held Up by Tax Package Dispute

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/22586/story.htm

USA: (REUTERS) October 20, 2003:
WASHINGTON - Disputes over a $16 billion package of energy tax credits and incentives prevented Republican negotiators from finalizing sweeping U.S. energy legislation on the weekend, but they hope to wrap up their work on Sunday, according to congressional sources. Negotiators are racing against the clock to finish a bill that would overhaul U.S. energy policy for the first time in a decade, and then present it to a joint Senate-House conference committee for a vote that is tentatively scheduled for mid-day on Monday. Senate and House Republican staff, who spent most of Saturday in their Capitol Hill offices trying to hammer out the bill, informed their Democratic colleagues late in the day there was no final legislative language for them to review.

In a big win to win for environmental groups, controversial plans to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling are set to be dropped from the final bill. "I don't think it's going to be in the bill," Republican negotiator Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi told reporters late last week, when asked about ANWR drilling.
Holding up the bill are multi-billion-dollar tax provisions, with disagreement among Senate and House negotiators in particular on separate incentives to build an Alaskan natural gas pipeline and provide a fuel tax break for ethanol-blended gasoline, the congressional sources said. "The two tax packages don't match up very well," said one congressional aide.

Nonetheless, Republican staffers are shooting to finish the bill on Sunday and send the legislation to the House floor as early as Tuesday, after it is voted on by the conference committee. A vote in the Senate would soon follow.

The wide-ranging bill would also modernize the U.S. electrical grid, promote oil and natural gas drilling and encourage the development of alternative energy sources.

But the final bill will not contain a requirement that the government conduct an inventory of oil and natural gas reserves in offshore U.S. waters where drilling is banned, Republican Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico, who is steering the energy bill through Congress, said last week.

The Bush administration made drilling in the Arctic refuge a key part of its national energy plan and argued ANWR's potential 16 billion barrels of crude was needed to help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil imports. However, Republicans feared a threatened Democratic filibuster against ANWR drilling would kill the bill.

Story by Tom Doggett

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:03:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Smooth Gasoline Switch Expected in California

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/22584/story.htm

USA: (REUTERS) October 20, 2003:
HOUSTON - Refiners, regulators and analysts said last week that as California finishes its switch to a new clean-burning gasoline over the next few weeks they don't expect price spikes like those seen since spring.

State officials set Dec. 31 as the deadline for refiners to begin adding ethanol, an alcohol, to gasoline to reduce tailpipe emissions. Ethanol replaces methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), a petrochemical, found to pollute groundwater.

Most refiners switched to making the new ethonol-blend gasoline, called by its acronym CARBOB, last year, but Tesoro Petroleum Corp. (TSO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Valero Energy Corp. (VLO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) are both still phasing out MTBE. They make about 20 percent of the 1 million gallons produced each day in the state with MTBE, but should be fully converted to ethanol by Nov. 1, according to the companies and the California Energy Commission. Since March, West Coast gasoline spot market prices have shot up as much 80 cents on at least two occasions as several refineries suffered breakdowns that caused cuts in gasoline production. But Valero and Tesoro said they do not expect market-moving production cuts as they complete the conversion. "We will not experience a noticeable change in production volumes," said Valero spokeswoman Mary Rose Brown. Valero operates two California refineries with a combined throughput of 320,000 barrels per day (bpd). "We've been preparing for this for the past two years," said Doug Miller, Tesoro's California region business manager. Tesoro runs a 168,000 bpd refinery in Martinez, California. If production levels are maintained as expected, seasonality should favor stable prices, too, because fall and winter are usually calmer times for gasoline prices in California, said Dave Hackett, president of the California consulting firm Stillwater Associates. There is less driving and environmental regulations are easier to meet. "Other than what's driven by the price of crude oil, there's generally very little in terms of price spikes even if there is a refinery problem," Hackett said.
He said that having all the state's 14 refineries making the same gasoline blend also should help stabilize supply in the future and perhaps limit price spikes.

The Energy Commission expects MTBE to be out of the state's gasoline supply by mid-November.

Story by Erwin Seba

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:03:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: China To Put Corn Into Gas Tanks To Clean Up

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/22580/story.htm

CHINA: (REUTERS) October 20, 2003:
JILIN, China - Jilin province, home to China's first car factory and also its biggest corn producer, is putting corn and cars together in a project to ease the country's exploding pollution ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Like many other agriculture giants such as Brazil, the United States, and India, the northeast province is using its huge farm surplus to make organic fuel that cuts pollution, and reduces dependency on petroleum imports at the same time.

Industry sources say China, which is the world's fastest growing car and energy market, could extend the use of ethanol gasoline throughout the country by 2005 if initial exploratory steps are successful. An Olympics shrouded in smog is not a scene China wants to show the world, but that is what it will look like, unless the traffic pollution in major cities is brought under control.

Turning grains into fuel also happens to allow the government to continue to subsidize agriculture outside its obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO), avoiding more social unrest from farmers who are now exposed to global competition. In Jilin, not far from the provincial capital Changchun, one of the world's largest fuel ethanol plants is currently gearing up for full operation.

From October 18, all car, truck and bus drivers in the province must blend into their gasoline 10 percent of the biofuel distilled from corn. A similar policy nationwide would make a significant dent in regular gasoline consumption, which totaled more than 37 million tonnes last year.

Fuel ethanol cuts greenhouse gas emissions that are held responsible for global warming. It can be produced also from wheat, sugar, rapeseed, palm oil, cassava or even recycled food oil, such as old frying oil collected from fast food restaurants.

SUBSIDIES

Jilin Fuel plant is one of four Chinese ethanol plants under construction, including one in neighboring Heilongjiang, one in the eastern province Anhui, and another in wheat-producing Henan. "Such projects are viable only in grain-producing areas," Liu Yi, technical department manager told Reuters at the plant in the outskirts of Jilin city, from where the hills of the province's vast corn fields roll off far away and out of sight.

Jilin, which is three times the size of Austria, accounts for more than 10 percent of China's annual corn output of about 120 million tonnes, the second biggest after the United States. It takes about three tonnes of corn to produce one ton of ethanol.

Jilin Fuel will purchase corn from farmers and store it in silos at the sprawling complex. The air here is filled with a sweet smell, similar to a brewery, as it conducts test runs.

The plant cost 1.94 billion yuan (about $235 million) and is equipped with its own power generators as well as water treatment facilities, still a rarity for China.

Along with Beijing, the local government has provided favorable taxes and low-interest loans to the company. It has also promised subsidies to make up for the difference between gasoline and ethanol prices. Liu calculated ethanol to cost about 4,000 yuan ($484) per tonne, compared with gasoline at 2,700 yuan ($327) a tonne. With car sales doubling this year to over two million, the International Energy Agency forecast that China would overtake Japan next year as the second largest oil consumer after the United States. Jilin Fuel Ethanol, a joint venture between the China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), China Resources Enterprises Ltd and Jilin Grain Group (JGG), is to convert 900,000 tonnes of corn into 300,000 tonnes of fuel ethanol each year. It plans to double its capacity to 600,000 tonnes after that.

ETHANOL EQUALS HAPPY FARMERS

China has recently been trying to pull back from grain export markets because it cannot continue to pay out the export subsidies it used to under WTO trade rules. "To help the fuel ethanol company is to help improve farmers income, restructure the old agriculture system and help maintain social stability," Hong Hu, governor of Jilin province, said. "It's a top government agenda item."

Over the past decade, China accumulated massive grains stocks as results of its policy of food security but these are now costing a fortune in storage fees, and are depressing prices of new crop, which hurts farmers. Jilin alone is estimated to have over 20 million tonnes of corn in stock.

"Maybe they are willing to say 'Okay this is in the name of fuel security and environmental protection ... we'll do this'," said one source in Beijing, who declined to be named. "And if the prices of grains go too high, that's good for the farmers."

Story by Nao Nakanishi

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
========================================

Great Lakes Daily News: 20 October 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


New contaminants in the lakes?
----------------------------------------
The U.S. EPA and Canada are launching studies to look at emerging
contaminants, a new class of chemicals that is being found in water and fish
of the Great Lakes. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium (10/20)


Wisconsin board to rule on smelt fishing this week
----------------------------------------
The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board is scheduled to decide this week
whether to forego a legislative request to let commercial smelt fishing
continue on Green Bay and instead keep a proposed five-year ban. Source:
Green Bay Press-Gazette (10/20)


COMMENTARY: Great Lakes need protection from foreign ship water, species
----------------------------------------
By stopping the introduction of invasive species through ballast water
tanks, one of the greatest threats to the U.S. waters and ecosystems can be
greatly reduced. Source: Detroit Free Press (10/20)


EDITORIAL: Cleaner rivers in Minnesota
----------------------------------------
Last week Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said "yes" to a major new initiative,
a conservation proposal for three of Minnesota's great rivers. Source:
Minneapolis Star Tribune (10/20)


Transportation or trees? A highway runs through it.
----------------------------------------
Growing cities mean more suburbs, more cars and, according to traditional
thinking, the need for more roads. But some people think new roads are not a
solution, but part of the problem. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium
(10/20)


CN Rail pays $500M for U.S. railways
----------------------------------------
Beefing up its cross-border steel transport services, Canadian National
Railway Co. says it will buy two small U.S. railways and a fleet of vessels
owned by Great Lakes Transportation LLC. Source: The Toronto Star (10/20)


Tapping into a resource
----------------------------------------
Believing that water can be an economic tonic, a group call HOhio is trying
to transform northeast Ohio from a rust belt region to a water-based mecca.
Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/19)


COMMENTARY: American Indians have been stewards of Wisconsin lands for
centuries
----------------------------------------
While most of the news about Wisconsin's American Indians focuses on
gambling and casinos, they have been and continue to be especially good
stewards of the land and its resources. Source: The Shawano Leader (10/19)


EPA won't regulate sludge dioxins
----------------------------------------
The Environmental Protection Agency will let farmers and others use sewage
sludge as fertilizer without concern for the amount of dioxins, a class of
organic chemicals that the agency's studies have shown pose a possible
cancer risk in humans. Source: Duluth News Tribune (10/18)


Whiskey Island plan unveiled
----------------------------------------
A public wharf, bike rentals, an ecological center and a lookout tower are
some of the features Cuyahoga County would like to plant on Whiskey Island,
with Cleveland's help. Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/18)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


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There are 2 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Delaware Looks to Biodiesel to Fuel Vehicles
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
2. Trend Favors Nuclear-Hydrogen Economy
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 20:06:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Delaware Looks to Biodiesel to Fuel Vehicles

06 May 2003:
By Randall Chase, Associated Press:
DOVER, Del. — Farmers in Delaware are looking hopefully toward biodiesel as a way to expand the market for their soybeans. A $60,000 federal grant is being used to study the feasibility of building a biodiesel production plant in Delaware, where soybeans, the most common ingredient in biodiesel, are the top agricultural crop. "It is an industry that's just getting started," said Marty Ross of Delmar, a soybean farmer and chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Biodiesel Exploratory Committee, the group leading the charge for a biodiesel production plant. Ross also is a member of a state energy task force subcommittee recommending the mandatory blending of biodiesel with conventional diesel fuel sold in Delaware. Biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative fuel made from animal fat or vegetable oil: anything from used restaurant grease to virgin soybean oil. Glycerin is removed from the fat or oil, and the resulting methyl esters are used for biodiesel, while the glycerin is sold for use in drugs, cosmetics, and other products. Nationwide, sales of biodiesel have soared from about 500,000 gallons in 1999 to an estimated 15 million gallons last year, said Joe Jobe, executive director of the National Biodiesel Board in Jefferson City, Mo. Jobe noted that low-percentage blends of biodiesel and conventional diesel fuel can be used in virtually all diesel applications, from trucks to farm equipment to boats, with no engine modifications. "The single biggest challenge is education," he added. "Biodiesel is still not a household world." Unlike conventional diesel fuel, biodiesel contains no sulfur or petroleum, meaning it burns much cleaner and reduces emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulates. Its high lubricity improves engine life, and the exhaust is far less noxious than the oily, black smoke often seen trailing behind diesel vehicles. Biodiesel fans also tout it as a domestic resource that can help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Currently, there are about 20 biodiesel producers registered with the federal Environmental Protection Agency. That number may grow if Congress approves a reduction in the diesel fuel excise tax when biodiesel is blended with petroleum diesel, making biodiesel competitive on price, Jobe said. Delaware soybean farmers have struggled in recent years. Following last year's drought, they harvested about 4.6 million bushels of soybeans, down from 7 million bushels in 2001 and well below the record high of 9.2 million bushels in 2000. Advocates believe a biodiesel plant in Delaware could help boost soybean prices. They also say it would complement the region's poultry industry, which uses soybean meal for livestock feed and might even supply animal fat for biodiesel production. A report from a state energy task force subcommittee last month called for legislation requiring conventional diesel fuels sold in Delaware to contain 2 percent biodiesel, a blend known as B2. The subcommittee also called on the General Assembly to recognize biodiesel in state law for tax purposes and for the governor to require B20 — a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel — in state vehicles. A spokesman said Gov. Ruth Ann Minner would consider it. "It's not only good for the environment, but it's good for Delaware farmers," Minner spokesman Greg Patterson said. Currently, state fleets, including those of the agriculture, natural resources, and transportation departments, are the largest users of biodiesel in Delaware. Biodiesel pumps aren't yet widely available to the public, with the first two opening just this year.
========================================



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 2
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 20:06:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Trend Favors Nuclear-Hydrogen Economy

By John C. Zink, Ph.D., P.E.,
Contributing Editor:
A prominent environmentalist has observed that societies exhibit a natural trend toward the use of more-concentrated energy sources. He concluded that, regardless of government energy policy, people use ever-more hydrogen-rich fuels. Ultimately, this trend could lead to a hydrogen-based economy, with nuclear energy in the pivotal role of producing the hydrogen. In last May's column I discussed one such scenario: Chauncey Starr's proposal for a nuclear-hydrogen "SuperGrid." Researchers are now bringing these visions closer to reality by addressing which nuclear technologies would be most appropriate for hydrogen production.

Last April, Jesse H. Ausubel, director of the Program for the Human Environment and Senior Research Associate at The Rockefeller University, spoke to scientists at the George C. Marshall Institute about historical trends in energy use. Ausubel observed that, over the past 130 years, there has been a long-term evolution in society's dominant energy sources. This trend has manifested itself in three waves, with one overriding trend, which Ausubel calls decarbonization.

Ausubel notes that end users have steadily increased the spatial density of energy they consume, as civilization has progressed from tribes in the wilderness, to an agrarian society, to an urban society. Following this trend, the commonly used fuel sources have increased in energy intensity, and have progressed from sources with high carbon content to those with lower carbon content. And as the carbon content has decreased, the hydrogen content has increased. Wood, the most primitive fuel, has a carbon to hydrogen ratio of 10:1. Progressing to coal, oil, and natural gas, the carbon to hydrogen ratio progresses from 2:1 to 1:2 to 1:4. In 1988, Ausubel and some colleagues extrapolated this 130-year trend to the year 2100. They projected that, by then, carbon will disappear entirely from the fuel supply. Furthermore, this trend appears to be stable: it continued through such societal upheavals as economic depressions and wars; and the trend seems impervious to interference from government energy planners.

It is instructive to consider the relevance of these observations to our current energy policy debate. First, the trend observed by Ausubel seems to indicate that the projected steady increase in CO2 emissions which so alarms the global warming advocates is an artifice of their own computer models; it is not a verifiable long-term trend. Second, to the extent to which energy policy can accelerate the trend, Ausubel says, "In the case of the USA, the policy prescriptions are simple: favor gas, hydrogen and nuclear." Ausubel offers the prognostication that, "Over the longer term, the production of hydrogen is what will improve the economics of nuclear power, much more than standardizing plants or building plants more quickly; it gives nuclear power plants something to do 24 hours a day."

In the February 2003 issue of Nuclear News, Charles Forsberg, Paul Pickard and Per Peterson note that there is currently a large and growing U.S. market for commercial hydrogen. (If the president's proposed $1.3 billion project to develop a hydrogen fuel cell powered car succeeds, that market eventually may exceed even the electricity market.) The authors observe that the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor (AHTR) concept, proposed for the Department of Energy's Generation IV nuclear plant development program, is specifically designed for hydrogen production. The AHTR uses graphite-matrix coated-particle fuel and high-temperature molten salt coolant. Because of its high-temperature operation, the AHTR is capable of high-temperature electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen. The hot electrolysis method uses both electricity and heat to convert water to hydrogen and oxygen, yielding a thermal-to-hydrogen efficiency twice that of the low-temperature electrolysis process. According to the authors, Japanese researchers think this may reduce the cost of hydrogen production by as much as 40 percent.
Contrary to Ausubel's expectation of dual-use nuclear plants, the Nuclear News authors observe that, to be practical, an AHTR would be built to produce either electricity or hydrogen, but not both. They note that, "Experience with high-temperature chemical plants is that cyclic operation results in serious reliability problems." So it is clear that engineers must still work out a lot of the details pertaining to the hydrogen economy. Nevertheless, it seems that knowledgeable people from diverse areas of science and engineering are concluding that the nuclear-hydrogen energy system holds great promise for the world's future energy needs.

While it is risky to project the future as an extrapolation of the past, Ausubel's predictions are especially compelling because they come from an understanding of the reasons behind the fuel-use trend. Similarly, those who understand nuclear technology recognize its inherent merits and are developing its unique potential to contribute to the hydrogen economy. I would not argue that the nuclear-hydrogen future envisioned by Starr, Ausubel and others is inevitable, but it seems to be the most-plausible long-term energy scenario for sustaining a thriving economy.

(Thanks to reader Patrick Chapman for pointing out the Ausubel speech, which is available on the Marshall Institute Web site.) Power Engineering April, 2003
http://pe.pennwellnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=Articles&ARTICLE_ID=173265&VERSION_NUM=1&p=6
========================================

Organic Agriculture Yields New Weapon Against Global Warming: Groundbreaking study proves organic farming counters greenhouse gases



From Straus Communications
Thursday, October 16, 2003

Kutztown, PA .. After 23 years of field studies on organic farming practices, researchers at The Rodale Institute® have announced exciting new findings with profound implications in the battle against global warming.

The Rodale Institute's groundbreaking Farming Systems Trial®, the world's longest running study of organic farming, has documented that organic soils actually scrub the atmosphere of global warming gases by capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide and converting it into soil material. This is the first study to differentiate organic farming techniques from conventional agricultural practices for their ability to serve as carbon "sinks."

"Organic farming is a powerful new tool in the global warming arsenal," said Anthony Rodale, chairman of the The Rodale Institute. "It puts agriculture into a lead role - in regenerating the environment."

Through a process called carbon sequestration, plants and soils act as "sinks" for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon "sequestered" in vegetation and soil is not readily released as carbon dioxide, providing a significant boost in the efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. While carbon helps stimulate plant growth, scientists estimate carbon dioxide may be responsible for more than 80 percent of global warming.

Although it's not a "silver bullet," carbon sequestration can become a powerful component of a multi-pronged approach to managing the issue of global warming. Since 1981, The Rodale Institute has monitored soil carbon and nitrogen levels in scientifically controlled test fields using organic as well as a wide range of other farming methods. In the organic systems, soil carbon increased 15 to 28 percent.

These results are the extension of findings first published in the journal Nature in 1999 and have undergone additional peer review.

While the effects of carbon sequestration have been known for some time, The Rodale Institute's research provides the most definitive, long-term evidence about organic agriculture's asset as a tool against global warming.

"This is very good news," said Paul Hepperly, The Rodale Institute's research manager. The extent of carbon sequestration found and the impressive ability of organic systems to capture carbon are important results that should be used by policy makers when planning future agriculture development."

The Rodale Institute's studies show an average increase in soil carbon of about 1,000 pounds per acre-foot of soil, or about 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per acre-foot per year sequestered. If multiplied over the 160 million acres of corn and soybean produced nationally, 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide could potentially be sequestered using existing low input organic farming methods.

"Because the Farming Systems Trial® found that organic farming practices emit fewer greenhouse gases, the carbon sequestration findings are exciting on their own," said Anthony Rodale. "Additionally, The Rodale Institute's multi-year study also produces compelling evidence about the economic viability of organic agriculture. The field trial findings can be beneficial to all farmers by helping to increase crop yields while decreasing energy, fuel and irrigation costs."

Pennsylvania's Departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection have agreed to support further study, education and outreach efforts with The Rodale Institute® to better understand the positive effects that organic agriculture can have in reducing the impacts of excess atmospheric carbon on global warming.

"Rodale's data and findings will be most helpful in the development of future greenhouse gas mitigation strategies that will be beneficial to Pennsylvania's citizens, its farmers and its business owners," said Secretary Kathleen McGinty of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection. "I commend The Rodale Institute for their staying power in conducting this twenty plus-year study that has measured and documented the use of living soil as a sink for carbon dioxide."

"Pennsylvania's partnership with The Rodale Institute presents a one-of-a-kind opportunity," said Dennis Wolff, Secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Agriculture.

"Pennsylvania is fortunate to be at the center of this exciting research," Wolff said. "We have thought for years that carbon sequestration and the development of a market for carbon credits offers new income opportunities for farmers even as they help the environment. Today's research results demonstrate that potential beyond the shadow of a doubt. I am anxious to share this potential with the Commonwealth's farmers."


# # #


The Rodale Institute® is a not-for-profit educational and research organization committed to sharing information globally about successful agricultural solutions to health and environmental problems. The Rodale Institute has worked for sixty years to establish and share knowledge about how to achieve a regenerative food system that renews environmental and human health, bringing to life the philosophy of J. I. Rodale, the founder, that "Healthy Soil = Health Food = Healthy People®." For more information about The Rodale Institute®, NewFarm.org and related programs, please visit www.newfarm.org, www.rodaleinstitute.org, www.kidsregen.org.

Related articles:
Research Facts / excerpts - www.strauscom.com/rodale-facts
Statement of Cooperation - www.strauscom.com/rodale-MOU
The Whitepaper - www.strauscom.com/rodale-whitepaper
About The Rodale Institute - www.strauscom.com/rodale-background





For more information, contact:

Michael Straus
President
Straus Communications
Michael@StrausCom.com

From ENN,

EPA defends ads for Bush proposal, despite Democrats' charges


Thursday, October 16, 2003
By John Heilprin, Associated Press


WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is standing by its advertising from two weeks ago to promote President Bush's plan for reducing power plant pollution, despite House Democrats' charges that it was a serious misuse of public money.

The ads promoting Bush's "Clear Skies" legislation may violate antilobbying laws, say Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.; John Dingell, D-Mich.; and David Obey, D-Wis. But EPA spokeswoman Lisa Harrison insists the ads, which ran Sept. 26 to Oct. 2, were legal.

"It's a moot point, because the ads have run their course," she said Wednesday. "We're not lobbying because we're not advocating an action. We're educating people about the benefits of Clear Skies."

EPA announced on Sept. 29 it was starting a national Spanish-language advertising campaign on the Hispanic Radio Network, timed to coincide with National Hispanic Heritage Month. The agency also took out a full-page color ad promoting Bush's plan in a Spanish-language newspaper in Dallas.

Harrison said the ads were among 27 public service announcements that ran on the network's 160 affiliate stations, covering topics such as asthma, the Energy Star program, radon, school buses, drinking water — and Clear Skies.

Bush's legislation, one of his top environmental priorities, has awaited action in Congress since its introduction in the House and Senate in July 2002 and again last February.

The Democrats called the ad campaign "an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars, quite possibly in violation of federal law" in a letter Tuesday to EPA Acting Administrator Marianne Horinko.

"We also believe this action is unprecedented," they wrote, asking that EPA staff preserve any documents, including e-mails and computer files, related to the ad campaign.

They said several laws and Congress' appropriations law for EPA, which bans the use of agency funds for "propaganda purposes," may have been violated. Federal law also prohibits federal officials from campaigning on legislation before Congress.

However, Harrison said that EPA was abiding by interpretations of those laws by the Justice Department and General Accounting Office, both of which were consulted by EPA's general counsel before the ads ran.

Horinko said in announcing the ads last month, "EPA is focusing on ways Hispanics can foster a healthy environment in the home, at school, and in their local communities."


Source: Associated Press

New Stories from Alt Power Digest on Yahoo! Groups:

There are 2 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. EERE Network News -- 10/15/03
From: greenscitek@webtv.net
2. Higher Energy Prices Make Wind Energy Competitive
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 08:40:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: greenscitek@webtv.net
Subject: EERE Network News -- 10/15/03

EERE NETWORK NEWS -- October 15, 2003
A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
http://www.eere.energy.gov
==================================

Featuring:

*News and Events -
Honda Introduces Fuel Cell for Below-Freezing Temperatures:
California and Ohio Support Distributed Generation Projects:
Solar-Powered LED Lamps Help Guide Air Force Jets in Iraq:
Australia's "World Solar Challenge" Car Race Starts Sunday:
Tests of Tidal Energy Turbine Underway in the United Kingdom:
Seattle Bank Offers Mortgage Financing for Energy Efficiency

*Site News
Revamped NREL Web Site Highlights Research Activities

*Energy Connections
EIA Statistics: Newer Homes Tend to Use More Energy

*About this Newsletter

----------------------------------------------
NEWS AND EVENTS
----------------------------------------------

Honda Introduces Fuel Cell for Below-Freezing Temperatures

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has tackled one of the largest technical barriers
for fuel cell vehicles, producing a fuel cell with advanced electrolyte
membranes that can operate at temperatures as low as 4 degrees
Fahrenheit below zero (negative 20 degrees Celsius). Honda announced
last week that the new fuel cell uses a simplified structure to cut the
number of components by nearly half, while more than doubling the power
output per pound of fuel cell, compared to Honda's previous-generation
fuel cell. Incorporating the new fuel cell into Honda's fuel cell
vehicle, the FCX, yields a 10-percent increase in fuel efficiency and a
20-mile increase in range, to more than 180 miles. Honda delivered the
first of five FCX vehicles to the City of Los Angeles in December 2002;
last month, Honda also agreed to deliver two FCX vehicles to the City of
San Francisco by year-end.

Honda has also developed an experimental "Home Energy Station" that
converts natural gas into hydrogen, which is then purified, compressed,
and stored. The hydrogen can be used either to fuel a fuel cell vehicle
or to supply a stationary fuel cell -- incorporated in the unit -- to
produce electricity and hot water. In addition, Honda has developed a
new Ruthenium-based catalyst that allows water to be converted into its
components, hydrogen and oxygen, more efficiently. Honda has built a
water electrolysis unit that uses power from an advanced solar cell to
generate hydrogen and has added the unit to its hydrogen production
station in Torrington, California. See the press releases on the Honda
Media Web site at: http://www.hondanews.com/forms/honda/fcx/.

For the record, General Motors Corporation (GM) announced a similar
cold-start fuel cell achievement back in September 1999, although it is
not clear if the company ever incorporated that fuel cell into a
vehicle. See the GM press release at: http://media.gm.com/corpcom/99news/g990929a.htm.

Other car companies continue to make progress on fuel cell vehicles. In
late September, Toyota delivered two more fuel cell vehicles to
University of California campuses -- one to Irvine and one to Davis.
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has also built a fuel-cell vehicle based
on a minivan and using a fuel cell from Ballard Power System Inc. Closer
to home, Ford Motor Company is planning to test its Ford Focus fuel cell
vehicle on the streets of Vancouver, British Columbia, next year. See
the press releases from Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Ford at:

http://www.toyota.com/about/news/environment/2003/09/24-1-fchv.html,
http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/inter/NEWS/0304-09/0352.html, and
http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_display.cfm?release=15591.

California and Ohio Support Distributed Generation Projects
Two recent actions in the states of California and Ohio will help groups
and individuals generate their own power on-site, a concept known as
"self-generation" or "distributed generation." The actions bode
particularly well for solar power installations in the two states.
In California, outgoing Governor Gray Davis signed legislation on Sunday
that will extend the state's Self-Generation Incentive Program through
the end of 2007. The program has been critical to the growth of solar
power in the state, and was set to expire at the end of 2004. The new
legislation, Assembly Bill 1685, also sets emissions standards and
requires a minimum conversion efficiency of 60 percent for any
fossil-fueled distributed generation that seeks to qualify for the
incentive payment. Combined heat and power projects can earn credits
against the emission standards based on how much heat they recover. See
the governor's October 12th press release, titled "Legislative Update --
Part III," by selecting "Press Releases" on the governor's Web site at:
http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov_pressroom_main.jsp.
Governor Davis faced a deadline of midnight on Sunday to either sign or
veto 282 bills that awaited his signature; any bills that he didn't sign
or veto would automatically become law. For detailed information about
Assembly Bill 1685, enter "AB 1685" in the search box on the Official
California Legislative Information Web site at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html.

In Ohio, the Department of Development has awarded a total of $924,019
in grants to 26 distributed generation projects throughout the state.
The projects cover a wide range of technologies to be installed in both
homes and business, including solar power systems, solar thermal
systems, wind turbines, a biomass-to-energy system, a gas turbine, and a
reciprocating engine. Many of the projects involve "hybrid" systems that
combine two or more of the technologies, and several make use of waste
heat produced by the electrical generators. But perhaps the most
interesting award is to the City of Cleveland, which plans to install a
530-kilowatt solar power system at one of its water treatment plants. If
built, it will be the largest solar power system in the Midwest. See the
Ohio Department of Development press release at:
http://www.connectohio.com/newsroom/releases/832.asp.
Aside from financing, the trickiest parts of installing distributed
generation usually involve agreements with the local utility, including
agreements on how to connect to the grid -- referred to as
"interconnection" -- and on how the utility will credit the owner for
any power fed into the grid. Advocates of distributed generation prefer
a "net metering" agreement that credits power fed into the grid against
power drawn from the grid, requiring the owner to only pay the net
difference. To help advance distributed generation, the Interstate
Renewable Energy Council (IREC) recently released new model rules to
help guide policymakers considering net metering or interconnection
rules in their states. See the announcement, with a link to the draft
rules, on the IREC Web site at:
http://www.irecusa.org/articles/static/1/1062865888_987096450.html.

Solar-Powered LED Lamps Help Guide Air Force Jets in Iraq
Solar power may still conjure images of hippies and hot tubs among some
people, but its current use by the U.S. Air Force adds a level of
machismo that should help to dispel that image. Solar-powered lights are
now marking runways at the U.S. Air Force base in Kirkuk, Iraq, and will
soon be used to mark obstructions and a helipad perimeter at the base.
Carmanah Technologies Corporation, which had already provided 400
solar-powered lights to the base, announced in early October that it
received an order for 120 more lights. The second order is a vote of
confidence for the solar technology, which uses energy-efficient
light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, as a light source. More than 2,600 of
the solar lights are now being used at military airfields throughout the
world. See the Carmanah press release at:
http://www.carmanah.com/index.asp?a=iv&m=news&s=031001.
Companies continue to make advancements in LED lighting, opening up new
opportunities for their use in everyday applications. Lumileds Lighting,
for instance, has just released the Luxeon III light source, which uses
LEDs to produce up to 80 lumens of white light while consuming about 3.9
watts of power. That's still fewer lumens per watt than most compact
fluorescent lights, but more energy-efficient than an incandescent
light. For instance, a 60-watt incandescent bulb typically produces
about 900 lumens, or about 15 lumens per watt, compared to 20.5 lumens
per watt for the Luxeon III LED light. Lumileds has recently seen its
lights used for concert and dance-floor lighting, headlights in concept
cars, and even headlights and taillights on Amish buggies. See the
Lumileds Luxeon Web page and press release page at:
http://www.lumileds.com/index.html and
http://www.lumileds.com/newsandevents/press.htm.

Universal Display Corporation is taking an alternative approach, forming
LEDs from organic materials. The company announced last week that it
received a $750,000 award from DOE to advance its development of a
6-inch square panel made of thin films of organic LED materials that
emit white light. See the company's press release at:
http://www.universaldisplay.com/newsroom.php?pr=2003-10-09.

Australia's "World Solar Challenge" Car Race Starts Sunday
The seventh annual "World Solar Challenge" kicks off in Darwin,
Australia, on Sunday, October 19th. Race organizers announced on Tuesday
that 23 solar cars from 10 countries have entered the race, which runs
1,870 miles (3,010 kilometers) down the center of the Australian
continent, ending in Adelaide on October 28th. Unlike the American Solar
Challenge, which is divided into four stages, the World Solar Challenge
is run in one stage. That allows the teams to travel as far as they can
each day, although they must stop by 5 p.m. Apart from compulsory stops
at seven checkpoints, the teams are on their own in the Australian
outback. See the World Solar Challenge Web site at:
http://www.wsc.org.au/.

Links to the latest news from the race, as well as information about the
teams, are available on the Web site's "Daily Updates" page at:
http://www.wsc.org.au/latestupdates.htm.

Tests of Tidal Energy Turbine Underway in the United Kingdom
Sea Power International AB announced in September that it was starting
tests of its prototype tidal energy turbine near the shore of Shetland,
in the far northern reaches of the United Kingdom. The turbine will be
attached to a ship that will be anchored at 10 sites in the Bluemull
Sound, located between the islands of Yell and Unst. The test will
determine the best site to locate a full-scale tidal power station.
According to the company, the prototype tidal energy turbine is based on
an existing wind turbine design. See the Sea Power press release at:
http://www.seapower.se/presseng.htm.

Meanwhile, the Wave Dragon wave energy system continues to press ahead
at its test site in the Danish fjord called Nissum Bredning. In
September, Wave Dragon added six turbines to the wave energy system,
bringing the total to seven. So far, there's no word from the company on
the amount of power being produced by the prototype system. See the Wave
Dragon press release at: http://www.wavedragon.net/news/index.htm.

Seattle Bank Offers Mortgage Financing for Energy Efficiency
Energy-efficient products nearly always pay for themselves -- often in a
short period of time -- but when new homeowners are out buying
appliances, the price premium on the high-efficiency models often leads
them to buy the less-expensive model that will cost them more in the
long run. In an attempt to overcome that shortsighted view, HomeStreet
Bank and the Efficiency Services Group (ESG) are now offering homeowners
a way to use their mortgage to finance energy efficiency improvements.
Through the "Mortgage Options for Resource Efficiency" (MORE) program,
homeowners can add $4,000 to their mortgage, which is placed in an
escrow account. An energy specialist from ESG, a division of Portland
General Electric, will then perform an energy analysis to determine
which upgrades make the most sense. The homeowner can then choose from a
menu of energy-efficiency options, including lighting, appliances,
water-saving devices, and weatherization measures. Unused funds are
applied to the pay the principal on the mortgage. See the September 11th
press release on the HomeStreet Bank Web site at:
http://www.homestreet.com/about/press/default.asp.
See also the MORE program Web site at: http://www.moreprogram.com.

Are you wondering what incentives for energy efficiency might exist in
your area? Well, stop wondering and visit the new database created by
the National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project (NEAAP). The
database lists such incentives as energy-efficiency audits, rebates, and
low-interest loans. See the NEAPP Residential Energy Efficiency Database
at: http://neaap.ncat.org/db/.

----------------------------------------------
SITE NEWS
----------------------------------------------

Revamped NREL Web Site Highlights Research Activities
http://www.nrel.gov
DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has launched a
redesigned Web site that allows easier navigation while providing a
standard "look and feel" that will be reflected throughout the site.
This new look and feel is already evident in the Web site's revised
sections on Biomass Research, Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Research, and
Advanced Vehicles and Fuels Research. The site is specifically designed
to showcase the latest research activities at NREL.
The NREL Web site is also host to information about the eighth World
Renewable Energy Congress (WREC), to be held in Denver from August 28th
through September 3rd, 2004. The biennial event typically attracts about
800 delegates from more than 100 countries. See the WREC Web page at:
http://www.nrel.gov/wrec/.

----------------------------------------------
ENERGY CONNECTIONS
----------------------------------------------

EIA Statistics: Newer Homes Tend to Use More Energy
Despite an ever-expanding menu of energy-efficient building
technologies, including better methods of sealing out air leaks,
improved insulation, high-tech windows, and other advances, DOE
statistics show that newer U.S. homes still tend to use more energy than
older ones. According to a recent tabulation of residential energy use
statistics by DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA), homes built
between 1990 and 2001 consume, on average, 92.7 million Btu (British
thermal units) of energy per year, which is higher than the average
energy use in homes built in the previous three decades. Only homes
built before 1960 show a higher average energy use than their 1990s
counterparts. Two factors may help explain the trend: first, newer homes
tend to be larger than older homes, and second, the owners of the newer
homes tend to have higher incomes than owners of older homes, which may
lead them to conserve less or to buy more energy-using devices. See the
EIA's 2001 Residential Energy Consumption Survey at:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/recs2001/detail_tables.html.

How much energy should we expect a new home to use? How about zero? It
may sound far-fetched, but DOE's Zero Energy Homes research initiative
is proving it can be done. See the initiative on the DOE Building
Technologies Program Web site at:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/zeroenergy/.

----------------------------------------------
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
----------------------------------------------

You can subscribe to this newsletter using the online form at:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/about.cfm. This Web page also allows
you to update your email address or unsubscribe to this newsletter.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) home page is
located at: http://www.eere.energy.gov/.
If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact
the editor, Kevin Eber, at kevin_eber@nrel.gov.
==================================
__________________________________

==================================
__________________________________

==================================



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 2
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 01:31:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Higher Energy Prices Make Wind Energy Competitive

http://www.helsinki-hs.net/news.asp?id=20031008IE6

It has just become easier to be an environmentally-friendly consumer of electricity in Finland. Fluctuations in the price of electricity now mean that electricity generated by wind power is now cheaper than ordinary electricity.

For instance, the electric utility Kymenlaakson Sähkö is charging households with electric heating 850 euros a year for wind-generated electricity. The energy company Fortum offers standard electricity for EUR 918, and Vattenfall charges EUR 913 for a year's supply. "This is because the market price of
electricity has risen so high that wind energy is becoming competitive. The price of wind energy is determined by investment costs, and we have not raised it, even though other sources of electricity have grown more expensive", says Vesa Pirttilä of Kotkan Energia, which markets wind power to consumers.

Before last winter, when the shortage of hydroelectric power raised the market price of electricity to new heights, wind power was significantly more expensive than ordinary electricity.

Kotkan Energia has two one-megawatt wind generators. According to Vesa Pirttilä there are about 350 households buying their wind power, and the generators have enough capacity to serve twice as many.

The company has had such good experiences with wind power that it is planning to build two or three more generators in the Gulf of Finland off the southeastern city of Kotka.

Wind-generated electricity is also available from electricity market-leaders Vattenfall and Fortum
- at prices that are much higher than that available from Kotka.

Power companies also sell other types of green electricity generated by burning wood, or in old hydroelectric plants.

It is also possible to buy eco-power as part of a home's electricity mix. For instance, Fortum offers wind power packages of different compositions at a fixed monthly rate. In addition to the actual energy, consumers must pay a special transfer fee, which is often just under half of the entire electricity bill.

Consumers may wonder how electricity from windmills can find its way through the power line to the right household. The answer is, of course, that it cannot. The electricity that comes from a socket is a mixture of power in the national grid, and most of it is generated by the nearest power plants. Those buying wind-generated power, or some other type of green electricity, can nevertheless warm their hearts in the knowledge that somewhere an amount of electricity has been generated in an environmentally friendly manner, that corresponds to their electricity bill.

========================================

Great Lakes Daily News: 16 October 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Attempt to tighten water quality enforcement fails
----------------------------------------
Environmentalists say lax enforcement of industries that dump waste water
into lakes and rivers would continue under new Michigan State legislation,
allowing 1,500 companies to receive permits that amount to a "permission
slip" to pollute the waterways. Source: The Macomb Daily (10/16)


New York Sea Grant releases strategies report for hooking more anglers
----------------------------------------
New York Sea Grant has released a new Sportfishing Fact Sheet and a report
suggesting "Strategies for Increasing Sportfishing Participation in New
York's Great Lakes Region." Source: Oswego Daily News (10/16)


More trims in walleye fishing
----------------------------------------
The Ohio Wildlife Council last night tightened regulations to restrict
walleye and smallmouth bass fishing on the Ohio waters of Lake Erie.
Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/16)


Winds wreak havoc across Quebec, leave thousands without power
----------------------------------------
A nasty storm that swept across southern Quebec yesterday obliterated the
recent Indian summer conditions in jarring fashion. Source: The Montreal
Gazette (10/16)


Ozone may offset capacity of trees to sop up carbon
----------------------------------------
A new experiment has shown that fairly common concentrations of ozone can
sharply impede the process of photosynthesis by which trees sop up the
heat-trapping greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and stash it in soil. Source:
The New York Times (10/16)


Leavitt nomination to proceed in Senate
----------------------------------------
Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt's nomination to head the Environmental Protection
Agency advanced Wednesday from a Senate committee, but two more Democrats
said they would block a vote in the full Senate. Source: The New York Times
(10/15)


Wetlands issue kills runway
----------------------------------------
The proposed north-south runway project at the Gogebic-Iron County Airport
in Ironwood, Mich., is dead this week, the victim of yet another run-in with
wetlands preservation. Source: Ironwood Daily Globe (10/15)


Opinions offered on Menekaunee Harbor
----------------------------------------
The citizens of Marinette, Wis., want to preserve the rich commercial
fishing history of Green Bay's Menekaunee Harbor, off Lake Michigan, but at
the same time renovate the harbor into a place where families can fish,
picnic and launch their boats. Source: The Marinette and Menominee Eagle
Herald (10/15)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


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Isolated hamlet in Indian forest gets electricity from seed-powered generator


Wednesday, October 15, 2003
By S. Srinivasan, Associated Press


KAMMEGUDA, India — Deep in the tropical forests of southern India, the Kolam people were untouched by telephones, cars, or television, and they went to bed at dusk because there was no electricity.

Their village is still far from a road or a power line. Yet for the past year, dozens of 40-watt light bulbs have begun to glow in the mud-and-bamboo huts after the sun sets.

The villagers have found that electricity grows on trees — specifically the seeds of the Karanji trees in the nearby forest, which they're turning into biodiesel fuel to power a generator.

Instead of going to sleep at sunset, children are now busy practicing their alphabet in the community center each evening, writing their names on black slates and showing them to proud village elders, who never went to school.

"Our place has changed a lot," said Kammeguda's oldest man, Aathram Maru Patel, who does not recall his age and has never been away from the village.

The Kolams gather the seeds from the surrounding forest and take a few hours to extract the oil, using a mill powered by the generator that provides the electricity. There is substantially less pollution than from petroleum-based diesel and no power bill.

"With lights, we can chase away snakes and animals that stray into our village in the night. We can catch the occasional thief also," said Lakshmi Bai, chosen by her community to manage the tiny power station. "Earlier, we used to put our children to sleep early, but now we make them study under the lights," she said.

Udupi Shrinivasa, a gray-haired, bespectacled mechanical engineering professor at the Indian Institute of Science, walked into the village more than a year ago and lit up the Kolams' lives.

For years, he had been teaching the institute's students about the mechanics of the diesel engine and the plan of its German inventor, Rudolph Diesel, for it to run on vegetable oils as a source of cheap energy.

Researchers around the world are working on replacing oil-based diesel with biodiesel fuels, which can be made from a variety of agricultural products from animal fat to soybeans, and Shrinivasa decided to apply that idea for the benefit of power-starved Indians.

"All we did was to take this rudimentary technology to people who had no means of getting all the energy they needed," he said at his office in Bangalore, 560 miles south of this village in Andhra Pradesh state.

Until about 10 years ago the Kolams hunted animals for food and lived in isolation. The state government then weaned the tribe away from hunting and they now keep poultry and cattle. The electrical system has brought further change, and people from other villages in the forest are coming to see the lights of Kammeguda.

At sunset, the generator starts up and lights about 60 bulbs in 35 households, the 100-square-foot community center with bamboo walls, and the village's single lane. As children study in the center, people sing community prayers and women paint their palms with decorative patterns of henna, a bright red, herbal paste.

Women no longer have to walk several miles to fetch water. The generator runs a pump that draws underground water for storage in an overhead tank.

Next on the village's wish list is a television set and a video cassette player.

Shrinivasa says the experiment in Kammeguda points to a possible solution of the power shortages that hinder economic expansion in India, home to 1 billion people. And biodiesel generators also could help cut India's annual $18 billion bill for oil imports, he said.

Fifty-five percent of all rural households — 77 million village homes — do not have electricity. Even in the cities, only 87 percent of people have connections, and there are frequent power outages. For cooking, lighting, and heat, most villagers have to use firewood or kerosene, a dirty-burning fossil fuel whose sulfur and carbon monoxide can cause skin irritation and respiratory problems. Kammeguda's 120 inhabitants have put that behind them.

"Years ago, they lived primitive lives," said Raj Prakash, an officer with the government's tribal development agency, which began working with the Kolams a decade ago. "We worked with them patiently to change many of their practices. They started wearing full clothes, putting their children in school, vaccinating them against diseases, and cultivating crops. Now, electricity has made them ask for more."

Working with Shrinivasa, the agency has helped the villagers grow Karanji trees and manage the project. Ten thousand trees planted by the Kolams last year will start yielding seeds soon. The generator also is proving a boon for neighboring tribes, who also are making seed oil and selling it to the Kolams.

Suryakala, a 7-year-old in Kammeguda, is happy she can devote more time to studying. She says her father has always told her that God provided from the jungle everything the villagers needed — and now she has proof.

"God has given us light so that we can study," she said.


Source: Associated Press

Great Lakes Daily News: 15 October 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Canal set for hibernation
----------------------------------------
Closing the gates on the New York state Canal System is the beginning of an
annual effort to maintain and improve the 524-mile inland waterway linking
the Great Lakes with the Hudson River. Source: Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle (10/15)


EDITORIAL: Proposal to improve Minnesota water quality is admirable
----------------------------------------
Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposal to expand efforts to protect waterways in
Minnesota extends a sensible strategy for reconciling public and private
interests by paying landowners to use their land in ways that avoid
environmental harms. Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press (10/15)


U.S. Army's TACOM unit to develop portable water quality tester
----------------------------------------
A hand-held device that can protect troops and civilians from biological and
chemical threats is being developed by Wayne State University researchers
through a partnership with the U.S. military. The device will first be
tested in pollution-plagued Lake St. Clair to help identify 18 types of
bacteria most common to water. Source: The Macomb Daily (10/15)


Sprawl costly for Toronto, new study says
----------------------------------------
Unless urban sprawl is controlled, Toronto and its surrounding communities
will pay the price in the quality of their air, water and land, says a new
report on the impact of uncontrolled development. Source: The Toronto Globe
and Mail (10/14)


Montreal conference will focus on fresh water, health
----------------------------------------
Fresh water is a main theme of the conference hosted by the Canadian
Environmental Network, which begins Thursday and runs through Saturday.
Source: The Montreal Gazette (10/14)


Exotic clams claim a new toehold
----------------------------------------
The first infestation of exotic zebra mussels in a northern Minnesota inland
waterway has been confirmed at Lake Ossawinnamakee in Crow Wing County.
Source: Duluth News Tribune (10/14)


Pollution prevention starts at home, campaign says
----------------------------------------
With a grant from the Lake Superior Coastal Program, a coalition of local
governments, state agencies and universities are forming the Duluth Regional
Stormwater Protection Team to help prevent nonpoint source pollution.
Source: Duluth News Tribune (10/14)


Limiting walleye take from Erie now up to Ohio, Ontario
----------------------------------------
The Ohio Wildlife Council and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources are
drawing up plans to meet a conservation agreement from last spring aimed at
reducing the Lake Erie walleye catch by 40 to 60 percent. Source: The Toledo
Blade (10/14)


Dams block walleyes' spawning grounds
----------------------------------------
Dams have created a spawning problem for walleyes in the Saginaw River
Watershed, which has more than 300 dams along its 6,000 miles of
tributaries. Source: The Bay City Times (10/13)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html



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From ENN, another reason why we should pursue renewable energy sources instead of more fossil fuels. The human costs right now today are combining with the results of "prohibition" creating a lucrative black market to illustrate the abject failure of long-standing federal policy on these two issues:

Tuesday, October 14, 2003
By Rene Villegas, Reuters


LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia's embattled president suspended a controversial project Monday to export natural gas to the United States in a bid to defuse a monthlong wave of protests against him that has resulted in about 30 deaths.

Some 20 protesters were reported killed Sunday after President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada sent thousands of troops backed by tanks to quell increasingly violent protests his government says are led by opponents trying to start a coup.

The project to export natural gas through Chile — which has had tense diplomatic relations with Bolivia because of a border dispute — has become a lightning rod for wider protests against Sanchez de Lozada's failure to tackle endemic poverty.

Thousands of coca farmers angry at a U.S.-backed drive to eradicate illegal crops of coca, the raw material used to make cocaine, are due to join striking workers Monday with roadblock protests of their own.

"The government has decided it will not export natural gas to new markets ... until consultations have been conducted (with the Bolivian people)," Sanchez de Lozada told a morning news conference.

Sanchez de Lozada, a U.S. ally in the antidrug war who is widely disliked for his free market policies, is seeking to head off a return to mayhem seen in February, when a government austerity drive backed by the International Monetary Fund sparked massive riots in which 32 people died.

He has played down recent protests and defied calls to step down. The gas project consultations will be wrapped up by...(Read on in: Bolivia puts brakes on gas project to quell violence)

A few more from Alt Power Digest:

Message: 6
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 08:28:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Energy Industry to Win Big on Energy Bill

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/22519/story.htm

USA: October 13, 2003: NEW YORK (REUTERS) - After three years of false starts, Congress could soon pass a sweeping energy bill packed with tax breaks and other benefits for oil, natural gas, coal and power companies - a package that could cost taxpayers nearly $53 billion over the next 10 years. Recently, bitter disagreements on issues such as power grid rules and ethanol have bogged down the bill, possibly delaying a vote by House and Senate negotiators until January. But some analysts say the Aug. 14 blackout and soaring gasoline prices will generate the support needed to pass a bill this year or early in the new year. "If you look at the fundamentals, who benefits from the bill and all the different reasons why members of Congress are likely to vote for it in the end, we're looking at excellent chances of getting the bill done this year," said Prudential Securities Washington analyst James Lucier.

The bill is good news for a broad range of energy companies - from oil producer ConocoPhillips COP.N and power company Exelon Corp. EXC.N to drillers like Nabors Industries NBR.A . It has tax credits to promote drilling unconventional sources of gas, changes the tax code to encourage pipeline and power grid investments and takes steps to open more federal lands to drilling. According to Joint Committee on Taxation estimates, the bill's provisions would reduce net tax payments by $16 billion to $19 billion over the next 10 years. "Longer term, there's a lot of stuff in the bill that could move these stocks," said Friedman Billings Ramsey analyst Jacques Rousseau. For utilities, the bill is even more beneficial. There are financial incentives earmarked for nuclear power, cleaner coal-based power and coal-based synthetic fuels. Lawmakers also hope to restructure power transmission and repeal Depression-era rules to encourage consolidation and investment from outside the energy industry. Critics complain the bill enriches companies that shaped the Bush-Cheney energy policy behind closed doors in 2001. The legislation, they say, does not do enough to reduce energy consumption, curb pollution or develop renewable resources.

"The industry is reaping huge profits from tax credits, yet there are no benefits to the public," said Navin Nayak, an analyst at consumer advocates U.S. Public Interest Research Group. "It's a waste of money." Final figures are likely to change, but legislation passed earlier this year indicates the bill will carry a hefty price tag. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill's total cost to taxpayers, including lost revenue, would reach $40.3 billion through 2008 and $52.6 billion over the next decade. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, in a Sept 10 memo, told lawmakers the tax impact should not exceed $8 billion.

Still, sponsors say the bill is needed to boost U.S. security and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
For example, there are more than $2.5 billion of "Section 29" credits to encourage production of gas from coal-bed methane, deepwater wells and landfills. Analysts say these credits help coal-bed wells, which take years to reach peak production, compete with conventional gas. "I don't think there's any doubt, depending on the exact terms of the tax credit, that you would see shifting in capital toward unconventional projects," Devon Energy DVN.A Vice President Don DeCarlo said at a conference earlier this year. Beyond tax breaks, the bill expands access to domestic resources, most notably opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drillers. Producers also seek permission to drill in federal lands in the Rocky Mountains.

The bill may also finally launch construction of a 3,600-mile pipeline to Alaska's North Slope by Exxon Mobil XOM.N , BP BP.L and ConocoPhillips. BP and Conoco seek credits that would kick in if gas prices fall below $3.50 before committing to the $20 billion project. Ultimately, some analysts say, the most powerful benefit to the industry comes from new tax rules such as a 30 percent depreciation bonus, on top of normal first-year depreciation. This could yield huge savings for an industry that makes big pipeline, power line and other infrastructure investments. "The tax cuts pack a wallop for all asset classes, but the energy industry should benefit the most," Prudential Securities' Lucier said.

Story by Joseph A. Giannone
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
==================================



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 7
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 01:32:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Energy Bill Thin on Conservation

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3599289
Energy Bill Thin on Conservation, Critics Say: Sun October 12, 2003 08:40 AM ET:

By Chris Baltimore:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For conservationists, the behemoth energy bill crawling through Congress is most notable for its lack of stricter automobile mileage standards or any other major attempts to curb the nation's thirst for oil. The bill, the first overhaul of U.S. energy policy in a decade, aims to offer billions of dollars in incentives for oil companies, electric utilities, coal plants and nuclear plant owners to boost production or generate more megawatts.

But while the Republican-written bill is generous in giving industry help to produce more energy, it gives U.S. consumers few reasons to conserve, critics say. "The bill leaves at least three-quarters of the energy savings off the table, which is really a tragedy," said Bill Prindle, deputy director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a research group. "We really can't afford this ... tweaking-around-the-edges strategy."

To the Republican writers of the bill, the solution to the growing U.S. energy shortage is to make it easier for oil and gas companies to drill more. They would accomplish this by opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, easing permitting requirements on Western federal lands, and ordering an inventory of energy reserves in protected offshore areas along the East Coast.

Environmentalists concede that some conservation measures have been included in the bill. These include boosting the efficiency of small everyday gadgets like illuminated building exit signs, traffic signals and fluorescent lightbulbs. But that isn't enough, environmentalists say. "There really aren't any conservation measures in the energy bill," said Betsy Loyless at the League of Conservation Voters. "This energy bill is a public lands and coastal area giveaway."

GAS GUZZLERS
Activists mourn Congress' refusal to require automakers to make more fuel-efficient cars, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. That would offer the single biggest way to reduce U.S. oil demand and imports, they say. A former environmental official during the first Bush administration also expressed surprise at the lack of conservation measures.

An unsuccessful bill written by Democrats when they controlled the Senate struck more of a balance between energy production and conservation, said Dan Esty, an environmental policy professor at Yale University. But Republicans view "the environment as an obstacle to energy production," said Esty, who worked for the Environmental Protection Agency during the administration of the first President George Bush, the current president's father.

The chance of legislation being passed this year became more doubtful a few days ago when an aide to Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, the bill manager, warned that bitter disputes over electricity and ethanol could delay it until 2004.

Although negotiators agree on the need to make the U.S. electric transmission grid more reliable, Southern lawmakers insist the bill must block federal energy regulators from requiring U.S. utilities to join regional grid groups.

Another major disagreement pits Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, an ethanol advocate, against House Majority Leader Tom Delay, a supporter of a rival fuel additive known as MTBE. Also missing is a measure endorsed by Senate Democrats that would require electric utilities to get 10 percent of their supplies from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2020, versus 2 percent currently.

The Republican-written energy bill is "one of the most disastrous pieces of legislation in terms of the environment that we've seen in years," said Mark Wenzler, an energy expert at the National Environmental Trust, an environmental group.
========================================

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 8
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 01:31:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Tapping Solar Energy to Purify Saline Water

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=99759

Sharjah |By Ashfaq Ahmed, Staff Reporter | 09-10-2003:
Water desalination and purification with the help of solar energy in the Arab world is one of the top projects on the agenda of the Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) - a Sharjah-based organisation of Arab scientists from all over the world. The $11 million research project is expected to finish during the next five years. It will help save precious fuel in the region. Commercial production of silicon chips developed by Arab scientists is yet another mega project in addition to several other projects ranging from $1 million to $300 million.

Dr Abdullah Alnajjar, ASTF president, said: "The Foundation is playing an important role to bridge the gap between scientists, investors and the industry to help scientists turn their research into products. It is a new concept of funding scientists who were finding it difficult to make their research materialise into products."

Dr Alnajjar along with other prominent Arab scientists briefed reporters on Tuesday at the conclusion of a three-day meeting of the ASTF Board of Directors. Also present were Dr Mahmoud Sherif, Research Professor of Materials and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Drexel University in the US; Dr Mowafak Al-Jassim, principal scientist at the National Renewable Energy Lab, Golden Colorado, USA; Professor Fakhri Bazzaz from Harvard University, and Dr Fakhreddine Karray from the University of Waterloo, Canada.

Dr Alnajjar said the ASTF has revised its strategies and reset its priorities. "At the beginning, we thought of getting funds from various resources including Arab governments, but this did not materialise for certain reasons. "Now we identify scientific research projects and then find investors to help projects materialise into marketable products."

Dr Mahmoud Sherif, who showed some disappointment over the lack of interest from Arab governments, said: "We are not backing out from our mission. We are trying hard to make them understand that supporting scientific research is more important than just constructing highrise buildings and bridges because science will pay back. "Arabs were pioneers in the field of science and technology some 1000 years ago, and once again, over 600 Arab scientists have joined hands from around the world under the flag of the ASTF to repeat history".

Dr Alnajjar said the ASTF looked for investors from around the world who were ready to invest in the Arab land. He especially thanked His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, for his continuous support of the ASTF. He also announced that the ASTF would hold its third symposium on Scientific Research Outlook in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from April 4 to 7, 2004.
========================================



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 9
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 01:31:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Norway's Statkraft Teams Up for Hydrogen Future

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/22538/story.htm (REUTERS)

NORWAY: October 14, 2003: OSLO - Norwegian power company Statkraft SF said on Monday that it would work with Canada's Stuart Energy Systems HHO.TO and Spain's Corporacion Energia Hidroelectrica de Navarra (EHN) to develop hydrogen-based energy systems.

"Hydrogen is the world's most easily available fuel, since it is extracted from water using electricity," Statkraft, Norway's top electricity producer, said in a statement. Hydrogen is considered by many to be a fuel of the future as the only emission from hydrogen when used as fuel is water. It is produced by using electricity to split the gas out of water through a process called electrolysis. "We see and many analyses show that hydrogen will be an important energy carrier for the future," Statkraft's head of research Erlend Broli told Reuters.

Statkraft said its cooperation with the Spanish and Canadian firms aimed "to assess, test and develop ways of producing hydrogen using renewable energy sources" and to be a "platform for long-term commercial collaboration." "We are in a period of intensive research activity," Broli said. "Commercial use of hydrogen is still a few years down the road -- it is difficult to say when." "We are looking 10-15 years ahead, but we have to do our groundwork now with the research and demonstrations," he said. The company said that the partners would establish various research projects, including a demonstration facility that Statkraft will set up in Norway and hydrogen filling stations that EHN will establish in Spain.

"How environmentally friendly hydrogen is depends on how it is produced, and we see our renewable portfolio as a good basis for producing environmentally friendly hydrogen," Broli said. Statkraft said that Stuart Energy Systems is a leader in electrolysis-based production of hydrogen, while EHN is one of Europe's top wind power producers.

Statkraft is Norway's biggest hydropower producer, with average annual electricity output of around 42 terawatt hours. The company says it is Europe's second-biggest producer of electricity from renewable sources after France's EdF [EDF.UL].

"When it comes to environmental goals, whether it is Kyoto or more local environmental rules, this is the one energy carrier linking stationary energy use and the transport sector and so it seems very important for the future," Broli said.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
========================================

From Alt Power Digest on Yahoo! Groups:

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 08:30:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: DG Firewire Approved

From: hydrogensun@yahoo.com (light) Date: Sun, Oct 12, 2003, 4:17pm
(PDT+7):
IEEE 1547 Interconnection Standard Approved Monday, July 7, 2003
By Stephen S. Kalland
The IEEE Standards Board approved IEEE 1547 Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources With Electric Power Systems on June 12, 2003. Based on a high-priority schedule by the IEEE Standards Office, the standard will be published in early summer. This standard establishes the long-awaited technical foundation to allow the interconnection of all distributed generation technologies with the electric grid. It also ensures that major investments in distributed generation technology development by the federal government and industry will result in real-world applications providing alternative sources of electric power to the electric utility operating infrastructure.

The approval of the standard will have a significant effect on how the energy industry does business in the future and will influence the way the electrical distribution system will operate — with distributed generators and two-way flow of electric energy. This national standard may be used in federal legislation and rulemaking and state PUC deliberations and by more than 3,000 utilities in formulating technical requirements for interconnection agreements. DOE, industry, and other individuals have provided strong support to the development of IEEE 1547. Their commendable efforts and commitment were instrumental in the success of the standard and in the implementation of the complementary 1547 body of standards development activities. DOE and numerous other organizations have hosted the 1547 meetings, and many companies have supported their workers' participation.

The success of IEEE 1547 is due to these partnerships. The resources provided by DOE were, at a minimum, doubled by industry participation and involvement. The 1547 working group has more than 350 members, and these individuals continue to work on the remaining 1547 series of ancillary standards on testing (P1547.1), applications (P1547.2), and communications (P1547.3). For more information contact NREL staff members Richard DeBlasio, IEEE SCC21/P1547 chair, (303) 275-4333 or Tom Basso, IEEE SCC21/P1547 secretary, (303) 275-3753.

(Source: DOE Distribution and Interconnection R&D Program website, 7/5/03)
www.hydrogensun.com

Great Lakes Daily News: 14 October 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Conservancy deal protects 6,000 acres
----------------------------------------
In a $30.6 million deal, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy will
purchase more than 6,000 acres of undeveloped land along the Lake Michigan
shoreline. Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle (10/14)


Pawlenty seeks extension of clean-water plan
----------------------------------------
More than 150 square miles of marginal farmland in three Minnesota
watersheds would be retired from production under a $226 million
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program initiative unveiled Monday by Gov.
Tim Pawlenty. Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune (10/14)


Bills divide environmentalists and legislators
----------------------------------------
Critics say a group of 14 deregulation bills under consideration by the
Wisconsin state legislature go too far in favoring industry over the
environment. Source: The Green Bay News-Chronicle (10/14)


Floating lab keeps check on life in the Great Lakes
----------------------------------------
Discovering what is and isn't in the water is the job of the Lake Guardian,
a 180-foot-long ship operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
and the largest research vessel on the Great Lakes. Source: Chicago
Sun-Times (10/13)


DNR order: Lake Erie walleye season to open in June
----------------------------------------
A new Michigan Department of Natural Resources order that delays the
beginning of walleye season for Lake Erie to June 1 has some anglers
complaining that the state has eliminated their most prosperous time of
year. Source: Booth Newspapers (10/13)


Superfund cleanups in danger, groups say
----------------------------------------
Environmental groups are fighting with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency over what will happen to Michigan's most polluted sites after federal
funds to clean them up have run out. Source: South Bend Tribune (10/13)


Study finds concern on water issues
----------------------------------------
A new survey suggests that protecting water quality is more important to the
Illinois public than other major issues such as improving public schools,
preventing and reducing crime, and managing growth. Source: The Champaign
News-Gazette (10/12)


EDITORIAL: Protect the Apostle Islands
----------------------------------------
For the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act next year, President Bush
should declare Wisconsin's Apostle Islands National Lakeshore the newest
wilderness area. Source: Madison Capital Times (10/11)


COMMENTARY: View grows that scenic beauty is invaluable
----------------------------------------
A consensus is building in Wisconsin about the economic advantage of land
protection, as citizens come to understand that the state's scenic beauty,
its rural character, land, forest and water assets are invaluable. Source:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (10/11)


Spaceship for tourists no mere flight of fancy
----------------------------------------
A group of entrepreneurs are convinced that if they build rockets to ferry
tourists into the ionosphere from places like Lake Huron and the Mojave
Desert, they will establish a multibillion-dollar industry that will cater
to an eager throng of wealthy adventurers. Source: Newhouse News Service
(10/10)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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Great Lakes Daily News: 13 October 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Coast Guard preparing ballast standard
----------------------------------------
The U.S. Coast Guard is working to develop new ballast guidelines for cargo
ships to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species. Source: Great
Lakes Radio Consortium (10/13)


Summit targets St. Clair River
----------------------------------------
Native Americans from Walpole Island, which has borne the brunt of chemical
and sewage spills in the St. Clair River for decades, are hosting a summit
to map a strategy on how to respond to environmental accidents. Source: The
Detroit News (10/13)


Bracing for a beetle battle
----------------------------------------
Two armies of tree-killing beetles are converging on London, Ontario from
opposite directions and threaten to wipe out half the Forest City's trees,
experts warn. Source: The London Free Press (10/13)


Navigable waterway law to be challenged
----------------------------------------
State protection for and public access to thousands of miles of Wisconsin
streams could be lifted under new legislation that would redefine what
constitutes a navigable waterway. Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (10/13)


House passes bill to expand Michigan national park
----------------------------------------
A bill that would expand Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore passed the
House last week, helped by a bipartisan push from Michigan lawmakers.
Source: Booth Newspapers (10/12)


COMMENTARY: Feud over Whiskey Island hurts both city and county
----------------------------------------
The future of Cleveland could be severely damaged by a political fight over
a chunk of lakefront known as Whiskey Island, a largely undeveloped
peninsula at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Source: The Cleveland Plain
Dealer (10/12)


An icon to birders, a pest to fishermen
----------------------------------------
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that it will allow states,
tribes and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Service more
control and flexibility in managing the double-crested cormorant. Source:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (10/11)


Hole in the border
----------------------------------------
For years, booze and cigarettes have been smuggled across the Canada-U.S.
border near Cornwall - now it could be terrorism. Source: The Toronto Star
(10/11)


Scientists study Lake Michigan for new class of pollutants
----------------------------------------
Scientists are testing water from Lake Michigan in hope of determining how a
new class of chemical pollutants managed to spread through the environment
and how dangerous the toxins are. Source: The Detroit News (10/11)


Endangered plants put hold on power plant
----------------------------------------
Construction of a $1 billion power plant next to the Midewin National
Tallgrass Prairie near Joliet, Ill., is on hold because it may threaten two
endangered plant species. Source: Chicago Sun-Times (10/10)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
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From Renewable Energy World:

More than first thought?
US wind report stirs minor tempest


A recent report from Stanford University points to a far greater US wind resource in the Midwest than was previously estimated. This is not exactly breaking news, according to consulting meteorologists, but as Paul Gipe observes, the report is a timely indicator of the future direction of the US wind industry.

The US Midwest offers a greater wind resource than has previously been thought GE WIND

Reuters picked up the story from a press release. Within five days, 10 media outlets had covered the topic, including CNN. The European wind industry was abuzz: the United States has far more wind energy potential than once thought, the American 'El Dorado' was an even richer prize than they had dreamed. A quarter of the US was windy enough to compete with coal-fired generation, or so said the report. By the end of the news cycle, Europeans were excitedly calling their Yankee colleagues for more details. They were puzzled by the collective yawn in some US circles.

It wasn't that Americans doubted the findings made by Cristina Archer,1 a doctoral student in civil and environmental engineering at the prestigious Stanford University in California, and her advisor, Mark Jacobson - it was simply that the results didn't seem that new or surprising. 'No matter how you look at it, there's a hell of a lot of wind in the lower 48 states,' says the Department of Energy's Jack Cadogan. 'Whether it's X or 2X doesn't matter … X is very large.'

Professional wind meteorologists also seemed nonplussed by the media frenzy. 'It's not jaw-dropping,' says Jack Kline. 'No surprise that the Dakotas are windy, that's nothing new.' Some wouldn't be quoted, others were openly sceptical. 'It's nice to see some academics that have no feel for our science take an interest,' says Ron Nierenberg, a cantankerous meteorologist with 26 years in the wind business. 'It's a fresh but primitive approach.'

On the other hand, Florida renewable energy activist Frank Leslie was elated with the report's findings, especially that the south-eastern coast and the Gulf of Mexico held a potential bounty of wind energy offshore. Leslie hopes to use the report to counter the conventional wisdom 'that there's no wind in Florida'. He was also excited that the Stanford report found much greater wind shear than was once thought. He was not the only one to be surprised and pleased by the report - the Stanford researchers say they received calls from wind developers who wanted more detailed data from them, especially from Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Illinois and Missouri.

Overlooked in the brouhaha was Archer's potentially more significant finding that large numbers of geographically dispersed wind plants would provide significantly less hourly deviation in power generation than a single plant. Again, not a new finding: the results do buttress those of several earlier studies in North America and Europe. Yet in the midst of a broad energy policy debate in the US, Archer's report could tip the balance among neo-conservative politicians who find the idea of wind energy - in fact, renewable energy in general - somehow unworthy of serious consideration, largely because it can't be turned on at will.

'Our paper shows that intermittency can be overcome by increasing the number of stations'

Intermittency has always been wind's Achilles heel. Wind can't be counted on because the wind doesn't always blow, its critics say. 'Intermittency is an important issue,' says Archer. 'Our paper shows that this can be overcome by increasing the number of stations.' In meteorological jargon, the standard deviation decreases as the number of stations increases. She says that the results of the study are counter-intuitive. Wind can indeed be counted upon - there will always be some wind somewhere - if there are enough stations widely dispersed geographically (as can be seen in Figure 1).

Archer, also a meteorologist, undertook the study at the request of her thesis adviser and co-author, Mark Jacobson. The study was never part of Archer's dissertation, and she's somewhat overwhelmed by the attention it has generated.



FIGURE 1. Power wind speed distribution, divided into six 4-hour blocks for (a) one station (b) three stations (c) eight stations. This illustrates the decrease in low- and no-wind periods as the number of stations increase. Source: Cristina Archer1 (modified by permission of the American Geophysical Union)

In principle the study was relatively simple. Archer examined balloon sounding data from 87 stations across the US to find wind speeds at 80 metres above ground level (see Figure 2). She also compared the soundings at 80 metres with hourly wind speeds at several meteorological stations with long-term data.



FIGURE 2. Map of US wind speed extrapolated to 80 metres, averaged over all hours of the year 2000. Source: Cristina Archer1 (modified by permission of the American Geophysical Union)

One of the more contentious findings in the Stanford study was Archer's bold assertion that she had discovered much higher wind speeds at 80 metres than those which would be obtained by previous methods of extrapolation, such as the power law equation. Unfortunately, Archer didn't use contemporary meteorological data from tall towers to validate her technique and her projected wind shear. 'We wanted reliable, official data,' she argues. 'You could spend years collecting data from various sources.' Instead, she relied solely on data easily accessible from the web. 'We would certainly want to verify our results in the next phase,' she says.

TALL TOWER DATA

Unbeknownst to Archer, there are a number of very tall towers in the US with hourly meteorological data, and more towers are being added under a new DOE programme. Someone who would like to help Archer's study is Rory Artig, manager of Minnesota's highly respected Wind Resource Assessment Program (WRAP).

Data from Minnesota show extremely high levels of shear, and shear that varies dramatically at different heights above the ground

Artig says that he could provide Stanford with 90-metre meteorological data from around the state. Archer could then work with actual, hourly data at the heights needed, instead of relying on either airport data or the limited sounding data available from balloons. Minnesota operates seven such towers, and 'we'll have two more by mid-2003', Artig adds.

Minnesota's State Energy Office has operated WRAP for nearly a decade, and has placed all the data collected in the public domain. The state's outreach has been so successful that the Energy Office has distributed more than 5000 CD-ROMs of wind data. Indeed, so popular are the CDs that the state had to produce another 10,000 copies, according to Artig.

Yet Archer points out that theirs is the very first study of wind at 80 metres for the whole country, as opposed to state-wide studies, such as the Minnesotan one. 'Even though we did not use tower data to validate our findings, we directly used sounding data in our methodology and indirectly used tower data from 13 sites to derive the hourly trends of winds at 80 metres', she says.

HIGH SHEAR

If the Stanford researchers had examined Minnesota's data, they would have found extremely high levels of shear, and shear that varies dramatically at different heights above the ground. This is one reason that consulting meteorologists were baffled by the attention given to the study.

The tall towers in Minnesota's programme measure wind speeds at 30 metres, 60 metres and 90 metres above the ground. What Artig found is startling - surface friction coefficient exceeding 0.40 at some tower heights. Meteorologists had suspected that such a strong wind shear existed from the so-called nocturnal jet, but it wasn't until data were collected that it became apparent how beneficial it might be. Wind farm developers in the Midwest were incorporating these high shear values in their performance projections by the late 1990s.



Buffalo Ridge in Minnesota - site of the Lake Benton Wind Power Facility - is a region with high wind shear GE WIND

For example, the WRAP tower at Chandler, Minnesota recorded wind shear from the 30-50 metre heights typical of the Great Plains (0.14 or 1/7) and representative of those Archer labelled as too conservative. But at heights from 50 metres to 70 metres, shear jumped to 0.42, and this knowledge was widely disseminated in the industry.


The very first study of wind at 80 metres for the whole country, as opposed to state-wide studies

'The resource is very strong,' said Artig in a 1999 interview. 'You see quite high shear at the upper levels.' Meteorologists who have examined the Minnesota data as well as those from private sources agreed with Artig. 'We've seen high shear, particularly in the wintertime,' said consulting meteorologist Kline at the time. The upper Midwest is 'not a particularly robust wind regime otherwise'.



Equipment mounted on this gin pole collects wind speed data PHOENIX ENGINEERING

NOCTURNAL JET

High shear may be a regional phenomenon. If so, this augurs well for wind development throughout the upper Midwest; it's characteristic of Minnesota's Buffalo Ridge, said Ron Nierenberg in 1999. At exposed sites in Minnesota, he explained, wind shear is often double that of the 1/7 power law, from 0.2 to 0.3, and it is similar in Iowa and Wisconsin. It is the use of the 1/7 power law that Archer's paper called into question.

During summer months, when wind speeds are typically low in a continental wind regime, a 'nocturnal jet' may occur at a certain height above ground, where the friction coefficient in the power law equation can reach 0.4.This 'jet' has nothing to do with the jet stream, elaborated Nierenberg: it's simply a layer of fast-moving air. 'There are lots of places in the world where there is a localized zone of high winds, a so-called "jet",' he says.

In fact the awareness of this high-speed jet has led to consternation. The wind speeds at current hub heights in the Midwest may be so great at times that they exceed the design margins for today's wind turbines. The high speeds could require new fatigue margins for rotors, turbine designers worried, when they gathered at the American Wind Energy Association's 2002 conference in Portland, Oregon. After a year's worth of additional data to delineate the problem, DOE has happily found that the problem isn't as severe as initially thought, but bears watching, as the powerful gusts could shorten the lifespan of turbines. If that happened, it would jeopardize all the rosy economic scenarios which depend on the bulk of wind farm profits occurring in later years.

The wind resources at today's hub heights 'are substantial around the state,' concludes Minnesota's Artig. 'The developable area is much greater than - possibly double - that we once thought.' This is even more so, explains Artig, with the low-wind speed turbines becoming available, such as NEG-Micon's 1.65 MW turbine with its huge, 82-metre rotor.


The development of low-wind speed turbines is critical to the future of wind energy in the US

LOW-WIND SPEED TURBINES

Archer's paper contends that wind is competitive with new coal- and gas-fired power plants in Class 3 wind resources, the equivalent of 80-metre hub height wind speeds of about 7 m/s (see Figure 2).This is a possibility - but only if new low-wind speed turbines, widely used in Germany, can prove themselves.

NEG-Micon isn't the only manufacturer to field so-called low-wind speed turbines. Most major manufacturers provide the option, whether it's for the American heartland or Germany's Mittelgebirge. In essence, low-wind speed turbines incorporate a large-diameter rotor relative to generator rating, and are installed on very tall towers, such as the 80-metre tower heights used in the Stanford study. Some towers in Germany reach 100 metres in height.

Consider two other manufacturers. The MD series of turbines, manufactured by several companies in Germany, can be ordered in both a 70-metre and a 77-metre version. Though both are rated at 1.5 MW, the larger turbine sweeps 20% more, by area, of the wind stream. Similarly, GE Wind offers its 1.5s model with a 70.5-metre rotor, and a 1.5sl with a 77-metre rotor. Both are rated at 1.5 MW.

The development of low-wind speed turbines is critical to the future of wind energy in the US, where the commodity price of electricity determines what is built. For this reason, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has issued a request for proposals to develop new low-wind speed turbine designs, says NREL's Paul Migliore.

To make wind work widely in the US, the industry needs to be able to develop moderate wind sites that are also close to load centres, such as the Chicago or Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan regions. There are 20 times as much Class 4 wind resources as Class 6 resources in the US, according to early NREL studies.

In the NREL system, Class 4 wind resources represent average wind speeds of 7.5-8.1 m/s at 80 metres (5.8 m/s at 10 metres). Class 6 resources average 8.6-9.4 m/s at 80 metres (6.7 m/s at 10 metres).Most commercial wind development in the US today is in Class 6 areas.

Most Class 6 resources are in remote areas distant from both load centres and transmission lines. Typically, Class 6 areas are 500 miles (800 kilometres) from major load centres. In contrast, many Midwestern cities are within 100 miles (160 kilometres) of Class 4 wind resources. At these distances, the transmission network is denser and transmission is less likely to become a stumbling block to greatly expanded wind development.

For NREL, low-wind speed designs can be more than simply larger-diameter rotors and tall towers. They can incorporate new blades or control strategies, or 'technology improvement opportunities' in NREL-speak.

The interim milestone for the new turbines is NREL's infamous '3-cent' turbine - that is, the turbine must produce wind-generated electricity for 3 cents per kilowatt-hour in Class 6 resources by 2004. NREL's target for the new round of low-wind speed turbine development is 3 cents per kilowatt-hour in Class 4 wind resources by 2012. While Europeans may raise an eyebrow at Yankee chutzpah, NREL argues, 'why have a target if it isn't aggressive?'



Measuring US wind speeds: dual anemometers and single wind vane, mounted on tall tower with double-sided boom NRG SYSTEMS

In 2001, the US Department of Energy (DOE) launched its new Low-Wind Speed Turbine programme. NREL's present request for proposals is for the second round of contracts in the programme. NREL will award contracts for conceptual design, component development or full-system development. Certain companies bidding on the contracts hope to develop new wind turbine designs, some for offshore. In the previous round, some proposed direct-drive generators, others simple one-stage gearboxes with permanent-magnet generators. A few are outlandish, and reminiscent, in their off-the-wall approach, of those proffered in the heyday of DOE research and development in the 1970s and early 1980s.

In the first round, one contract for US$16 million was awarded to Jim Dehlsen's Clipper Wind for a multiple-generator drive train. The contract includes cost-sharing, but NREL acknowledges that about half of the contract is public funds. Another contract was awarded to Enron Wind, ironically the company that Dehlsen once led. Theoretically, foreign firms can apply for the contracts, says NREL, but Congressional limitations thwart participation to all but the most determined.

STIRRING THE POT

The Stanford report stirred the professional and political pot in the US at a critical time, when Congress was in the midst of debating a massive new energy bill. 'We certainly welcome the Stanford contribution,' says the DOE's Cadogan. He could add that the report is particularly useful at this time.

Archer's report once more focuses attention on the nation's abundant wind resources. In doing so she and her colleague forced DOE and NREL to drag out their studies, new and old, to confirm to new media and political queries - yet again - that, yes, it's windy out there. 'We're finding a lot more wind just by refining the resolution of our mapping,' says Cadogan.


Over the last two years, developers have proposed more than 3000 MW of offshore

With the imprimatur of one of the US's most elite universities and a skilful press office, Archer's scientific paper has successfully lodged itself in the public debate on the nation's energy future. While her results may have come as a complete surprise, her timing was impeccable.

---

Paul Gipe is the author of several books about wind energy including Wind Power for Farm, Home & Business, scheduled for release in winter 2003-2004.

---

REFERENCE

1. Archer, C. L., and Jacobson, M. Z. 'The spatial and temporal distributions of U.S. winds and wind power at 80 m derived from measurements'. In Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 108, No. D9, 4289. American Geophysical Union. 2003.

Green Power Networks Great Lakes / Midwest presentations from the 7th National Green Power Marketing Conference HERE in Adobe .pdf format.

$3.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dear Biodiesel Supporter,

The National Biodiesel Board has won a $3.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for biodiesel education. The money will help NBB significantly enhance its mission of educating the public about biodiesel, ultimately increasing the use of the cleaner-burning, domestically produced fuel to the benefit of all Americans.

Click here for NBB Press Release:

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Executive Director
National Biodiesel Board
1-800-841-5849

From the AWEA:

Abstract Deadline Extended for Global WINDPOWER 2004

The Call for Papers for the Global WINDPOWER 2004 Conference and Exhibition has received an overwhelming response. To accommodate this extra demand, we have extended the deadline until October 31, 2003. To submit an abstract, visit www.awea.org/global04.html and click on Call for Papers.

ABSTRACT TOPICS

The Global WINDPOWER 2004 Conference and Exhibition Steering Committee has developed the following conference theme:

The Future of Wind Energy: An international perspective on the vision,goals and challenges facing the wind energy industry

The conference will focus on the wind industry's global potential, challenges and solutions. Each day of the conference will start with a plenary session featuring invited speakers from around the globe addressing this theme.

Following the plenary session each day will be a series of technical and educational programs for which abstracts are being solicited. These programs are organized into three main topic areas or tracks:

Policy Track: This track will focus on how policy can assist and hinder the industry in achieving its goals. Policy related papers are solicited in each of the following areas:

* Grid Access and Transmission
* Research and Development
* Experience with Market Support Mechanisms
* Developing Country/Emerging Market Focus
* Focus on the Midwest of the USA
* National and Global Region Programs
* State and National Region Programs
* Offshore Policy
* Pricing and Valuing Wind Energy
* Definition and Control of Green Attributes

Technical Track: This track will address the technical problems and solutions facing the industry. The focus will be on technology and how it can help the industry achieve its goals. Technical papers are solicited in each of the following areas:

* Forecasting Challenges and Solutions
* Advances in Turbine, Component and Materials Technology
* Approaches to Loads Reduction
* Resource Assessment & Micrositing Strategies and Experience
* Advanced Small Turbine and Hybrid System Technology
* Utility Integration Analysis and Experience
* Future Applications (Hydrogen, Storage, Desalination, etc)
* Loads Prediction Challenges and Solutions
* Operations and Maintenance

Business Track: This track will focus on business oriented information and approaches to achieving the industries goals. The Turbine Manufacturer and Component Vendor forums will provide manufacturers of turbines and components an opportunity to present their latest products, with an emphasis on how these products move the industry toward its goals. Papers are
solicited in the following categories:

* Financing and Investment Strategies
* Technical and Legal Issues for Investors
* Risk Reduction and Mitigation
* Turbine Manufacturers Forum
* Component Vendor Forum
* Financing in Developing Countries and Emerging Markets
* Development Challenges & Solutions
* MW Scale Operating Experience
* Offshore Operating Experience
* Wind Energy for Farms, Homes and Small Business
* Green Market Mechanisms and NIMBY Issues
* Utility Programs

ABSTRACT SELECTION PROCESS

Abstracts will be reviewed by an international steering committee comprised of wind energy experts. The following is a list of the primary criteria that will be used to select abstracts:

* Abstracts indicate how the work will be related to the conference themes of the industry's potential and identifying and solving the industry's challenges in the future.
* Work is relevant and is of interest to conference attendees.
* Work is new or presents a new perspective on known material.
* Abstract is well organized and clearly describes the work and its relevance to the industry.

PLENARY SESSIONS

Each day will start with a plenary session addressing the overall program theme of The Future of Wind Energy - An International Perspective. The themes for each session are listed below. It is intended that the sessions will build on the previous days session to the extent possible. It is hoped that each session will include speakers from various portions of the world, addressing the industry's global potential, challenges and solutions.

Day 1 - Visions for Wind Energy - Near and long term potential
Day 2 - Defining and Meeting the Challenges
Day 3 - Implementing the Vision: Successful Strategies

POSTER SESSION

With the overwhelming response of the Poster Sessions at WINDPOWER 2003, and to accommodate as many quality presentations as possible, additional space for the presentation of poster material is being provided. Posters will be
selected through several methods: 1) Visual presentations that were not accepted in the speaking slot, 2) Authors specifically identifying an interest in a poster presentation, and 3) through invitation. This year, posters will be identified and displayed by subject and group. To complement the General Poster Area, two new poster categories have been created. These new categories will include a Commercial & Business category and an Academic & Research category.

WORKSHOPS

This year a series of interactive workshops in each of the following topic areas are being considered. The workshops are intended to encourage less formal dialog between the panelists and audience addressing the participants experience and ideas in the topic areas.

* Transmission: Obtaining access that works
* Finance: Lowering the Cost of Capital
* Research and Development: What is needed
* Utility Experience: Approaches, Costs and Challenges of Integration
* Community Engagement: Successes and Failures
* North American Offshore: Opportunities and Challenges
* Project Development: Alternative Strategies
* Taking Small Wind to the Next Level: Reaching Industry Goals
* Transportation and Installation: Challenges and Solutions
* Insurance and Risk Reduction: An International Perspective
* Issues in Developing Countries and Emerging Markets

If you are interested in leading or speaking in one of these workshops, please contact Stephen Miner directly at sminer@awea.org or (202) 383-2504.

EXHIBITORS

Exhibitors will also be able to participate in Exhibitor Presentations that will be conducted on the Exhibit Floor during the conference. This year there will be an Exhibitor Presentation area in the center of the exhibit hall where exhibiting companies can make a presentation regarding their products and services. Sign ups for these presentations will begin in January.

Please remember to utilize the following link for more information on the Global WINDPOWER 2004 Conference and Exhibition or to submit an abstract: www.awea.org/global04.html

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Stephen Miner, the Conference Director at sminer@awea.org or (202) 383-2504. We look forward to receiving your abstract.

Robert Z. Poore
Global WINDPOWER 2004 Conference and Exhibition Chairperson
President
Global Energy Concepts

-----------------------------------------------------

The World of Wind Energy is coming together at Global WINDPOWER 2004!
Global WINDPOWER 2004 Conference & Exhibition
March 28 - 31, 2004
McCormick Place
Chicago, Illinois USA
www.awea.org/global04.html

Time for a re-statement of why I publish this weBlog:

Wind energy has huge potential in the United States. It's estimated that the USA has the greatest on-shore potential of any country, to the best of my knowledge. There are those that call the USA The Saudi Arabia of Wind. There is estimated by the DOE to be enough potential to provide more electricity with wind power, if it were fully developed from on-shore wind projects, than the US currently uses in it's entirety. And that is just on-shore potential.

Along the coastlines of the US, the potential is vast. Wind is very strong within fifty miles or so of the land-ocean boundaries because of the combination of extreme flatness of the ocean and the near constant temperature differential between the land and the sea.

It's pretty clear and obvious to most folks that wind energy is pollution free. What's not widely known, is that current utility scale technology is capable of producing power at costs directly competitive with other "dirty" forms of generation technology. The great issues facing wind today are mostly political, conceptual, and transmission system access. The greatest potential exists out in the far Midwestern plains such as the Dakotas, Montana, and Western Minnesota. These areas are generally far from large cities, so consequentially transmission capacity lines between these areas and places like Chicago, Detroit, etc, are still needing to be constructed. It is happening folks, albeit slowly.

Now, one thing that many people do not realize is that states like Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan are sitting on a gold mine of wind energy potential. Or, more properly, next to the mine. The Great Lakes are probably the area in the USA with the third largest inland wind energy potential. Think of just the nickname for Chicago. "The Windy City". Milwaukee is even windier, I can tell you. Why? Because they sit on the edge of a great flat area where there is both a land-water temperature differential, and a large flat expanse of water that is comparably shallow. Oilrigs certainly operate in deeper waters. And you won't have to construct transmission lines all the way from the plains of Montana to put it to use.

The Great Lakes area has an opportunity to get the jump on wind energy's future, if that fact is recognized and exploited. Wind energy means jobs for construction and maintenance workers, thousands of them. Wind energy means leasing rights and extra money for family farmers struggling to make it on agriculture alone. In most cases farmers can grow crops right up to the base of a windmill. The land footprint has a small impact on total farm acreage. Wind energy also means freedom from fluctuating fuel prices. Wind is free. The cost of a barrel of polluting oil can be raised or lowered drastically based on fears or political whims. The only costs for wind power are engineering, generating equipment, transmission lines, and maintenance. All of these costs apply to other forms of generation, plus fuel costs.

Even not considering the Great Lakes at all, the land areas of Wisconsin and Illinois are considered 18th and 16th in wind energy potential respectively.

We need our political leaders taking strong action to be sure wind energy has fair and effective access to transmission networks. We need a comprehensive policy of Great Lakes wind energy development and resource sharing. We need strong commitment now from local colleges and universities to training wind energy professionals and maintenance workers. We need aggressive pursuit of wind energy equipment manufacturers locating here in the Great Lakes area. And we need aggressive pursuit of wind energy projects and venture capital.

The potential gains are enormous. We've all seen the flow of good manufacturing jobs out of the area. Well, they can't tell the wind to blow in another country so it's more "convenient" or cheaper to produce. The wind is perfectly happy to whip up opportunities for us right around here.

Please, visit the American Wind Energy Association's website at www.awea.org for facts, education, and networking information. They are the leading trade organization for wind energy in the Untied States.

And please, write your political leaders and continuing education administrators at every level, especially local, asking them to help secure our economic future AND clean up the environment at the same time.

Thank you.


OK, here's the Department of Energy (DOE) wind resource potential map for the United States:



Notice those dark blue areas out on the Great Lakes...our "Gold mine" of wind energy potential.

THAT is why I publish this weBlog. Because we here in the Great Lakes States have the potential to have a very, very large impact on overall U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, as well as other atmospheric pollutants and freshwater contaminants. A very huge impact for the better, all while adding a huge economic powerhouse to the regional economy, creating thousands of new jobs in the Great Lakes region of both the U.S. and Canada. Together, we could make the Great Lakes region one of the most economically independent, stable, and wealthy in the world through development of all the potential renewable resources available to us, AND help drastically clean up the environment and preserve it. The United States, if it took steps in the right directions, could free itself of the awful shackles imposed by fossil fuel use and the dogs of war that go along with it, and the Great Lakes stands in a unique position to lead that charge if we are willing to take up the banner for a cleaner future and enhanced national security through energy independence and economic strength.

(Opinion by Daniel A. Stafford)

Also from Power Engineering...

Rising Wind — Time to Take a Closer Look

By Jim Caldwell, Policy Director,
American Wind Energy Association

Wind power is a reality today. More than 2,000 MW of wind generation — enough to serve more than 600,000 average American homes — were installed in the U.S. in the past two years alone. With continued government encouragement to accelerate its development, this increasingly competitive source of energy can provide at least six percent of the nation's electricity by 2020 (about 100,000 MW of nameplate capacity) and revitalize farms and rural communities — without consuming any natural resource or emitting any pollution or greenhouse gases.

Perhaps because of its growing success, questions about the feasibility and cost of integrating large amounts of wind into the grid have arisen within the traditional energy community. Some are disturbed by the fact that the wind does not blow all of the time, making a wind plant's generation variable and generally outside human command – thus quite different from other utility generating options.

Many of the assertions that have been made about wind integration issues over the past two decades have a grain of truth. Indeed, it would be better if wind were "dispatchable" like most other generating resources. Yet despite its modest drawbacks, the wind energy industry has continued to advance steadily, weathering a difficult policy environment, and now stands as the "poster child" of the energy crises of the 1970s.

The amount of wind in the U.S. generating mix, and in many regional portfolios, can be substantially increased with little or no operating difficulty. Wind today amounts to roughly 0.6 percent of national generating capacity, and 0.3 percent of electricity supply. Grids in California and Texas today operate with roughly 10 times that level of wind energy without difficulty. Grids in Denmark, and parts of Germany and Spain, operate with roughly 100 times that level of wind energy and only now are beginning to think about "special" investments in order to allow further expansion of wind energy.

Critics often suggest that because of its variability, wind cannot serve a given, steady amount of consumer demand. In fact, electricity demand is a constantly moving target. The more accurate picture is one of a number of generating plants moving on and off line throughout the day to meet a steadily shifting load. At any one time, only some 15 percent of the total generating capacity on line is consciously "dispatched" to keep load and generation in balance. Obviously, a variable generating source fits into this latter picture much more readily. In fact, at relatively low "penetrations" (where wind is providing less than, say, 10-20 percent of the electricity on a system in any given hour), its variability is essentially lost within the larger, shifting variability of the system.

A real-world example of a high-wind utility system can be seen in western Denmark, where the utility ELTRA obtains more than 100 percent of its electricity from wind during some low-load hours of the year (the surplus is exported), and where wind constitutes more than 50 percent of required system capacity and non-dispatchable small combined-heat-and-power plants constitute another 30 percent. ELTRA is indeed making changes to its system to improve its operations and to accommodate new offshore wind farms, but there is no indication that a wholesale shift away from wind is needed or desired.

Finally, critics have also suggested that the added costs of incorporating wind's variability will be substantial — 2 cents/kWh or more. But a series of recent studies by Xcel Energy, the Bonneville Power Administration, and PacifiCorp, as well as several European countries, have found the actual cost at "moderate" penetration levels (15-25 percent of the total energy requirement) to be roughly an order of magnitude lower, or, at most, about 0.2 to 0.3 cents/kWh.

The limits to adding wind generation are generally economic, not technical. The technical limit without significant special investment like storage or dedicated export is reached at the point when wind is providing about 40 percent of the total electricity generated on the system on an annual basis. The costs associated with adding wind are negligible at low penetration levels, modest at medium levels, and can be moderated even at relatively high level. What constitutes "low," "medium," and "high" penetration levels is variable, and primarily depends on the size of the region in question, the "tariff" and cost allocation structure that applies to users of the transmission system, the "stiffness" of the transmission grid, and the flexibility of other generation on the system.

When nuclear power was first introduced in large amounts to the U.S. utility system, a number of "special" investments and changes in operating procedures were required to accommodate it and the possibility it brought of large, "lumpy" plants suddenly going out of service and imperiling system stability. Wind power is simply another new energy source, with different operating characteristics, that will require its own set of changes to be fully integrated.

Wind is cost effective for widespread commercial application — new wind plants can and do compete with new generating plants using other technologies. Today, most new generating plants constructed in the U.S. are fueled by natural gas. Yet, new wind plants are expected to be cheaper than new gas plants as the existing stores of natural gas are used up and as new capital must be spent to discover more domestic natural gas or import it from areas of the world with a surplus.

Given the many advantages that wind offers to utility managers (reduced water use, no emissions or wastes to manage, fixed energy price, added diversity and reduced fuel price risk, strong economic development benefits for rural states and counties), it is time to give this energy source a closer look.
Power Engineering September, 2003
Author(s) : Jim Caldwell

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From Power Engineering...

Chicago Museum Goes Green With Cogen System

Steve Blankinship,
Associate Editor

The world-famous Chicago Museum of Science and Industry has a long history of offering entertaining and educational exhibits that demonstrate scientific principles - an actual captured WW II German submarine, a coal mine, a dairy farm, and a massive model railroad among a few examples. With the recent installation of a 1.75 MW cogeneration system designed to provide up to 80 percent of the museum's heat, hot water and electricity, the museum hopes to develop the green installation into what may be the only working cogeneration museum exhibit in the world.

While the goal of making the installation into a working public exhibit is still in need of funding, the new cogeneration system - commissioned in late January - has already started saving money for the museum on its energy bills.

Key organizations behind the project were the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Gas Technology Institute (GTI). In November, 2000, GTI was awarded a grant from DOE to test and demonstrate a hybrid building cooling, heating and power (BCHP) system which would utilize a natural gas powered generator set (250 - 300 kW) and a desiccant system. An initial site for the demonstration project was one of the new Chicago police stations, but an economic analysis determined the building had inadequate thermal loads and would have required too long of a payback period to be practical.

Cummins and GTI approached the museum to discuss the project. After completion of an economic analysis by GTI, the museum agreed to be the host site for the demonstration. Since the scope of the project increased from a 300 kW system to a 1.75 MW system, GTI secured additional funding from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the City of Chicago's Department of Environment, and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation. The museum also contributed significant funding to the project.

Ballard Engineering of Rockford, Ill. provided overall design and installation of the cogeneration system. Primera of Chicago provided the engineering for the installation and integration of the desiccant unit to the museum's HVAC system.

The system consists of a Cummins 1.75 MW lean-burn natural gas engine generator and associated controls, a Cain ESG1 heat recovery boiler producing 4,000 lb/hr of steam at 40 psi, and a Munters AM30N-S desiccant wheel dehumidifier that supplements the building's heating and air conditioning system. The steam heat also assists in space heating during the winter and helps supply domestic hot water in the building's restrooms and cafeteria's kitchen.

"The system operates from 8:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. over Commonwealth Edison's peak times," says Bill Vanderbilt, the museum's facilities manager.

"In the winter months before we turn the air conditioning on, the system is carrying about 90 percent of the building's total electrical load. We had hoped to use some of the waste heat from the engine to supplement our domestic hot water, but we found that it actually supplies all of our domestic hot water needs when it is operating. When the air conditioning is on during the summer months, the main use of the waste heat output is to run a desiccant dehumidifier, but the conversion boiler puts out so much steam that we routed it into the existing boiler header to heat much of the building in so-called 'shoulder' months of the spring and fall. It pleases me how well it works."

Key organizations behind the project were the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Gas Technology Institute (GTI). In November, 2000, GTI was awarded a grant from DOE to test and demonstrate a hybrid building cooling, heating and power (BCHP) system that would utilize a natural gas powered generator set (250 - 300 kW) and a desiccant system. An initial site for the demonstration project was one of the new Chicago police stations, but an economic analysis determined the building had inadequate thermal loads and would have required too long of a payback period to be practical.

Cummins and GTI approached the museum to discuss the project. After completion of an economic analysis by GTI, the museum agreed to be the host site for the demonstration. Since the scope of the project increased from a 300 kW system to a 1.75 MW system, GTI secured additional funding from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the City of Chicago's Department of Environment, and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation. The museum also contributed significant funding to the project.



Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry now has an example of both — a 1.75 MW cogen gen-set that is the basis for both a scientific exhibit and an energy frugal power system. Photo courtesy of Cummins Power Generation.

Ballard Engineering of Rockford, Ill. provided overall design and installation of the cogeneration system. Primera of Chicago provided the engineering for the installation and integration of the desiccant unit to the museum's HVAC system.

The system consists of a Cummins 1.75 MW lean-burn natural gas engine generator and associated controls, a Cain ESG1 heat recovery boiler producing 4,000 lb/hr of steam at 40 psi, and a Munters AM30N-S desiccant wheel dehumidifier that supplements the building's heating and air conditioning system. The steam heat also assists in space heating during the winter and helps supply domestic hot water in the building's restrooms and cafeteria's kitchen.

"The system operates from 8:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. over Commonwealth Edison's peak times," says Bill Vanderbilt, the museum's facilities manager. Instead of just supplementing the domestic hot water system, the waste heat from the cogen plant provides all the domestic hot water needs during that time, he says.

"In the winter months before we turn the air conditioning on, the system is carrying about 90 percent of the building's total electrical load. We also use the waste heat from the engine to heat domestic hot water between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. When the air conditioning is on during the summer months, the main use of the waste heat output is to run a desiccant dehumidifier, but the conversion boiler puts out so much steam that we routed it into the existing boiler header to heat much of the building in the spring and fall. I am pleased with how well it works."

The heat recovery boiler uses the waste heat from the engine exhaust to flash water into steam at 40 psi. The Cummins lean-burn gas engine has a particularly high specific heat output compared to other gas engines of its size, which makes it ideal for a wide variety of medium size cogeneration applications, according to Tom Easterday, Director of Energy Solutions Americas for Cummins Power Generation. Additional low-quality heat from the engine may be obtained from the engine coolant jacket, but in this installation, a roof-mounted radiator is used to reject the coolant system's heat to the atmosphere.

The 10,000 CFM Munters desiccant dehumidifier treats about 15 percent of the makeup air coming into an air handler serving a portion of the building. The dehumidifier's function is to remove moisture from intake air in the summer months so that low humidity air is passing over the air conditioning cooling coils. This reduces the load on the air conditioning compressor because dry air cools down more quickly. In the dehumidifier, a large enthalpy wheel coated with a desiccant material is alternately saturated with moisture in the air stream and then rotated into another chamber where it is dried using 480 pounds of steam per hour from the heat-recovery boiler. In the winter months, the enthalpy wheel can be used to preheat a similar portion of incoming air, thus saving on heating costs.

Annual savings for the cogeneration installation were initially projected by GTI to be about $200,000 based on natural gas priced at 50 cents per therm. While the cogen plant was being installed, natural gas prices increased significantly, reducing potential savings. However, heat from the cogen plant for heating domestic hot water was a late revision to the design, and savings from water heating have added to the system's economic performance.

"When we installed the museum's food court last year, the domestic hot water system was converted to electric," says Vanderbilt. "Today, if we were to run the food court's hot water system on electricity alone it would cost us $32,000 a year for the energy. Realistically, we now save about half of that by fully utilizing heat energy from the cogen plant."

According to Mike Connolly, an instrumentation and control engineer with GTI, and the demonstration project's manager, the Cummins lean-burn engine-generator eventually installed at the museum was the first gas generator set to be tested in GTI's new Distributed Energy Test Center in Des Plaines, Ill. "Based on the original performance parameters for fuel consumption, exhaust emissions, horsepower and heat output, everything on the Cummins lean-burn generator set performed at or above specifications," says Connolly.

In order to be centrally located, the cogen plant was installed on the second floor of the building directly over two important meeting rooms — the Columbian Room conference room and the Founder's Room. "Everybody was expecting some noise and vibration, but with sound-proofing and special vibration damping mounts under the engine-generator, you can't hear or feel anything in the rooms below while the unit is running," says Vanderbilt.

If the cogeneration plant becomes an exhibit at the museum, the public will have a rare opportunity to learn about the energy-saving benefits of cogeneration, says Vanderbilt. "Everybody hears about small generating plants that get put in to reduce peak demand, but here they can actually see our cogeneration plant running and understand what it takes to make electricity and heat. Most likely, observation windows will be installed, and the public will be able to actually see things running. Plus, we're thinking about installing some real-time metering as part of the display so visitors can see how much energy is being produced and how much energy is being saved."

Power Engineering September, 2003
Author(s) : Steve Blankinship

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From The Milwaukee Journal - Sentinel,
Local residents of Northwest Wisconsin are up in arms and down in the dumps over:

Residents decry transmission line

Hearings seek input on project to bolster power supply

By THOMAS CONTENT
tcontent@journalsentinel.com
Last Updated: Oct. 1, 2003

Solon Springs - Opponents of a proposed Wausau-to-Duluth power line - some of them sobbing at times - decried the impact the 220-mile transmission line would have on the beauty and peaceful way of life in the state's North Woods.

More than 160 residents from Northwest Wisconsin came to this rural Douglas County town to speak out about the proposed power line Wednesday as the state Public Service Commission launched three days of public hearings on the $420 million project.

All but a few of the dozens who spoke opposed the plan.

The 345-kilovolt power line, proposed by Pewaukee-based American Transmission Co., has been described by some in the energy industry as the solution to the questionable reliability of Wisconsin's electricity grid after power shortages in the late 1990s.



Graphic/David Arbanas
PSC Reconsidered Tranmission Line


But it has also generated heated opposition from landowners and some elected officials in the northwestern part of the state.

"ATC will have to have a court order to come on my property," said Mary Ann Laajala, who vowed to stand in front of bulldozers to prevent construction of the power line on her 40-acre retirement property in Solon Springs, a town of 575 people located about an hour's drive southeast of Superior.

"Who is the Public Service Commission working for? I hope it's for us," Laajala said.

The latest round of hearings was ordered after the cost estimate for the project rose significantly since it was first approved two years ago.

American Transmission is proposing to build the line to help address Wisconsin's lack of high voltage lines that can bring power in from other states and relieve congestion on the only such line that links the state to Minnesota.

Transmission lines - and the need to update the state's power grid - are in the public eye after the Aug. 14 blackout that left 50 million people without power from Michigan to New York.

Opponents also said that the increased cost of the proposed power line means state energy regulators must look at alternative high-voltage transmission lines. The cost will ultimately be borne by ratepayers.

The hearings kicked off on the same day that the Wisconsin Merchants Federation, a supporter of the proposed Wausau-to-Duluth line, released poll results that showed support is gaining for the line among residents in seven counties that would host the transmission line.

The survey, conducted Sept. 19-24, found 57% in support and 35% opposed to the transmission line. The survey has a margin of error of 4 percentage points, the merchants federation said.

Peter Holtz, American Transmission's project manager for the line, said he considered the findings "significant" because they show a shift in public sentiment from a survey last year. At that time, views were split, with 47% in favor and 47% opposed.

Testifying in favor of the power line plan were representatives of the Superior-Douglas County Chamber of Commerce and several Superior leaders.

"We need to improve the infrastructure within the state of Wisconsin, especially our power grid, and to keep up with increasing demand for electricity in the state," said David Ross, Superior's mayor.

Opponents contend that American Transmission and the two utilities - Duluth-based Minnesota Power and Green Bay-based Wisconsin Public Service Corp. - that proposed the line several years ago haven't proven that the Wausau-Duluth line is a better solution to the state's electricity reliability problems than alternative lines that would not cost as much to build. American Transmission representatives say that they remain confident that the Wausau-to-Duluth line is the best solution, and that to begin planning an alternate line would push the opening of a new line back by several years. The company hopes it can have this line open by the summer of 2008.

A decision by the PSC isn't expected until early next year, said David Whitcomb, an administrative law judge who is conducting the hearings.


From the Oct. 2, 2003 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

From Sustainable Minnesota comes a call near and dear to my heart:

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, October 1, 2003

Contact:
Dona McClain, (303) 443-3130, x 106
Brad Collins, (303) 443-3130, x 102

Scientists call for Major Renewable Hydrogen Initiative as America’s Clean and Affordable Answer to Dirty Air, Blackouts, Rising Gas Prices and Foreign Oil Dependence

(Washington D.C.) Scientists and energy policy experts today called for a national commitment to exploit the vast clean potential of hydrogen fuel generated by renewable resources. According to a major new report issued today by the American Solar Energy Society, hydrogen, generated by renewable energy resources, is the most sustainable, secure, healthy, economic, environmentally friendly and socially compatible new energy option.

“How we produce hydrogen is an extremely important decision. Hydrogen is clean only if it’s produced from clean sources. Hydrogen is dirty if it’s produced from dirty sources,” said Dr. Yogi Goswami, Ph.D., University of Florida, Director of the University’s Solar Energy and Energy Conversion Laboratory.

Today America’s security is threatened by skyrocketing health costs, global warming, terrorism and environmental degradation. These are complex social and political problems that require intense commitment and resources to resolve. While not a panacea, this new comprehensive assessment finds that renewably generated hydrogen is one of the most multi-faceted, positive solutions to these and related issues confronting our society. However, strong federal leadership and a national commitment are imperative to fulfill the promise of this virtually inexhaustible resource.

“Unfortunately the Energy Department’s (DOE) Hydrogen Energy Roadmap is driving America’s new hydrogen policy down the same old dead-end road,” said Michael H. Nicklas, FAIA, Chair, American Solar Energy Society. “DOE’s Hydrogen Roadmap is dominated by fossil and nuclear power promoters; renewables have very little role in their vision of a hydrogen future.”

“Today, in much of the Southeastern U.S., one in every 2,500 citizens dies prematurely because of power plant emissions,” said Dr. Anthony J. DeLucia, Ph.D., Past Chair, American Lung Association and Professor of Surgery at the James H. Quillen School of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. “Renewable hydrogen offers a healthy choice to meet today’s and tomorrow’s energy needs.”

“The first step in taking command of our energy future is to make a national commitment to ending our dependence on carbon-based fuels. Renewable hydrogen is the key to that future,” said Dr. Paul Scott, Ph.D., a consulting scientist in wind- and solar-hydrogen systems, who has designed and built hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines and electric hybrid and fuel cell buses. “Hydrogen fuel can be ‘grown domestically’ from the wind, solar energy or biomass. The wind of the Dakotas alone could provide hydrogen fuel for the entire nation,” Dr. Scott concluded.

Working with a solar-powered hydrogen demonstration motor, Dr. Scott showed how renewable energy could easily and cleanly produce hydrogen gas through electrolysis. Large scale solar, wind or biomass hydrogen production facilities can be developed in every region of the country. However, only a concerted, focused national initiative will bring the “hydrogen revolution” from the drawing board to the gas tank, the power plant and the home.

The scientists’ primary recommendations, include:
Energy Security Launch a major renewable hydrogen initiative to eliminate the very great risks associated with carbon sequestration and nuclear power’s waste and security issues. Such an initiative will improve health, support environmental integrity, reduce terrorist targets and lower our balance of payments.

Global Climate Change The Administration must change course and acknowledge that burning fossil fuels causes global warming. Renewable hydrogen can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3 kilograms for every kilogram of hydrogen produced.

Health Costs A “no exemptions” standard for power plants to clean our air and improve our
health. A hydrogen future fueled by coal will not allow us to breathe easier; hydrogen produced
from renewable energy will. At the earliest opportunity, hydrogen fueled internal combustion
engine vehicles should be deployed in significant numbers and their impact assessed in key
non-attainment cities.

Flexibility and Diversity Renewable hydrogen is abundant and omnipresent in the United States. Every part of the country has the ability to produce hydrogen locally. We recommend that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory be directed to devise a national profile of the key renewable hydrogen resources in each part of the country, estimate their near-term hydrogen production capacity and devisea plan for their earliest possible deployment.

Economic Risk Current utility financial success is based largely on fuel costs volatility over time; renewable energy is, by far, less risky for the consumer.

Promotion of good science The scientific process used to evaluate the various hydrogen production options must be conducted in a fair, open and competent manner and that all data, assessments, methodology and findings be made public.

Go straight toward a sustainable energy future Congress and the Administration must support research, development and deployment of technologies that build toward a sustainable energy economy. Funds should not be allocated in attempts to promote new ways of using fossil and nuclear energy. Renewable energy research must be fully funded to the FY 1998 level and
significantly increased from that level in succeeding years.

####

For a complete, free copy of the ASES Renewable Hydrogen Forum Report, go to: www.ases.org.

Also from ENN, an interesting experiment in marine restoration through recycling dead ships:

Friday, October 10, 2003
By Tomas Sarmiento, Reuters


GUABINA BAY, Venezuela — For the last few years, the Venezuelan tug boat Gran Roque was a rusting, rat-infested shell anchored off the Caribbean harbor of Puerto Cabello.

But last month when divers turned the wreck into Venezuela's first human-made reef, the corroded holes that once made walking on its steel deck a hazard became underwater windows beneath the clear turquoise waters of Guabina Bay.

The man responsible for converting Gran Roque from a heap of scrap metal into a marine experiment said that in a few years the boat will become a haven for sea life and coral formations and an amusement park for divers.

"In three years it will be teeming with fish and coral," said Cesar Navas, a deeply tanned scuba diving instructor who convinced Venezuelan authorities that the ship would be better off lying 98 feet under water.

"Instead of dying as a rat-infested piece of junk, we are turning it into a beautiful artificial reef which will shelter sea life and also will be a divers' playground," he said as he prepared to sink the boat in the waters off Aragua state, about 110 miles west of Caracas.

The 98-foot long, 217-ton Gran Roque was built in Venezuela's state-owned shipyards in 1973 to serve domestic ports, but lack of maintenance finally crippled the vessel for good seven years ago. Abandoned alongside the dock, the tug became a haven for the homeless and filled with trash and graffiti until Navas' team took over the task of cleaning it up before sending it to the bottom of Guabina Bay.

Blazing Farewell

Navas said he wanted to give "a decent send-off" to a ship that had a mostly peaceful life except for one moment of glory in 1976 when its crew rescued tourists whose hydrofoil collided with a sperm whale off Margarita Island.

Gran Roque went to the bottom with a powerful boom...(Read on in: Rusty Venezuela tug starts new life as marine reef)

From ENN, what may well be the last bullet in Kyoto's brain by corporate scientists:

From Competitive Enterprise Institute
Thursday, October 09, 2003

Events at a recent scientific conference in Moscow represent an important and dramatic change in the worldwide debate over global warming. Several distinguished scientists who spoke at the World Climate Change Conference in Moscow last week shattered claims that the science is settled and any consensus that the Kyoto Protocol would serve any useful purpose.

"This is the most important development in the public debate over global warming since President Bush's decision that the United States wouldn't ratify the Kyoto treaty," said Competitive Enterprise Institute president Fred L. Smith, Jr. "Major scientific voices from both Russia and the U.S. emphasized the uncertainties underlying the theory that man is causing catastrophic global warming. The challenge now is to address these scientific uncertainties while continuing to improve global economic and environmental conditions."

CEI has long contended that the science on global warming is not settled, that the Kyoto global warming treaty would cost the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars each year, and that it would provide no benefits of any kind.

Among the scientists at the conference who were strongly critical of the theory of catastrophic global warming and the Kyoto Protocol were Russian President Vladimir Putin's chief science advisor, Yuri Izrael, who described Kyoto as based on "bad science", and the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kirill Kondratiev, who described the theory of rapid, catastrophic global warming as "inaccurate... and contrary to the opinions held by most scientists."

Izrael and Kondratiev were joined by...(Read on in: Global Warming Shakeup in Moscow)

California Blending & Labeling

A new regulation restricting the sale of biodiesel blends and requiring a warning label at the pump has been introduced in California. You're not in California? Your state may be one of over 30 that is linked to California regulations. Your purchases almost certainly will be affected by the National Conference of Weights and Measures, which is looking at the proposed rules as a model.

The language would require biodiesel blends to meet fuel specifications for petrodiesel. If adopted, this requirement could disallow the sale of biodiesel blends such as B20. Additionally, the proposed pump warning label is negative and unnecessary.

The Division of Measurement Standards has stated that it needs as many people to comment as possible. Quantity, not quality, counts here. Here is a link for a summary, sample letter and exact language of the proposed regulation.

http://biodiesel.grassroots.com/ca_blending/

The deadline for submitting comments is Tuesday, October 14th.

Comments can be submitted electronically to: DMS@cdfa.ca.gov. Or via fax at: 916/229-3026.

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

Charles Hatcher
Regulatory Director
National Biodiesel Board
573.635.3893
800.841.5849
www.biodiesel.org

Great Lakes Daily News: 09 October 2003

Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network and the Great Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Stabilization aims to slow rain run-off
----------------------------------------
Officials said last week the completion of a ravine stabilization project
near the Glencoe Beach near Chicago, Ill., will lead to less sediment
run-off into Lake Michigan. Source: Glencoe News (10/9)


Brownfield beginning new life
----------------------------------------
LaPorte, Ind., is ready to start breaking the first ground for a new fire
station in a brownfield area looming on the outskirts of downtown. Source:
Indiana Post-Tribune (10/9)


Indiana summer ozone levels unhealthy
----------------------------------------
Delaware County has been tentatively added to the list of Indiana
metropolitan areas that fail to meet federal air quality standards for
ground-level ozone, the primary constituent of smog. Source: The East
Central Indiana Star Press (10/9)


Ottawa unaware of pesticide dangers
----------------------------------------
The Canadian federal government is approving new pesticides without even
knowing whether they pose a threat to children, Canada's environment
watchdog warned yesterday. Source: The Toronto Globe and Mail (10/8)


Great Lakes' toxic dangers hard to pinpoint
----------------------------------------
While experts say swimming and drinking are safe, they admit that the
long-term impact of many of the toxics draining into the Great Lakes still
isn't understood. Source: The Fremont News-Messenger (10/8)


Lake Peoria dredging on horizon
----------------------------------------
Perhaps by the end of this year, dredging of sediment from Lower Peoria
Lake, Ill., could begin and eventually find a home on a former U.S. Steel
site on Lake Michigan. Source: Peoria Journal Star (10/8)


State officials consider new hike in hunting, fishing fees
----------------------------------------
Indiana state officials are considering raising fees again for hunting and
fishing licenses, less than two years after the last fee increase of more
than 60 percent took effect. Source: The Indianapolis Star (10/8)


COMMENTARY: Port presses corps for wider channel
----------------------------------------
The Port of Green Bay would love to see more maritime commerce, but there
are pressing concerns over the width of the entrance to the Fox River, which
could keep at least one terminal operator from bringing ocean-going ships
there. Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (10/5)


Tribe pays $5M for land where its ancestors lived
----------------------------------------
The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians purchased
23,688 acres of forest and wetland in northern Ashland County, Wis., in a
deal that closed last Tuesday. Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (10/3)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


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And last for today from ENN,

From Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
Wednesday, October 08, 2003

SCIENTISTS MEETING AT HARBOR BRANCH TO PUSH ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE MARINE FISH AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY FORWARD

There is enormous economic potential in both Florida and around the country to farm raise such marine fish species as red drum, pompano, snapper, flounder, cobia and others to meet the public's ever-growing demand for seafood. However, to date the industry's progress has been slowed by regulatory problems and technological barriers. On Oct. 9 and 10, scientists will meet at HARBOR BRANCH to discuss new research and work that has overcome many of those hurdles, and ways to eliminate those that remain.

"Marine fish aquaculture is just about ready to take off as a large industry thanks to recent research. Our goal for this conference is to bring together researchers and industry from different regions and with different specialties to share the knowledge that's been generated and push the industry forward," says Dr. Megan Davis, director of HARBOR BRANCH's Aquaculture Division.

Aquaculture is currently the fastest growing sector in U.S. agriculture. The industry is worth roughly $1 billion a year in this country, up approximately 25% since 1995. Currently only about one tenth of this market is marine fish, mainly salmon along with some hybrid striped bass. However, as wild fish populations continue to decrease dramatically due to pressure from overfishing, the need for farm raised fish is growing. The scientists gathering this week at HARBOR BRANCH believe that if properly focused, the aquaculture industry can fill an increasing portion of that demand, in part through expansion in the commercial growth of additional marine fish species. For instance, Chilean sea bass, a popular saltwater fish, is severely overfished but might be replaced by black sea bass, which has a similar texture and flavor.

HARBOR BRANCH aquaculture researchers, in partnership with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, Florida State University, and othersare leading the way to develop the technologies needed to make marine fish aquaculture profitable as well as environmentally friendly. The group works mainly with southern flounder, black sea bass, Florida pompano, and hybrid striped bass, but their research can be applied to...(Read on in: Pushing Environmentally Sustainable Marine Fish Aquaculture Forward)

From ENN and the Rainforest Alliance, good news that I feel needs to be posted in full:

Kraft Foods Makes Unprecedented Commitment to Taking Sustainable Coffee Mainstream



From Rainforest Alliance
Tuesday, October 07, 2003

NEW YORK, NY, October 7, 2003 - The Rainforest Alliance today announced a unique partnership with Kraft Foods to promote sustainability and equity from the coffee farm to the consumers' cup. In an unprecedented multi-year arrangement, Kraft Foods has committed to purchase over 5 million pounds of coffee in the first year from farms in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Central America that have been certified as sustainably managed by the Rainforest Alliance. Ongoing monitoring and verification of compliance of these farms will be provided by Rainforest Alliance and members of the Sustainable Agriculture Network.

The new partnership, under development for more than a year, commits Kraft Foods to increasing purchases of certified coffee, paying more to farmers that employ sustainable farm management practices, and importantly, deepening the company's engagement with coffee producing communities.

"The Rainforest Alliance and Kraft Foods have been addressing social, economic and environmental issues in coffee production for many years. Given Kraft's global leadership in coffee sales, this partnership is the first indisputable evidence that the concept of sustainability, once limited to niche markets, is ready to enter the mainstream. This signals an institutional change," said Tensie Whelan, executive director of the Rainforest Alliance. She added, "With this unprecedented commitment from Kraft Foods, we will be able to demonstrate that coffee farming can be environmentally friendly, equitable and profitable."

In addition to purchasing certified coffee, Kraft Foods will support further development of the Sustainable Agriculture Network, including the training of local specialists to assist farmers achieve certification. In addition, the Rainforest Alliance will train local auditors and continue to build alliances among farmers, NGOs, coffee associations and agriculture research institutions.

"We have already demonstrated that certified farms can be havens for wildlife and good places to work, as well as economically viable and outstanding community citizens," said Juan Marco Alvarez, executive director of SalvaNATURA, a member of the Sustainable Agriculture Network. He added, "This partnership with Kraft Foods will allow us to greatly expand the reach of the program to help us bring the benefits of the certification to the hundreds of farms already in the pipeline throughout Latin America."

According to Simon Antonio Chavez, the manager of one of the co-operatives certified by SalvaNATURA, this new partnership offers great promise for farmers in the region. "This news motivates us. The certification program has helped us in protecting nature and makes life better for the families in the co-operative. We are glad to hear that a big company like Kraft is now buying certified coffee."

The Rainforest Alliance partnership is the latest initiative in Kraft's long-standing commitment to coffee farmers. "Kraft Foods has been promoting sustainability for more than a decade, most notably in Colombia, Peru and Vietnam. Our partnership with the Rainforest Alliance is another way for us to further strengthen sustainability in coffee production. Combining economic stability with environmental protection and decent social standards is an important way to ensure a long-term future for the world's coffee community," said Annemieke Wijn, Kraft Foods' Senior Director for Commodity Sustainability Programs.

--------

Contact:

Tensie Whelan
Rainforest Alliance
212 677 1900

Sabrina Vigilante
Rainforest Alliance
212 677 1900

Frank Hicks
Rainforest Alliance
506 234 8916 (Costa Rica)

Juan Marco Alvarez
SalvaNATURA
503 279 1515

Patricia Riso
Kraft Foods (North America)
914 335 6993

Jonathan Atwood
Kraft Foods (International)
914 335 1473

Joanna Scott
Kraft Foods (International)
44 1242 28 44 98

Notes for Editors

For 15 years, the Rainforest Alliance has been an international leader in verifying compliance with standards for ecofriendly and socially responsible farming and forestry. Coffee, like some other commodities, is subject to highly volatile trading cycles. Due to overproduction, coffee farmers are facing historically low prices for their crops, and the human and environmental impacts are reverberating throughout the coffee growing regions. The Rainforest Alliance believes that a long-term solution to the problems in the coffee producing areas will only be found in a strategy that embraces all three pillars of sustainability - economic, ecology and ethics. More information about the Rainforest Alliance is available on the organization's website at http://www.rainforest-alliance.org.

The Sustainable Agriculture Network standards are rigorous, comprehensive and verifiable. In order to gain certification, farmers must conserve forests and other natural ecosystems; protect wildlife; control pollution and agrochemical use; properly manage soil, waster and wastes; provide safe conditions, good basic services and fair pay to workers; and maintain good relations with the local community.

Kraft Foods Inc. is the largest branded food and beverage company headquartered in the United States and the second largest worldwide. Kraft Foods markets many of the world's leading food brands, including Kraft cheese, Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees, Nabisco cookies and crackers, Philadelphia cream cheese, Oscar Mayer meats, Post cereals and Milka chocolates, in more than 150 countries.




For more information, contact:

Sabrina Vigilante
Marketing Coordinator, Agriculture Program
Rainforest Alliance
svigilante@ra.org

Another from the ever-popular ENN,

Thursday, October 09, 2003
By Anthony Boadle, Reuters


HAVANA — The Indiana Farm Bureau signed a commitment to work for the repeal of trade and travel sanctions against Communist-run Cuba Wednesday in return for a Cuban pledge to buy $15 million in agricultural products.

Cuban officials said they have spent $512 million on food imports from 35 U.S. states in two years after a four-decade-old trade embargo against President Fidel Castro's government was relaxed by the U.S. Congress.

Indiana Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, heading a agricultural and business delegation to Havana, said trading with Cuba was the best way to promote "positive change" on the Caribbean island, the hemisphere's only Communist state.

Efforts to abolish the Cold War sanctions against Cuba has run into stiff opposition in the Bush administration, which has threatened to veto any steps to ease the embargo until Castro allows democratic reforms.

The momentum in the United States to end the embargo lost steam this year after Castro ordered a harsh crackdown on 75 dissidents.

Bayh on Tuesday visited Cuba's leading dissident Oswaldo Paya, who heads a signature campaign calling for moderate reforms to the one-party state, and praised his "courageous" work.

Bayh defended trade with Cuba as the best way to facilitate progress and freedom for Cubans, dismissing the White House...(Read on in: Indiana farmers pledge to oppose Cuba embargo)

Also from ENN,

Thursday, October 09, 2003
By Tom Doggett, Reuters


WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush expressed frustration at Congress' delay in acting on a broad energy bill, recently, saying the legislation must be passed to help the U.S. economy and national security.

Senate and House of Representatives negotiators have been working on a combined version of energy legislation passed by both chambers earlier this year. Republican leaders this week postponed until mid-October a planned vote by the negotiators on a draft bill, which includes oil drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge.

"For the sake of national security and for the sake of economic security, they need to get a (energy) bill to my desk soon," Bush said at a campaign fundraiser in Milwaukee.

Congressional negotiators say at issue are disputes over subsidies to build an Alaskan natural gas pipeline, upgrading the U.S. electric grid, and increasing the use of ethanol-blended gasoline while providing lawsuit relief to producers of the competing MTBE gasoline additive.

A massive power blackout in August that left 50 million Americans and Canadians in the dark should have been enough to push Congress to pass energy legislation, according to Bush.

"It should be a wake-up call to the Congress that we need to modernize our ability to move electricity around America," he said. "We need to encourage more investment into modernizing the grid."

Bush called for increasing energy conservation efforts and developing new types of energy, but he also pushed for drilling for more traditional oil and natural gas. The administration wants to use new technology to tap the potential 16 billion barrels of crude in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and help cut back on U.S. oil imports.

"We need to use the old sources of energy in an environmentally friendly way to make sure we're less dependent on foreign sources of crude," Bush said.

Senate Democrats have warned Republicans to take the ANWR drilling language out of the energy bill or they will kill the legislation with a filibuster.

While Bush backs opening ANWR, the administration is...(Read on in: Bush pushes Congress to pass U.S. energy bill)

New from ENN, China is cracking down on coal plant emissions...

Thursday, October 09, 2003
By Associated Press


BEIJING — China has ordered coal-fired power plants in Beijing and other main cities to install emissions controls to cut down on the release of harmful sulfur dioxide, the official China Daily newspaper reported Thursday.

New requirements released this week by the State Environmental Protection Administration also apply to plants in Shanghai, China's business hub and largest city, and 21 other metropolises, the paper said.

Together with Beijing, those cities account for 60 percent of the country's total sulfur dioxide emissions from coal, vehicle exhaust, and industrial pollution.

If enforced, the regulations could substantially raise costs for producers in China's booming energy market. Most of China's coal is high in sulfur and emissions require substantial treatment to extract the most dangerous pollutants.

China Daily didn't say what sort of reductions were being ordered or when equipment would have to be installed. But it said some emissions reduction equipment must be installed in 137 "key plants" by 2005. China has set a target date of 2005 for reducing sulfur dioxide emissions by 20 percent against the level in 2000.

Equipment must be installed on both existing plants seeking to expand and new ones being built, the paper said. Plants in the China's less-developed west would...(Read on in: China orders stepped-up emissions controls at coal-fired power plants)

From Bergey Wind Power comes a story of wind power helping rebuild rural infrastructure in Afghanistan, and to be honest, readers,. every thing we do to help those people over there get beyond the devastation the country has faced warms the heart. Please see Bergey's case study on the Parwan District, Afghanistan Ozone Based Water Treatment System that is helping this area get clean and safe drinking water.

I'd like to take this opportunity to remind readers that the Great Lakes Zephyr is highly interested in publishing the renewable energy stories of all Great Lakes region residents. Please remember us if you have anything to contribute, from residential to commercial and utility scale power, we want to be an outlet where stories and opinions are able to be voiced on this subject. Please feel free to use the e-mail address at the top of this page if you have anything to contribute.

An interesting editorial from over at Bay Wind Power in Michigan, regarding national energy policy:

Alert 2001-3
Copyright Earth Policy Institute 2001
May 31, 2001

Lester R. Brown, President

The eagerly awaited Bush energy plan released on May 17, 2001, disappointed
many people because it largely overlooked the potential contribution of
raising energy efficiency. It also overlooked the enormous potential of wind
power, which is likely to add more to U.S. generating capacity over the next
20 years than coal.

In short, the authors of the plan appear to be out of touch with what is
happening in the world energy economy, fashioning an energy plan more
appropriate for the early twentieth century rather than the early
twenty-first century. They emphasized the role of coal, but world coal use
peaked in 1996 and has declined some 11 percent since then as countries
have turned away from this climate-disrupting fuel. Even China, which rivals
the United States as a coal burning country, has reduced its coal use by 24
percent since 1996.

Meanwhile, world wind power use has multiplied nearly fourfold over the
last five years, a growth rate matched only by the computer industry. In
the United States, the American Wind Energy Association projects a staggering
60 percent growth in wind-generating capacity this year.

Wind power was once confined to California, but during the last three
years, wind farms coming online in Minnesota, Iowa, Texas, Colorado,
Wyoming, Oregon, and Pennsylvania have boosted U.S. capacity by half from
1,680 megawatts to 2,550 megawatts. The 1,500 or more megawatts to be
added this year will be located in a dozen states. A 300-megawatt wind farm
under construction on the Oregon/Washington border is currently the world's
largest.

But this is only the beginning. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)
indicated in February that it wanted to buy 1,000 megawatts of
wind-generating capacity and requested proposals. Much to its surprise, it
received enough to build 2,600 megawatts of capacity in five states, with
the potential of expanding these sites to over 4,000 megawatts. BPA, which
may accept most of these proposals, expects to have at least one site
online by the end of this year.

A 3,000-megawatt wind farm in the early planning stages in South Dakota,
near the Iowa border, is 10 times the size of the Oregon/Washington wind
farm. Named Rolling Thunder, this project, initiated by Dehlsen Associates
and drawing on the leadership of Jim Dehlsen, a wind energy pioneer in
California, is designed to feed power to the Midwestern region around
Chicago. This proposed project is not only large by wind power standards,
it is one of the largest energy projects of any kind in the world today.
Advances in wind turbine technology, drawing heavily from the aerospace
industry, have lowered the cost of wind power from 38 cents per kilowatt
hour in the early 1980s to 3 to 6 cents today depending on the wind site.
Wind, now competitive with fossil fuels, is already cheaper in some
locations than oil or gas-fired power. With major corporations, such as
ABB, Shell International, and Enron plowing resources into this field, further
cost cuts are in prospect.

Wind is a vast, worldwide source of energy. The U.S. Great Plains are the
Saudi Arabia of wind power. Three wind-rich U.S. states-North Dakota,
Kansas, and Texas-have enough harnessable wind to meet national
electricity needs. China can double its existing generating capacity from wind alone.
Densely populated Western Europe can supply all of its electricity needs
from offshore wind power.

Today Denmark, the world leader in wind turbine technology and
manufacture,is getting 15 percent of its electricity from wind power. For
Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany, it is 19 percent
and, for some parts of the state, 75 percent. Spain's industrial state of
Navarra, starting from scratch six years ago, now gets...(Read on in: WIND POWER: THE MISSING LINK IN THE BUSH ENERGY PLAN

From the Illinois Renewable Energy Association (IREA) an interesting article on Increasing Photovoltaics in Illinois :

Based on a presentation by Mark Burger
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

To establish itself in the marketplace, solar electricity (PV, or "photovoltaics") needs steady, consistent support from communities and government. Fluctuating funding levels and uncertain government policy make business planning difficult and expensive.

In contrast to the U.S., China, Japan, Germany and other countries develop long-term strategic plans, funded at predictable levels. This helps their industries develop more quickly and set predictable manufacturing schedules for output, business growth and job creation.

Although the U.S.'s PV has increased, its growth rate fell behind more dramatic increases in other countries. Five years ago, the United States accounted for 65 percent of the world's manufacturing capacity; now we only account for 35 percent. Four years ago, the world's productive capacity was 250 MW. Today, Sharp of Japan's capacity alone exceeds 250 MW/year. Japan took over from the U.S. in leading photovoltaic production in 1998. Germany is threatening to overtake the U.S. for second place in PV production. This pattern has been repeated in wind power production and installation, as the U.S. fell behind Germany, then Spain and Denmark and is in further danger of falling behind other European and Asian countries. Consistent and ambitious policies encourage new, multi-billion dollar renewable energy industries supplying tens of thousands of high-paying jobs (Swain).

While PV serves only a small portion of our nation's electrical needs, the market has been growing 25 percent to 30 percent over the last few years. When even a few percent of the population use PV, its growth rate will be exponential, making a dramatic impact on the marketplace.

The United States needs stable, predictable government programs to recapture the lead in producing PV modules. Illinois needs other policies, including...(Read on in: Increasing Photovoltaics in Illinois )

Renew Wisconsin.org Also has a map of renewable energy projects throughout the state listed HERE that you can check over. A site very well worth visiting, there's much more than I can touch on here.

This is nice, a list of Wisconsin green power pricing programs in table format provided by Renew Wisconsin.org with a few interesting web-based calculators that allow you to get an estimate of the environmental impact of your green power purchase right on the page. Sweet.

Great Lakes Daily News: 08 October 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Marathon swimmer finishes with a bang
----------------------------------------------
Marathon swimmer Jim Dreyer fired a flare after he swam under the Mackinac
Bridge Tuesday night after completing his 340-mile swim of the length of
Lake Michigan (20-40 miles per stage). Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(10/8)


Coast Guard considers ballast water regulations
----------------------------------------------
The U.S. Coast Guard will hold five public meetings in October and November,
including one on the Great Lakes, to discuss the potential environmental
impact of a ballast water discharge standard that the service is developing.
Source: Duluth News Tribune (10/8)


EDITORIAL: Water insult: Fewer inspections, reports will hurt lakes
----------------------------------------------
The Michigan quarter may have the imprint "Great Lakes State," but you'd
never know it from what the legislature is doing. Source: Detroit Free Press
(10/8)


Students put Fox River tributary to the test
----------------------------------------------
Students from Green Bay area high schools will test water from various
tributaries leading to the Fox River, investigating temperature, dissolved
oxygen, nutrients and stream flow. Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (10/8)


COMMENTARY: Pesticides: A grave oversight
----------------------------------------------
Ottawa doesn't know nearly enough about the chemicals on our food and our
lawns, warns Environment Commissioner Johanne Gélinas. Source: The Toronto
Globe and Mail (10/8)


Lake Huron water levels set to rise
----------------------------------------------
To help even lake levels, the International Joint Commission is releasing an
extra 3 billion gallons of water per day out of Lake Superior into lakes
Huron and Michigan. Source: The Port Huron Times Herald (10/7)


Grape growers compensated for poor season
----------------------------------------------
For the first time in at least 40 years, a cooperative that is the largest
buyer of grapes grown in the Lake Erie region will pay its members $600 for
every acre they cannot harvest because of the wet, cold growing season.
Source: Port Clinton News Herald (10/7)


Pollution fails to hinder park plans
----------------------------------------------
High levels of arsenic and a petroleum-based chemical contaminate the soil
of industrial land along the Cuyahoga River channel that Cleveland wants to
turn into a park. Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/7)


COMMENTARY: Minnesota's Clean Water Initiative shows commitment to water
quality
----------------------------------------------
The Pawlenty administration's commitment to the environment couldn't be
shown any more clearly than in the unprecedented commitment they've made to
water quality. Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press (10/7)


DNR battles distrust in working for lakes
----------------------------------------------
Much to the chagrin of some northwoods property owners, the Wisconsin DNR is
revising its 35-year-old shoreland development standards, a two-year process
that the agency hopes to complete by the end of 2004. Source: The Capital
Times (10/6)


Art, parks among ideas for vivifying lakefronts
----------------------------------------------
At a recent symposium, Great Lakes city officials described planning and
financing strategies that help rejuvenate waterfronts with public parks and
other amenities capitalizing on the water, while balancing the needs of
industrial and maritime users. Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/5)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/



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WIND.ALERT FOR OCTOBER 2003 FROM WINDPOWER
MONTHLY

Here are your summaries of the top stories in the October 2003
issue of Windpower Monthly. For a descriptive list of this month's full
contents just go to http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current

-------------------------
Bat kills a sudden and unexpected problem
--------------------------
Bat kills are emerging as a major and unexpected problem at wind turbine sites. The issue was brought to a head last month after the death of what scientists describe as an "alarming" and "surprising" number of bats in a single large wind farm over a period of weeks. Deaths of bats at wind power stations is not new, but the recent incident... (Go to
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current,#focus to read more about this article)

-------------------------
Spin and crossed wires
-------------------------
Politicians blinded by their own spin can be an awful liability. The glossy spin put on "rewiring Britain" for renewables has made evolution sound like revolution--and an expensive one to boot. As if all other new electricity plant needs no wires to transport generation to the consumer, the scary idea has taken hold in Britain that wind power is a special case requiring massive extra investment in transmission and distribution. Not so ... Read the entire leader at http://www.windpower-monthly.com/currentleader

-------------------------
Outcry over Irish renewables tender
-------------------------
There has been much hype about the supposed need to "rewire Britain" for renewables, mainly based on the assumption that the government's targets for green power can only be met through the use of Scotland's wind resource. Whether this assumption is correct or not is an unresolved issue. So too is how the cost of any grid upgrades are to be recovered -- and where upgrades can present best value for money. Rewiring Britain could be years away yet. Windpower Monthly has talked to market players about least cost options and the real costs, north-south political pressures which favour Scottish companies at the expense of economic reason, and new ideas for management of local grid connection. Get the facts behind the hype in our Rewiring Britain series of articles in the October issue.

-------------------------
Economic and market indicators
-------------------------
Windpower Monthly's third quarter update of wind market indicators for 2003 reports once again on share price movements, green certificate prices, market trends and includes our fully updated country-by-country table of operating wind power capacity worldwide. >From the amount of wind generation being developed, recent talk by market analysts of an industry decline looks as if it could be way off mark. Start your subscription with the October issue for an instant and authoritative market overview in this quarter's The Windicator.

-------------------------
Fighting for fair terms in California
-------------------------
The California Wind Energy Association (CalWEA) has found itself in the unusual position of opposing a utility request for more megawatt of renewable energy. The request is so stacked against wind that CalWEA wants it fundamentally changed or nullified. Read the October issue of Windpower Monthly to find out why an earlier request for renewables this year by Southern California Edison yielded no wind projects -- and why the recent request by the same utility is not likely to either.

-------------------------
Keeping Nantucket Sound pristine
-------------------------
Emissions from hundreds of gallons of fuel were loosed into the environment off Cape Cod when protestors set out to sea, mostly in motor boats, to campaign against the perceived industrialisation of Nantucket Sound off the New England coast. They had chosen to spend their Sunday burning fuel to circle and hiss at a meteorological tower erected by the wind project's developer. Windpower Monthly was there, complete with camera, on a small sailboat with an engine for back-up run on bio-fuel. Read about the oil mogul among the protestors -- and why we got hungry for spring rolls and stir fry -- in the current issue of the magazine.

-------------------------
Preliminary prices cause concern
-------------------------
After many months of delay, Brazil's government has finally published preliminary prices to be paid under its Proinfa renewable energy program. Investors are giving the prices a mixed response. While some see the move as a commitment to renewables from new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, others remain concerned that a series of conditions attached to the tariff will introduce market distortions and confuse potential investors. Windpower Monthly reports on these concerns -- and how the new energy minister is reacting to them -- in its October issue.

-------------------------
Heat goes out of threat in Germany
-------------------------
Flames of political controversy that flared up over the summer and threatened to consumer Germany's renewable energy law in a conflagration with the fossil fuel lobby are subsiding to no more than a warning glow. Matters cooled further following a high level energy meeting last month between the government and representatives from the major utilities. Read about a possible reconciliation, which makes room in the market for both fossil fuel and wind generators, in the current issue of Windpower Monthly.

-------------------------
WindTech Notes
-------------------------
Our irregular column of technical news notes this month takes a look at research into making blades cheaper and better protected from hits by lightning, gear box testing in Germany, two new offshore foundation concepts and adding low voltage ride through capability to wind turbines. We also report, among other things, on the high capacity factors that well sited wind plant can reach and improvements in software for wind farm control. WindTech Notes. You'll find them in October's Windpower Monthly.

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Another damn good reason to support our local corn growers by supporting ethanol as an octane booster and renewable fuel additive to gasoline from ENN, and why I will pull away from the pump if I see the sign "contains MTBE" at any gas station I pull into:

Tuesday, October 07, 2003
By Stephen Frothingham, Associated Press


CONCORD, N.H. — The state sued 22 major oil companies Monday because of the gasoline additive MTBE, which has been found to pollute water, Gov. Craig Benson said.

New Hampshire wants the companies to pay millions of dollars to track down the pollution and pay to clean it up, officials said.

The lawsuit, filed in Merrimack County Superior Court, claims that the oil companies have added increasing amounts of the additive to gasoline, even though they knew years ago it would contaminate water supplies.

"New Hampshire's groundwater and surface waters are under attack," Attorney General Peter Heed said at a news conference with Benson.

He called MTBE "the Houdini of pollutants" because the chemical is water-soluble and seems to be able to escape from ground tanks and pipes.

New Hampshire is the first state to sue oil companies over MTBE, Benson said, although municipal utilities have sued.

In California, Sacramento County and 10 water utilities filed suit last week against major companies over potential MTBE contamination. Utilities in the South Tahoe, Calif., area reached a $28 million settlement with oil companies last year over MTBE pollution.

The companies being sued by New Hampshire include...(Read on in: New Hampshire is suing 22 oil companies over gasoline additive MTBE)

Incoming from ENN,

Tuesday, October 07, 2003
By David Suzuki




Out walking our dog one morning, I found my neighbor washing a brand new SUV. We live in a the heart of Vancouver, and my neighbor and his wife are retired and live in a small condo. I simply couldn't understand how an urban dweller could rationalize laying out so much money for a vehicle that is not only polluting but expensive to fuel up and a pain in the neck to park.

"You don't need an SUV," I growled at him. We're friends and I said it jocularly, but he turned and replied, "It's not for me. It's for my grandson." He wanted his grandson to be "safe."

I walked away stunned. Now that SUVs and trucks have become so popular, people justify them as a safety issue. Never mind that they are so tall that the center of gravity makes them more vulnerable to rollovers or that a side collision is especially damaging to SUVs: The size confers a sense of security.

I believe his answer illustrates why we have a global eco-crisis. We live in a world in which we tackle immediate problems that are merely symptoms of underlying causes.

It may well be that an SUV provides greater protection against collision with another SUV, but these large vehicles consume more fuel than cars and therefore spew much more of the pollution that causes smog and climate change. This will have vast repercussions for my neighbor's grandson and his entire generation.

A few days later, I had to fly to the northern B.C. town of Smithers to meet a television crew. As we approached the town, I was shocked to see a sea of red from horizon to horizon. This was a forest that should have been a luxurious green but instead had been converted to dead and dying trees as far as the eye could see. It is a massive area infected by mountain pine beetles.

This disaster has been...(Read on in: Focus on symptoms obscures underlying problems)

Now this is hot news coming in from Earth Tech Digest off Yahoo! Groups:

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2003 02:12:12 -0000
From: "Robert Miller" innkeeper04443@yahoo.com
Subject: Current Project Status

We're in the process of building a log home and are incorporating some
interesting Earth-friendly technology.

First of all, we're using a prodect called "Warmboard"
http://www.warmboard.com that is a special radiant heat subfloor. It
consists of 1 1/8" plywood with a 1/2" groove for the crosslinked
Polyethylene tubing. It has an aluminum coating to distribute the heat
evenly. This eliminates the use of concrete for the radiant heat and
is much more efficient than just stapling the pex under the floor.

We will use a high-efficiency propane hot water heater for the heat
source (Polaris) which has 94% Recovery Efficiency, Stainless Steel
Tank and Combustion Chamber/Flue, Sealed Combustion Vents (Intake and
Exhaust) with 2" PVC ABS or CPVC Schedule 40 Plastic Pipe, 2" Non-CFC
Polyurethane Foam to prevent heat loss & reduce energy costs,
Electronic Hot Surface Ignition and is tested and listed with CSA
International in accordance with the latest addition of ANSI Z21.10.3
• CSA 4.3, ASHRAE Standard 90. 1 b-1992 - thermal efficiency
requirements are met or exceeded.

The next step will be to add some solar collectors. The home has been
constructed to face due south, so the roof is a good location.

We're also installing a Manabloc water distribution system, which I'll
detail later.

Robert

Great Lakes Daily News: 07 October 2003

Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network and the Great Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at
http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Exotic water flea hops to inland waters, threatening fish
----------------------------------------------
Although the exotic spiny water flea have been living in the Great Lakes for
more than 15 years, a recent discovery marks their first appearance in
Wisconsin's inland waters. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (10/7)


Pipeline project would employ 1,000
----------------------------------------------
Enbridge Inc. is proposing an oil pipeline worth about $800 million linking
its terminal at the west end of Lake Superior to a hub in southern Illinois.
Source: Duluth News Tribune (10/7)


Economy and budget weigh on Michigan tourism
----------------------------------------------
The topic for the day was Michigan's $15 billion travel industry, but the
nation's struggling economy was never far from the spotlight as national
travel experts and Gov. Jennifer Granholm addressed an annual conference on
tourism. Source: Booth Newspapers (10/7)


EDITORIAL: Let's reverse trend on water quality in Great Lakes
----------------------------------------------
While no one can expect the Great Lakes to be completely toxin-free in the
coming years, we owe it to ourselves and to coming generations to reverse
the trends of recent years and continue the progress toward better water
quality. Source: The Sheboygan Press (10/7)


Toledo's urban flight: Sprawl report places suburbs in 'at-risk' class
----------------------------------------------
Like in so many other parts of the country, the culprit of Toledo, Ohio's,
sprawling suburbs is a tax system that encourages new development rather
than redevelopment. Source: The Toledo Blade (10/7)


Freighter spills fuel into Lake Superior
----------------------------------------------
Weather aided the recovery of about 800 gallons worth of dime-sized tar
balls that washed ashore from an fuel oil spill aboard the combined
tug-barge M/V Presque Isle about 25 miles west of Eagle Harbor, Mich., on
Lake Superior. Source: The Daily Mining Gazette (10/6)



Lake Erie coastal policy receives low marks
----------------------------------------------
Ohio coastal residents are clashing with the state over erosion-control
rules. Source: The Toledo Blade (10/5)


Unearthed bones will be reburied
----------------------------------------------
Hundreds of American Indian bones unearthed at a home construction site near
the Mackinac Bridge will soon be returned to the earth. Source: Traverse
City Record-Eagle (10/2)


COMMENTARY: Monied conservatives are harming Great Lakes
----------------------------------------------
In government, corruption only takes a nod or a wink. Reform takes a
crusade. Source: The Buffalo News (9/29)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


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Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
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More interesting doings from Alt Power Digest over at Yahoo! Groups:

Message: 4
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 06:56:37 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Experimental, Solar Electric House

Tuesday, April 22, 2003:
by Duncan Mansfield:
Associated Press:
LENOIR CITY: If not for the 48 solar energy panels on the roof and the R2D2-like hot-water heat pump in the closet, Lina Kinandjar's bungalow looks like any other in her quiet neighborhood.
"I know it is an experimental house, but it doesn't bother me at all," the 33-year-old Malaysian waitress said of the home she moved into with her husband and two children in October.
The 1,057-square-foot house, designed by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partially funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is billed as the most energy efficient, all-electric home ever built by a Habitat for Humanity group.
Heating over the colder-than-normal winter cost 54 cents a day. The entire electric bill, which included power for a big-screen TV and two large aquariums, was $1.42 a day. That's half as much as a comparable house across the street.
Habitat for Humanity, a volunteer organization that takes an old-fashioned barn-raising approach to affordable housing, partnered with DOE to test building techniques and products that would conserve energy and help poor families save on power bills.
Poor families spend a disproportionate share of their incomes on power bills compared to wealthy families, said David Garman, DOE assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
"When you talk about the affordability of a home, quite often builders are really focused on the cost of the house and not about what it costs to operate and maintain a house," Garman said. "If you want to extend the American dream of home ownership, you really have to think about energy costs."
Lina's house cost about $100,000, with the solar collectors costing an additional $24,000.
Most of the products used in Lina's house are available to homeowners willing to do some research and demand them from their builders, Garman said.
"The technology of vastly increased energy efficiency is not far-fetched," he said. " What is difficult is to get builders to adopt that and to get consumers to ask for it."
Major components, like windows and wall systems, were donated by their manufacturers. The 40 sensors throughout the house are wired to a separate phone system to feed data back to the Oak Ridge Lab.
The house is made from structural insulated panels ‹ walls, roof and floors ‹ instead of conventional wood framing. The panels are glued and screwed together.
"It took us three days to put them in versus about two weeks to frame," said Linda Morrison, coordinator for the Loudon County Habitat for Humanity.
The 8-by-28-foot panels are a sandwich of oriented strand board, a substitute for plywood sheathing, with a polystyrene core. They tested 6 to 8 times more airtight than conventional construction, said Jeff Christian, director of the Oak Ridge Lab's buildings technology center.
Lina's house also has energy efficient windows and doors, and is so draft-free that it has a mechanical system to bring in fresh air.
Heating and cooling ducts were installed inside the living space, in a lowered, hallway ceiling rather than the attic, for a heating-cooling savings of about 35 percent, Christian said.
A heat-pump water heater, which alone produces a 60 percent hot water energy savings, was integrated with an unvented crawl space, the kitchen refrigerator and the home's heating and cooling system.
With controllable ducts, the heat-pump water heater extracts warmth from the crawl space, instead from the living area, and exhausts cool air behind the warm refrigerator.
It's so efficient, Christian said, " There is the potential to get rid of the heat pump for space heating and cooling. We are not there yet, but that is what we hope to be able to do."
A novel contraption that could lead to a future product is a copper coil that captures heat from the shower drain in the bathroom. The device preheats a water line leading to the water heater. Tests show it can save 7 percent in water heating costs.
"There are Habitat houses using (panel) construction, but the extent that Jeff's people are doing it here with all the integrated systems and monitoring, nobody has done that before," Morrison said.
DOE hopes to create a zero-energy house by 2010. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Loudon County Habitat hope to refine the lessons learned on Lina's house when they start construction on two more super-energy efficient homes in June. TVA has committed to finance five more houses in the neighborhood.
Lina says she may not know how everything works in her experimental home, but she knows one thing for sure:
"I know my electricity bill has been lower than other houses," she said. ========================================



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 5
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 06:56:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: Buzz@bestlink.net (Buzz Armstrong)
Subject: TVA Offers to Buy Homegrown Wind/Solar Energy

Story last updated at 12:03 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2003:
by Duncan Mansfield:
The Associated Press:
KNOXVILLE: The Tennessee Valley Authority wants to buy homegrown green power.
For the first time, the nation's largest public utility is offering to pay homeowners and small businesses for their wind- or solar-generated electricity.
"What we are really looking for is another way of obtaining qualifying energy for our Green Power Switch program," TVA marketing manager Ed Colston said.
The renewable energy program, the South's largest, currently sells wind, solar or landfill-gas generated power at a premium to about 6,300 residential customers and more than 300 businesses.
This new feature will pay homeowners and businesses for the power they generate and credit them for consuming less.
A participating customer's home will have two meters ‹ one to measure wind- or solar-energy generation and the other to measure the net energy consumption.
TVA will pay $500 to offset the cost of the extra meter and 15 cents for every kilowatt hour generated by wind or solar. That's more than double the 6 cents a kilowatt hour residential customers pay for TVA power.
Colston said TVA still comes out ahead, given how much TVA spends on windmills and solar collectors for extra power generation. The utility recently signed a $60 million to add 18 turbines to its Buffalo Mountain wind farm.
A super-energy efficient Habitat of Humanity house built for Lina Kinandjar and her family in Lenoir City may become the first house on the TVA grid. The 1,057 square-foot house was engineered by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and equipped with solar panels paid for by TVA.
TVA doesn't sell electricity directly to consumers, so Kinandjar will need the support of her local power distributor to participate.
Lenoir City Utilities Board general manager Kenneth Dutton said he likes the concept but is still studying the details. He wants to be sure "we don't have something that could backfeed into our system and get someone hurt."
Jeff Christian, director of the buildings technology center at the Oak Ridge lab, said the solar-powered system in Kinandjar's house was installed according to established industry standards.
If the Lenoir City Utility Board's power goes out, so will the power inverter that connects the home's solar collector system to its fuse box and sends overflow to the utility's power line. For the same reason, the home system has no storage batteries.
Christian said the home's 48 photovoltaic panels will generate 1,500 to 2,000 kilowatt hours a year, with peak production coming in hot summer afternoons when TVA's electric demand is highest.
TVA's incentives won't make self-generating homeowners rich. Christian estimates Kinandjar will earn about $300 a year from TVA on a system that cost about $24,000.
"It is not for everybody," Christian said.
But most people buying these systems look for a different kind of payback, he said.
"Right now there are people who feel outraged that we have 25 out of 30 days in August with ozone alerts and our health is impacted when we go to the Smoky Mountains," he said of the pollution in the national park.
"It is like, what can I do? I can go complain about the car I drive or the big bad electric utility, but what does that get me? That is the core of people this will appeal too," he said.
"We don't think it will be hundreds, at least not in the beginning," Colston said. "We are estimating we may see 10 systems in the first year and then maybe add slowly from there."
The TVA's service territory covers most of Tennessee and parts of Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. ========================================



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 6
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 06:55:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: DOE Adds Two New Fuel Cell Projects

April 24th, 2003:
Washington, DC - With fuel cells playing a prominent role in President Bush's "hydrogen initiative," Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced plans to add two new projects valued at more than $213 million to the Energy Department's program to make these hydrogen-fueled power systems so inexpensive they could become commonplace in America's power market during the next decade.
Secretary Abraham said that the department has selected teams headed by FuelCell Energy of Danbury, Conn., and Acumentrics Corp. of Westwood, Mass., to its "Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance" (SECA) program.
"Fuel cells play a central role in President Bush's vision of a new hydrogen energy future," Secretary Abraham said. "Hydrogen fuel cells will help free us of our dependence on foreign oil and eliminate harmful emissions."
SECA's goal is to develop a solid-state fuel cell so economical and versatile that it might one day provide auxiliary power for large trucks, supply the military with a battlefield power source, or generate clean electricity in high-efficiency power plants. To make this possible, the department wants to develop breakthroughs in fuel cell design and manufacturing that can cut costs to one-tenth of today's commercial fuel cells.
Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fossil Energy Mike Smith said the SECA program is intended to move fuel cells into the mainstream of tomorrow's energy market. "Fuel cells today are being sold largely into niche markets where companies are willing to pay a premium for reliable onsite power," Smith said. "The President's hydrogen and climate change initiatives, however, envision fuel cells playing a much more prominent role. For this to happen, we have to reduce costs."
The Department's goal is to develop a ceramic fuel cell with factory costs as low as $400 per kilowatt. Today's fuel cells sell for well over $4,000 per kilowatt. If the cost targets can be met, future fuel cells could compete economically with virtually all types of power systems, including gas turbine and diesel generators.
FuelCell Energy and Acumentrics will join four other industry development teams selected by the Energy Department in August 2001 [see Techline]. If the new projects run their full course, more than $67 million in federal funding will go to the FuelCell Energy team and nearly $38 million to the Acumentrics team over the next nine years. FuelCell Energy and its partners would add nearly $72 million while the Acumentrics team would contribute $36.5 million in cost sharing.
Fuel cells generate power by combining hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical reaction, much like a battery produces electric current. Oxygen comes from the air while hydrogen can be extracted from a variety of fuels such as natural gas or coal, or perhaps one day from the electrolysis of water.
One key to reducing costs will be to mass manufacture standardized ceramic fuel cell modules using techniques adapted from remarkable advances in solid-state electronics. In a ceramic fuel cell, the major components - the electrodes and electrolyte - are solid materials typically configured as rolled tubes or flat plates.
The modules - each sized to generate 3 kilowatts to 10 kilowatts of electricity - would be fitted together for different market applications. By avoiding the need to custom-build each power unit, large volumes of fuel cells could be produced at lower costs. The computer industry used the same approach to dramatically cut the costs of computer chips.
The FuelCell Energy team will base much of its concept on being able to lower the fuel cell's operating temperature. Current ceramic fuel cells operate in excess of 1000 degrees C (or more than 1800 degrees F).
By bringing temperatures down to 700 degrees C (or nearly 1300 degrees F), FuelCell Energy can use lower cost metal alloys, reduce insulation, strengthen seals, and make other improvements to reduce costs. The lower temperatures also will permit the company to transfer many of the innovations it developed for its commercial line of molten carbonate fuel cells to its solid oxide design.
The Acumentrics team's design involves a series of ceramic mini-cylinders, each roughly the size of a soda straw. Combined into a 10-kilowatt module, the design potentially offers exceptional ruggedness and quicker start-ups than other systems, making the fuel cell especially applicable for residential markets, military applications, broadband communication networks, and as auxiliary power units for heavy-duty trucks.
The Energy Department will fund the projects in three phases with checkpoints to determine whether concepts warrant continued development. The first phase will extend to 2006 when developers are to produce an early prototype for testing at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia. Subsequent phases would focus on improvements to meet the department's cost and performance targets.

===================

National Biodiesel Board
3337A Emerald Ln.
P O Box 104898
Jefferson City, MO 65110-4898
(573) 635-3893 phone
(800) 841-5849
(573) 635-7913 fax
www.biodiesel.org
NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Jenna Higgins/NBB
(800) 841-5849
October 6, 2003



Back to School with Biodiesel:
Inside and Outside of the Classroom, More Schools, Students and Teachers Realize Benefits of Biodiesel

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.–The start of the 2003 school year marks the most widespread use of biodiesel yet, helping to clean up the air for kindergarten through college-level students. In addition to the numerous school bus fleets that are running on the cleaner burning fuel, teachers and students are increasingly exploring the benefits of biodiesel as part of their classroom curriculum.

Biodiesel can be made from any fat or vegetable oil, such as soybean oil, and works in any diesel engine with few or no modifications. It can be blended with petroleum diesel at any level or used in its pure form. In 1997, the Medford, New Jersey School District was the only school in the nation to run its fleet with the cleaner burning fuel. Today, thousands of buses and other diesel-powered vehicles use soy biodiesel in schools from Durham, North Carolina to colleges like the University of South Carolina in Columbia to Indiana University in Bloomington. Because of the desire of additional schools to use biodiesel, many groups also included biodiesel use as part of their recent proposals to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Bus USA grant program.

“We’re all so concerned about the other vehicles on the road, we need a fuel in our school buses that does not directly harm our children,” said Sharon Love, a parent from Louisville, Kentucky whose 13-year-old daughter Julia suffers from severe asthma. Love says her daughter had to change schools in part to reduce the time she spent on and around diesel-powered school buses because they caused such severe asthma attacks. Love says using biodiesel in school buses “can be done and should be.”

“I’m pleased that biodiesel is part of the solution to improving the air school children breathe,” said National Biodiesel Board (NBB) Executive Director Joe Jobe. “Not only are more school bus fleets making the switch to biodiesel, but teachers and students are exploring the benefits of biodiesel through classroom lessons as well.”

Biodiesel Outside the Classroom
An increasing number of school districts across the country are turning to soy biodiesel as a way to help reduce harmful emissions without having to replace their buses. For example, Durham, NC Public Schools use soy B20 (a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel) in their fleet of 284 buses. Henry Kirby, Executive Director of Transportation for Durham Public Schools, said they are “very pleased with biodiesel”. He said typically they have some complaints about children getting headaches from diesel exhaust, but have had none since making the switch to biodiesel last year.

In addition, biodiesel has reduced the number of service calls they receive because it cleans the engine so well, according to Kirby. Before making the switch to biodiesel, they had eight to ten service calls a month due to clogged fuel filters, but have had none since switching to biodiesel.

Mike Thompson, Transportation Supervisor for the Ithaca, Michigan Public Schools says soy biodiesel is working very well for them and has the added benefit of easing one of their school bus driver’s asthma symptoms. “The driver with asthma tells me that she has noticed a big difference in the fumes since switching to biodiesel and as a result feels much better,” Thompson said. “She is no longer bothered by the exhaust when she walks around the buses.”

Biodiesel Inside the Classroom
In Warwick, Rhode Island, the School District not only uses soy biodiesel in its buses and heating boilers, but is integrating biodiesel into its educational curriculum. Their program is modeled after the high school curriculum on alternative fuels developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) called Cars of Tomorrow and the American Community. NESEA has distributed between 3,000-4,000 copies of the curriculum, which they developed with a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Program, and has held workshops for teachers (for more information visit www.nesea.org).

Another way the biodiesel message is reaching students and teachers is through the New England Science Center Collaborative’s (NESCC) Climate Change Backpack. The Backpack is a portable collection of teaching materials and activities for hands-on learning with both formal (classroom) and informal (science centers and museum) audiences. Biodiesel is included in an exercise highlighting solutions (for more information visit www.nescc.info).

The National Energy Education Development (NEED) project -- a nonprofit association dedicated to promoting a realistic understanding of the scientific, economic and environmental impacts of energy, so that students and teachers can make educated decisions – also includes biodiesel in their curriculum materials for middle and secondary school students (for more information visit www.need.org).

In addition, Biofuels4schools, a California-based, non-profit dedicated to increasing the health of kids by promoting the use of biofuels in school buses, has launched a website which will serve as a clearinghouse for school-related biodiesel information (for more information visit www.biofuels4schools.org).

Biodiesel Background
Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have completed the rigorous Health Effects testing required by the Clean Air Act. Results show biodiesel poses significantly less risk to human health than petroleum diesel. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a comprehensive technical report of biodiesel emissions data that shows the exhaust emissions of particulate matter from pure biodiesel are about 47 percent lower than overall particulate matter emissions from diesel. Breathing particulate has been shown to be a human health hazard. Biodiesel emissions also reduce by 80 to 90 percent cancer causing compounds called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated PAH. Biodiesel also reduces emissions of total unburned hydrocarbons, a contributing factor to smog and ozone, by about 68 percent. Carbon monoxide is reduced by about 48 percent.

The United Soybean Board and state soybean board checkoff programs funded much of the development of the biodiesel industry in the US. Soybean farmers have invested millions of dollars in bringing biodiesel into commercial success. Today, it is the fastest growing alternative fuel in America, and about 350 major fleets use biodiesel nationwide.

Biodiesel has similar horsepower, torque and BTU content compared to petroleum diesel. It offers excellent lubricity and higher cetane than diesel fuel. Biodiesel is registered with the EPA as a fuel and fuel additive.

• Click here to view a list of some of the schools and universities that are using soy biodiesel.

# # #
Readers can learn more about biodiesel by visiting www.biodiesel.org.

October 2003 Small Wind Newsletter
Issue No. 5, September 29, 2003

Editor: Larry Sherwood (Larry@irecusa.org), Interstate Renewable Energy Council

The current Small Wind Newsletter is also available on the web at http://www.irecusa.org/articles/static/1/1064879840_1051597774.html. If you have trouble with links in this e-mail message, try the web version of the newsletter.

Article summaries follow the Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NEWS
(1) California Handbook on Permitting Small Wind Turbines
(2) New Jersey Rebate Program Prompts Small Wind Installation near Coast
(3) New York Financial Assistance for Communities to Facilitate Wind Power Projects
(4) New York Market Development Support for PV and Wind Systems
(5) New England Renewable Energy Owners Reap Green Tag Payments
(6) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Releases Wind Turbine Guidance
(7) Small Wind Grants from USDA
(8) New York Small Wind System Installation Workshop - October 20 - 24, 2003
(9) Upcoming Small Wind Events

INTERCONNECTION AND NET METERING
(10) IREC Interconnection Project Releases Model Net Metering and DG Interconnection Rules
(11) Ohio PUC Adds DG Hookup Info to Web Site

INCENTIVES
(12) Maine Renewable Resources Matching Program

RESOURCES
(13) Pennsylvania Announces Small Wind Consumer's Guide

LINKS TO SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS
(14) Fairfield (IA) Ledger
(15) Register (Yarmouth, MA)
(16) Pittsburgh Business Times
(17) Salt Lake City Tribune
(18) KPVI-TV (Pocatello, ID)
(19) KBCI-TV (Boise, ID)
(20) Hampton (NY) Independents
(21) Caledonian-Record (St. Johnsbury, VT)
(22) Record-Courier (Douglas County, NV)

ABOUT THE SMALL WIND NEWSLETTER
Includes information on how to subscribe and unsubscribe.

NEWS

(1) California Handbook on Permitting Small Wind Turbines
The American Wind Energy Association and the California Energy Commission have released Permitting Small Wind Turbines: Learning from the California Experience, the most comprehensive guide to date for small wind turbine owners and local officials seeking to understand and improve permitting regulations affecting small wind energy systems. Full article.

(2) New Jersey Rebate Program Prompts Small Wind Installation near Coast
A rebate program that covers 60 percent of the installation costs of a small wind turbine prompted Cathy Sims to investigate powering her home with renewable energy. The Sims residence sits on two and half acres of land in the township of Wall, which is about five minutes from the New Jersey coast in a Class 3 wind resource area. Permitting the machine took some unusual twists. Full article.

(3) New York Financial Assistance for Communities to Facilitate Wind Power Projects
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), as administrator of the New York Energy $martSM program, offers an opportunity for communities to actively plan for and develop viable prospects for new wind power generating facilities in New York State. The goal of this program is to support activities at the local town or county level that would help communities prepare for the orderly and efficient development of wind power generating facilities in the participating communities. Full article.

(4) New York Market Development Support for PV and Wind Systems
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) requests proposals for financial support for end-use or customer-owned photovoltaic (PV) and wind market development and implementation activities. This solicitation is intended to compliment other NYSERDA programs that are designed to facilitate sustainable markets and market infrastructures for PV and wind. Full article.

(5) New England Renewable Energy Owners Reap Green Tag Payments
Green Tag payments are available in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The payment is a one-time $100 per kilowatt of capacity for solar photovoltaics and $50 per kilowatt of capacity for wind. That means that a 5kW residential solar system could earn $500, a 20kW wind system could earn $1,000, and a 30kW commercial solar system could earn $3,000. Full article.

(6) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Releases Wind Turbine Guidance
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently published in the Federal Register voluntary interim guidelines to help energy companies avoid and minimize wildlife impacts from wind turbines. Full article.

(7) Small Wind Grants from USDA
The Small Wind E-Newsletter previously reported in the September issue that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced grant awards to 113 applicants for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement in 24 states totaling $21,207,233. As reported by the American Wind Energy Association, here are details on some of the small wind grants. Full article.

(8) New York Small Wind System Installation Workshop - October 20 - 24, 2003
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will sponsor a five-day training workshop on the installation of a 10 kW Bergey Excel-S wind turbine in Troy, NY on October 20 - 24, 2003. The workshop encompasses an actual turbine installation from foundation construction to utility interconnection and includes supervised tilt-up of a turbine on an 80-ft guyed lattice tower. Prior installation experience is not required for workshop enrollment.
Full article.

(9) Upcoming Small Wind Events
Listing of upcoming small wind events.

INTERCONNECTION

Headlines from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s Connecting the Grid web site.

(10) IREC Interconnection Project Releases Model Net Metering and DG Interconnection Rules
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) has released two new model rules for use as guidance for policymakers considering net metering or interconnection policies in their states. Full article.

(11) Ohio PUC Adds DG Hookup Info to Web Site
The Ohio Public Utilities Commission has recently added a new section to its Consumer Information Index on its website. The new section titled, Distributed Generation: How To Get Interconnected to Your Local Electric Utility Company's System, suggests a number of reasons consumers might be looking to self-generate. Full article.

INCENTIVES

New Incentives reported by DSIRE. The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. To access state-by-state incentives and policies that promote wind energy technologies, click here and select "wind" from the drop-down menu.

(12) Maine Renewable Resources Matching Program
The Renewable Resources Matching Fund (RRMF), created by Maine's Public Benefits Fund supports renewable resource research & development and community demonstration projects using renewable energy technologies. The RRMF currently contains over $70,000 and is administered by the Maine Technology Institute (MTI). The first request for proposals was issued in 2003. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis. Full article.

RESOURCES

Click here for archived articles and links to Small Wind Resources.


(13) Pennsylvania Announces Small Wind Consumer's Guide
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty announced that an informational guide is available to consumers who may be considering installing small wind energy systems at their home or small business. Small Wind Electric Systems - A Pennsylvania Consumer's Guide answers basic questions on wind energy generation and can help someone decide if wind energy will work for them. Full article.

LINKS TO SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS

(14) Fairfield (IA) Ledger, August 26, 2003, USDA grant will help fund wind turbines. Full article.

(15) Register (Yarmouth, MA), September 4, 2003, Yarmouth landfill wind turbine issue back. Full article.

(16) Pittsburgh Business Times, September 5, 2003, State offers online wind energy guide. Full article.

(17) Salt Lake City Tribune, September 8, 2003. Grants help Idaho study wind energy. Full article.

(18) KPVI-TV (Pocatello, ID), September 8, 2003, Two wind energy projects approved for federal funding. Full article.

(19) KBCI-TV (Boise, ID), September 8, 2003, Idaho wind energy projects get financial jolt from Ag Department. Full article.

(20) Hampton (NY) Independents, September 10, 2003, Is the answer blowing in the wind? Full article.

(21) Caledonian-Record (St. Johnsbury, VT), September 19, 2003, Pols weigh in on wind power. Full article.

(22) Record-Courier (Douglas County, NV), September 19, 2003, Harnessing the sun: home draws comfort from earth and sky. Full article.

ABOUT THE SMALL WIND NEWSLETTER

The Small Wind Newsletter is published electronically every month by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. The Small Wind web site contains news, resources, and links.

To subscribe, go to http://www.irecusa.org/smallwindenergy/newslettersub.html, fill in the subscription form, and then click on subscribe. There is no fee for subscriptions. If you wish to unsubscribe, fill in your e-mail address and click on unsubscribe.

If you have comments or news items, please send them to Larry Sherwood at Larry@irecusa.org.

Great Lakes Daily News: 30 September 2003
For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


"Tourists" nabbed at U.S. border
----------------------------------------
The arrest of four illegal immigrants entering Michigan a day after Canadian
authorities cleared them as tourists is being pointed to as an example of
the border's reputation as a sieve for those who wish to enter the U.S.
illegally. Source: The Windsor Star (9/30)


$2.5 million to fight water pollution in Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair counties
----------------------------------------
Supporters say a $2.5-million state program -- funded by unclaimed
bottle-deposit money -- will establish the most comprehensive pollution
check ever for Lake St. Clair, the Clinton River watershed and the St. Clair
River. Source: Detroit Free Press (9/30)


Million-dollar grants aid push for Lake Michigan land
----------------------------------------
Members of a group trying to preserve 161 acres of Lake Michigan duneland
near Saugatuck say two $1 million challenge grants will make their goal a
reality. Source: The Grand Rapids Pressi (9/30)


Point Betsie: Grant will help restore beacon
----------------------------------------
The Friends of Point Betsie are beaming about a $431,500 Clean Michigan
Initiative grant that could eventually could lead the federal government to
transfer the 145-year-old lighthouse to local ownership. Source: Traverse
City Record Eagle (9/30)


Ottawa River dredging is scheduled for 2005
----------------------------------------
The Toledo City Council is expected to approve $400,000 in local funding
that will ensure the Ottwaw River shipping channel will finally be dredged
clear. Source: The Toledo Blade (9/30)


Upper Peninsula not short on walleyes
----------------------------------------
Michigan's Upper Peninsula has an abundance of big walleyes, something that
many anglers are just starting to realize. Source: Sioux City Journal (9/30)


Lake Express hires well-known ship operator
----------------------------------------
Ferry service between Muskegon and Milwaukee is one step closer to reality,
with the hiring of a company to operate what is said to be the first
high-speed car ferry in the U.S. Source: The Muskegon Chronicle (9/29)


Wider shipping channel sought
----------------------------------------
The Port of Green Bay is pushing the federal government to dredge a wider
shipping channel, arguing that the narrow outer harbor keeps foreign vessels
from doing business there. Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (9/29)


EDITORIAL: A sound decision on wetlands
----------------------------------------
A third of Indiana's wetlands enjoy continued protection, thanks to a ruling
last week by the state's Supreme Court. Source: Fort Wayne News Sentinel
(9/29)


Region's officials favor Metra link
----------------------------------------
Top local leaders agreed Monday to move forward with plans to extend
Chicago's Metra commuter trains from Kenosha to downtown Milwaukee, Racine
and the southern suburbs - with the help of $91.5 million in long-unused
federal money. Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (9/29)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


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There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. NEW HANDBOOK CLEARS THE AIR FOR SMALL WIND TURBINES
From: "awea_smallwind_alert" awea_smallwind_alert@yahoo.com


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 23:11:54 -0000
From: "awea_smallwind_alert" awea_smallwind_alert@yahoo.com
Subject: NEW HANDBOOK CLEARS THE AIR FOR SMALL WIND TURBINES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 29, 2003

CONTACT:
Thom Wallace
Office of AWEA Small Wind Advocate
206-267-2215 / cell 509-520-4970
smallwind@awea.org

NEW HANDBOOK CLEARS THE AIR FOR SMALL WIND TURBINES
Authoritative guide clarifies siting and permitting issues, describes
lessons learned in California

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the California Energy
Commission have released the most comprehensive guide to date for
small wind turbine owners and local officials seeking to understand
and improve permitting regulations affecting small wind energy
systems.

Prospective turbine owners and planning officials alike will find
this handbook, "Permitting Small Wind Turbines: Learning from the
California Experience," essential reading. It is the first
publication to explain in detail how California's groundbreaking
state law (Assembly Bill 1207) establishing permitting standards for
small wind energy systems applies at local levels. The guide also
directs turbine owners to special state incentives that bring down
the costs of small-scale renewable energy installations.

"The state of California has sent a clear message that it wants
small
wind turbines to help shore up our energy supply. This handbook will
help wind turbine owners negotiate the local permitting process and
let county and other local officials know what they can do to make
that process easier," notes Bob Therkelsen, Executive Director of
the
California Energy Commission.

The handbook is also a valuable resource for counties and residents
outside California because it provides up-to-date information to
address the most common issues raised in response to small wind
turbine installations, including visual impacts, acoustics, concern
for wildlife, and property values. It concludes with a model small
wind zoning ordinance AWEA recommends all counties across the country
adopt, and provides recommendations for best practices with a list
of "Do's and Don'ts" for counties reviewing small
wind permit
applications.

Small wind turbine owners have often faced daunting tasks in sorting
through an array of siting considerations and confusing regulations,
having to seek out various authorities for information. AWEA and the
Energy Commission hope that this handbook will help turbine owners
and planning officials integrate small wind energy systems into
communities across the nation. As the recent blackouts in the
Northeast make clear, distributed generation solutions are needed to
help ease congestion on transmission grids.

"This handbook fills a long-standing need for information about
small
wind turbines and how local agencies make sure prospective turbine
owners are treated fairly in obtaining permits for their machines.
The California Energy Commission deserves a lot of credit for taking
the initiative to make it happen," comments AWEA Deputy Executive
Director Tom Gray.


- MORE -


- pg. 2 -

The landmark handbook is built on lessons learned in a state that has
made significant efforts to promote small wind turbine development.
It uses specific case studies and county ordinances to illustrate the
progress that has been made, highlight personal experiences, and
recommend solutions that could simplify permitting processes in the
future.

Noteworthy sections include:
• A concise review of the most common issues neighbors raise
about small wind turbines, with documented facts that refute the
myths, including web links to crucial reference publications;
• A step-by-step checklist for obtaining a permit for a small
wind energy system in California;
• Explanation of permitting ordinances for small wind systems
in select California counties;
• Descriptions of policies that have proven both productive and
counterproductive for small wind development; and
• An extensive reference section that includes contact
information and links for county officials, state programs that offer
incentives for small wind turbines, wind maps and other resources,
turbine dealers and manufacturers, and advocacy groups that promote
residential energy systems.

As part of the project, AWEA prepared a ranking of windy acreage by
county and zip code based on the new wind maps developed by the
California Energy Commission. "Permitting Small Wind
Turbines" was
written by AWEA's Small Wind Advocate Team, in cooperation with
Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (NW SEED).

• The publication is available online at:
http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/permitting.pdf

• To order printed copies of the handbook, contact:
California Energy Commission,
916-654-4058
renewable@energy.state.ca.us

Since 1974 the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has advocated
the development of wind energy as a reliable, environmentally
superior energy alternative in the United States and around the world.

- END -

Missed one from Al Power Digest the other day:

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 06:58:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: Energy Bill Gets Worse

Published by New York Times: September 29, 2003:
This country needs a purposeful long-term energy strategy that reduces its dependence on foreign oil and deals with climate change and all the other air-quality issues that are directly related to the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal. So how has Congress chosen to develop such a strategy? By passing two mediocre energy bills and then handing the task of reconciling them to Senator Pete Domenici and Representative Billy Tauzin, both reliable allies of the fossil fuel industry (although Mr. Domenici is also a big fan of nuclear power) and neither a visionary thinker. Since Labor Day, these two veteran deal makers have been cherry-picking provisions they like, discarding those they don't and for good measure infuriating their colleagues by adding new items of their own.
This process is undemocratic even by Congress's clubby standards. Even worse is the almost certain outcome: a tired compendium of tax breaks and subsidies for energy producers leavened by a few gestures toward energy efficiency. The best evidence of Congress's bias in favor of production as opposed to conservation is the fact that the legislation would authorize oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge while doing nothing to improve the fuel economy of automobiles and light trucks — a more certain and less destructive path to both energy independence and cleaner air.
Indeed, we can think of only a handful of positive provisions in these bills. One — a Senate proposal that Mr. Tauzin is trying to kill — would require power plants to generate 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. A second would open up the huge natural gas reserves on Alaska's North Slope, where oil drilling already occurs. Exploiting these reserves would obviate the need to go poking around in ecologically sensitive areas elsewhere, which the administration seems determined to do. A third provision would devote serious money to promising ways of cleaning up coal, the dirtiest but most plentiful of fossil fuels.
None of this, however, propels the country toward a new energy future. What America needs, and what the bill comes nowhere near providing, is a game-changer: a huge effort to help Detroit build entire fleets of fuel-efficient vehicles using available technology, for instance, or an equally ambitious program to convert cellulose to fuel — not just corn but grasses, wood and agricultural wastes of all kinds — in quantities large enough to make a real dent in oil imports.
Instead, Congress insists on thinking small, settling for timid research programs and unnecessary tax breaks for established industries that, as it happens, provide lots of campaign money. Since the Democrats also benefit from this money, they are unlikely to do the honorable thing, which is to filibuster this bill into extinction.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/29/opinion/29MON1.html?ex=1065499200&en=964879105163fac0&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
========================================

Great Lakes Daily News: 01 October 2003
For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Plain Dealer releases pollution data
----------------------------------------
The Plain Dealer has agreed to release a confidential environmental report
that prompted Cleveland City Council members to delay ratifying a deal for
lakefront property. Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/1)


Volts may fend off invading carp
----------------------------------------
Minnesota natural resource officials said Tuesday that they are studying the
possibility of building an underwater electric barrier across the
Mississippi River to prevent the northward spread of Asian carp into the
state's waterways. Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune (10/1)


Group gets grant to save South Channel Range Lights
----------------------------------------
A 14-year effort to preserve two pre-Civil War lighthouses on Lake St.
Clair's delta got a $600,000 boost from Michigan and local matching funds
this week. Source: The Associated Press (10/1)


No mercy for illegal snaggers
----------------------------------------
Legal snagging is a wise use of a fish resource from Lake Michigan that
otherwise would go to waste. Source: Chicago Sun-Times (10/1)


Minnesota tries to stave off giant carp
----------------------------------------
Resource experts are looking at ways to keep the jumping Asian bighead carp
and its cousins out of the state's waterways. Source: Duluth News Tribune
(9/30)


Dreyer completes 12th and 13th stages of Lake Michigan swim
----------------------------------------
After going more than a day without contacting his support crew, endurance
swimmer Jim Dreyer completed the 12th and 13th of 16 stages in his attempt
to swim the length of Lake Michigan. Source: The Associated Press (9/30)


Lake Erie field guide in the works
----------------------------------------
Lake Erie Coastal Ohio, Inc. and the Ohio Chapter of The Nature Conservancy
have received a $29,500 Lake Erie Protection Fund grant to design a Lake
Erie Islands Field Guide and to develop a survey regarding visitor needs and
expectations. Source: Port Clinton News Herald (9/30)


Conservancy group takes title to Humbug Marsh
----------------------------------------
The Trust for Public Land has taken the title to Humbug Marsh, 400 acres of
environmentally sensitive land along the lower Detroit River. Source: The
Associated Press (9/30)


Low water dries up business
----------------------------------------
Dredging has been commonplace this summer at marinas up and down both the
Ontario and Michigan sides of Lake St. Clair, though low lake levels and
debris at the Thames River mouth have cost Chatham-Kent huge revenue losses
this year from foreign pleasure boaters. Source: The Chatham Daily News
(9/30)


Dam removal a renaissance for fish
----------------------------------------
Nearly three years after removing the Chair Factory dam on the Milwaukee
River, state environmental researchers have more proof that such a move
improves water quality and boosts fish populations. Source: Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (9/28)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


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Another touch from ENN,

Friday, October 03, 2003
By Alister Doyle, Reuters


MOSCOW — Scientists said Thursday that global warming could slash Russia's crucial grain harvests if President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders refuse to endorse the U.N. pact.

About 1,000 scientists at a World Climate Change Conference in Moscow ending Friday were sharply divided over Putin's belief that Russians could benefit overall from a world with less bone-chilling winters. But some experts say that agricultural output in the key southern grain areas could be hit by a forecast decline in rains even though a warmer climate will extend growing areas further north as the permafrost thaws in Siberia.

"Climate change will generally not benefit Russia," said Joseph Alcamo of the University of Kassel in Germany. Harvests in the south might be hit by more frequent droughts, he added. Oleg Sirotenko of the All Russian Institute for Agricultural Meteorology said that Russian grain harvests would dip by about two percent in 2020-30 from current levels due to disruptions from global warming. Fodder crops, however, would benefit, he added.

Putin said Monday that he needed more time to decide whether to ratify the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol, which hinges on Russian ratification to take effect. Kyoto seeks to rein in emissions of gases like carbon dioxide released by cars and factories. The gases are blamed for blanketing the planet and driving up temperatures.

Sergei Shoigu, Russia's Emergencies Minister, said that climate change was likely to trigger more...(Read on in: Scientists say warming could cut Russian crops

From ENN, signs of the times to come...

Friday, October 03, 2003
By Associated Press


PORT SULPHUR — For the past decade, something eerie's taken place here. The ground is getting saltier and saltier.

Patty Vogt, a sturdy 49-year-old farm owner who's herded cattle and lived off planting oranges all her working life, looks at her citrus trees and sees what an untrained eye doesn't: Death.

"It should be full and green and full of oranges," she says, a few weeks before harvest.

Salt — lots of it — lies three feet underground. Scientists say all the salt is tied to Louisiana's bigger problem: coastal land loss. As the marsh goes, the sea gets closer and the ground gets saltier.

But the hundreds of citrus growers here aren't about to plow their trees under and say goodbye to a 200-year-old tradition. Research scientists are tinkering with salt-tolerant and salt-resistant root stocks. Dwarf trees with shallower roots are in style. Pumping and draining the salt has caught on.

Since Jesuit priests in the 1790s first stuck orange seeds into this "black land," as Vogt and the other folk call the rich alluvial soil on the banks of the Mississippi River south of New Orleans, orange growers have overcome pests, storms, freezes and diseases.

"This is one we might not be able to solve," says Wayne Bourgeois, the main researcher at the Louisiana State University AgCenter Citrus Research Station. "We might not be able to find tried and true solutions. We might just be able to keep our heads above water."

"Last year I had oranges on my trees for the first time in about six years. I hate to get too doggone optimistic about it, but it gives encouragement," said Gerald Ragas, a 70-year-old farmer in Buras, down the road a few miles from Vogt. He's a fan of draining the salt away. Perforated drainage pipe — 1,100 feet of it — runs along the rows of his navel orange trees to keep the water table low and the salt from reaching the roots.

"Citrus needs dry feet," said Alan Vaughn, the AgCenter county agent who talks with citrus farmers up and down this stretch of land, lends his ear to their woes and spreads the word of scientific advances. "These guys are desperate...(Read on in: Faced with encroaching salt water, Louisiana orange growers fight back)

Great Lakes Daily News: 03 October 2003
For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Great Lakes group on track for controlling water sales
----------------------------------------
Despite leadership changes, Great Lakes governors and premiers are on track
to meet their self-imposed deadline for finalizing a 2001 agreement that
calls for local controls on the amount of water that can be diverted or
exported in bulk from the lakes. Source: The Toledo Blade (10/3)


Dunes to get $3.4 million renovation
----------------------------------------
The aging campgrounds at Indiana Dunes State Park along Lake Michigan's dune
country will get a $3.4 million face-lift -- including fewer but roomier
campsites. Source: Chicago Sun-Times (10/3)


Group holds public-policy forum on river cleanup
----------------------------------------
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is awaiting a study by the U.S.
Geological Survey before deciding on a partial cleanup plan for the
Kalamazoo River Superfund site, an EPA official said Thursday. Source: The
Associated Press (10/3)


Invasive spiny waterflea found in Saganaga Lake
----------------------------------------
An angler on Saganaga Lake made an unwelcome catch recently -- a clump of
exotic spiny waterfleas. Source: The Duluth News Tribune (10/3)


Michigan and Indiana study ways to lower bacteria counts
----------------------------------------
Overflowing sewage plants, failing septic systems and unfenced livestock are
all likely contributors to high levels of bacteria polluting the St. Joseph
River. Source: The St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Herald-Palladium (10/3)


Lake Erie area homeowners considering class-action suit
----------------------------------------
Coastal property owners lobbying for changes in state permits and land
leases along Lake Erie said they will consider filing a class action lawsuit
if lawmakers don't get involved. Source: The Fremont News-Messenger (10/2)


Oil spill leaks in Pickering creek
----------------------------------------
Hydro One crews concentrated their efforts along Pine Creek in Pickering,
sucking up the mineral oil-laden water, trying to prevent the 39,000 gallon
leak from flowing into Frenchman's Bay on Lake Ontario. Source: The Toronto
Star (10/2)


EDITORIAL: Erosion studies could be boost for Lake Erie's East Harbor
----------------------------------------
A proposed study of erosion prevention at East Harbor State Park could be a
boon to area tourism and a shot in the arm for local swimmers and
sunbathers. Source: Port Clinton News Herald (10/2)


COMMENTARY: Muskies are feeding on Lake St. Clair, and they're hungry
----------------------------------------
Until the ice and snow cover gets thick, muskellunge will continue to gorge
themselves, and the limiting factor in fall fishing isn't the willingness of
the muskies to feed but the blustery winds that often keep small boats in
port. Source: Detroit Free Press (10/2)


Environment group gives Tories a failing grade
----------------------------------------
Three years after the Walkerton water tragedy, only 19 of 121
recommendations made by inquiry head Mr. Justice Dennis O'Connor have been
implemented by the Tory government, an environment group says. Source: The
Toronto Star (10/1)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


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------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Ranchers Declare Energy Independence in Montana
From: "Jennifer Grove" jennifer@nwseed.org


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 09:23:56 -0700
From: "Jennifer Grove" jennifer@nwseed.org
Subject: Ranchers Declare Energy Independence in Montana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MONTANA'S FIRST COOPERATIVE WIND TURBINES TO BE DEDICATED
Ranchers Declare Energy Independence in Judith Basin and Glacier County,
Montana

STANFORD, MT - October 1, 2003 - A declaration of energy independence by
two Montana ranchers and a Liberty County maintenance shop will be
celebrated in a dedication ceremony on Tuesday, October 14th, for the
state's first cooperatively-owned wind turbine installations.

The dedication will take place at 10 a.m. at the home of Stanford
rancher-farmer Jess Alger. It will celebrate the start-up of 10 kilowatt
wind turbines by Alger, East Glacier bison rancher Doug Nelson and a
Liberty County maintenance shop. An open house will be held the
following day at the Nelson ranch. Among those slated to attend the
dedication are state and local political leaders, representatives from
agricultural organizations and utilities, and government agency staff.

The small-scale wind machines featured at the dedication go on line this
fall. Unlike larger utility-scale machines that make up most wind farms,
the three small-scale machines will primarily serve on-site electrical
needs. The surplus of energy generated will be fed into the power grid
for use by other utility customers.

The move to begin harvesting Montana's rich wind resources came about
with funding from the Our Wind Co-op, a partnership that invests in
locally-owned, small-scale wind turbines on farms, ranches and rural
facilities across the Northwest. The co-op model is different from most
wind development models in the U.S., where rural landowners and
communities have participated primarily by leasing land to wind
developers.

"Leasing is a good deal for landowners but ownership is even better,"
notes Heather Rhoads-Weaver, who as director of the nonprofit Northwest
Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (SEED) was instrumental in
forming Our Wind Co-op. "If you own a turbine all the money from selling
power stays in your hands. That spells a healthier farm and rural
economy."

The first turbine supported by Our Wind Co-op went on line in May 2003.
The Montana turbines represent the next three Co-op projects. Six more
turbines are slated to go on line throughout the Northwest in 2004.
"These turbines represent an economic win for rural communities where
they operate, and an environmental win for everyone because they
generate power with zero emissions," notes Peter Moulton, who directs
the Harvesting Clean Energy program for Climate Solutions, another key
Our Wind Co-op partner.

Project funding provided by: United States Department of Energy National
Renewable Energy Lab, United States Department of Agriculture Rural
Development, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, National Center
for Appropriate Technology through the Northwestern Energy USB program
and Montana State Department of Environmental Quality.

Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (NWSEED) works to
mobilize consumers and maximize the benefits of harvesting "home-grown"
renewable resources. For more on Our Wind Co-op, visit
www.ourwind.org. For more on Northwest
SEED, visit www.nwseed.org. For more on
the Harvesting Clean Energy program, visit
www.harvestcleanenergy.org

jennifer@nwseed.org
# # #

From Alt Power Digest:

There are 2 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Study Finds Net Gain From Pollution Rules
From: greenscitek@webtv.net
2. U.S. Military Looking to Solar Power
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 16:31:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: greenscitek@webtv.net
Subject: Study Finds Net Gain From Pollution Rules

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&e=11&u=/washpost/a7586_2003sep26
Sat Sep 27, 1:00 AM ET:
By Eric Pianin, Washington Post Staff Writer:
A new White House study concludes that environmental regulations are
well worth the costs they impose on industry and consumers, resulting in
significant public health improvements and other benefits to society.
The findings overturn a previous report that officials now say was
defective.
The report, issued this month by the Office of Management and
Budget, concludes that the health and social benefits of enforcing tough
new clean-air regulations during the past decade were five to seven
times greater in economic terms than were the costs of complying with
the rules. The value of reductions in hospitalization and emergency room
visits, premature deaths and lost workdays resulting from improved air
quality were estimated between $120 billion and $193 billion from
October 1992 to September 2002.
By comparison, industry, states and municipalities spent an estimated
$23 billion to $26 billion to retrofit plants and facilities and make
other changes to comply with new clean-air standards, which are designed
to sharply reduce sulfur dioxide, fine-particle emissions and other
health-threatening pollutants.
The report provides the most comprehensive federal study ever of the
cost and benefits of regulatory decision-making. It has pleasantly
surprised some environmentalists who doubted the Bush administration
would champion the benefits of government regulations, and fueled
arguments that the White House should continue pushing clean-air
standards rather than trying to weaken some.
"I'm sure the true believers in the Bush administration will brand this
report as true heresy because it defies the stereotype of burdensome,
worthless regulations," Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said yesterday.
"They clearly don't understand that the government regulations are there
to protect you -- and they work."
John D. Graham, director of OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, which produced the study, said: "Our role at OMB is to report
the best available estimates of benefits and costs, regardless of
whether the information favors one advocacy group or another. In this
case the data show that the Environmental Protection Agency (news - web
sites)'s clean-air office has issued some highly beneficial rules."
But an industry official said the report may have greatly understated
the costs associated with environmental regulations. Jeffrey Marks, a
clean-air policy expert with the National Association of Manufacturers
(news - web sites), said EPA "has traditionally underestimated the costs
of regulations on industry. . . . The tendency to choose benefit numbers
to correspond to favorable policy choices is strong within the agency."
The findings are more startling because a similar OMB report last year
concluded that the cost of compliance with a given set of regulations
was roughly comparable to the public benefits. OMB now says it had erred
last year by vastly understating the benefits of EPA's rules
establishing national ambient air quality standards for ozone and for
particulate matter -- a major factor in upper respiratory, heart and
lung disorders. Also, last year's report covered the previous six years
and did not account for the beneficial effects of the 1990 amendments to
the Clean Air Act that sharply reduced the problem of acid rain.
Many environmentalists had initially expressed fears that Graham,
founder of a Harvard University-based risk analysis institute, would
lead a Bush administration assault on regulatory safeguards. But Graham
has sided with environmentalists on several key issues, including new
rules to sharply reduce diesel engine emissions and the fine airborne
particles that contribute to asthma and other serious respiratory
ailments. The activists were quick to embrace this month's report.
"The bottom line is that the benefits from major environmental rules
over the past 10 years were [five to seven] times greater than the
costs," said Kevin Curtis of the National Environmental Trust. "And
that's a number that can't be ignored, even by an administration that
has blamed 'excessive' environmental regulations for everything from the
California energy crisis to last month's blackout to job losses to the
failing economy."
Environmental groups and some lawmakers assert that the administration
has begun to chip away at clean-air regulations and safeguards just when
the country is beginning to see the fruits of decades of tough
enforcement efforts. Earlier this month, the EPA issued its annual air
trends report showing that, since 1970, emissions of the six principal
air pollutants have declined by 48 percent. At the same time, EPA
officials put the finishing touches on a "New Source Review" rule change
that will enable utilities to extend the lifespan of older, dirtier
power plants without installing new anti-air pollution equipment.
But White House officials and Republicans say the administration
deserves credit for some of the improvement. They noted that the EPA has
approved the new diesel emission standards affecting trucks, buses and
off-road machinery in the coming years.
The OMB is required to report annually to Congress on the costs and
benefits of federal regulations and unfunded mandates on states and
American Indian tribes. This year's report provided cost-benefit
analysis on 107 major federal rules approved during the past decade
dealing with agriculture, education, energy, health and human services
(news - web sites), housing, labor, transportation and the environment.
In all cases, the benefits far exceeded the costs of implementing the
rule. But the most dramatic showing involved environmental protection.
Previous reports have been controversial because of the unavoidably
imprecise methodology used to assess the costs and benefits of a variety
of government regulations. In the absence of solid data or
documentation, analysts often must rely on educated guesses or long-term
impact projections that were prepared when the rules were put into
effect.
"The data is prospective rather than retrospective," said Gary Bass of
OMB Watch, a watchdog organization. "We don't have an adequate data set.
My guess is that if we did, the benefits would exceed the cost in a
wider spread than the OMB report shows."
==================================



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 06:58:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: AP@alternatepower.com (Alternate Power)
Subject: U.S. Military Looking to Solar Power

http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1991028
Move to Solar Power Soldiers
By John von Radowitz. Science Correspondent, PA News:
Military chiefs are developing a new "light infantry" that marches with the help of solar power.
The US Army is funding the system to reduce the number of cumbersome batteries soldiers need to carry into combat.
In future, troops may wear lightweight plastic solar panels that turn sunshine into electrical power woven into their uniforms.
The invention uses a special flexible material coated with a film of power-generating particles.
It is more sensitive than conventional solar cells, and able to convert indoor artificial lighting into energy as well as sunlight.
Modern soldiers are becoming increasingly dependent on batteries to power the large amount of portable equipment they take into battle.
Typically this includes communications equipment, satellite positioning devices, and combat aids such as range finders.
Military experts are concerned both by the weight of the batteries, and the need to rely on a power source to recharge them.
If tests of the prototype solar cells prove successful, they could enter service within three years.
Reporting on the development, The Engineer magazine said: "The US Army eventually hopes to use solar cells to make each soldier self-sufficient for electrical power."
Konarka, the Massachusetts-based designers, said ultimately it may be possible to incorporate ultra-thin solar cells into soldiers' uniforms.
The company is also developing a wide range of civilian applications for the technology.
========================================

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

All-Energy News and Discussion
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/All-Energy

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

Great Lakes Daily News: 02 October 2003
For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


Environmentalists pick Oregon as battleground for wolf lawsuit
----------------------------------------
Environmental groups filed suit Wednesday challenging the federal
government's decision to downgrade protection for gray wolves, most of which
are in the Great Lakes region. Source: Environmental News Network (10/2)


Dreaded Snakehead fish found in Wisconsin
----------------------------------------
Fisheries biologists on both sides of the Wisconsin/Illinois border are
wondering if an invasive species will migrate south into Illinois as colder
weather sets in. Source: The Illinois Star Newspapers (10/2)


EDITORIAL: Pollution rules help economy
----------------------------------------
A White House environmental report gives the Bush administration reason to
reconsider its efforts to undermine long-standing environmental protections.
Source: Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (10/2)


New security along Lake Ontario raising concerns
----------------------------------------
A new effort is underway to fight terrorism along Lake Ontario's shoreline.
Source: Rochester 10NBC News (10/2)


Senate Dems force two-week delay on Leavitt nomination
----------------------------------------
Senate Democrats boycotted an Environment and Public Works Committee meeting
Wednesday to force a two-week delay in voting on President Bush's nomination
of Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt as administrator of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. Source: USA Today (10/1)


Coin to put Michigan geography in palm of your hand
----------------------------------------
Gov. Jennifer Granholm will announce today her choice of design for
Michigan's commemorative quarter, which will highlight the state's
distinctive shape -- the Lower and Upper Peninsulas, surrounded by lakes --
with the words, "Great Lakes State." Source: Detroit Free Press (10/1)


Tall ship beauty sinks in Halifax
----------------------------------------
The schooner Larinda, one of the featured attractions at this year's Tall
Ship Celebration in Bay City, Mich., is resting at the bottom of Halifax
Harbor in Nova Scotia. Source: The Bay City Times (10/1)


DNR worker honored for quest to save wetlands
----------------------------------------
Armin Schwengel's living legacy to future generations is more than 10,400
acres of wetlands and grass-covered hills in southeastern Wisconsin that now
provide rest stops for migrating waterfowl, and summer nesting sites for
ducks, meadowlarks and pheasants. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (10/1)


Deal conserves Wisconsin land
----------------------------------------
An American Indian tribe will protect 21,322 acres of land near Lake
Superior under a deal negotiated by the Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin.
Source: Duluth News Tribune (10/1)


Forum explains state of Great Lakes fisheries
----------------------------------------
The Great Lakes Sea Grant Fisheries Leadership Institute is designed to
provide interested residents with a solid background in fisheries science
and Great Lakes management. Source: Erie Times-News (9/29)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


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Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
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