Environmental Geoscience Program

WHAT'S NEW

TECHNOLOGY NEWS AND TRENDS (EPA 542-N-09-006). This issue highlights innovative strategies for in-situ treatment of contaminated groundwater through subsurface injection of reagents to promote chemical oxidation (chem/ox) or biodegradation through enhanced reductive chlorination of contaminants (December 2009, 6 pages). View or download at http://clu-in.org/techpubs.htm .

SOLAR POWER INSTALLATIONS ON CLOSED LANDFILLS: TECHNICAL AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS. This paper examines the current nature of solar energy developments on closed landfills using the following focal areas: (1) solar power system considerations with respect to landfill applications, (2) landfill technical and engineering considerations, and (3) regulatory considerations. Research results indicate that numerous engineering techniques and solar technologies are available to facilitate the placement of solar energy systems on closed landfills. Results also indicate that the permitting and regulatory process is complicated by disparate but specific state and local government requirements. Though this study focuses narrowly on the technical and regulatory affairs of constructing solar farms on closed landfills, it also has applications to the placement of solar energy systems in broader settings. The views detailed in this study are designed to inform decision makers and stakeholders and to facilitate the design, construction, and operation of future solar installations on closed landfills (September 2009, 36 pages). View or download at http://www.clu-in.org/techpubs.htm .

NEW CLU-IN EVAPOTRANSPIRATION COVERS SITE. This site focuses on covers that utilize natural processes to manage water precipitating on waste containment sites, commonly known as evapotranspiration (ET) covers. These covers have proven an effective means of containing waste at municipal landfills, hazardous, and industrial waste landfills. ET covers are also known as store and release covers, vegetative covers, sponge and pump covers, alternative final covers (AFC), alternative final earthen covers (AFEC), and other names. They include various combinations of earthen materials and plants. View and use at http://www.clu-in.org/products/evap/ .

REAL PROSPECTS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN THE UNITED STATES: Released December 9, 2009. As part of the America's Energy Future project, this report examines the potential for improving efficiency through existing technologies, those developed but not in wide use, and future technologies. The book evaluates technologies based on their estimated time to commercial deployment, costs, barriers, and research needs. This quantitative characterization will guide policy makers, industry, investors, environmentalists, and others looking at energy efficiency possibilities. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12621

AMERICA'S ENERGY FUTURE: TECHNOLOGY AND TRANSFORMATION: Released December 15, 2009. The U.S. has enormous resources to put behind solutions to the energy challenge, but before deciding which technologies to develop there is a need to understand them better. This book offers a detailed assessment of the impacts, costs, and timeframes of implementing technologies for energy efficiency, coal-fired power, nuclear power, renewable energy, oil and natural gas, and alternative fuels. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12091

TRANSITIONS TO ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGIES--PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Prepublication released December 15, 2009. This publication builds on a 2008 National Research Council report on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. This volume reviews the current and projected technology for plug in hybrids; how rapidly they could enter the marketplace and interface with the electric transmission and distribution system; and the costs and impacts on petroleum consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12826

ENHANCING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUSTAINABILITY PARTNERSHIPS: SUMMARY OF A WORKSHOP: Released December 17, 2009. This report summarizes a June 2008 workshop to foster ideas and dialogue to develop effective new partnerships for sustainability. Sustainable development requires scientific innovation, new knowledge, and collaborative approaches to implementing technologies and policies across sectors. Partnerships are increasingly utilized to achieve these goals, possibly spurred by failure of government and international commitments. However, skeptics question their effectiveness. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12541

LIQUID TRANSPORTATION FUELS FROM COAL AND BIOMASS: TECHNOLOGICAL STATUS, COSTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS: Released December 28, 2009. This book provides a snapshot of the potential costs of liquid fuels conversion. Policy makers, investors, leaders in industry, the transportation sector, and others with a concern for the environment, economy, and energy security can use this as a roadmap to independence from foreign oil. The book proposes that with immediate action and sustained effort, alternative liquid fuels can be available in 2020. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12620

NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT: KEY ATTRIBUTES, CHALLENGES, AND COSTS FOR THE YUCCA MOUNTAIN REPOSITORY AND TWO POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES: Released December 1, 2009. This report examines the key challenges to the Yucca Mountain Repository and explores instead storing the nuclear waste at either two centralized locations or on-site. Centralized storage is possible within 10 to 30 years, but finding a host state could be challenging. In addition, this would be temporary and require later transportation to a final site. On-site storage would be maintaining the status quo, but would become problematic as the storage systems degrade and the waste decays. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-48

SURFACE COAL MINING: CHARACTERISTICS OF MINING IN MOUNTAINOUS AREAS OF KENTUCKY AND WEST VIRGINIA: Released December 9, 2009. There is limited public information on the size, location, and landscape affects after surface coal mining, or “mountaintop mining,” in Appalachia. This report evaluates the characteristics of surface coal mining and reclaimed lands that were disturbed by surface coal mining in the eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-21

THE GOOGLE LIBRARY PROJECT: IS DIGITIZATION FOR PURPOSES OF ONLINE INDEXING FAIR USE UNDER COPYRIGHT LAW? Released November 27, 2009. This report covers the litigation proceedings of the Google Library Project. In December 2004, Google planned to digitize, index, and display parts of books without permission from the copyright holders. Authors and publishers sued Google in 2005 for alleged infringement of their rights. Google contended that because it allowed rights holders to “opt out” of the project it was a non-issue. A settlement hopes to be reached by February 18, 2010 and class members have until January 28, 2010, to opt in, out, or object to the agreement. http://opencrs.com/document/R40194/

CARS AND CLIMATE: WHAT CAN EPA DO TO CONTROL GREENHOUSE GASES FROM MOBILE SOURCES? Released December 12, 2009. This report discusses EPA's authority under Title II of the Clean Air Act to regulate mobile sources of greenhouse gases (GHG). Among the sources in Title II, cars, light trucks and SUVs are the initial targets because they began EPA’s interest in the endangerment issue and are the most significant GHG emitters in Title II. http://opencrs.com/document/R40506/

NEW INTERACTIVE TSUNAMI SITE FROM WHOI: The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) launched a new flashy, fact-filled, and comprehensive tsunami information site that teaches everything from tsunami science to how researchers monitor them to how to survive one. Interactive maps, firsthand accounts from survivors, diagrams, and tsunami videos are just some of interesting and useful information on the site. Visit the site at: http://www.whoi.edu/home/interactive/tsunami/

NSF LAUNCHES CLIMATE SCIENCE WEB SITE “TO WHAT DEGREE?”: The new National Science Foundation (NSF) climate science web site “To What Degree” aims to explain what science is saying about climate change through short video segments. Leading climate change experts answer common questions about the Earth system and climate change. The questions are broken down into four topics: the carbon cycle, Earth’s heat balance, the water cycle, and how do we know. NSF promises that more topics are coming soon. Watch the videos online: http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/degree/

NASA EARTH-OBSERVING CAPACITY UPDATE: On December 7, 2009 NASA officially deactivated the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-10 (GOES-10) after 12 years of successful service in tracking hurricanes and for other Earth-observing missions. NOAA has four GOES in space: GOES-11 and GOES-12, which are in operation; GOES-13, in orbital storage and slated to replace GOES-12 when it is repositioned; and GOES-14, which launched this spring and is undergoing post-launch tests. GOES-P, which is slated to become GOES-15 after launch, has been moved to Kennedy Space Center for final preparations for launch on February 25, 2010. GOES-15 will be the last in the series. The next-generation GOES-R satellite series, set to begin launching in 2015, is expected to double the clarity of today’s GOES imagery and provide at least 20 times more atmospheric observations than current capabilities. In addition to the GOES system, NASA announced at the fall AGU meeting that the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on the Aqua spacecraft has completed a seven-plus years measurement of the concentration and distribution of carbon dioxide in the mid-troposphere region of Earth’s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide concentrations are less homogeneous than model assumptions and the southern hemisphere serves as a sink for carbon dioxide emitted primarily in the northern hemisphere. The carbon dioxide data combined with AIRS’s daily measurements of temperature, water vapor and other gases will help improve our understanding of Earth’s atmosphere and climate change.

EPA PUBLISHES WATER RESEARCH STRATEGY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a national water research strategy on December 18, 2009. The four research priorities include healthy watersheds and coastal waters, safe drinking water, sustainable water infrastructure, and water security. The plan is to “diversify the science the water program uses to develop its regulatory and non-regulatory water management tools and decisions” according to an EPA press release. Water researchers, water managers and the public are invited to view the strategy in order to understand how this national plan may affect their work and use of water. Other federal agencies with water-related research responsibilities may wish to consider this strategy in relation to their work. More information is available at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/strategy

DOE ANNOUNCES $366 MILLION FOR 3 ENERGY INNOVATION HUBS: The Department of Energy (DOE) plans to invest up to $366 million to establish and operate three new Energy Innovation Hubs focused on: 1) fuels from sunlight, 2) energy efficient building design, and 3) computer modeling and simulation of advanced nuclear reactors. Each hub will receive $22 million the first year and up to $25 million per year for the following four years. The goal is for a multidisciplinary team of researchers to conduct high-risk research in a single area to accelerate research and commercial deployment of highly promising energy-related technologies. Information on the implementation plan and strategy for managing the hubs is on the DOE Energy Innovation Hubs web site: http://hubs.energy.gov.

VOLCANO EARLY WARNING SYSTEM PASSES COMMITTEE: The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Systems Act (S. 782), introduced by Alaskan Senators Lisa Murkowski (R) and Mark Begich (D), would authorize $15 million annually for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to continually monitor all 169 potentially hazardous volcanoes in the U.S in real-time. The bill will codify the USGS National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System (NVEWS) program already established to monitor volcanic activity and warn citizens of impending danger. The measure will organize, modernize, standardize, stabilize, expand and unify the current monitoring system to simplify coverage of all U.S. volcanoes. The USGS fact sheet on NVEWS is available online: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2006/3142/ The full text of S. 782 is available from Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s.00782:

HOUSE PASSES ENERGY AND WATER RESEARCH BILL: The Energy and Water Research Integration Act (H.R. 3598) passed out of the House on December 1, 2009. The bill addresses the nexus between energy and water resource demands by directing the Secretary of Energy to take water into consideration. The Secretary of Energy must work to advance energy technologies to become more water efficient, consider the implications of climate change on water supplies for energy, estimate the water needed for energy production, and understand the energy required to provide water to the public. It creates an Energy-Water Architecture Council to work on improving energy and water resources data and advance technological innovations. The Energy Department will take the lead, but work in coordination with other federal agencies.The bill has now goes to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for consideration. The full text of H.R. 3598 is available from Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR3598:/

CLIMATE LEGISLATION IN THE WAKE OF COPENHAGEN: At Copenhagen, President Obama staunchly adhered to greenhouse gas emission reduction targets from the House climate bill (H.R. 2454). This is the only legislation formally approved by the House or the Senate and Obama has made it clear that the Administration will follow the lead from Congress in any international negotiations dealing with climate change. In the Senate, work is continuing on compromise climate legislation with Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) taking the lead on drafting new language, after earlier measures failed to garner support. The three senators sent the framework for a new climate change bill to President Obama on December 10, 2009, as the Copenhagen Climate Summit was underway. The framework is a broad document that outlines 11 vision areas and a goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 17 percent of the 2005 levels by 2020. The reduction target is the same as the 2020 target in the House bill. A day after the Kerry-Lieberman-Graham framework announcement, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) released a “cap and refund” bill called the Carbon Limits and Energy for America's Renewal (CLEAR) Act (S. 2877) as an alternative to the current cap and trade climate legislation model. It auctions off carbon credits and gives the revenues to low- and middle-income families to offset the increased cost of meeting a 20 percent emission reduction by 2020 proposed in the measure. Kerry and the others said they are open to incorporating any idea the will satisfy their vision areas. As Congress tries to finalize some sort of climate legislation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted its final endangerment rule that will become effective January 14, 2010. This rule says that GHGs are endangering public health and are caused in part by motor vehicles, therefore the EPA has authority to regulate these emissions under the Clean Air Act. Some members of Congress see this as EPA circumventing congressional authority and have introduced legislation to negate the EPA endangerment findings. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) are leading the charge against the EPA, but are unlikely to gain enough support to overturn the ruling. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) admits Murkowski is unlikely to succeed, but is confident that lawsuits will soon sprout up and “kill the endangerment finding.” A comprehensive analysis of the Senate climate debate and key senators in the 60-vote race was prepared by ScienceInsider, and is available as part of their climate blog: http://blogs.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/copenhagen/climate-senate.html The Kerry-Lieberman-Graham framework is available as a PDF on Kerry’s website: http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=320688 The full text of H.R. 2454 is available from Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:hr02454: The full text of S. 1733 is available from Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:S1733: The full text of S. 1462 is available from Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:S.1462: The full text of S. 2877 is available from Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s2877:

EPA MAKES ANNOUNCEMENT ON TWO PROPOSED WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINTOP COAL MINES: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a path forward on two coal mining operations in West Virginia.EPA is informing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that it supports issuing a Clean Water Act permit for the Hobet 45 mine in Lincoln County, operated by Hobet Mining, LLC. EPA made this decision after extensive discussions between EPA and the company resulted in additional significant protections against environmental impacts. In a second action, the Federal District Court in Southern West Virginia will extend the court-established deadline to respond to the company's earlier request to end the litigation on the proposed Spruce No. 1 mine in Logan County. EPA and the mining operator, Mingo Logan Mining Company, a subsidiary of Arch Coal, agreed to ask for the extension in order to continue discussions to determine if a revised mining plan can be developed that will comply with the Clean Water Act. After close study, EPA determined that the proposed mine raised significant environmental and water quality concerns.

EPA STRENGTHENS SMOG STANDARD: The United States Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the strictest health standards to date for smog. Smog, also known as ground-level ozone, is linked to a number of serious health problems, ranging from aggravation of asthma to increased risk of premature death in people with heart or lung disease. Ozone can even harm healthy people who work and play outdoors. The agency is proposing to replace the standards set by the previous administration, which many believe were not protective enough of human health. More information: http://www.epa.gov/groundlevelozone

CONFERENCE- ALL AT SEA? SYNERGIES BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT COASTAL PROCESSES AND ECOLOGY, Loughborough University, UK, 22nd-23rd April 2010: Abstract deadline: 31st January 2010. For more information and registration details see: (http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/gy/allatsea/) or e-mail allatsealboro@gmail.com

THE 20TH ANNUAL ASSOCIATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SCIENCES (AEHS) MEETING AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOILS, SEDIMENTS, WATER, AND ENERGY will be held in San Diego, CA. March 15-18, 2010. This conference provides a forum for the environmental science community to exchange information on technological advances, new scientific achievements, and the effectiveness of standing environmental regulation programs. For more information, visit http://www.aehs.com/conferences/westcoast/index.htm.

GOLDSCHMIDT 2010: JUNE 13-18, KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE. The abstract and registration/campus accommodation forms for Goldschmidt 2010 are now live and can be found from the conference website (www.goldschmidt2010.org). The abstract deadline is February 21st, and the last date for early registration is April 16th, 2010. A large team of geochemists from across the globe has put together the broadest science program for any Goldschmidt conference to date. There are over 170 sessions divided into 22 themes - see http://www.goldschmidt2010.org/themes for a list of sessions and keynote speakers. There are also various field trips and workshops planned for before, during and after the conference.