Most Recent Issue:

October 21, 2002

In this Edition:
Issue Spotlight: Net Metering
Headliner: 2002 Ballot Measures Pre-election Report
Watchdog: Enforcement Drops Under Bush EPA
News From the States:
*Maryland Group Says Efficiency would Save Billions
*Researchers Release First of Its Kind Sprawl Report 
*Increase in Autism Baffles California Scientists 
*Bush, EPA at Odds over Massachusetts Emissions Standards
*Workshops Explore Ways to Conserve Rainwater 
*New York Revises Hybrid Vehicles Tax Credit 
*After Five-year Campaign, Health of Bay Unchanged
*Use of Pesticides across California Reaches a Record Low for 2001
*Washington State Organizations Buy 10 Percent Green Power
*Kentucky School Districts Switch to Biodiesel Fuel 
*Most Companies, Treatment Plants Exceed EPA Pollution Permits 
*Alaska Game Agency Shifts Focus with Federal Funds

Issue Spotlight: Net Metering
"Net Metering" is a special metering and billing agreement between utilities and their customers that facilitates the connection of small renewable energy generating systems to the power grid. When a customer's renewable generator is producing more power than is being consumed, the customer's meter runs backward generating credits. When a customer uses more power than is being produced, the meter runs forward normally. The customer is only charged for 
the "net" power they buy from the electricity service provider that has accumulated over a designated period, or may in fact be credited or paid for the excess electricity contributed to the grid over that same period. By adopting net metering laws, states can encourage the installation and use of renewable energy generators. These systems help break our dependence on dirty fossil fuels, add to the diversification of our current energy portfolio and help lessen the environmental footprint associated with electricity generation and consumption. To learn more about state net metering legislation, click here.

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Headliner:  2002 Ballot Measures Pre-Election Report
In a few short weeks, citizens in 38 states will vote on close to 200 ballot measures, some of which will impact our water, air, wildlife and the habitat upon which they depend. Defenders of Wildlife have prepared a list of environmental measures on the 2002 ballot. While the number of both legislative and citizen-based initiatives is down from recent years, ballot measures remain an important tool for our democratic system of government. Ballot measures give citizens the power to propose bills and laws, and to enact or reject them at the polls. Included in this report is a summary of the 2002 environmental ballot measures, including those that have been approved for the November ballot and those that were voted on in the 2002 primaries, as well as updates from past ballot measures. Click here to access the list. Another resource is the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, whose homepage is at www.ballot.org.

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Watchdog: Enforcement Drops under Bush EPA (Boston Globe, 10/1)
The EPA is not doing a very good job of enforcing US environmental law, according to a study released by US Rep. Edward J. Markey (MA). The study compared EPA administrative actions under the Clinton and Bush administrations. For every time period studied, both the number of actions and the total amount of fines collected declined. In fact, actions were down 50 percent under Administrator Christie Todd Whitman, and the amount of penalties and remedies recovered dropped by 80 percent. Markey called on Whitman to step up the Agency’s enforcement, saying “It is unacceptable for the new EPA menu to have plenty of specials for polluters, but leftovers for the families who must live next to polluting facilities.” The report can be found here.

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News From the States:

Maryland Group Says Efficiency would Save Billions (Capital News Service 10/16)
Maryland consumers and businesses could save up to $2.6 billion over the next 20 years if the state adopts new energy efficiency standards, according to a report promoting the establishment of standards for 10 Northeastern states. The standards, which would apply to 15 commercial and residential products - including vending machines, coin-operated clothes washers, ceiling fans and torchiere lamps, among others - were suggested by the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships and Appliance Standards Awareness Project, both based in Massachusetts. The Maryland Public Interest Research Group released the report last week. By requiring manufacturers to meet "easily achievable standards for products which are already on the market," MD can benefit in four major ways, said MaryPIRG spokeswoman Gigi Kellett: saving money for consumers and businesses, improving electric system reliability, avoiding new power plant construction and reducing pollution. If MD adopted the recommended standards, the state could reduce carbon emissions by 926,000 metric tons - the equivalent of removing 740,000 cars from the road - and conserve energy equivalent to the amount used by 18 percent of MD households in 2000. The Maryland Energy Administration also commended the report. For more on energy efficiency legislation, click here.

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Researchers Release First of Its Kind Sprawl Report (Raleigh News and Observer 10/18)
Two planning professors say they have come up with the first detailed measure of sprawl, which they used to rank 83 metropolitan areas nationwide. Previous efforts to define sprawl relied on simple measures, such as the number of residents per square mile. This study used a more complicated definition: low-density development with homes and businesses rigidly separated, struggling downtowns and almost total dependence on cars to get around. In total 22 variables were tabulated, such as how close people live to schools and stores and how far people live from downtown. Their report is thick with numbers and includes 55 pages explaining the calculations. The report was released through Smart Growth America, a national coalition of anti-sprawl groups. Smart Growth America, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and several foundations helped underwrite the study. To see the complete report, go to www.smartgrowthamerica.org/. For more on sprawl, click here.

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Increase in Autism Baffles California Scientists (NY Times 10/18)
Trying to account for a drastic rise in childhood autism in recent years, a California study has found that it cannot be explained away by statistical anomalies or by a growing public awareness that might have led more parents to report the disorder. But the study's authors, who reported their findings yesterday to the California Legislature, said they were at a loss to explain the reasons for what they called an epidemic of autism, the mysterious brain disorder that affects a person's ability to form relationships and to behave normally in everyday life. The California study was prompted by a 1999 report from the state's Department of Developmental Services, which reported that the number of children with "full spectrum," or profound, autism had increased by 273 percent, to 10,360 in 1998 from 2,778 in 1987." We know autism has a strong genetic component," said Portia Iversen, a founder of Cure Autism Now, a research and advocacy group in Los Angeles formed by parents of autistic children. "But we don't know what in the environment is interacting with genes to contribute to this huge increase in cases." For more on children’s health tracking, click here.

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Bush, EPA at Odds over Massachusetts Emissions Standards (ENN, 10/16)
Following in California’s footsteps, Massachusetts wants to implement a vehicle emissions reduction program that would require 10 percent of the cars sold in the state to be zero emission vehicles. The US EPA, which has asked for public comment on the MA plan, is supportive of the program, saying it will help the state meet clean air goals, and may encourage the development of zero-emissions vehicles. This position is in stark contrast to the Bush 
administration, which has joined auto makers DaimlerChrysler AG and General Motors Corp. in suing California over its new standards. For more on clean air, click here.

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Workshops Explore Ways to Conserve Rainwater (Charlotte Observer 10/18)
Environmentally friendly building practices that allow rainwater to soak into the ground instead of running toward streams will be introduced to Charlotte, NC area developers and local government staff this month. Called low-impact development or LID, the practices can help recharge ground water while keeping streams cleaner. They aim to let water move the way it would if no development were present. Randy Forsythe, a UNC Charlotte scientist who's leading an LID education campaign, says local ground water loses out on billions of gallons a year because of rooftops, streets and driveways. Those hard surfaces channel water toward streams and ditches instead of into the ground. In addition, storm water flows more quickly off hardened ground and in greater volumes. The force of water crumbles stream banks, sending 
sediment downstream. Pollutants such as bacteria wash off the ground and into streams. Forsythe said LID practices may cost no more than more familiar designs, such as ponds that capture and slowly release storm water.

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New York Revises Hybrid Vehicles Tax Credit (BNA Daily Tax Report 10/11)
Under legislation enacted in New York in September (A.B. 11749), taxpayers who buy qualified hybrid vehicles are now eligible for a fixed $2000 franchise tax or personal income tax credit per vehicle. The revision resolves the problem of consumers being required -- under the original law -- to claim the credit based on the cost of the hybrid vehicle’s specific type of alternative fuel technology. This calculation proved difficult due to the lack of available technical information needed to figure the actual cost of equipping a car with alternative fuel technology.

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After Five-year Campaign, Health of Bay Unchanged (Washington Post 10/16)
The health of the Chesapeake Bay has remained virtually unchanged for the past five years, despite an extensive restoration effort and an unprecedented pact signed in 2000 by city, state and federal officials vowing to clean up the bay's polluted waters, according to a report issued last week by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which released its fifth annual State of the Bay report.

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Use of Pesticides across California Reaches a Record Low for 2001 (LA Times 10/16)
Pesticide use in California dropped to a record low last year, with new regulatory restrictions, good weather and a state-sponsored push toward less-toxic chemicals contributing to a 36-million-pound decrease in applications. The state Department of Pesticide Regulation has embarked on an aggressive campaign to urge growers and others to move toward reduced-risk chemicals. "I think it's great that the overall levels of pesticide use have decreased," said Eric Cardenas, director of a Santa Barbara-based health project aimed at reducing pesticide-related health risks to farm workers and those who live near farms. "However, the fact remains that millions of pounds of pesticides, some of them highly toxic, continue to be used in our agricultural operations," Cardenas added. "And that's a concern to the many people who work in the fields and live next to agricultural areas."

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Washington State Orgs. Buy 10 Percent Green Power (Dept. of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network newsletter)
With a large and growing wind power capacity in the Pacific Northwest, a number of organizations are signing up to buy wind power, including the Clark County government in southwest Washington State which buys 10 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources. Green power purchases in the Pacific Northwest have more than tripled since last year. A report released last month by the Renewable Northwest Project (RNP) found that 
the region's retail electricity customers are now buying enough green power to equal the annual output of more than 56 megawatts of wind turbines. And there's plenty of room for more: according to a recent report from the RAND Corporation, the Pacific Northwest could use renewable energy and energy efficiency to replace 20 percent of the projected growth in natural gas power plants over the next 20 years, with minimal impacts on the region's economy.

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Kentucky School Districts Switch to Biodiesel Fuel (Cincinnati Enquirer 10/18)
The buses for the Campbell County and Kenton County school districts began using biodiesel fuel this week. The fuel is made from vegetable oil, soybeans and cooking oil from restaurants and can be used to run a standard diesel engine without any modifications. The cost of Kentucky’s biodiesel program is offset by money received from the state Division of Energy through a program administered by the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition (KCFC). Murray State University, the East Kentucky Power Co-op, and two other Kentucky school districts will also receive funding to begin using biodiesel. According KCFC executive director Melissa Howell, the program will displace about 45,000 gallons of standard diesel and prevent 150 pounds of particulate matter, 160 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 200 pounds of hydrocarbons, and 1,800 pounds of carbon monoxide from being released into Kentucky’s air.

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Most Companies, Treatment Plants Exceed EPA Pollution Permits (ENN 10/18)
The EPA and publicly owned sewage treatment plants were criticized Thursday after a U.S. Public Interest Research Group report based on EPA data found that four of five wastewater treatment plants and chemical and industrial facilities in the U.S. pollute waterways beyond federal allowances. Excesses averaged 10 times permit limits with 81 percent of 6,332 major facilities exceeding permits at least once between 1999 and 2001, releasing toxic chemicals linked to cancer and serious health effects about eight times more than the Clean Water Act permits. The report examines monthly rates which the EPA says exaggerates the risks—the EPA checks every six months to discount unintentional violations from storm water runoff or equipment upgrades.

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Alaska Game Agency Shifts Focus with Federal Funds (Anchorage Daily News 10/21)
A new strategic plan for the future of the game side of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game calls for changes to its traditional efforts for game animals that are hunted and trapped to also expand its work in nontraditional areas, such as wildlife viewing, education and management of animals that aren't sought as game. Congress began giving states money to expand nontraditional wildlife management programs two years ago. Nationwide, an increasing number of people claim wildlife watching as a pastime. A recent study by the U.S. Department of the Interior shows that Americans spent more on wildlife watching in 2001 than in 1996, while expenditures for fishing and hunting declined. The number of wildlife watchers also rose during the same period, while hunting and fishing participation fell.

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