Tuesday, October 26, 2004

::: ENN Daily Newsletter - Tuesday, October 26, 2004 :::




Gov. Schwarzenegger Introduces an Environmentally Friendly Hummer

LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has introduced an environmentally friendly Hummer — but not the converted hydrogen-powered car he promised voters he would build when he campaigned for office.

Global Warming Seen as Security Threat

JOHANNESBURG — Rising sea levels force millions of Bangladeshis into India, fueling ethnic and religious tensions that end in bloody riots.

Japan Quake Survivors Face Rain and Aftershocks

OJIYA, Japan — Some 100,000 weary survivors of Japan's deadliest earthquake in a decade bedded down for a third night in makeshift shelters or slept outside as a series of strong aftershocks raised fears of another big tremor.

Lung Ailments Affect Two in Five in India's Polluted Capital, Says Report

NEW DELHI — New Delhi's air pollution has caused lung ailments in two of every five people in this capital city of 14 million, a government study said Monday.

Whistle-Blower Asks for Halliburton Investigation

WASHINGTON — The Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting official has demanded an investigation into contracts given to Halliburton, citing improper action that favored Vice President Dick Cheney's old company.

Fish Won't Be Hurt by Moving Northern California Water South, Says Federal Agency

SACRAMENTO, California — A federal agency ruled recently that shifting more Northern California water to Southern California will not jeopardize five threatened or endangered species of fish.

Mining for Votes: Supporters Stake Industry's Montana Future on Ballot Measure

HELENA, Montana — Mining is such a major part of Montana's legacy that the words "gold and silver" in Spanish are still emblazoned on the state seal.

California Rewards Landowners for Leaving Forests Standing to Help Control Global Warming

SACRAMENTO, California —California has become the first U.S. state to reward landowners for leaving forests standing to help control global warming, under a program adopted recently.

United States Gets a New Wildlife Refuge

ST. PAUL, Minnesota — A 35,000-acre tallgrass prairie and wetland area near Crookston, Minnesota, has been designated the country's newest national wildlife refuge by U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

Meeting the Global waste Challenge: Basel Convention Conference to Focus on Priorities, Partnerships and Resources

Plan to update Critical Conservation Information in the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory

1,600 Acres on St. Mary's River Preserved (FL)

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:::ENN Daily Newsletter – Tuesday, October 5, 2004:::



African Conflict Is Seen Rooted in Environment

Asia Needs Network to Fight Illegal Wildlife Trade

Global Stocks of Nuke Bomb Material Are Growing, Says Survey

Fish Near Some Colorado Treatment Plants Found With Male-Female Tissue

CITES Lifts Ban on Hunting Black Rhino

Mount St. Helens Spews More Steam and Ash

U.S. Mine Tries to Dig Out from Under Local Discontent in Peruvian Andes

Recycling Used CDs and DVDs, and Tallgrass Prairies

Tyson, Wal-Mart Sign on for Emissions Reduction Program

National Showcase Lets Sun Shine on Solar-powered Home in Winters, Calif.



Pricey Oil May Raise Interest in Alternative Energy — Eventually

Alaska Bering Sea Pollock Gets Eco-label

Australia's Frisky Koalas to Get Hormone Implants

Philippines Orders Exotic Pets Registered, Says Paper

North Pacific Right Whales Seem to Be Making a Comeback, Says Scientists

Trade Pays Big Dividends for Crocodiles

Pricey Oil Could Be Boon for European Car that Runs on Compressed Air

OECD Praises Sweden's Environmental Policy, Suggests Improvements

Chevron Phillips to Pay $1.8 Million for Plant Explosions

Canada Study Details Pregnancy Chemical Hazard

In Public Policy, Quirky California Often Pioneers

Rewrite Softens Report on Risks to Salmon in Sacramento, Calif., River Delta

Beef Recall Data to Remain Secret in California After Governor's Veto

Analyst Lowers Outlook for Hydrogen Cars



New Report Marks Launch of Campaign to Protect Woodland Caribou

EERC Project Generating Electricity with Biomass is First of its kind in the U.S.

New Study Says Bush Administration Puts Sea Turtles at Risk Of Extinction

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::: ENN Daily Newsletter - Friday, October 8, 2004 :::



Indian Elephants Fight Losing Battle with Humans

Wasting the West: How Welfare Ranchers and Their Livestock Are Damaging Public Land

Oil Companies Try to Clean Up Spills in the Wake of Ivan, but Rough Weather Interferes

U.S. Supreme Court Debates Pollution Cleanup Lawsuits

Kenya Says Ivory Sales Endanger Poacher Hunters

West Waking Up to Dangers of Oil Addiction

More Protection Urged for Rare Chilean Sea Bass at CITES

Authorities Hunt Keg of Potent Chemical that Fell from Truck in North Dakota



Puerto Rico Water Authority Strike Blamed for Service Loss to 20,000 Customers

Indonesia Police Submit Newmont Case to Prosecutors

Shaw Industries to Convert Carpet Waste into Energy

Russia Could Finish Kyoto Approval by Year's End

Myanmar Leader Says More than Half of Country Is Forested, Despite Concerns About Deforestation

Japanese Cars Top Government's List of Most Fuel Efficient

NYC Mayor to Announce New Plan to Ship Trash Out of City on Barges

U.S. Bomb-Grade Plutonium Convoy to Cross France



Montana Rocky Mountain Front Victory

CITES – A Force to be Reckoned With

White Rhino Caught in the Cross Hairs at CITES

27 Business and Environmental Organizations Send White House Funding Recommendations For Fiscal Year 2006 Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs, Urge Doubling of Budget over the Next Five Years

The Coming Electrical Energy Shortage

A Plan to Offset Damage Costs to Florida of Hurricane Ivan

Starbucks Becomes First-Ever EnviroStars Recognized Leader

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::: ENN Daily Newsletter - Thursday, October 14, 2004 :::


Thailand Shows There Is No Easy War Against Wildlife Crime

BANGKOK — With an AK-47 assault rifle slung over his shoulder, Sompong Prajobjan roamed one of Thailand's lush national parks for more than a decade.

Environmental Group Draws Attention to 1872 Law by Threatening to Mine Posh Subdivision

SPOKANE, Washington — An environmental group has staked claim to 20 acres of public land next to a posh subdivision to show just how antiquated the nation's mining laws are.

Bushmeat Trade Is Flourishing in "Hot Spots," Says Report

BANGKOK — The market for the meat of animals killed illegally is flourishing in Kenya's capital Nairobi, one of many "hot spots" for a trade that is a serious threat to wild fauna, a report said on Wednesday.

Shell Cuts Back on Nigerian Oil Following Pipeline Fire

LAGOS, Nigeria — Oil giant Royal Dutch/Shell said this week it was cutting back its Nigerian oil production by 20,000 barrels a day, following a leak and a fire on a major pipeline transporting crude oil to its export terminal in the Niger Delta.

U.N. Conference Votes to Regulate Perfume Wood

BANGKOK — A U.N. conference voted on Wednesday to regulate global trade in agarwood, a fragrant wood highly coveted for perfumes in the Middle East and traditional medicines in Asia.

Animal Advocates Sue San Diego in Fight Over Seals on Beach

SAN DIEGO — Animal advocates who want to protect seals living at a beach sued the city of San Diego this week, the latest episode in a standoff that's included at least two suspicious seal deaths.

Genetically Modified Pollen Travels Frighteningly Far and Other Stories

Bioengineered plants can sow their genes over many kilometers in just a single season, according to a new study. The findings give ammunition to those concerned about modified genes contaminating wild populations.

CITES Does Not Follow Standard U.N. Divisions

BANGKOK — China and the United States join forces, Norway and Japan defy the European Union, and nobody gives a hoot about Israel. Meanwhile, African solidarity is shattered as divisions emerge between Kenya and the continent's southern neighborhood.

A Coalition of Labor and Environmental Advocates Endorse Policy Package for a Smarter, Cleaner, Stronger America

"FeederWatchers" Track Birds in Unexpected Places, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Seeks Volunteers to Watch Birds

Irrawaddy Dolphins Gain Trade Protection Under CITES; WWF Urges Countries to Stop All Live Captures

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::: ENN Daily Newsletter - Friday, October 22, 2004 :::


Consumption of Resources Is Outstripping Planet's Ability to Cope, Says WWF

GENEVA — People are plundering the world's resources at a pace that outstrips the planet's capacity to sustain life, the environmental group WWF said Thursday.

Hispanics Are More Exposed to Environmental Health Risks, Says Report

LOS ANGELES — Hispanics are exposed to more environmental health threats on average than the rest of the population, according to a report released this week by an environmental group.

South Africa Weighs Killing Off Excess Elephants

KRUGER PARK, South Africa — South Africa is weighing the option of killing off its excess elephants, 10 years after the practice known as culling was banned amid pressure from animal rights activists.

Tentative Alaska Land Swap Raises Drilling Fears

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — U.S. officials announced a tentative land swap this week that they say would enlarge an Alaska wildlife refuge but that critics charge would open up the area to oil and gas development.

Lawsuit Accuses Feds of Mismanaging Conservation Program

SEATTLE — The National Wildlife Federation has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that duck, pheasant, and other ground-nesting bird populations are being harmed by mismanagement of a government program that pays farmers to set aside croplands.

U.S. Consumers Get Cold Feet as Energy Costs Soar

WASHINGTON — The surging cost of fuel oil and gasoline have set the stage for a cold, expensive winter in the United States and sparked concerns that consumers will cut spending, a move economists worry will hamper growth.

Local Initiatives Target Genetic Engineering in a Grassroots Battle over Biotech Farming

When voters in the Northern California county of Mendocino passed an initiative this spring banning the cultivation of genetically engineered crops, there were celebrations 3,000 miles away in Vermont.

Typhoon Kills 62 in Japan, Deadliest in 20 Years

TOKYO — Japan's deadliest typhoon in more than two decades killed at least 62 people, media said on Thursday, as rescuers searched frantically for 27 still missing in floods and landslides.

Florida Sportsmen Call for Stronger Action on Wetlands Conservation

Corporate Customers Duped By Deceptive ‘Green’ Labeling Scheme

Invasive Species Wreaking Havoc on Great Lakes Food Web, According to National Wildlife Federation Report

Historic Glen Alpin Residence Protected (NJ)

Invasive Pest Targeted By PA Agencies

Earthwatch Teams Find New Species in Cameroon Rainforest

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::: ENN Daily Newsletter - Monday, October 25, 2004 :::



Protecting Thailand's Forests: Exploring the Village to Ministry Connection

More than a half-million hill tribe members, nomadic for centuries, live without regard to modern political boundaries in scattered villages throughout the broadleaf forest mountains of northern Thailand, Myanmar, and the famous Golden Triangle region of South East Asia.

Migrants and Crime Swamp Mexico-U.S. Indian Nation

SELLS, Arizona — Indian tribal leader Ned Norris remembers a time when illegal migrants from Mexico would be welcomed to his land after a long trek over the parched deserts of the U.S. border.

Biologists Are Concerned the Northern Snakehead Could Threaten the Great Lakes Ecosystem

CHICAGO — A fish known for its voracious appetite and ability to wreak havoc on freshwater ecosystems was found in Chicago's Burnham Harbor, alarming state biologists.

"Killer in the Kitchen" Smoke Claims 1.6 Million Lives a Year, Says U.N.

GENEVA — About 1.6 million people are killed each year by indoor smoke from cooking fires in developing countries, U.N. agencies said recently.

Chinese and Global Automakers Showcase Fuel-Saving Cars in World's Fastest Growing Market

ANTING, China — The Habo No. 1 looks like any one of the legions of Volkswagen sedans in China. But a peek under the hood reveals an array of chrome canisters instead of the usual engine: The Habo is fueled not by gas but hydrogen peroxide.

If You Want to Test a Nuke, Vienna Is Watching

VIENNA, Austria — Whether big or small, high in the sky, or deep in the ground, if you test a nuclear bomb, someone in the Austrian capital will find out.

Gulf War Illness May Never Be Explained, Says Scientist

LONDON — Veterans of the Gulf War suffer more health problems than other members of the military, but the causes of the mysterious array of symptoms may never be known, a leading British scientist said recently.

Environmental Groups and Scientists Call for Restrictions and Research on GM Food

MOSCOW — More than 35 people, most of them leaders of scientific or environmental activist groups, released a letter recently urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to set limits on the development and use of genetically modified foods.

"O" Matters To Los Angeles

Funds OK'd for Pupukea-Paumalu Natural Area (HI)

International Judges Join Competition For Fishing Gear that Reduces Wildlife Deaths

Support The Pacuare

American Senators on Svalbard

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Saturday, October 23, 2004

Wired News - a must-read for the latest information and commentary on

our rapidly changing digital world.

W I R E D N E W S Top Stories - 09:15AM 22.Oct.04.PDT
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chips Coming to a Brain Near You (Med-Tech Center 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,65422,00.html/wn_ascii

Researchers working with slices of rat brains come up with a microchip
that mimics the part of the brain responsible for creating memories.
They hope to create a prosthesis for the human brain within 15 years.
By Lakshmi Sandhana.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contraception Controversy (Culture 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65420,00.html/wn_ascii

Advances in medical science should lead to improvements in birth
control methods -- but current debates remain hung up on teenagers' sex
lives. Adult women and men looking for better options shouldn't be left
out in the cold. Commentary by Gina Lynn.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Indian Mounds Mystify Excavators (On The Road - Great River Road 2:00
a.m. PDT)

http://go.hotwired.com/news/roadtrip/riverroad/0,2704,65170,00.html/wn_
ascii

Vast man-made mounds are nearly all that remain of an ancient city now
called Cahokia, built along the banks of the Mississippi. In its heyday
around A.D. 1050, the city was a bustling metropolis. Michelle Delio
reports from Collinsville, Illinois.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Raise the Roof: Power Source (Technology 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65413,00.html/wn_ascii

Solar panels are a good source of home energy, but they can be an
eyesore. Manufacturers want to make solar more popular by gussying up
panels and integrating them into roofing materials. John Gartner
reports from San Francisco.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Candidates Sound Off on Tech (Politics Thursday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/politics/0,1283,65425,00.html/wn_ascii

A computer industry group asks President Bush and Sen. John Kerry a
dozen questions so voters can compare the presidential contenders' tech
plans. By Staci D. Kramer.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Anti-Cloning Treaty Divides U.N. (Med-Tech Center Thursday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,65432,00.html/wn_ascii

Two competing resolutions are put before members of the United Nations
as they debate the contentious issue of whether to ban cloning or to
allow human embryos to be used for research.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Wired News is a real-time news service offering news briefs and in-
depth reporting on politics, business, culture, and technology. For the
most up-to-date coverage on the digital world, go to ...
http://www.wired.com/news/
CNET | NEWS.COM WEEK IN REVIEW
The Entire Tech Week in a Single E-mail
October 23, 2004

As the final week of campaigning in the presidential election approaches, the battle for ballots is heating up on the Internet.

When comedian Jon Stewart blasted the hosts of CNN's "Crossfire" as fomenting political partisanship, he ignited a frenzy of online activity. The online transcript and video clips of the program became an overnight sensation among Web surfers, bloggers and pundits alike.

As of Friday morning, online video hosting site IFilm said, more than 1.6 million people had downloaded the 13-minute CNN clip from its site. Links to the IFilm video and CNN.com's transcript of the show have been posted to countless Web logs and online bulletin boards.

The video clip also was a favorite among the peer-to-peer community. According to SuprNova.org, which tracks usage of the Bit Torrent file-sharing protocol, the segment is currently being offered for download by more than 1,100 sources.

Voters in swing states currently saturated with political ads might choose to avoid the P2P Politics Web site, which helps people swap campaign commercials via e-mail. But for anyone who has missed the ads now barraging battleground states with all the relentlessness of a Florida hurricane, a trip to the new civic-minded site might be in order.

The new site is backed by Stanford Professor Lawrence Lessig and his Creative Commons foundation, which promotes a version of copyright that facilitates widespread distribution and use of content. Although the site's role in shifting voters' opinions is likely to be small, it is a real part of what has been a radical transformation in campaigning and political awareness because of the Internet.

Tech-minded voters who are still undecided may be interested in how President Bush and Sen. John Kerry stand on tech issues. Both responded to a questionnaire on technology policy from the Computing Technology Industry Association, weighing in on such issues as Internet telephony and intellectual-property protection.

Bush and Kerry, both looking to gain an edge in the extremely close race, expressed their views on 12 topics, which also include spam, privacy and unlicensed wireless spectrum. Voters can view the candidates' answers on the association's Web site.

Security breakdown
One question that has gone unanswered is what made the Republican National Committee and the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign sites inaccessible for six hours on Tuesday. The two Web sites failed to respond to some Internet requests starting around 8 a.m. PDT and were largely unresponsive by 9 a.m. PDT.

Read more of the week's top stories...

Friday, October 22, 2004

The Bottom Line on Paper vs. Electrons in Elections:

There is no such thing as a completely secure all-electronic ballot nor paper ballot so far. One can be hacked or the data simply lost, the other can be discarded or lost by either human dishonesty or human error.

However, of the two, the one it takes a human to mess up is more likely to survive intact because other humans are actively working to prevent intentional or unintentional discarding of votes, and humans who cheat can go to jail and know it.

There are no Democratic or Libertarian or Green computers watching the Republican computers, and no computer has any realization that it should try to keep from being penalized for failure or sense of self-preservation guiding it to act in a moral and ethical fashion. It is just a complicated machine that acts on rules configured by it's makers, and quite possibly will fail to act as intended on those rules. Interestingly, it's mostly Republican owned companies that at this time are configuring the rules since they are making the machines. It's actions in real time are not visible or able to be monitored against a master set of rules as would be the case with a human being directly watched by other humans. If it screws up, there's no record of how it screwed up because the information it contains is ephemeral rather than physical and permanent which paper is for the intents and purposes of voting. No one can tell if it is being remotely manipulated, that is invisible.

The bottom line is that there are so many more ways a computer can screw up than a human can on the unintentional side that paper ballots far surpass it on unintentional mistake security. As for intentional mis-use, since the process inside the machine is essentially invisible and the trail of events ephemeral and mostly untraceable. Also, intentional mis-use of either paper or electrons requires the creativity and cunning of a human being or multiple human beings acting in conspiracy to happen. Electronic methods of cheating far surpass paper in their ease of being accomplished, or paper far surpasses electronic methods of cheating in their difficulty of being accomplished.

Give me paper every time.

Dan Stafford

Thursday, October 21, 2004

::: ENN Daily Newsletter - Thursday, October 21, 2004 :::




Audubon Blames Habitat Losses for Drop in Bird Populations

WASHINGTON — The feathered creatures winging across North America have an obvious gift that land-bound humans lack, but their survival is threatened by earthly concerns.

Kerry Wins Fans Abroad with Global Warming Plan

OSLO, Norway — Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry has won plaudits abroad for his promises to fight global warming but could find his hands tied at home if he wins next month's U.S. elections.

Louisiana Supreme Court Throws Out $1.3 Billion Judgment for Oyster Fishers

NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Supreme Court threw out a $1.3 billion judgment this week for oyster fishers who claimed that a coastal restoration project ruined their businesses.

U.S. to Poison Prairie Dogs in South Dakota

DENVER, Colorado — Wildlife workers have begun a program to poison thousands of prairie dogs in the grasslands of South Dakota to stop them from moving onto private ranch land parched by drought, a federal official said this week.

Washington Orca Population Heads South to Feast on Chum Salmon

SEATTLE, Washington — Washington state's resident killer whales, with two newborns in tow, dodged a potentially lethal roadblock in their voyage south to feast on a healthy run of chum salmon, experts say.

Strolling May Be Hazardous to Your Health in Italy's Polluted Cities, Say Doctors

ROME — An after-dinner stroll in an Italian city instead of a smoke? Your lungs won't thank you, a study of Italian urban pollution indicates.

Despite Thick Smog, French Air Force Team Struts Aerobatic Stuff for Hong Kong

HONG KONG — Roaring boldly through the smog, French air force stunt pilots performed spectacular aerobatic jet maneuvers Wednesday in a goodwill gesture from France that was marred by Hong Kong's filthy skies.

German Study Links Traffic Jams and Heart Attacks

BOSTON — In a study that gives new meaning to the concept of a "killer commute," researchers have concluded that people caught in traffic are three times more likely to suffer a heart attack within the hour than those who aren't tied up on the road.

Recycled Glass Terrazzo is Building Magazine's Top Pick

President Bush Signs Historic Land Swap Legislation

MotherNature.com Becomes First Online Retailer to be Awarded USDA Organic Certification

Fuel Savings Confirmed By EPA Testing Protocol Carried Out By Automobile Club of Southern California

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Illinois PIRG : Save the Western Arctic!

Dear Illinois PIRG supporter,


Oil companies are fighting to get their hands on the small amount of oil under Alaska's North Slope. Now the Bureau of Land Management is proposing a leasing plan for the Western Arctic that would allow oil companies to drill in this unique and critical wetland habitat.

Write ConocoPhillips CEO John Mulva and urge him to listen to his shareholders, elected officials, conservation groups, and consumers around the world and drop out of the Arctic Power lobbying group. Also urge the company to stay out of sensitive areas within the Western Arctic/National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. Then, forward this email on to your friends and family members so they can help as well.

To take action, click on the link below or paste it into your web browser:

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=6&id4=ES


Background

ConocoPhillips is one of two oil companies - along with BP - that dominate Alaska's North Slope. The company is particularly active on the western side of the North Slope, hundreds of miles from the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge but on the doorstep of the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska, otherwise known as the Western Arctic.

The Western Arctic's extensive network of wetlands supports world-class populations of golden eagles, peregrine falcons, and other birds of prey, along with millions of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. Grizzly bears, wolves, caribou, and moose roam the foothills, beluga whales and spotted seals swim freely in icy coastal lagoons, and Arctic poppies and cotton grass dance in the wind. The Western Arctic is an area of stunning, untrammeled wilderness.

The weight of scientific evidence points toward significant impacts on the wilderness if sensitive areas within the Western Arctic are opened for drilling, especially from industrial-scale oil and gas drilling and development.

The current leasing plan for the Western Arctic proposed by the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management would allow oil companies to operate in unique and critical wetland habitat of Teshekpuk Lake. The lake is one of the single most important tundra-wetland complexes in the entire circumpolar Arctic. Teshekpuk Lake is heavily used for subsistence purposes, especially its caribou. Brant and other waterfowl that use the area are harvested for subsistence and sport in Alaska and throughout the Lower 48 states.

On the eastern side of the North Slope is the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of America's last wild places. Caribou, muskoxen, wolves, polar, brown and black bears, and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds rely on the wilderness habitat that the Refuge provides. The Gwich'in people, Alaska natives who live near the Refuge, depend on the caribou. For 20,000 years, their culture and way of life have been intimately bound up with the Porcupine River caribou herd.

Juxtaposed against these wilderness values is the chance of finding little or no oil. At current rates of consumption, there is at best 6 months worth of oil in the Refuge. An analysis by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund - False Profits: The Business Case Against Drilling in the Arctic Refuge - makes the case that there is NO economically recoverable oil in the coastal plain of the Refuge. You can read the full report here:

http://savethearctic.com/PDFs/arcticwhitepaper_2_4_02.PDF

PIRG's Arctic Wilderness campaign is targeting all four of the companies that want to drill in the Refuge. In response to our campaign, BP dropped out of Arctic Power, the lobbying group, in 2001, and in April 2003, announced that drilling in the Arctic Refuge is not part of their current business plan. It is now time to push ConocoPhillips to drop out of Arctic Power and refrain from drilling in sensitive parts of the Western Arctic.

Pressure is building on ConocoPhillips regarding their operations on the North Slope of Alaska. In May 2004, more than 8 percent of ConocoPhillips shareholders voted in favor of a PIRG-sponsored shareholder resolution that called on the company to stay out of the Arctic Refuge.

Write ConocoPhillips CEO John Mulva and urge him to listen to his shareholders, elected officials, conservation groups, consumers around the world - and even BP - and drop out of Arctic Power. Also urge the company to stay out of sensitive areas within the Western Arctic/National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. Then, forward this email on to your friends and family members so they can help as well.

To take action, click on the link below or paste it into your web browser:

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=6&id4=ES

Sincerely,

Rebecca D. Stanfield
Illinois PIRG Environmental Attorney
RebeccaS@illinoispirg.org
http://www.IllinoisPIRG.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.

GLIN NEWS: 20 October 2004

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Great Lakes Daily News: 20 October 2004
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/


Wisconsin sues power firm over Lake Superior cleanup costs
----------------------------------------
The Wisconsin Department of Justice has sued Northern States Power Company to recover $1.4 million in investigation costs related to contamination in Lake Superior and on the lakefront next to the company's property in Ashland. Source: The Appleton Post-Crescent (10/20)


MP wants to ban water exports
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A Member of Parliament has introduced a private member's bill to ban the export of Great Lakes water outside the Great Lakes basin, claiming that piping water out of the Great Lakes would threaten Canada's water supply and damage the lakes' delicate ecosystems. Source: The Toronto Star (10/20)


Paying a little more would cut mercury a lot
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According to the National Wildlife Federation, it would cost the average residential customer living in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania or North Dakota only 69 cents more per month on their electric bill to produce a 90 percent reduction in airborne mercury from coal-fired power plants. Source: Chicago Sun-Times (10/20)


New Canadian regulations trigger jump in environmental spending
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Companies responding to new regulations boosted environmental spending between 2000 and 2002, says Statistics Canada. Source: The Globe and Mail (10/20)


Relief in Chicago: No more 'Frankenfish'
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An anxious search Tuesday of a Chicago harbor failed to turned up any northern snakeheads, a voracious alien fish that can devastate freshwater ecosystems by gobbling up food and native fish. Source: Booth Newspapers (10/19)


U.S. cleanup starts on Detroit River's "Black Lagoon'
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Known as the Black Lagoon, a heavily contaminated 2-mile stretch of the Detroit River is getting a multimillion-dollar federally funded cleanup designed to turn a toxic eyesore into a natural resource. Source: Detroit Free Press (10/19)


Michigan seeks to ban 'engineered' fish
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A series of bills have been proposed to prohibit non-native or bioengineered aquatic animals and plants from being sold in Michigan. Source: South Bend Tribune (10/19)


Officials to focus on chemical spills
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Environmental leaders from Michigan and Ontario will meet this week to continue discussing ways to keep toxic chemicals out of the St. Clair River, including fines for spills. Source: The Port Huron Times-Herald (10/17)


Steel heritage museum could rise in industrial valley
----------------------------------------
The movers behind a series of projects percolating in the Cuyahoga River's industrial valley met this week to brainstorm on one more -- a world-class steel heritage museum. Source: The Plain Dealer (10/16)


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Wednesday, October 20, 2004

WindEnergy e-News October 2004



October 20, 2004

Topics in this issue:

Keeping up our successful strategy

Trade Fair Survey shows that 97% of exhibitors reached
their most important discussion partners and target groups

Industry gives positive assessment of second WindEnergy:
"The WindEnergy Hamburg has established itself as the
world wind energy fair"

WindEnergy Study becomes a relevant market indicator

51 companies used the WindPower Technology Transfer
Center in the framework of WindEnergy 2004

The New Fair is coming!

Schleswig-Holstein: installation of the world's first
5-megawatt turbine finished

Current industry study: "Wind Energy – Assessment
of International Markets”

Germany: Ruling by Federal Administrative Court with
narrow definition of the term "Wind Farm"

Register now WindEnergy 2006 in Hamburg from 16 to
19 May 2006

Feedback wanted!

Contact the WindEnergy fair team

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Keeping up our successful strategy

Familiar faces: Heiko Heiden, on the right, (WindEnergy Project Manager) with Heinz Otto, Board Member for Hamburg of the BWE (German Wind Energy Association, Bundesverband Windenergie e.V.), at the NORD ELEKTRO Trade Fair for Electrical, IT and Lighting Engineering, which was held recently at the Hamburg Fair site. The BWE had an impressive stand in Hall 8. The general heading of this fair, featuring a very wide range of innovations, was SOLAR+.
Industry demand for a leading international wind energy fair continues to be strong, like the worldwide growth market in wind energy. This year's figures for exhibitors and visitors confirm that the direction of the WindEnergy is in line with industry’s requirements. That enables us to attract a significantly higher proportion of international visitors and exhibitors at the second WindEnergy, held in May 2004. In total, there were more than 10 000 trade visitors again, with nearly 30% of these from abroad (40% up on the first event in 2002). There were more than 330 companies from 18 nations, presenting their innovations and new services in all areas of wind energy; the percentage of exhibitors from abroad was doubled.

We will therefore maintain this strategy, and will continue to hold this event on a two-yearly basis, inviting the international wind energy industry to Hamburg in the spring of every second year. Our goals for 2006 are clear – still more international character, and more trade visitors.

There will be numerous marketing and PR activities already starting next year. And we will continue with the WindEnergy Study, which has gained a reputation for reliability in the industry and is often quoted. We will keep you up to date regularly via the e-news, and via our website - now under www.windenergy.de.

I look forward to another successful WindEnergy from 16 to 19 May 2006. I hope you will be with us – let us go for growth together.

Heiko Heiden
WindEnergy Project Manager

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Trade Fair Survey shows that 97% of exhibitors reached their most important discussion partners and target groups

International character and high quality of contacts – that is the key result of the comprehensive fair survey on WindEnergy 2004. The percentage of trade visitors at the 2004 fair (the second in the series) was 93%. These included mainly independent entrepreneurs, shareholders, officials and civil servants. The significant increase in the international nature of the event was apparent both among exhibitors and among visitors – following the 2002 figure of 57 foreign exhibitors, the second WindEnergy was up to as many as 129 international companies (out of a total of 333 exhibitors in 2004). One trade visitor in three was from abroad (18% in 2002).

Read the details...

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Industry gives positive assessment of second WindEnergy: "The WindEnergy Hamburg has established itself as the world wind energy fair"

Not only the figures for exhibitors and visitors show positive results from the second WindEnergy – International Trade Fair. Participation at the fair was also worthwhile for industry. A large number of companies have already announced that they will be there again in 2006.

Some statements from industry representatives given during the WindEnergy 2004 are shown here.

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WindEnergy Study 2004 becomes a relevant market indicator


The second WindEnergy Study 2004, published by Hamburg Messe in March 2004, has met with a high level of acceptance both with the media and with companies in the industry. It has been requested in print format by 25 press representatives, e.g. Financial Times Deutschland, Focus Magazine and Handelsblatt. And press inquiries are still being received regularly. More than 40 inquiries were received from companies and institutions from Germany and abroad. The press text and diagrams with the essential charts can also be downloaded via the Internet. One of the reasons for the great interest in the second WindEnergy Study is the high quality of the market forecast presented in 2002.

Read more...

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51 companies used the WindPower Technology Transfer Center in the framework of WindEnergy 2004

51 companies met for structured exchange of know-how at the WindEnergy 2004

The WindEnergy 2004 featured the "WindPower TTC" (Technology Transfer Centre) for the first time – this is an arrangement specifically designed for internationally operating, export-oriented companies and for scientific and other institutions in the field of wind energy. 47 technology profiles were received during the four-month preparation period. In total, there were 51 companies participating from 16 countries. Some 120 bilateral meetings were arranged at the Fair in Hamburg.

Read more...

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The New Fair is coming!

All around the Hamburg Fair site, building activities are moving full speed ahead. Work has started on schedule for construction of the New Fair, following the laying of the foundation stone in June this year. The first hall will be available, in accordance with planning, for the INTERNORGA international trade fair in March 2005. The expansion and modernisation will have been completed by 2008. This means Hamburg will have one of the most modern fair sites in the world, with 84,000 square metres of space (previously 64,000 square metres). "The standards of our clients in terms of comfort, efficient logistics and service have risen continuously in recent years,” says Dietmar Aulich, Managing Director of HMC. "This new construction project enables us to maintain our competitiveness, and prepares us for the future. We are creating new jobs, and laying solid foundations for growth of the Hamburg Fair, for the benefit of a growing city.”

For information on the "New Fair” with facts and figures on construction, time schedules, photos and press information, visit the website: www.new-hamburg-trade-fair.com

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Schleswig-Holstein: installation of the world's first 5-megawatt turbine finished

A milestone in the development of wind energy is now up and running in Brunsbüttel, Schleswig-Holstein. Here, right next to the existing nuclear power station, the world's largest wind turbine has been erected, with a rating of 5 megawatts and a rotor diameter of 126 metres – a turbine type that is subsequently intended for offshore operation. The 5M from REpower is fitted with rotor blades from the Danish manufacturer LM Glasfiber. The two companies presented this ambitious project in spring, at the WindEnergy 2004.

The project coordinator is REpower Systems AG, Hamburg. The following companies are involved in this European project "5MW Innovative Wind Turbine Suitable for on Land and Offshore Installations":
LM Glasfiber A/S, DK

Centre for Renewable Energy Sources (CRES), GR
Offshore Wind Technologie GmbH (OWT), D

Funding for development of this system is provided by Schleswig-Holstein and by the European Union. The foundations of the system were completed in July 2004. Construction of the crane started at the beginning of August, and finally, on 11 August, REpower announced completion of the machine test in Kiel. The nacelle panels were mounted there, before the system was shipped to Brunsbüttel.

To follow the activities in Brunsbüttel live, visit the website www.repower5m.de.

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Current industry study: "Wind Energy – Assessment of International Markets”

The industry study on "Wind Energy” of the HSH Nordbank, Hamburg, was published in July, focusing on assessment of the international markets. It gives the latest facts and figures on the wind markets in Europe, including the new accession countries to the EU, and on wind markets outside Europe such as the USA, China, India and Japan.

Read more...

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Germany: Ruling by Federal Administrative Court with narrow definition of the term "Wind Farm"

The ruling handed down by the Federal Administrative Court on 30 June 2004 is very important for operators and project developers of wind farms with three or more turbines. It redefines the term "wind farm":

A "wind farm" within the meaning of clause 1.6 of Annex 1 to the Environmental Impact Assessment At (UVPG) and of clause 1.6 of the Annex to the 4th Federal Emissions Act (BImSchV) comprises three or more wind turbines, physically arranged in such a way that their areas of operation overlap or at least have contact with one another. As soon as the threshold of three turbines for a "wind farm" is reached or exceeded, an approval procedure in accordance with emission protection legislation is required, regardless how many operators are involved.

Read about the background...

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Register now: WindEnergy 2006 in Hamburg from 16 to 19 May 2006

The next WindEnergy - International Trade Fair will be held in Hamburg from 16 to 19 May 2006.

Click here to register now.

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Feedback wanted!

The purpose of this newsletter WindEnergy e-news is to keep you informed regularly on the latest events related to the WindEnergy – International Trade Fair. We aim to present the supporting programme, report on services for visitors and exhibitors, and keep you up to date on relevant industry news.

To help us to satisfy your information needs even better, you have an opportunity here to give us your feedback, using this questionnaire (or click here for a German version). We look forward to reading your ideas. Click here to view all previous issues of WindEnergy e-news.

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WindEnergy e-news is a publication of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC)
for the WindEnergy – International Trade Fair.
Publisher (statutory indication of responsibility): Heiko Heiden, Project Manager HMC
St. Petersburger Str. 1 · 20355 Hamburg · Germany · info@windenergy-hamburg.de
Editorial: PubliKom Kommunikationsberatung GmbH, Hamburg · info@publikom.com
Execution: Lürssen Brügmann Werbeagentur, Neumünster · info@lbwa.de
Please note that we have no influence on the contents and design of websites linked to this Newsletter. Responsibility for those websites lies entirely with their respective providers.