Bush's Environmental Legacy

In 2007 GW Bush established the world' largest marine protected area in north-western Hawaii-- the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. It took some 5 years and is, by any metric, a great environmental accomplishment.

This area is home to 7,000 species including the monk seal, giant sea turtle and spinner dolphins.

In the final days of the administration, work is underway to protect an additional 750,000 square miles of American-administered regions in the Pacific including the Northern Mariana Islands, Rose Atoll in American Samoa and the Line Islands.

Changes in GHG Emissions: 1990-2006

As reported by the Economist this week, the US isn't the only country that has increased its greenhouse gas emissions significantly since 1990. Economic growth is primarily correlated with the increase in emissions, with Spain, Portugal and Ireland leading the way. The global recession (depression??) bodes well for a gall in GHG emissions, but not much else. Note: China and India do not report data.

Polar Bears: Tranditional Knowledge vs. Scientific Knowledge

Polar bears are divided into 19 distinct populations throughout the Arctic. The Baffin Bay population is generally agreed to be the most fragile and one of the best studied. Today there are 1,500 polar bear where a decade ago, there were about 5,000.

At present, there is great tension over how many polar bears should be hunted this winter, as reported in this week's Economist. Canadian scientists recommended 64, but the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, an Inuit-controlled body, decided upon 105. The Baffin bears often roam into Greenland, which set its own quota at 68. This brings the total potential take to 173-- more than 10% of the current estimated population. That's a lot for a long-lived species with low reproductive rates.

Nunavut was established in 1999. The treaties between Nunavut and the Canadian federal government make it clear that conventional science should not influence decision-making any more than "traditional knowledge". Greenland was granted home rule from Denmark in 1979 and has not participated in the scientific or traditional knowledge dialogue. Both Nunavut and Greenland savor their independence. Cross boarder communication and information exchange is essential if these two nascent entities want to preserve their credibility in wildlife management during a time of climate uncertainty.

Wildfire Cost Management

After the wildfires in California (again) last week, there is some renewed interest in Congress to find a more long term funding alternative for the persistent problem of wildfire cost overruns. This year the US Forest Service budged $1.2 billion for fires suppression and then had to transfer $400 million from other USFS program during the summer when funding fell short. Congress later approved $610 million in additional funding to restore the transfers.

House Natural Resources Chairman Nicky Jo Rahall's (D-WV) FLAME Act (Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act) is the most likely vehicle. This would establish separate funds for fire and the USFS other work. However others have begun to think more comprehensively about the problem and called for addressing hazardous fuel buildup and the management of fire instead of all out suppression.

Whales and Sonar Supreme Court Decision

In a 5-4 ruling last week, the Supreme Court rejected efforts to limit Naval submarine training due to the harm caused to marine mammals. Chief Justice Roberts wrote the opinion, which was supported by Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito.

The Navy can continue to use sonar to detect and track enemy submarines. The Natural Resource Defense Council had filed suit saying that these exercises caused harm to whales and other mammals. The endangered beaked whale was of particular interest in the case. It is believed that these animals dive for extended periods of time. The sonar is believed to interfere with their ability to calibrate coming back up for air, thereby subjecting them to the bends.

From an article by ABC News, the lawyer for NRDC said the sound intensity of the sonar, correcting for water, would compare to a jet engine in the courtroom multiplied 2,000 times. He said the Navy is "perfectly able to train" with some restrictions that would protect marine life.

But the court said that while it "does not question the seriousness" of the environmentalists' concerns, the use of sonar "is the only reliable technology for detecting and tracking enemy diesel-electric submarines."

Chief Justice John Roberts began the opinion by quoting George Washington: "To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace."

You can read more here.

Klamath Dam Removal Progress

In a signal that portends well for the Klamath Basin, the Bush Administration announced a nonbinding agreement for removing four dams that are key to resolving the basin's longstanding trouble.

A deal signed Thursday by the US Department of Interior, PacifiCorp and the governors of Oregon and California charted a course for the dams to be turned over to a nonfederal entity for removal starting in 2020.

As reported here, Dean Brockbank, vice president and general council for PacifiCorp, said the company's four key concerns were all met: PacifiCorp is protected from liability, there is a $200 million cap on removal costs to be born by ratepayers, dam removal is far enough in the future to avoid a scramble for replacement power, and PacifiCorp's capital expenditures were held to a minimum.

$200 million in removal costs will be born by ratepayers. The state of California will ask voters to approve a $250 million bond. Surcharges would be about $15 to $20 a year to PacifiCorp's 500,000 customers in Oregon and 45,000 customers in California. Any dam removal costs over $450 million must be worked out later. PacifiCorp also committed to paying California $500,000 a year for fish habitat improvements until the dams are removed.

Renewable Energy Hurt by Financial Crisis

Ok, so this gets a bit complicated, but it is important.

A fairly complex tax-credit system underwrites renewable-energy projects. It provides incentives for developers of currently unprofitable renewable energy projects to team with large, money making businesses that can trade cash for tax credits. The collapse of the financial industry has left the renewables sector with significantly fewer partners to work with.

Before the collapse there were 18-19 tax equity investors-- think Wachovia, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, AIG, and GE Financial Services. Typically, these big fiancial instituitons have larger federal tax liabilities adn are willing to purchase the equity in a renewable project. They return the equity once the tax credit has been used. However, the finanical industry no longer has cash to buy the renewables companies and they lack strong balance sheets for the tax offsets.

The upshot is that investing has slowed. The wind, solar and geothermal industries are hoping that the system could be converted to a refundable credit that would allow developers to get checks from the Treasury for the value of the incentive, rather than finding partners. If not, the industry needs to seek out new partners. One option is looking to more conventional energy production companies like Exxon Mobil or new economy firms like Google.

Mountaintop Mining May Change with Obama

New appointments for agency heads in the EPA, Office of Surface Mining and the Army Corps of Engineers may mean changes in how mountaintop mining is practiced across Appalachia.

In October, the Bush Administration endorsed a change to the "100 foot buffer" rule that would make it easier to dump mining waste into valley fills. At present coal operators are required to establish a 100 foot buffer around streams to protect them from mining operations. The new rule change would extend the 100 foot buffer to other water bodies in exchange for allowing companies to dump excess spoil and coal waste into neighboring valleys.

It is currently unclear whether the proposed rule change will go into effect before Bush leaves office. If it does go into effect, the Obama Administration may reverse it. During the campaign, the Obama camp was supportive of clean coal technology but less so of conventional coal sources.

Fire biggest threat to old growth in Northwest

The Northwest Forest Plan was adopted in 1994 to protect old growth ecosystems and the northern spotted owl in particular. At that time, logging was seen as the greatest threat to the ecological resilience of the region.

A new study in Ecosystems, had identified wildfire as now the biggest threat to these resources. The large, old growth trees typically can survive lower intensity fires. Uncharacteristically large and hotter burning fires, driven by a changing climate and overstocked forests, threaten these old growth ecosystems.

Environmental Policy in the Obama Administration

Here are a few highlights of what we talked about during the campaign by the Obama camp:

1) Reduce greenhouse gases 80% below the 1990 level by 2050
2) Spend $150 billion over 10 years to overhaul the energy system-- think windmills, not nukes, coal and oil.

Both will take legislation and fundage. With a majority of Democrats in both the House and Senate, the legislation part might come easier than the second. A treaty will take 2/3rds of the Senate, and the Dems don't have the votes for that.

A green public works effort to recreate the energy econmy might be one solution to help work us out of recession. But there is skepticism about this. A key to transitioning to a less petroleum dependent economy is to increase the price of fossil fuels, especially gasoline. Who knows if the Obama Administration, Congress and the American people will have the fortitude to move forward with that.

Executive orders and the environment

In the last few months, the Bush Administration has quietly been at work passing executive orders that affect the environment. These changes include removing the Grey wolf from protection in the northern Rockies, eliminating the input to of government scientists when agencies decide whether projects are likely to harm species, and opening up millions of acres of public lands to oil and gas drilling and motorized vehicles.

President Clinton used similar tactics at the close of his administration.

President-elect Obama may use his executive power after taking office to reverse some of these decisions.

Alternative Fuels Less Competitive

With the credit crunch and falling oil prices, stocks for alternatives are falling sharply in the stock market.

Alternatives to petroleum requires high oil prices and easy credit to spur capital investment. Oil prices have fallen off their $4 summer high to an average of $2.40 a gallon. Credit is tight. Venture capital financing is more difficult to get for solar, wind and bio fuel projects. Until the credit markets rebound and oil prices climb above $70, the outlook for alternative energy is less optimistic.

What to do about the auto industry?

Detroit is headed hat in hand to Washington to beg for part of the $700 billion financial rescue fund. To date, that money has been limited to the troubled financial sector.

Democratic legislators have recommended giving temporary assistance to the industry, provided the auto makers meet specific conditions. These conditions include building more fuel-efficient vehicles and an equity stake for government.

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have balked at the conditions. They are unsure that they meet the standards of financial "viability", which are pre-requisites for any firms in the financial industry to receive help. That should give us all great pause.

Power Play

There is lots of in house tussling over who will control the House Energy and commerce Committee in the new Congress.

Rep. Henry Waxman of California is challenging Rep. John Dingell of Michigan for the seat. Dingell has been the top Democrat on the committee for nearly three decades.

Up for grabs is who will set the agenda for climate change and energy legislation in 2009 and beyond. Many have criticized Dingell, whose state is home to the big three auto makers, for not aggressively addressing energy and climate issues. Waxman promises a fresh outlook and commitment to the Obama legislative agenda.

Grey Wolves in Great Lakes Re-Listed

In September 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reinstated protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies after they had been taken off the endangered species list earlier this year.

The same month a federal judge also reversed a 2007 ruling to de-list the wolves in the western Great Lakes region.

U.S. District Judge Donald Malloy placed an injunction on the de-listing process for the Northern Rockies wolf population. This was followed by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman's decision to halt de-listing of the Great Lakes wolf population. Friedman cited the FWS failure to consider the species' recovery nationwide. Looking at the wolf poplations in "distinct population segments" was ruled inadequate.

Mountaintop Mining

In the Bush Administration's final days, many executive orders and other items are in the works to alter various policies. Among these is an effort within the Department of Interior to repeal one of the largest regulatory protections against mountaintop mining.

The stream buffer zone rule seeks to protect water quality by prohibiting any mining activity within 100 feet of a flowing stream. Last month, the federal Office of Surface Mining sent in a proposal to the EPA to gut the rule.

Both John McCain and Barack Obama oppose mountaintop mining, which may explain the frenzy to get this changed at this time. The ball is now in the hands of Stephen Johnson, the EPA's administrator.

Ethanol Risks

One of the biggest challenges to using ethanol to replace imported fuels is transporting it.

Ethanol is mostly made in rural areas and then must be transported to urban areas. Pipelines do not carry it so it must be moved by truck or rail. Moving these flammable liquids into urban centers is becoming controversial. Hazard plans have not been crafted in many places to deal with spills. Ethanol cannot be doused with traditional fire-fighting foams.

In 2006, 23 tank cars were derailed in New Brighton, Pennsylvania (pop. 140,000) and caused a 48-hour long fire that evacuated 7 blocks. In 2007, a tanker traveling in Baltimore spilled 6,800 gallons and the local fire crew spent hours trying to put out the fire because it didn't have the right foam. This month, officials sought to shut down an ethanol transfer operation in Alexandria, Virginia for this very reason.