Industry-Initiated Environmental Protection Efforts" are available from the National Academy Press by calling (800) 624-6242.
NEWS BRIEFS Only about half of state regulatory agencies have the capability to conduct complex analyses, such as risk, cost-benefit, and economic impact analyses, according to a survey by the Environmental Council of the States. About three-quarters of officials in the 35 states that responded to the survey said legislative requirements for these analytical tools would seriously affect their agencies. The report is available by calling (202) 624-3660. Sound environmental management leads to reduced economic risk in the eyes of investors and can be valued by financial markets by as much as 5% in increased stock prices, according to data generated by ICF Kaiser International, Inc., an environmental consulting firm. These findings, ICF notes, suggest that investments in environmental management and improved performance can be justified in many cases on purely ffnancial grounds. Although investments in environmental management and performance may be costlv they may provide substantial positive returns and lasting value to the firm when annrnnriatelyevaluatpH more information contact Peter A Soyka at (703) 934-3619 More than 2000 economists are urging the United States to join other nations to take measures to slow global climate change. In a statement released Feb. 13, the economists, including two Nobel Prize winners, said preventive steps are necessary to curb climate change; policy options are available to slow the process without harming employment or living standards; and market mechanisms, such as carbon taxes or tradable emissions permits should be used. For more information call Redefining Progress which organized the endorsements at (415) 781-1191. The impact of congressional funding cuts for the Department of Energy's Yucca Mountain, Nev., nuclear waste repository is the subject of a General Account-
ing Office (GAO) report released in January. The report presents a project overview and discusses the effect of continuous delays in preparing the repository. Also recently released is a GAO report on state revolving funds. "Clean Water Act: State Revolving Fund Loans to Improve Water Quality" (GAO/ RCED-97-19) and "Nuclear Waste: Impediments to Completing the Yucca Mountain Repository Project" (GAO/RCED-97-30) are available by calling (202) 512-6000. EPA's proposal for ozone and particulates air quality standards is analyzed in a recent briefing paper by Resources for the Future (RFF). The paper by J. W. Anderson, RFF journalist-inresidence, presents an overview of the technical and economic impact of the proposal, its health effects, and economic consequences. It is available by calling (202) 328-5000. Environmental tax incentives in the New England states and New York are analyzed in a report by the Vermont Law School's Environmental Law Center. The report finds a wide range of taxes and fees are used in the region, such as fees for air and water pollution emissions; credits for investments in pollution control equipment; and tax incentives for environmentally beneficial land uses, use of renewable resources and transportation alternatives. For more information contact Janet Milne at (802) 763-8303 ext 2266 Industry-initiated environmental programs are discussed in a recent report by the National Research Council. The report notes the growing importance of these internal, company-specific programs and the need to develop a means to evaluate their effectiveness as well as to provide adaptable regulatory compliance strategies. Copies of "Fostering
1 8 0 A • VOL.31, NO. 4, 1997 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS
With few exceptions, the Clinton administration's Department of Energy was taken to task by a report from a coalition of 26 local groups. The report from the Military Production Network hit DOE for lack of progress in dealing with nuclear waste, complying with environmental laws, cleaning up past pollution, and improving other programs. However, it voiced support for the department's efforts to encourage public participation and provide the public with details of past DOE conduct. The report is available by calling (206) 547-3175 or (202) 833-4668 Millions of utility poles treated with wood preservatives are harmful because of the toxicity of the chemical treatments, says a report released in February by the National Coalition against Misuse of Pesticides. The report says common utility poles contain pentachlorophenol, creosote, arsenic, and chromium VI, as well as contaminants such as dioxins, furans, and hexachlorobenzene. "Poison Poles: Their Toxic Trail and the Safer Alternatives" notes that wood preservation accounts for more than one-third of all pesticide use and urges substitution of steel cement polls For more information call (202) 543-5450 Valuing wetlands and demystifying hazardous waste laws are the subjects of two recent practitioners' guides released by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI). "Measuring the Benefits of Federal Wetlands Programs" applies natural resource economics to wetlands conservation. It compares the value of functioning wetlands ecosystems to their conversion to other uses, according to ELI. The second report "Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Demystified: The Professional's Guide to Hazardous Waste Law" provides definitions of kev terms and breaks down the comDlex law by provision Both are available throueh ELI by calling fftnfi^ 433 5120.
