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undergoing a program to clean up and reuse the site. Because of workers' concern that the cause of the illnesses may be related to contamination of the plant's water Land-use practices supply, DOE announced on July 31 that it targeted for large cuts will begin testing and examining the water-supply system. The identity of the in C 0 2 emissions workers and further details on the illnesses were not released. The medical report The State Department has proposed that will serve as a basis for additional followthe U.S. meet about half its goal for carbon up activities to be determined by DOE dioxide reductions under the Kyoto proto- that will be announced on Aug. 31.^ col through land-use practices. The U.S. goal under the protocol is to reduce its C0 2 emissions for the period 2008-12 by 7% U.S., Canada faulted from the 1990 level of 1,641 million metric on Great Lakes cleanup tons of carbon equivalent This means that average annual emissions by then would The International Joint Commission have to be cut by about 600 million metric (IJC), in its latest biennial report on watons of carbon equivalent from what the ter quality in the Great Lakes, says the level would be if no efforts were made to U.S. and Canada have failed to provide cut emissions. Well-managed forests and money or take actions needed to meet a crop and grazing lands generally absorb a 1978 agreement to clean up chemical net amount of C0 2 each year. Under the contamination in the lakes. IJC, a binaState Department proposal, the U.S. tional organization established in 1909 projects that land-use practices can remove to prevent disputes related to waters about 300 million metric tons of C0 2 annu- along the border of the U.S. and Canaally by the 2008-12 period. The depart- da, recommends that the governments ment calls its proposal a comprehensive of both countries identify sources of atapproach "that will provide a long-term in- mospheric deposition of persistent toxic centive to protect existing carbon reser- substances in the lakes and implement voirs." Other countries with large forested prevention and control strategies. In adand farming areas—such as Canada, Rus- dition, the governments should develop sia, and Australia—favor the U.S. ap- a comprehensive strategy for remediatproach, but the European Union opposes ing contaminated sediments. Fish conit Environmental groups point out that for- sumption advisories also should be disests and soils are impermanent sinks that tributed directly to women and "state can burn, die, or simplyfluctuateyearly be- plainly that eating Great Lakes sport tween sources or sinks, depending on the fish may lead to birth anomalies and weather. Absorption of C0 2 by land-use other serious heath problems for chilpractices should not be substituted for cuts dren and women of child-bearing age," in fossil fuel use, the groups say.^ the report says. The IJC report is available on the Web (http://www.ijc.org/ comm/10br/en/indexen.html) .
