nEWS BRIEFS Research grants to academic and nonprofit institutions totalling some $8 million were announced by the EPA Office of Research and Development. Grants will be targeted to research on h u m a n health assessment, indoor air quality in large buildings, air pollutants, and the effect of global climate change on regional water resources. The deadline for submission is April 17. For more information contact the Office of Exploratory Research at (202) 2604376. Contaminated tap water has caused at least 116 disease outbreaks in U.S. communities since 1986, according to government records compiled by a coalition of 200 public health, consumer, religious, labor, and environmental groups. The coalition has issued a report, The Dirty Little Secret About Our Drinking Water, that claims 47 million people have drunk water from contaminated community water systems. The coalition is concerned about congressional efforts to weaken protections in the Safe Drinking Water Act, especially for AIDS victims and other immunocompromised populations. The report is available from the Natural Resources Defense Council, 40 West 20th St., New York, NY 10011; (212) 7272700. Standard Reference Material (SRM 2286-2293) for oxygenates in gasoline is being offered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to aid gasoline manufacturers in meeting EPA regulations. For more information, contact the NIST SRM program, Rm. 204, Bldg. 202, Gaithersburg, MD 20899; (301) 975-6776. An odd mix of taxpayer groups, environmental organizations, and free market economists has joined together and is proposing specific tax cuts to save $33 billion over 10 to 15 years by eliminating federal programs that harm the environment. Their report, Green Scissors, proposes axing public land, min-
ing, and agriculture subsidies; water and energy projects; disaster insurance; and highway construction. It is available for $10 from Public Interest Publications at (800) 537-9359. Agriculture, not logging, is causing the decline in tropical forest area, concludes Roger A. Sedjo in a study published by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Sedjo says the levels of wood cut are more stable in temperate regions in the Northern Hemisphere than in tropical countries, and he maintains that U.S. forest volume is expanding while area of forest lands has stayed relatively constant over the past 75 years. In tropical areas, however, forested area has continued to decline, and Sedjo blames agricultural expansion, not commercial logging, for the difference in deforestation rates. For a copy of the report, The World's Forests: Conflicting Signals, contact the Competitive Enterprise Institute, 1001 Constitution Ave., N.W., Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 331-1010. Optimizing biological filtration of drinking water and analytical methods to detect Cryptosporidium are among research areas targeted by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation in a request for proposals. Proposals with budgets up to $250,000 must be postmarked by May 1; those with budgets larger than $250,000 are due by July 17. For more information contact AWWARF, 6666 W Quincy Ave, Denver, CO 80235; (303) 347-6117. Mountains have become a critical testing ground for sustainable development, according to a new study by the Worldwatch Institute. High Priorities: Conserving Mountain Ecosystems and Cultures notes that nearly 3 billion people depend on mountains for hydroelectricity, timber, and mineral resources. These ecosystems are threatened by a mix of forces, including population growth, deforestation, mining, climate change, and war. The report lays out a VOL.
framework for protection, including creating networks of conservation areas; integrating research and social and environmental monitoring of mountain regions; and securing communities' control over mountain resources. The report is available from Worldwatch Institute, 1776 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., 8th floor, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 452-1999. Three million dollars are available to nonprofit organizations for environmental projects that aid small manufacturers, the National Institute of Standards and Technology recently announced. Funding in the form of financial assistance and cooperative agreements is intended for projects to help small manufacturers in three areas: integrating environmentally focused technical assistance into NIST's manufacturing extension center network, developing environmentally related technical assistance tools and techniques, and implementing pilot information centers to provide data on innovative technologies. For more information, contact David Gold, B115 Polymer Bldg., NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001; (301) 975-5049. Environmental regulations have had a small positive effect on overall employment, according to a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute. About 4 million workers are employed directly or indirectly in the "environmental protection industry," the report says, and although plants are shut down because of environmental or safety regulations, shutdowns average only four plants a year, less than one-tenth of 1% of largescale layoffs. The report claims that environmental spending actually boosts aggregate employment because environmental spending is either labor intensive (e.g., recycling or sewage construction) or uses domestically produced capital goods (e.g., air pollution control equipment). Jobs and the Environment is available for $12 from Public Interest Publications at (800) 537-9359.
29, NO. 4, 1995 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY • 1 7 3 A
