NEWS BRIEFS There is no evidence that environmental regulations promote suburban sprawl, concludes a new report from the U.S. General Accounting Office. Air and water quality rules have been blamed for encouraging companies and their employees to settle in outer suburban areas rather than inner cities. But so many complex factors contribute to suburban sprawl that the report's researchers were unable to identify the influence of specific federal programs. A study of Fortune 500 manufacturing facilities found that regulations had little impact on location decisions. For a copy of Extent of Federal Influence
as a business opportunity and are incorporating environmental factors into their business decisions, the report says. The product of a 1997 dialogue among representatives from academia, corporations, government, nonprofit organizations, and the financial community, the report cites examples of companies that use life-cycle analysis for product redesign and have changed processes to improve efficiency. For a copy call the Aspen Institute ((202) 736-1075) or go to http: / / www.aspeninstitute.org.
"Urban Sprawl" Is Unclear (RCED-99-87) call (202) 512-6000 Climate change does not pose a serious threat to the U.S. insurance industry, according to an analysis the American Insurance Association (AIA) released in April. Hurricanes are the most potent weather-related threat to the industry, AIA concludes, and there is little evidence correlating climate change with hurricane development and intensity. Other anticipated global warming-related problems, such as tornados, windstorms wildfires and winter storms are not likely to threaten the industry's solvency. If risinii sett levels Cciu.se increased flooding European insurers could be vulnerable but U S flood insurance is largely underwritten bv the federal government "Thp real nroblem is the tremendous erowth in pomilation homes and commercial dpvelonment in t h e m o s t h u r r i m n p
pronp regions of the IJnitps States " AIA writes Download a ronv of Prnnprtv-^C/isunltv Tnsurnnrp and thp ClimntP Chnnop VtphntP from http://www.aiad.org. Market forces will increasingly drive environmental progress, and environmental opportunities will drive strategic business planning, according to Uncovering Value: Integrating Financial and Environmental Performance. Insightful business leaders are learning to "value" environmental performance
Federal subsidies undermine recycling, claims a report released in April by a coalition of 116 recycling, environmental, and business groups. Welfare for Waste argues that subsidies for miners, loggers, manufacturers, and landfill operators lower the cost of making products from virgin materials. Although Americans now recycle 27% of their total municipal discards, the virgin subsidies put makers of recycled goods at a disadvantage and cost taxpayers $2.6 billion each year by encouraging pollution resource depletion and profligate energy use The report urges revision of federal laws that promote logging mining and use of landfills some of which date back to the 1800s D o w n l o a d t h e r e p o r t from t h e
Crassroots Recvcling L papp- htnr//wwwgrrn on? To find out how the adoption of an environmental management system (EMS) changes a company's economic and environmental performance, EPA, together with the University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill, and the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Law Institute (ELI), is collecting data through pilot projects launched in 10 states. Approximately 100 facilities—including manufacturing plants, agricultural operations, military bases, and municipalities and local water authorities have signed on to provide data on how EMS implementation has affected their environmental and economic performance regulatory compliance and pollution prevention activities. For more information visit ELI's Web site at http7/wwweli org/isopilots htm Waterborne microbial pollutants that are not adequately addressed by regulations are a major source of health and economic problems, concludes a report by the American Society for Microbiology. The report states that organisms such as E. coli, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Pfiesteria, and the hepatitis A virus, pose a greater risk to communities than chemicals and blames EPA for focusing regulation on chemical rather than microbial pollutants. In a major EPA initiative to study the nation's watersheds for example the watershed health indicators do not include microbial contaminants of public health of Microbial Pollutants in Our Nation's Water call (?0?) 9429209 or visit http://www asmusa ore Federal activities cause roughly half the nonpoint pollution problems in three western states, according to a new report from the U.S. General Accounting Office. The report, Federal Role in Addressing and Contribuiing to Nonpoint Source Pollution (RCED-99-45), found that EPA's estimate of $9.4 billion per year for controlling nonpoint source pollution leaves out significant operating and maintenance costs, as well as costs of pollution from mines and air deposition. The report recommends that EPA work with other federal agencies to improve its cost estimate For a copy of the report call (202) 512-6000
JULY 1, 1999 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY I NEWS • 2 7 3 A
