NEWSBRIEFS The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is spending too much to clean up contaminated sites because it has failed to employ new, cost-saving remediation technologies, according to a U.S. General Accounting Office report released in May. The report finds that DOE's Office of Science and Technology has yet to remove previously identified obstacles to deployment of technologies that could either save money or speed cleanups of hazardous and radioactive contaminants. For a copy of Nuclear Waste Cleanup: Progress Made But DOE Management Attention Needed To Increase Use of Innovative Technologies (GAO/T-RCED-99-190), call (202) 512-6000. Fuel oxygenates like methyltert-butyl ether (MTBE) and ethanol do less to reduce ozone pollution than better emissionscontrol equipment, required reductions in sulfur content, and controls on evaporative emissions from vehicle gasoline, according to a May report from the National Research Council (NRC). OzoneForming Potential of Reformulated Gasoline provides an overview of the nation's reformulated gasoline (RFG) program and concludes that EPA should evaluate carbon monoxide emissions, which can be a significant factor in ozone formation, in future assessments of RFG's effects. For a copy of the 199-page report, contact the NRC at (800) 624-6242. There is no evidence that the federal government's brownfields programs are working, a May U.S. General Accounting Office report finds. While the 10 federal agencies involved in funding activities to restore the idle and abandoned industrial facilities known as brownfields are doing a better job of coordinating their efforts, most did not track the extent to which their funded projects created new jobs, leveraged additional private investments, or preserved undeveloped greenfields areas, the report says. Environmental Protection: Agen-
cies Have Made Progress in Implementing the Federal Brownfield Partnership Initiative can be accessed on the Web at http://www. gao.gov/new.items/rc99129.pdf. Since 1989, losses from catastrophic natural disasters in the United States have often averaged around $1 billion per week, and the total is likely to rise, according to a five-year study conducted by the National Science Foundation. The heavy financial losses resulting from the last decade's disasters stemmed primarily from changes in climate, rapid growth in earthquake-prone regions and coastal communities, and growing infrastructure density, the report finds. For a copy of Disasters by Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States, call the National Academy Press at (800) 624-6242.
A U.S. ban on organophosphate and carbamate pesticides would boost foreign food imports while hurting American farmers, claims a study conducted by Texas A&M University and Auburn University. EPA is reviewing the health risks of the two pesticides groups, which environmentalists say are toxic to humans. Sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the study analyzed the financial impacts of a potential ban on 14 crops, including apples, tomatoes, and wheat. Increased insect damage is projected to reduce yields by 1-38%, causing imports to rise by 3-17%, depending on the crop. Impacts of Eliminating Organophosphates
and Carbamates From Crop Production is available on the Web at http://afpcl.tamu.edu. Renewable energies gained a stronger foothold in the global power market from 1990 to 1998, a report from the Worldwatch Institute finds. As wind use expanded by 22% and solar energy by 16% per year during this time period, the use of oil grew at less than 2% and that of coal did not increase at all. Worldwatch attributes this trend to falling wind generation costs, which dropped from $2600 per kilowatt in 1981 to $800 per kilowatt in 1998, and sharper competition in the solar cell market. Vital Signs 1999, which also documents other global trends, can be ordered from WorldWatch's Web site at http://www.worldwatch.org. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is poised to play a major role in bringing telecommunications services to developing countries, according to "Power Play: Solar Electric Technologies, Markets, & Vendors," an article from the Photovoltaic Insider's Report. PV technology is a natural fit for rural areas where telephone and electrical services are lacking because "there isn't another power source as readily available, or as economically feasible" in the developing world, according to the report's editor. Brazil, Indonesia, the People's Republic of China, India, and Morocco are all embracing the technology. The article is available on the Web at http://www.pvinsider.com. Iceland may become the world's first hydrogen economy if the Icelandic Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Company Ltd.'s goal is realized. A joint venture between DaimlerChrysler, Norsk Hydro, Royal Dutch/Shell, and Iceland's Vistorkia, a consortium of six Icelandic institutions, the new organization will explore the use of hydrogen as a substitute for fossil fuels. Iceland has been producing hydrogen for over 50 years; one of the first projects will be a hydrogen fuel-cell powered bus service in Reykjavik. For more details, e-mail
[email protected].
AUGUST 1, 1999 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS • 3 0 9 A
