Our Neighborhood Earth - Environmental Impact

Our Neighborhood

Earth

Keeping It Green

(There's no Planet B)

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ENVIRONMENTAL

IMPACT

• News Stories • The Issues

Page Updated: Feb. 29, 2020

• Get the Lead Out Tookit

• Oil Spill History

• Going Green When You Go

• Detailed Map of
U.S. Auto Emmisions

Click any link on this
page to learn more.

• Asbestos Exposure Treatment

• America's Greenest Cities

• Safe Water in Pictures

• Safer Habitats Orgs

Interactive Map:

Where Toxic Air Pollution From
the Oil and Gas Industry
Threatens Millions of Americans

June 15, 2016 -Two leading national environmental groups—Clean Air Task Force (CATF) and Earthworks—unveiled a suite of tools Wednesday designed to inform and mobilize Americans about the health risks from toxic air pollution from the oil and gas industry.

For the first time, Americans across the country—from Washington County, Pennsylvania, to Weld County, Colorado to Kern County, California—can access striking new community-level data on major health risks posed by oil and gas operations across the country. Click the map to read the whole story and access the interactive map.

The Issues: What We Need to Know

(Click on any link, below to get the full story.)
Help End Food Waste Carbon Offset Credits Download the Transit App Chicago Urban Agriculture The World's Cleanest Cities Pesticides and Farm Workers Paying Back Koch Industries About Those Toxic Chemicals Danger: Seismic Airgun Blasting Confronting Ocean Acidification The Dirty Dozen Foods to Avoid Synthetic Leaves Suck Out CO2 What Our Agencies Don’t Tell Us Why Toilet Paper Usage Matters Map Showng the Lost Rainforests A Pesticide List of Dos and Don’ts Fossil Fuel Facts You Should Know The Erosion of the Mississippi Delta Pittsburgh to Tackle Its Water Lead Your Auto Needs a Professional Wash Are Puerto Rico’s Corals Repairable? Key Facts About Safe Drinking Water Clean Up Your Act - Your Cleaning Act	16 Must-See Environmental Documentaries NRDC Warns of Up to 40% Food Waste Mangroves May Store More Much CO2 How Do I Reduce My CO2 Footprint? Insects Could Vanish Within a Century Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon? Mass Bleaching: Bad For Young Coral Coal Ash: Hazardous to Human Health Cancer Causing Radon in Your Home? Can We Restore the Gulf of Mexico? Declining: The Dirt Beneath Our Feet Fact: Fracking Threatens Your Water C’mon Congress - Get the Lead Out What to Know About Ground Water Reshaping Renewables & the Grid Headed for the Last Roundup®? A Cleaner Way to Remove CO2 Avoid Hurricane Surge Flooding Compare Your City's Pollution Breaking Down Toxic PFAS Singapore's Marina Barrage Can We Reinvent Cement Fuel Usage Comaprison Earth’s Rocky Future	Why Go Organic? Palm Oil Scorecard Tropical Deforestation NOAA Carbon Tracker Ocean Plastics Pollution Dirty Water = Dirty Fish The Real Cost of Carbon Clean Power Companies Green Fire Documentary Arsenic In Babies’ Cereal Microplastics Raining Down Your Car's Carbon Footprint Intercactive Power Grid Maps Diesel School Buses & Health What Is Amphibious Architecture? Why We Must Minimize Pesticides Dirty Dozen Endocrine Disruptors Australia’s Ecosystems Collapsing The Goldman Environmental Prize Head & Shoulders Above the Rest Transportation Emissions in the U.S. How Your State Makes Electricity? The Wold's Most Controversial Tree

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Oil Spill History

"Birds and Oil Don't Mix"
Mystery: Origin of the Oil Killing Brazilian Sea Turtles? Oil Is Killing Brazil’s Turtles. No One Knows Where It’s From Oct. 12, 2019 (TIME)- More than a month since oil started washing up on some of Brazil’s most touristic beaches, dotting sand with black patches, killing sea turtles and scaring off fishermen, the origin of the crude is still a mystery. “We don’t know the oil’s origin, where it came from or how it got here,” Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque said at an offshore exploration auction in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. Click now for more details. One Dead in Gulf of Mexico Rig Accident One dead in Gulf of Mexico Rig Accident - But No Pollution July 21, 2019 (UPI) -There is no pollution associated with an explosion on a drilling platform about 12 miles off the coast of New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico, a regulator said. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said it was notified by oil and gas operator Fieldwood Energy of an explosion on its Echo Platform. Fieldwood said one contract worker was killed and three other employees were treated for injuries at an onshore medical facility. Click now for the whole story. 14-Year-old Oil Leak in Gulf: Far Worse Than Taylor Energy Says New Estimate for an Oil Leak: 1,000x Worse Than Rig Owner Says June 25, 2020 (NY Times Climate Forward) -A new federal study has found that an oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico that began 14 years ago has been releasing as much as 4,500 gallons a day, not three or four gallons a day as the rig owner has claimed. The leak, about 12 miles off the Louisiana coast, began in 2004 when a Taylor Energy Company oil platform sank during Hurricane Ivan and a bundle of undersea pipes ruptured. Oil and gas have been seeping from the site ever since. Click now to read all about it. It’s Been Nine Years Since the Deepwater Horizon Incident Nine Years After Deepwater Horizon April 16, 2017 (National Wildlife Federation) - It has been nine years since BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, killing eleven men and unleashing an 87 day-long torrent of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. National Wildlife Federation has taken an active role in Gulf recovery, advocating for science-based decision-making to benefit wildlife and their habitats as Gulf leaders invest recovery funds into restoration. While there are still decades of recovery ahead, significant strides have been made over the last eight years to restore the Gulf for coastal communities and wildlife. As we reflect on the lives lost and the damage wrought, we should also consider how we can prevent a similar disaster from happening in the future. Click now for the complete story Torrey Canyon Oil Spill - Learning From History Torrey Canyon Disaster – the UK's Worst-Ever Oil Spill 50 Years On Mar. 18, 2017 (The Guardian) - “I saw this huge ship sailing and I thought he’s in rather close, I hope he knows what he’s doing,” recalled Gladys Perkins of the day 50 years ago, when Britain experienced its worst ever environmental disaster. The ship was the Torrey Canyon, one of the first generation of supertankers, and it was nearing the end of a journey from Kuwait to a refinery at Milford Haven in Wales. The BP-chartered vessel ran aground on a rock between the Isles of Scilly and Land’s End in Cornwall, splitting several of the tanks holding its vast cargo of crude oil. Click now for the complete story The Prospect of Cuba Drilling In The Gulf Concerns Tampa Bay. Advocates of Gulf Oil-Drilling Ban Worried By Talks With Cuba Aug. 18, 2016 (Tampa Bay Times) - Progress in international talks over who owns a piece of the Gulf of Mexico has raised the specter of a Deepwater Horizon tragedy along local shores. A few hundred miles from the west coast of Florida is a 7,700-square-mile area of the Gulf of Mexico known as the Eastern Gap, thought to be rich with oil but with no clear owner. The U.S., Cuban and Mexican governments are now negotiating how to split the area among the three nations. Once that happens, each country can drill for oil in its allotted portion.	Shell Oil Mimics BP With 90,000 Gal. of Crude Shell Oil Spill Dumps Nearly 90,000 Gallons of Crude Into Gulf May 13, 2016 (EcoWatch) -An oil spill from Royal Dutch Shell’s offshore Brutus platform has released 2,100 barrels of crude into the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The leak—roughly 88,200 gallons—created a visible 2 mile by 13 mile oil slick in the sea about 97 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, according to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Officials said that the accident occurred near Shell’s Glider field, an underwater pipe system that connects four subsea oil wells to the Brutus platform, which floats on top of the water with a depth of 2,900 feet. Click now for more (if you can bear it). Blowout Highlights Gulf Drilling Dangers Blowout Highlights Gulf Drilling Dangers July 25, 2013 (Mother Nature Network) -Flames erupted from an offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, torching a natural gas plume that had been leaking since a blowout earlier in the day. All 44 rig workers were evacuated before the fire began, according to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, but the rig continued spewing gas until Thursday morning, when its scorched frame finally collapsed enough to cut off the leak. Click now for the whole story. Obama White House Lifts Deepwater Drilling Ban Obama White House Lifts Deepwater Drilling Ban Oct. 12, 2010 (CBS News) -The Obama administration on Tuesday lifted the deep water oil drilling moratorium that the government imposed in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the disastrous BP oil spill. The administration has been under heavy pressure from the industry and others in the region to lift the six-month ban on grounds it has cost jobs and damaged the economy. A federal report said the moratorium likely caused a temporary loss of 8,000 to 12,000 jobs in the Gulf region. While the temporary ban on exploratory oil and gas drilling is lifted immediately, drilling is unlikely to resume immediately. Drilling companies must meet a host of new safety regulations before they can resume operations, officials said. Click now for more if you can bear it. Enter the No-Spin Zone of the Deep: the BP Live Feed The No-Spin Zone of the Deep June 5, 2010 (Christian Science Monitor) - It was the last thing BP wanted: An open, high-definition live video feed – a "spillcam," if you will – showing in excruciating detail the massive oil geyser fouling the Gulf of Mexico, a situation admittedly caused by the giant extractive firm. But after a series of PR disasters – waffling, obfuscating, misplaced optimism, a gaffe-prone CEO – the decision by BP, under pressure from Congress, to put the live feed on the air reaped some unexpected plaudits for the company. Click now for the complete story from the archives. Can We Restore the Gulf of Mexico? Gulf Oil Spill: Dispersants Have Potential to Cause More Harm Than Good May 11, 2010 (CISTON PR Newswire) -The chemical dispersants being used to break up the oil leaking into the gulf following the explosion of British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig have the potential to cause just as much, if not more, harm to the environment and the humans coming into contact with it than the oil possibly would if left untreated. That is the warning of toxicology experts, led by Dr. William Sawyer, addressing the Gulf Oil Disaster Recovery Group, a group of lawyers working to protect the rights and interests of environmental groups and persons affected by the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The group represents the United Fishermen's Association and the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN), among others. Click now to learn more. Exxon Valdez: The Story That Never Goes Away 20 Years After Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Alaskan Coastline Remains Contaminated Mar. 24, 2009 (Democracy Now) - Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, one of the worst environmental disasters in history. The Exxon Valdez spilled between 11 and 38 million gallons of crude oil into the fishing waters of Prince William Sound. The spill contaminated more than 1,200 miles of Alaska’s shoreline and killed hundreds of thousands of seabirds and marine animals. It also dealt a staggering blow to the residents of local fishing towns, and the effects of the disaster are still being felt today. We speak with Riki Ott, a community activist, marine toxicologist, former commercial salmon fisherma’am and author of two books on the spill. Her latest is Not One Drop: Betrayal and Courage in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Spill. Click now for the story deep in the archives.

America's Greenest Cities

Provided by Mother Nature Network
# 1 - Portland, Ore The city of microbrewery mania and home to megastore Powell's Books — one of the few remaining independent booksellers in the country — is No. 1 in sustainability. Declared the most bikeable city in the United States for its 200 miles of dedicated bike lanes, Portland certainly makes forgoing gas-powered travel easy. And for lessons in DIY sustainable food sources, classes are available for container gardening and cheese making, or beekeeping and chicken keeping.	# 2 - San Francisco, Cal. Declared by Mayor Gavin Newsom to be America's solar energy leader, this vibrant city of cultural tolerance was a 1960s icon and epicenter for the Summer of Love. But in addition to peace, love and solar power, there's also an innovative recycling program with an artist-in-residence at the recycling facility. The artist uses his work to inspire residents to recycle and conserve. San Francisco is also the first U.S. city to ban plastic grocery bags, a concept that supports its effort to divert 75 percent of landfill waste by 2010.
# 3 - Boston, Mass. It's hard to think of this city without also thinking of tea — as a commodity, not a drink. Boston ranks high among the urban green elite. Sustainability efforts include a "Green by 2015" goal to replace traditional taxi cabs with hybrid vehicles, recycle trash to power homes, use more solar panels, and use more electric motorbikes for transportation. The city's first annual Down2Earth conference was held in 2008. It's designed to educate residents about how to live the most sustainable lifestyle.	# 4 - Oakland, Calif. Residents of this port city have access to an abundance of fresh, organic food, much of which is locally sourced. It's also home to the nation's cleanest tap water, hydrogen-powered public transit and the country's oldest wildlife refuge. Oakland also plans to have zero waste and be oil-independent by 2020, and already gets 17 percent of its energy from renewable sources. >
# 5 - Eugene, Ore. Known as the Emerald City for its natural green beauty, this baby boomer haven and second largest city in the state has been doing the "green" thing since the 1960s. In 2008, after only one year of service, the Emerald Express, a hybrid public transit system, won a Sustainable Transport award. Cycling is the preferred mode of transportation, made possible by the 30 miles of off-street bike paths and 29 dedicated bike routes, which total a whopping 150 miles of smog-free travel throughout the metro area.	# 6 - Cambridge, Mass. In 2008, Prevention Magazine named Cambridge "the best walking city." Thoreau's Walden Pond can be found in nearby Concord, and education powerhouses Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University are located here. In 2002, city officials implemented a major climate protection plan and today most city vehicles are fueled by B20 biodiesel or electricity. All new construction or major renovations must meet LEED standards. And a project called "Compost that Stuff" collects and processes organic waste from residents, restaurants, bars and hotels.
# 7 - Berkeley, Calif. A great place to find an abundance of organic and vegetarian restaurants is also on the cutting edge of sustainability. Berkeley is recognized as a leader in the incubation of clean technology for wind power, solar power, biofuels and hydropower.	# 8 - Seattle, Wash. The unofficial coffee klatch capitol of the country is also sustainable-living savvy. More than 20 public buildings in Seattle are LEED-certified or under construction for LEED certification. Through an incentive program, residents are encouraged to install solar panels on their homes for energy conservation. Sustainable Ballard, a green neighborhood group and sustainability festival host, offers ongoing workshops about how to live in harmony with the environment.
# 9 - Chicago, Ill. The Windy City has embraced land sustainability far longer than you may think. In 1909, pioneering city planner Daniel Hudson Burnham created a long-range plan for the lakefront that balanced urban growth, and created a permanent greenbelt around the metropolitan area. This greening of the city continues through the Chicago Green Roof Program. More than 2.5 million SQF city roofs support plant life — including Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and the city hall building. Also, about 500,000 new trees have been planted.	# 10 - Austin Tex. Carbon neutral by 2020 — it's an ambitious goal, but Austin Energy is the nation's top seller of renewable energy among 850 utility-sponsored programs, which makes its goal to power the city solely on clean energy within reach. As the gateway to the scenic Texas Hill Country, acreage in Austin devoted to green space includes 206 parks, 12 preserves, 26 greenbelts and more than 50 miles of trails.

Safer Habitats Table of Contents
Clean Air Council	Climate Emergency Network	Common Dreams	Earthworks
Env. Impact Assessment	Environmental Working Group	Florida Black Bears	Fly California
Gold Rush vs Salmon Habitat	Guardian Sustainable Business	Los Angeles Mass Transit	Mass.gov
Sierra Club	UNLV Recycling	Virginia Dept of Env. Quality	Your Cities, Yourselves

Organizations for Safer Habitats
(Click on an image for more of the story)
The Guardian Sustainable Business Read articles like "Famers Turn Tobacco into Airplane Fuel," Infographics on Air Pollution and Your Health, Cardboard Boxes You Sleep In, and much, much more. Florida Black Bears are in trouble, and they can't hire their own lawyers. -but we can help.		Gold Rush vs Salmon Habitat Five major mining projects have been proposed for the transboundary watershed – the waters shared by British Columbia and southeast Alaska. The region is home to important salmon producing rivers that originate in British Columbia and run through Alaska to the sea. A number of environmental groups, Alaskan Natives and commercial fishermen strongly oppose some of these mining developments across the border. They argue mining could have negative impacts on the salmon and water quality, and irrevocably alter the region's economy, environment and way of life
Environmental Working Group Two-thirds of produce samples in recent government tests had pesticide residues. Don't want to eat bug- and weed-killers? EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce helps you shop smart. We highlight the cleanest and dirtiest conventionally-raised fruits and vegetables. If a conventionally grown food you want tests high for pesticides, go for the organic version instead. And remember - the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh risks of pesticide exposure. Dirty Dozen™ Plus highlights hot peppers and leafy greens - kale and collard greens - often tainted with unusually hazardous pesticides.		Hydraulic Fracturing (AKA Fracking). Another assault to the environment for which we can thank Haliburton and others. Read all about this extreme method of natural gas extraction , and its impact on water quality and other serious health issues (human and other species). Click the Earthworks icon to learn more.
100 Coal Plants Unplugged. This Sierra Club milestone, 100 coal plants defeated, marks a significant shift in the way Americans are looking at our energy choices. Read on and/or view video.		What Massachusetts is doing about Climate Change?
Flooded Village Files Suit, Citing Corporate Link to Climate Change. The eroding village of Kivalina in the Northwest Arctic is suing Exxon Mobil and 23 other energy companies for damage related to global warming. Read all about it.		This is the web page for Climate Emergency Network news. Click now to get there.
Impact reports for the high speed rail system. You can fly California without leaving the ground, or the carbon footprint associated with air travel. Includes maps of the extensive rail system. ALL ABOARD! The Cape Wind Project will bring clean energy to Nantucket Sound. The project has been delayed by NIMBY (not in my back yard) issues by some who claim to be environmentalists.		An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an assessment of the likely positive and/or negative influence a project may have on the environment. “Environmental Impact Assessment can be defined as: The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made.”[1] The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision-makers consider environmental impacts before deciding whether to proceed with new projects.
EIR + Facts about the Los Angeles Metro - yes, L.A. has a mass transit system. Also read about the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)		Your Cities, Yourselves Smart-growth advocates offer tips for changing your neck of the woods.
Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality The Office of Environmental Impact Review coordinates the Commonwealth's response to environmental documents for proposed state and federal projects. The environmental impact review staff distributes documents to appropriate state agencies, planning districts and localities for their review and comment. Upon consideration of all comments, the staff prepares a single state response.		Discover how Networkfleet can help lower fleet fuel costs and greenhouse emissions with technology that combines GPS vehicle tracking with onboard engine diagnostics.
Monitoring the environmental impact of Pennsylvania's energy generation. A steward in validating the state's compliance with the Clean Air Act. What happens in Pennsylvania doesn't necessarily stay in Pennsylvania.		Between 2003 and 2006, the UNLV Rebel Recycling Program recycled 2,144.5 tons of materials. Paper/Fiber (cardboard, paper, books) recycled was 1,641.6 tons. The diversion of these materials from the Apex landfill to the manufacturing process resulted in a positive impact on the global environment. Click on the logo for more.

Companies Producing Cleaner Power

(More companies will be added to this page shortly)

1366 One Step Closer to
Opening US Solar PV Wafer Facility

Solar silicon wafer innovator 1366 Technologies has landed new funding led by newest partner Tokayama, and is ready to scale up to a 250-MW production line ahead of an anticipated upswing in demand.

Ten months ago 1366 moved into a new 25-MW pilot facility in Bedford, Massachusetts, to nail down process and tweak equipment for its solar silicon wafering technology to take the next step toward commercialization. In June of 2013 the firm inked a R&D deal with Japanese silicon producer Tokuyama with hints that it could expand to an equity investment.

What if a cost-effective air pollution control technology could actually increase energy efficiency? What if it were possible to prevent harmful emissions from the combustion of any fuel, including gas, biomass, coal — even tire-derived fuel and municipal solid waste — in the flame, before those pollutants were ever formed?

The executives at Fulton-based Redox Power Systems are making a bold bet: The homes and businesses of the future will be powered by an extraterrestrial-looking apparatus loaded with fuel cells that convert natural gas and air into electricity.

The technology promises to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than the systems that power many buildings today, but the company has to first overcome the economic and social barriers that often beset renewable energy ventures.

Mesothelioma is a Disease Brought
On By Exposure to Asbestos

Disclaimer: There are many sites that focus on treatment, but we lack the credentials to recommend the best ones*. We've provded a short list:

• Mesothelioma Justice Network
• MesotheliomaLawyerCenter.org
• Treat Mesothelioma.org
• Mesothelioma Staging System
• Mesothelioma Help Now