Category Archives: environment

Give away US Birthrights? – Proposed Oregon LNG project gets blessing of U.S. DOE to export natural gas from Warrenton | OregonLive.com

So, folks want to sell US natural gas to countries not on good terms with US so they can make a profit, cause gas prices to go up in US and…? Just like Keystone notion.

The U.S. Department of Energy has conditionally authorized a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal near the mouth of the Columbia River in Warrenton to export natural gas to countries that do not have a free trade agreement with the United States.

The DOE authorization is important to the backers of the Oregon LNG project in Warrenton because it opens the possibility of selling gas to lucrative markets in Asia, such as Japan, China and India.

The controversial project still needs to navigate a complicated permitting process at the federal, state and local levels before it can break ground. DOE conditioned the authorization on Oregon LNG’s completion of its environmental review process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. But the project has other hurdles. Clatsop County, for example, has refused to provide zoning approvals for its feeder pipeline, and that could pose permitting problems at the state level if the county’s decision is not overturned by the Oregon Court of Appeals.

The DOE has the authority to authorize export of the commodity and has approved all applications it has reviewed to date, including a similar terminal in Coos Bay. Studies sponsored by the agency have concluded that gas exports will provide a net economic gain for the United States, though those gains are concentrated among gas producers and companies in the supply chain.

via Proposed Oregon LNG project gets blessing of U.S. DOE to export natural gas from Warrenton | OregonLive.com.

India puts GM crop trials on hold | Environment | The Guardian

A significant victory but people need to watch carefully – Monsanto and its allies – have deep pockets and want to control your food!

The battle over testing of genetically modified crops in India took a new turn this week with the Bharatiya Janata party-led government putting field trials on hold.

The move reverses the previous Congress party-led government’s push for GM trials, which had resulted in approvals in the past few months for rice, maize, wheat and chickpea crops. Trials are the first step towards sale and plantation of GM seeds in India.

The BJP, which came to power in May, took a stand against GM crop trials in its election manifesto.

But this week’s announcement came after the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (Forum for National Awakening) and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (Indian Farmers Association) , two grassroots groups affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist outfit that supports the BJP, met environment minister Prakash Javdekar on Tuesday to reiterate their opposition to holding GM trials.

The groups expressed concern about the potentially unknown effects on health and biodiversity as well as about the longer-term prospect of putting food production in the hands of a few multinational companies. “If a country’s food production becomes overly dependent on seeds and other inputs from a handful of such companies, will it not compromise its food security?” said the Manch in a press statement.

The biotech industry responded with dismay to the news. Stocks of Monsanto India slipped. An association of leading biotech companies in India criticised the government’s decision as “anti-science, anti-domestic research recommendations which seem motivated to kill the biotechnology sector in India.” Field trials are necessary, proponents say, to test the efficacy of seeds in real-world conditions.

But the introduction of GM crops has always been controversial in India. Opposition ranges across political lines, and many states, worried about contamination, refuse to allow field trials within their borders. Bt cotton is the only commercially available GM crop in India.

via India puts GM crop trials on hold | Environment | The Guardian.

Regulations.gov – Importation of Fresh Blueberries from Morocco into the Continental United States

Spanish firm growing blueberries in desert in hot houses for export to US and Europe – Adds to carbon load on atmosphere since they must be flown to US – go figure!

Importation of Fresh Blueberries from Morocco into the Continental United States

This Rule document was issued by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

For related information, Open Docket Folder

Action

Final rule.

Summary

We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh blueberries from Morocco into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, the blueberries must be produced under a systems approach employing a combination of mitigation measures for two quarantine pests, Ceratitis capitata and Monilinia fructigena, and must be inspected prior to exportation from Morocco and found free of these pests. The blueberries may be imported in commercial consignments only and must be treated with one of two approved postharvest treatments to mitigate C. capitata. The blueberries will have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the conditions for importation have been met. This action will allow the importation of blueberries from Morocco while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests into the United States.

via Regulations.gov – Rule Document.

Thirty-five U.S. states report travel-related cases of chikungunya | Vaccine News Daily

Health officials in 35 states have reported a total of 284 cases of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus, according to recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

The total number of cases reported in U.S. and its territories has risen to 497, most of which are associated with travelers returning from the Caribbean and South America. Locally-transmitted cases have been reported in Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

According to the CDC, the number of cases will likely increase, thereby leading to additional local spread of the virus in the continental U.S. Between 2006 and 2013, an average of 28 people, all of whom were travelers returning from affected areas, tested positive for the virus.

Florida and New York have reported the most cases, followed by Tennessee, New Jersey, Rhode Island, California and Connecticut.

via Thirty-five U.S. states report travel-related cases of chikungunya | Vaccine News Daily.

Deja vu: EBOLA Fear Like Early Reactions to HIV/AIDS Liberia: ‘Greet Him From Distance’ – Phebe Doctor Face Ebola Stigma After Survival

Even though he is completely healthy, people are afraid to come near him or to have anything to do with him.

For example, Korkor arrived on the campus of Cuttington University Monday to ‘attend to personal issues’ but was kept at bay by friends, students and loved ones. ‘We want to hug our doctor but fear we would come in contact with the virus,’ one student told FrontPageAfrica. I will greet him from a distance.’

Another student only identified as Catherine told FrontPageAfrica: ‘I am happy doctor Korkor has returned but I am totally not convinced he is Ebola free. I will shake his hands after 21 days.’

That is the level of stigma that is lingering long after the virus has been purged from Korkor’s body. ‘Thanks to God, I am cured. But now I have a new disease: the stigmatization that I am a victim of,” Korkor was quoted by a local radio station in Gbarnga. ‘This disease (the stigma) is worse than the fever. I should have died, but I responded to care, which includes intensive hydration.’

Even though Korkor said he has been cleared of Ebola, he says that people avoid him. ‘Now, everywhere in my neighborhood, all the looks bore into me like I’m the plague,” he said. FrontPageAfrica reporter who trailed the Phebe doctor on Cuttington campus Monday observed that people left places when he showed up while friends, students and loved ones avoided his handshake or eat with him.

via allAfrica.com: Liberia: ‘Greet Him From Distance’ – Phebe Doctor Face Ebola Stigma After Survival.

First Ebola victim in Sierra Leone capital on the run | Reuters

Koroma, 32, a resident of the densely populated Wellington neighborhood, had been admitted to an isolation ward while blood samples were tested for the virus, Health ministry spokesman Sidi Yahya Tunis. The results came back on Thursday.

“The family of the patient stormed the hospital and forcefully removed her and took her away,” Tunis said. “We are searching for her.”

Fighting one of the world’s deadliest diseases is straining the region’s weak health systems, while a lack of information and suspicion of medical staff has led many to shun treatment.

DOZENS UNACCOUNTED FOR

Earlier this year, a man in Freetown tested positive for Ebola although he is believed to have caught it elsewhere.

According to health ministry data and officials, dozens of people confirmed by laboratory tests to have Ebola are now unaccounted for in Sierra Leone, where the majority of cases have been recorded in the country’s east.

via First Ebola victim in Sierra Leone capital on the run | Reuters.

Plants are talking and these sensors let us hear what they’re saying : TreeHugger

A group of Italian, British and Spanish researchers are working on developing a network of microsensors that can be embedded in plants, sending us information on how plants respond to changes in temperature, humidity, air pollution, chemicals and many other changes in their environment.

via Plants are talking and these sensors let us hear what they’re saying : TreeHugger.

I wish you bluebirds!

Bluebirds are bedazzling creatures. This website was developed as a resource for people interested in helping bluebirds and other native cavity-nesters survive and thrive. See the Site Map (index) or Pulldown (Jump) Menu for an alphabetical list of topics covered.

via Sialis Home – Helping Bluebirds and Other Small Cavity Nesters Survive and Thrive.

Eat Drink Better – Some things you really don’t want to know – plastic beads in toothpaste ands up in fish!

Over the years, microbeads have replaced traditional, biodegradable alternatives such as ground nut shells, and salt crystals.

The microbeads used in personal care products are mainly made of polyethylene (PE), but can be also be made of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and nylon. Where products are washed down the drain after use, microbeads flow through sewer systems around the world before making their way into rivers and canals and ultimately, straight into the seas and oceans, where they contribute to the plastic soup.

via Eat Drink Better | Healthy recipes, good food: sustainable eats for a healthy lifestyle!.

West Africa Ebola outbreak total tops 1,000 | CIDRAP

As 67 new Ebola virus disease (EVD) illnesses in Sierra Leone and Liberia pushed the outbreak total to 1,048 cases, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned about the risk of virus transmission from wildlife, especially fruit bats.

Along with new infections, 19 more deaths were reported in Sierra Leone and Liberia, raising the fatality count to 632, according to a Jul 19 update from the World Health Organization (WHO) that covers new cases reported from Jul 15 to Jul 17.

via West Africa Ebola outbreak total tops 1,000 | CIDRAP.