THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER
Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment
Fisherville, Ontario, Canada
Tel. 416 410-0432, Fax: 416 362-5231
Editorial: editor@gallonletter.ca
Subscriptions: subscriptions@gallonletter.ca
Vol. 12, No. 11, November 19, 2007
Honoured Reader Edition

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This is the honoured reader edition of the Gallon Environment Letter and is distributed at no charge: send a note with Add GL or Delete GL in the subject line to subscriptions@gallonletter.ca. Paid subscribers receive a more complete edition without subscription reminders and with extensive links to further information following almost every article. Organizational subscriptions are $184 plus GST and provide additional benefits detailed on the web site. Organizational subscribers also receive the monthly Sustainable Technology & Services Supplement. Individual subscriptions are only $30 (personal emails/funds only please) including GST. If you would like to subscribe please visit http://www.cialgroup.com/subscription.htm If you feel you should be receiving the paid subscriber edition or have other subscriber questions please contact us also at subscriptions@gallonletter.ca. This current free edition is posted on the web site about a week or so after its issue at http://www.cialgroup.com/whatsnew.htm. Back free editions from January 2007 are available at http://www.cialgroup.com/whatsnew-a.htm

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ABOUT THIS ISSUE 


Our seasonal chocolate survey comes back this season with a link to a reader survey that will help us plan the future direction of Gallon Environment Letter. Click on this linke [no longer active] to take the short survey or read more about the survey below and enter to win a pound of some excellent fair trade organic chocolate.

This issue features the Great Lakes, a environmental topic that in the 1990's was routinely on the front pages of our newspapers. Today we do not hear as much about the Great Lakes, and they are certainly not getting the attention from environmental groups and governments that they once did, but that does not mean that the problems are solved and, fortunately, working on the problems is being done. Our Great Lakes coverage highlights some of the current activities and some of the initiatives that are winning environmental support and environmental criticism.

We also include very appropriate Letters to the Editor from former York University Dean of Environmental Studies Dr. David Bell, from Michael Barkusky, and from Joseph Baker, the inaugural Independent Commissioner for the Environment in the Australian Capital Territory, in response to our environmental education feature. We love receiving your comments and updates.

Our Guest Column is entitled When Governments Greenwash [ed note: they don’t do that, do they?] and is from Wendy Priesnitz, Editor, Natural Life magazine. Peter Burstyn contributed to our Bookshelf feature by recommending several books including Cradle to Cradle by McDonough and Braungart. The Cradle to Cradle concept seems to be getting much more attention recently so the recommendation and reference is very timely. In our 30 second summary Prof. Bernard Drobenko of the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences at the University of Limoges sends a heads-up on his new (October 2007) book on Water Rights. Nominations for the Green Toronto Awards open soon, Dr. David Bell was one of the 2007 winners. Another book that might be great for Christmas giving, unfortunately not Canadian, is the Time coffee table magazine format book on Global Warming. Our review notes the wonderful illustrations.

We also report on a recent scientific report on Global Climate Change and Children’s Health, give you a brief biography of the latest environmental inductee into the Order of Canada, and explain how our federal government has redefined “now” to mean “next year”. By the way, the office of the Governor-General has told us that the reason there are not more environmental recipients of the Order of Canada is that very few are nominated. If you know of appropriately qualified candidates the nomination process is described at http://www.gg.ca/honours/nat-ord/oc/oc-info_e.asp

Organizational subscribers also receive the Sustainable Technology and Services Supplement with this issue.

In our next issue we will be announcing the 2007 Gallon Environment Letter EcoCouncillor award and the feature will be a series of articles on Green Electronics and the important environmental role being played by information technology. Meanwhile enjoy this issue, enter to win holiday chocolate, and keep those Letters to the Editor coming.
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ENERGY EFFICIENCY IS MOVING TOO SLOWLY

Last April the federal government announced its plan to ban inefficient incandescent light bulbs by 2012 but six months later no one is any the wiser on what will be banned and what will be encouraged. Visiting a hardware store recently, it was depressing to see that Christmas lights in a wide variety of horribly inefficient varieties are still prominent in end of aisle displays while the most efficient, those known as LEDs, are buried somewhere down the aisle where one still has to search through dozens of more prominently displayed incandescent strings.

Lighting is one of the easiest places for all Canadians, householders, businesses, industries, and governments, to save energy. Despite the realistic opportunity to do something worthwhile to reduce current greenhouse gas emissions by 2012, the Kyoto target year, we are not moving as quickly as we could. GL recognizes there are obstacles, such as the need to get enough energy efficient lightbulbs manufactured and the limitations imposed in some fixtures by the design of more efficient bulbs, but the fact is that the biggest obstacle is that government makes a single announcement and then forgets about the whole issue.

What we are suggesting is not necessarily regulation, though that may eventually be required, but leadership. Leadership does not require spending barrel loads of taxpayer money. Leadership means lighting the way, showing what can be done, and offering encouragement to those who do it. For example, government should specify that from now on only energy efficient lightbulbs will be used in government buildings. Ministers and government officials should be reimbursed for travel expenses only if they stay and eat in hotels and restaurants that have implemented energy efficiency programs. Companies wishing to do business with the government should be required to sign a declaration that they are implementing a lighting efficiency program in all of their operations. Homeowners should be eligible for energy efficiency grants only if they replace all of their lighting, except for specialty applications, with energy efficient bulbs. Most of all, at this season, we should applaud householders and commercial building managers who decorate with delicate and energy efficient LEDs rather than those who light up their usually modest palaces to look like Las Vegas.

Despite the promises from our federal and Ontario governments earlier this Spring, GL fully expects that the 2012 promised deadline for phase out of inefficient incandescent bulbs will not be met. Typically, a failure of government leadership will mean that the deadline is pushed off to some indeterminate point in the future while unnecessary waste of energy continues.

In the meantime we encourage all our readers to give the planet a merrier holiday season by cutting down holiday lighting displays and by replacing as many as possible of the lightbulbs for which they are responsible with more energy efficient types.

One of the most interesting initiatives that can replace holiday lighting is known as Light Up A Home For The Holidays, from the Calgary based Light Up The World Foundation. LUTW says: For this holiday season consider celebrating it with us in a very special way - by giving the gift of light and provide much needed lighting for a home in the developing world. Light up a home for the holidays! GL would add: instead of putting up your own holiday lights, spend the money by giving a bright LED lighting system to a family in a developing country.

There are close to two billion people in the world without access to electricity who rely on unsafe and unhealthy fuel-based lighting. With your contribution, this season you will be providing a solar powered solid state light installation in the developing world. You will not only be helping to light homes, you will be illuminating lives with the tremendous social benefits that reliable low cost lighting brings. Cottage industries emerge and bring greater revenues to a household – our studies show that reading and literacy improves by 50%. LUTW brings a wonderful solution to a debilitating problem in the developing world.

$200 will illuminate one home.
$800 will illuminate a health clinic.
$1000 will illuminate one community centre.
$2500 will illuminate one school.

Instead of spending money and adding to Canada’s greenhouse gas burden by lighting up your home or facility, this year be a part of someone’s brighter future and give the gift of light!

Colin Isaacs
Editor

As part of our disclosure policy, please note that Colin Isaacs is a volunteer member of the Board of Directors of Light Up The World Foundation. For more information about Light Up A Home For The Holidays, visit http://www.lutw.org/newsletter_holidays.htm
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OUR READER SURVEY AND GIFT OF CHOCOLATE

Regular readers will know that GL is developing something of a tradition of rewarding some lucky readers with a gift of chocolate at this time of year. This year we are also reviewing some questions around the length of each issue, frequency of publication, content, format, and subscription fees. So we linked the two together and all readers who help us by answering a short 11 question survey will be entered into a draw for one of three rewards of chocolate. It is unlikely to take you more than seven or eight minutes to complete the survey.

If you complete the survey by midnight EST on Friday November 30th your name will be entered into a draw for 1 lb. of fair trade organic chocolate which we will do our best to get to you in time for Christmas. There will be three winners. The chances of winning depend on the number of entries received. Your contact information is solely for the purpose of contacting you if you are one of the lucky winners and will not be used for any other purpose.

The link for the reader survey and organic chocolate draw survey is [link no longer active]

Thank you for your assistance and good luck! 
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GREAT LAKES
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ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK FOR THE GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT

The Great Lakes, a chain of lakes straddling the border between Canada and the United States, cover an area of almost 250,000 square kilometres and support a population of about 40 million people, 30% of Canada's population and 10% of the US population. Industrial, agricultural and population growth have put tremendous pressure on the Great Lakes ecosystem. About half of Canada's endangered species are found in the Great Lakes basin.

One of the key tools to address environmental threats to the Great Lakes is the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. First signed in 1971, this agreement between Canada and the US is a commitment to restore and protect the Great Lakes as well as the international section of the St. Lawrence River through which the Lakes drain. The GLWQA confirms the rights and obligations of the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty and is administered by a body with the unusual name of International Joint Commission. A 1978 revised GLWQA has been amended twice and is now again under review by the two governments. The two co-chairs of the IJC are Irene Brooks, Acting U.S. Section Chair, and Rt. Hon. Herb Gray, Canadian Section Chair.

In its 13th Bienniel Report, issued in December 2006, the International Joint Commission quoted Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee, "With this great blessing comes a great responsibility." The report says that the lake stewards have been good but not exemplary, "The Lakes' future is uncertain." Pollution has declined from decades ago but still continues with "toxic, human, animal and industrial wastes, as well as pharmaceuticals and airborne substances." Newer challenges are urban development, invasive species and climate change. As part of the review of the agreement, the IJC calls for greater binational commitment and acceleration of action to achieve objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, "The Commission thus recommends that the two governments create and apply an uncommonly strong Accountability Framework for Great Lakes’ restoration and protection."

Among the problems which complicate efforts to improve the Lakes are:
A core issue is inadequate funding in both the US and Canad to clean up contaminated sediments and the water and wastewater treatment systems. The IJC said "The best accountability frameworks specify measurable results, the actions to be taken, by whom and by when, how reporting back will occur and the consequences of inaction." GL notes that the report quotes from the Report of the Auditor General of Canada on modernizing accountability in the public sector.

Indicators Needed for Both Policy and Science

Another problem is that the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference, an exchange of information on environmental indicators of the condition of the Great Lakes and surrounding lands, is not useful for measuring progress of the Parties on the Agreement. Most of the 80 indicators are not relevant to the Agreement and many goals in the Agreement have no indicators. Lack of funding means that data collection on many of the indicators is inconsistent or non-existent. GL heartedly agrees with this criticism not only in relation to the Great Lakes but in regard to the dismal state of environmental reporting in Canada; it is almost as if there is a deliberate effort to make sure there is too little, uncomparable and outdated information so as not to raise public concern and so government and business can claim "there is no evidence of a problem." The IJC also complains that the SOLEC is mainly for science rather than for policy while assessment of progress on the GLWQA requires both.

Two of the GLWQA implementation tools are known as Remedial Action Plans (RAPS) and Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPS). In this context both governments committed to reporting on progress in implementing specific watershed management plans which would include programmes to control non-point sources of pollution and reporting on action and management plans biennially. For the past number of years, such reports have not been issued and LaMP reports have been updates on some sections of the plan but not the whole plan, "and as such, are not truly useful tools in assessing progress toward Agreement goals for lakewide restoration."

The IJC says indicators should fall into nine outcomes, fishability, swimmability, drinkability, healthy human populations, economic viability, biological community integrity and diversity, virtual elimination of inputs of persistent toxic substances, absence of excess phosphorus and physical environment integrity along with representative indicators and measurements. It recommends a framework which includes a plan assigning specific responsibilities to particular departments and agencies with a time frame and appropriate measures. No plan is in place.

The IJC also recommends that the two governments complete a preliminary discussion Framework for Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Accountability by June 2008 and that whatever happens in the review of the Agreement, a strong Accountability Framework be an inherent part of any new or revised Agreement.

Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.
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GEORGIAN BAY ASSOCIATION: GRASSROOTS FUNDING OF STUDY OF LAKE LEVELS

The Georgian Bay Association is a volunteer group of about 4,200 cottaging families concerned about threats to the ecology of Georgian Bay (part of Lake Huron), expanding to broader regional issues when these affect the Bay. As a result of its concern about low water levels in Georgian Bay, the organization commissioned engineer Rob Nairn of W. F. Baird & Associates Coastal Engineers Ltd in Oakville to evaluate man-made effects which may have led to low water levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron and drying out of wetlands in the Georgian Bay area. As a followup study in 2005-6, the firm concluded that, based on US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) data or bathymetrics which measures the underwater contour of the river bottom, there were areas of erosion in the deeper parts of the channel of the Upper St. Clair River in critical sections where flow velocities are highest. The erosion of the river bottom was found to be 32,000 cubic metres between 2002 and 2005 in a studied area of the river, an amount which could significantly increase flow rates in the river, especially if it is continuing over time. GBA calls this the "drain hole".

In the Fall issue of the GBA newsletter, GBA member and retired engineer, Bill Bialowski, talks about the news coverage. He suggests that the erosion, which could be from USACE dredging in the 1960s, or other possible reasons mentioned in the Baird report, is causing 2.5 billion more gallons of water each year to exit Lake Huron compared to 845 million gallons estimated by the first Baird report. Bialowski suggests that this means that water levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron will fall by 3 centimetres or 1.2 inches relative to Lake Erie every year until the problem is fixed. Lake Michigan and Huron act like one because they are joined via the 7 kilometre Straits of Mackinac. The lakes tend to cycle through high water and low water levels, with seasonal and yearly variations but the citizens have been persistent in insisting that this is different from one of those cyclical events but is rather a serious issue requiring mitigation measures.

Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.
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IMPACTS OF LOWER LEVELS IN THE GREAT LAKES

Lower water levels impact businesses such as :
Low water levels help to protect sensitive shorelines such as on Lake Superior but also open up contaminated areas, reduce the size of wetlands, eliminate breeding habitat for water birds and increase algae bloom harmful to wildlife.

The IJC has set up an Upper Lakes Study team which is to find out if the grassroots observation is supported by scientific evidence. (see next article). Low water levels may be due to climate change which affects evaporation, supply, rainfall to the lakes, water diversion, too much water consumption, dredging, and water level control operations.

Editors note: For those not so familiar with the Great Lakes, the following is a brief description of the system. The Great Lakes includes the five lakes Superior, Michigan (entirely within US territory), Huron, Erie, Ontario, and all their connecting channels, connected smaller lakes, and part of the St. Lawrence River. From a height of 183 metres above sea level in Lake Superior the level drops to 75 metres in Lake Ontario. Niagara Falls, the thundering spectacle which is said to be the biggest falls in the world by volume, provides 51 metres of the drop. The four upper lakes (Superior to Erie in the aforementioned list) contain almost one-fifth of the world's fresh water and all of the outflow from those lakes flows over Niagara Falls. The Welland Canal allows ships to bypass Niagara Falls. St. Mary's Falls Canal allows shipping to pass between Lake Huron and Lake Superior.
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FALLING LAKE LEVELS: CLIMATE CHANGE, NATURAL CYCLE OR MAN-MADE CHANGES

In December 2005 IJC initiated an Upper Lakes Plan of Study. The $17.5 million five-year Study began in the spring of 2007 with the overall objective of finding out why the water levels in the Upper Great Lakes are so low and whether physical changes in the St. Clair River are responsible. The mandate is to study the Upper Great Lakes system from Lake Superior downstream through Lake Erie to:
The two co-chairs of the study, Dr. Gene Stakhiv (US) and Ted Yuzyk (Canada) spoke on the release of an interim report on November 1 that the urgency of the low water level problem must be combined with scientific analysis before remedial action such as in the St. Clair River can be discussed. The interim report indicates on a preliminary basis that the 50 kilometres of the St. Clair River videotaped so far shows the river bed in the upper reaches of the river is stable and not eroding. The next study report is expected in April 2008 although additional findings will be released as research projects are concluded.

GL is uncertain that the parts of the river which were videotaped are the same as the parts of the river identified as problematic by Nairn (see above article).

Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.
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BUSH FAILS IN GREAT LAKES WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT VETO

On November 8, the US Senate voted by the required 2/3 vote to override the President's veto of the Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 1495). The bill authorizes the financing for both conservation and development of water and related resources. The vote was 79 Yeas, 14 Nays and 7 Not Voting. The House of Representatives also voted to override the veto on November 5 with greater than the 2/3 vote required. This is the first Congressional override to a Bush veto. The President has vetoed only five bills since taking office in 2001, a low number compared to many other presidents. For example, Bill Clinton vetoed 37 bills and was overridden on two. The White House said the President vetoed the Water Resources Development Bill because of too much pork-barrelling, a lack of fiscal discipline, and taking a bill from the House for $15 billion and from the Senate at $14 billion and coming out with authorization for $23 billion for over 900 projects when the backlog of the Army Corps of Engineers is $38 billion.

Over the history of the US, Congress has issued 106 (now 107) overrides, according to Senator Barbara Boxer. She focussed on the promise made to Louisiana to rebuild after Katrina and said, "One flick of the veto pen and the President turned his back on the people of the gulf coast."

The Water Resources Development Bill authorizes funding for water infrastructure, flood control, port access for imports and exports, restoration of the Everglades, and reform of the Army Corps of Engineers. Both environment and economy are highlighted. After some adjustment to match the House and Senate versions, the bill is law although projects have to be assessed before money is released.

Among the to-be-funded studies and projects relating to the Great Lakes are:
Canadian environmental companies should note that they are likely to be able to bid to assist on many of these projects.

Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.
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GREAT LAKES-ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY: HWY H2O

With the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, the Lakes expanded their long-standing role as transportation routes. The web site for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation states that:
The distance from the Atlantic ocean to Duluth Minnesota is 3,700 kilometers, 8.5 sailing days and 245,750 sq. km of navigable water. Channels are maintained at 8.2 metres minimum. The shipping vessels are of two types, lakers which are bulk carriers which stay in the Great Lake system and ocean-going vessels. Barge transport connects the Great Lakes through Chicago and the Illinois Waterway to the Mississippi River.

Commodities which predominate are iron ore for steel, coal for power and steel, limestone for construction and steel, grain to overseas, general cargo such as iron and steel products and heavy equipment and cement and salt for industry and municipalities. The system requires a wide range of labour and services including mariners, lock operators and longshoremen, agents for vessels and forwarding freight, shipyard workers, stevedores and terminal operators. Port officials, guards, railroad workers and terminal operators are also required.

Marketing Hwy H2O

The Hwy H20 concept is a marketing initiative designed to promote the Seaway/Great Lakes as an efficient environmentally friendly asset to the regional economy. An example of fuel efficiency is that a laker uses about 4.2 litres of fuel per metric ton per round trip.

However, there are also environmental issues to be dealt with under the Hwy H20 concept. For example, ocean ships are supposed to empty ballast water before entering the Seaway or declare ballast on board and follow procedures to ensure ballast water is not emptied into the Lakes, leaving behind invasive species. While dredging is necessary to provide access to ports and harbours, dredged material carries pollution. Decreasing the need for dredging decreases the problems of storing contaminated dredged material, for example controlling agricultural runoff or washing out of soil from urban development can reduce sediment accumulation.

An annual Hwy H2O conference is held to discuss both the economics and the environment of the Great Lakes/Seaway. The 2007 conference was held in Mississauga, Ontario near the Pearson International Airport November 7-8. Topics included
A booklet with for each the 2005 and 2006 conferences are also available from the web site.

Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.
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GREAT LAKES WATER COMPACT BANS/LIMITS DIVERSIONS

The Council of Great Lake Governors has a mandate to "To encourage and facilitate environmentally responsible economic growth through a cooperative effort between the public and private sectors among the eight Great Lakes States and with Ontario and Québec." On November 8 CGLG Chair, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, called on all presidential candidates to work with the Council in protecting the Great Lakes especially through greater federal support. A major initiative is the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact which prohibits large scale, long distance diversion of water and ensures sustainable use of Great Lakes Water. Minnesota and Illinois have ratified the Compact into law this year and other states are expected to follow suit into 2008. The Compact agreed to in December 2005 is only for the states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) and will be sent to Congress for approval. The website has a number of reports on the concept of compacts, interstate agreements which require Congressional approval if they might create such strong regional alliances that the supremacy of Congress could be overwhelmed. Sometimes Congress encourages such interstate cooperation. This Compact must be ratified by all the states and approved by Congress to come into force.

A companion agreement with the States and Provinces is similar but federal approval is not required in Canada. In June, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced that Ontario had implemented a law implementing the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement banning new or increased diversions of water from the Great Lakes with limited exceptions. Premier Jean Charest is taking further steps based on approval of the agreement by the Quebec National Assembly.

When Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the legislation, the press release stated that it made "the first state to formally ratify an interstate compact that will provide unprecedented protections for the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin."

Points in the agreements are:
Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.
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WWF CANADA LAUDS LAKE SUPERIOR MARINE CONSERVATION AREA PLAN

WWF Canada and its international global network supported an agreement between Canada and Ontario declaring one million hectares of western Lake Superior as Canada's National Marine Conservation Area. The concept has been discussed for the last decade among stakeholders including businesses such as commercial fishing, mining and local businesses. The ecotourism potential of Lake Superior is expected to benefit from the designation. The NMCA is linked to Lake Superior’s Isle Royal National Park, an island on the US side of the border which has a wolf population and an interior lake, and to Ontario-protected lands and waters such as the Nipigon River and Wabakimi Wilderness Park, both home to endangered woodland caribou. Protected areas such as the NMCA are important not only for biodiversity but also for protecting water quality and quantity. The NMCA would ban extraction, dumping, mining and oil and gas exploration.

GL hopes that the most recent announcement made by Prime Minister Harper in Nipigon, Ontario on October 25 will be more than an announcement as WWF already congratulated the federal and Ontario governments two years ago on November 23, 2005 when the two governments announced the signing of an Agreement in Principle after a decade of community effort to create a national marine conservation area NMCA in the north-western part of Lake Superior Then that WWF press release said the challenge is translating legislation and agreements into action.

Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.
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BP'S MODERNIZATION PLAN: A WAVE OF PROTEST ON THE GREAT LAKES

Exactly how to balance economic development with environmental protection is the big question being played out in the case of BP. The US may be desperate for oil refinery capacity but this did not stop what some journalists called a firestorm of protest when the Indiana Department of Environmental Management granted BP a permit in July to expand its refinery in Whiting, not far from Chicago, for processing Canadian crude oil. The US Environmental Protection Agency accepted the issuance of the permit. Despite, the facility manager Dan Sajkowski saying "Canadian heavy oil is critical to America's future energy security", public opposition is still active.

The company applied for and received a permit which allowed emissions of ammonia and suspended solids from its wastewater which critics say would lead to more pollution of Lake Michigan. As a result of the furor, BP America President Bob Malone in August committed to discharging the same levels as the old wastewater permit after 2011 rather than the new permit which allows for increases of 54% of ammonia and 35% of suspended solids. The promise not to use the allowance of the permit did not sit well with some who wanted the permit to disallow those emissions. The company is expected to make a decision by mid-2008 but recently Sajkowski said he didn't think the company could meet that promise, leaving open the idea that the project might not proceed. The permit is good for five years to 2012, a year after the proposed completion of the renovation. The $3.8 billion modernization through 2011 would process Canadian heavy crude oil and increase motor fuel production by 1.7 million gallons a day.

BP applied for a refinery air permit on November 1 and proposed to lower allowed emissions of some air pollutants after 2011. Currently the refinery uses 30% Canadian crude but after the changes plans to process 90%. Some air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and particulates would increase after 2011 but would be below currently allowed levels. The company press release states that $1.4 billion of the program would be environmental improvement such as more modern technology for emission controls. The emission reductions will also be achieved by applying credits obtained previous pollution control such as lowering sulphur fuel gas from oil-burning boilers. Credits are given to encourage industry to modernize facilities.

Indiana Governor

Taking the murmurings of BP to reconsider its options as a threat to the economic well-being of the state, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels was unhappy that opposition came from other politicians such as a resolution from the US House, mayors of cities on the Great Lakes and other governors; he suggested they allow much more pollution into the Great Lakes than his state has allowed for this project. But some of the lawmakers talk of the large amounts of money being spent to cleanup the lakes as good enough reason to speak against the permitting. Canadians also expressed dismay at the permit. Ellen Anderson, Mayor of the small town of Blue Mountain on the shores of Georgian Bay in Ontario wrote to express strong opposition. "The issue comes as the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, an initiative aimed to help mayors and other local officials develop and advocate programs to improve the resource, wrapped up its annual meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ...Our water is a precious resource and now is the time to ensure that we effectively steward for its conservation and protection. The health of the watershed and its community residents is of utmost concern to me.” Mayor Anderson is a Director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

In August Governor Daniels appointed James Barnes, a former Indiana University dean of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, to review federal and states laws relating to water and the Great Lakes, how the state approved the BP permit and what effect BP's increased discharge would have on Lake Michigan. Barnes, not surprisingly, found the process sufficiently complex he has not yet completed his report.

Indiana Department of Environmental Management

The Commissioner of IDEM wrote a letter posted on the web site July 20 which states that:
GL thinks that although BP is getting most of the flack for this, one of the issues has to do with permitting by government; despite our so-called water protection legislation, we are still allowing too much pollution into our lakes and waterways while failing to deal with the historic contamination. As a company which has positioned itself as a green energy company, BP has a lost some credibility in the last couple of years at least in the US ( e.g see GL STSS Vol. 10, No. 21, November 30, 2005 Urgent Recommendations for BP). One credit on BP's side is that it seems to be trying to continue communication by maintaining its web site with factsheets and other information and talking to the press; while the message may overemphasize the facility expansion as key to national energy security and economic development, the channels are open.

Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.
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HAMILTON HARBOUR RAP

On November 9th, after twenty years of lobbying, Canada’s government announced a $30 million contribution to help cap one of the most contaminated underwater sites on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, an area of contaminated sediment in Hamilton Harbour known as Randle Reef. GL prefers to reports on action, not more political promises, so we will provide more information on Randle Reef once things get going, apparently expected to be in 2009.
 
GL points readers to the federal government’s Randle Reef website that, at the time of our publication, reports that “It is expected that the project may be initiated by late 2004".

Government of Canada. Randle Reef. Contaminated Sediment Remediation Project Scoping Document. http://sustainabilityfund.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=055C9EE4-1
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GREAT LAKES UNITED: LIMITED ENDORSEMENT OF GREEN MARINE

Great Lakes United is a binational coalition of environmental groups, labour, cottagers, academics, and others working to ensure the long-term health of the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River ecosystem and the communities that it supports.

In a letter to Marc Gagnon, Director General St. Lawrence Economic Development Council (SODES), Jennifer Nalbone, Invasive Species and Navigation, Campaign Director, Great Lakes United, congratulated him on the release of the Green Marine Environmental Program and expressed the NGO's support for the voluntary initiative by the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes maritime industry (see STSS article for more details). Great Lakes United serves as an environmental advisor to Green Marine and hopes that the program will commit to regular and accurate reporting of progress to meet the program's measurable goals. GLU doesn't support the Green Marine objective to "increase understanding ...of the environmental advantages of marine transportation" especially because the introduction of aquatic invasive species from ballast water due to "woefully inadequate" regulations by the federal government. GLU does not want its name used anywhere where the context promotes marine transportation as sustainable or the "most environmentally friendly mode of transport".

 

Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

            Re: Environmental Education GL V12 N10

Dear Colin,

Thanks you for all the good work you do with GL and in particular for the recent issue on EE.

I wanted to draw your attention to the fact that this is the UN Decade for ESD (not EE please note) and that there is a great deal of activity going on across the country, much of it coordinated by Learning for a Sustainable Future (www.lsf-lst.ca). Information on the UNESD activities provincially and nationally can be obtained from the LSF website.

I hope in a future issue you may be able to spotlight some of that work, and that you might also consider becoming actively involved in the work of EASO or NESDEC (beyond of course the contribution you already make to ESD by pubishing such a thoughtful, comprehensive compendium.)

Best regards

David Bell, Chair, LSF
Co-Chair, EASO and NESDEC
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            Re: Environmental Education GL V12 N10

Is anyone at all at the 'official level" beginning to see the links between political, economic and ecological literacy?

As one who is concurrently an economist (by education, and habits of thought) an accountant (by other education and training, and by day-to-day vocation) and an environmental activist (by conviction and passion), I run into widespread illiteracy in all three areas, and gross illiteracy in areas in which economic policy, personal finance and the need to protect the ecological integrity of the world intersect.

This is not because nobody knows anything about the intersection of these areas of knowledge. There is plenty available - but official thinking in Ministries of Education, and most Colleges and Universities is way behind the current state of the art.

Best Regards

Michael Barkusky
(practising public accountant (CGA) and secretary Treasurer of the Canadian Society for Ecological Economics (CANSEE) )
[but writing in my personal capacity not on behalf of CANSEE and not on behalf of any CGA association]
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            Re: Public Education Linked to Other Environmental Information GL V12 N10

This is a very interesting edition of the Gallon Environment Letter. I was the inaugural Independent Commissioner for the Environment in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) from 1993 to 2004 and negotiated with the ACT Government that we would produce one State of the Environment Report (SOER) in the life of each Government - originally 3 years, now 4 years; make Recommendations in each SOER, as to what actions were necessary to improve the Environment, and that the Government would respond to those recommendations within 40 sitting days of the Assembly (Parliament). In those years when a SOER was not produced, the Government was required to present me as Commissioner, with a report on progress that year on actions relevant to each recommendation, and that report, plus my evaluation of progress, became part of each of my Annual Reports, which were available to the Public and especially to the Media. The combination of Recommendations, Government responses to the recommendations, annual progress reports, and public availability of those recommendations and reports, gave us a powerful tool to measure environmental performance of Government and of industry and commerce.
Best wishes for ongoing success, Joe
Joseph Baker, Australia
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GUEST COLUMN
When Governments Greenwash by Wendy Priesnitz, Editor Natural Life

Consumers appear to be wary of companies who label their products as being "green," says a recent Ipsos Reid study conducted this Spring on behalf of Icynene, a spray foam insulation brand. Between 60 and 70 percent of North Americans either "strongly" or "somewhat" agree that calling a product "green" is usually just a marketing tactic.

I think there is a message to governments in this finding that a significant percentage of people view green labeling as little more than a marketing tactic. In this hyper-frenzied era of greenupmanship, political leaders everywhere have jumped onto the green bandwagon, sensing they would experience death at the polls if they didn't.

And so we have George W. Bush's Clear Skies Act and its carbon intensity-based "fix" for global warming. Sounds green, except that measuring the ratio of carbon emissions to economic activity doesn't actually reduce carbon emissions. According to the Earth Policy Institute, from 1990 to 2000 the carbon intensity of the American economy declined by 17 percent, yet total emissions increased by 14 percent. Of course, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has eagerly followed Bush in championing this sham so he doesn't have to upset his Alberta oil tar sands buddies with real caps on emissions.

But he has taken the greenwash act much further, proclaiming himself the greenest of them all and vowing his government is concerned about climate change. Awhile back, at an international climate change meeting, he even had the audacity to suggest that the world should follow Canada's example. Maybe we were supposed to be so blinded by that dazzling presentation we wouldn't notice as he slashed spending on various environmental programs. For instance, this fall, he virtually gutted the Environment Canada's Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network. EMAN is a partnership of over 600 organizations and individuals who undertake ecological monitoring with the help of a volunteer network of "citizen scientists" - schools, community groups, individuals, naturalists, backyard enthusiasts, Scouts and Guides - who collect information about things like soil, air, water, wildflowers, frogs, ice and worms, which is then analyzed by scientists in order to track the influence of climate change. (We published an article describing these programs in Natural Life's May/June, 2005 issue.) The cuts were reportedly due to budget problems. Trouble is, around the same time, the government announced a budget surplus of $15 billion and hinted at tax cuts. I am betting that the thousands of community volunteers involved with the programs coordinated by EMAN will smell something foul here...and that they won't take this scandalous blow to climate change monitoring lying down.

Politicians should be wary of painting themselves green while ignoring the real issues and cutting environment programs behind the public's back. We know green when we see it. And, according to that Ipsos Reid poll, we recognize greenwash when we smell it.

The above was the editorial for the November-December issue of Natural Life, a magazine about sustainable healthy living. Subscription in Canada for six issues $27 plus tax 508-264 Queen's Quay W Toronto ON M5J 1B5 tel 416 260-0303 International and US rates also available. info..@..NaturalLifeMagazine.com [delete.. in the email to use] http://www.NaturalLifeMagazine.com for info or online subscription.
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THE BOOKSHELF

Do you have a favourite or inspirational environment book (fiction or non-fiction) or magazine or have you written a book, report or article you would like to draw attention to? It can be electronic or hard copy. Let us know what it is and in 50 words or less why it appeals to you from an environmental point of view and a few words on who you are. We'll select one for printing in each issue over time in the next year or so. Send email to editor@gallonletter.ca with subject line: Fav Env Book.

There is usually only one book but GL admires enthusiasm: this Bookshelf item written and recommended by:

Peter Bursztyn,
Barrie <bursztyn..@..infinity.net> [to send delete .. ]

As well as these three, I also look forward to reading "Cradle to Cradle" by McDonough and Braungart, North Point Press, 2002. Curiously, they chose to have this printed on "paperless paper", a wholly synthetic paper-like substances which can be endlessly recycled into more synthetic paper-like . . . Waterproof, it can be read at the beach or in the bath without fear. Presumably it shrugs off coffee and pizza too!
In the meantime, here are several books bearing on the Environment.
1. "The Emperor's New Hydrogen Economy" by Darryl McMahon, iUniverse Inc., 2006.
Darryl effectively demolishes the myth that hydrogen "fuel" will ever be the miraculous "cure" for our petroleum addiction. On the way, he makes some practical suggestions on what we can do to lessen this dependence.
2. "AK-47" by Larry Kahaner, John Wiley & Sons, 2007
This is the "Anti-Environment" book to beat them all. It charts the history of the AK-47 submachine gun and the devastation is has wrought everywhere - not least to American forces who learned to their cost that this weapon penetrated their armour, forcing them to improve this. Highly readable it vividly illustrates how "The Environment" cannot be on the radar screen of any country with an insurgency.
3. "Master Mind: the Rise & Fall of Fritz Haber, the Nobel Laureate who Launched the Age of Chemical Warfare" by Daniel Charles, Harper Collins, 2005.
Fritz Haber invented the Haber process for "fixing" atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia. Early on in the book the significance of this invention for feeding the planet is made. The huge energy cost of this process is also detailed, raising the question of whether we could hope to feed our present world population of 6.5 billion without Haber's process. We are also made aware of the importance of natural gas in this process in the USA, and of the resultant carbon emissions. I found the book almost impossible to put down.
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30-SECOND SUMMARY

Prof. Bernard Drobenko sends a heads-up on his new book written in French, released in October 2007 on water rights. He is at the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences at the University of Limoges in France. Concerns about water are related to both quantitative (too much due to flood or too little due to drought) and quality (environmental effects and potability). Water is limited in supply and non-renewable. Issues are complex but the book explores the law on water, the status of water, the actors, instruments of water management, control and sanctions to protect water, financing and taxation, litigation emerging international, regional and national frameworks to the right to water. Drobenko is one of the 100 university teachers and scientists who signed the European Declaration for a New Water Culture in 2004 which promoted sustainable water management at the European level through the Water Framework Directive and at the world level.

DROIT de l'EAU - Editions Gualino Editeurs Associés octobre 2007.
http://www.decitre.fr/livres/Droit-de-l-eau.aspx/9782297000482

European Declaration for a New Water Culture. Web Site. http://www.unizar.es/fnca/euwater/index2.php?x=3&idioma=en
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GREEN TORONTO AWARDS

David Bell (see Letters to the Editor) was in 2007 awarded the Green Toronto Leadership which recognizes "effort that goes above and beyond the norm...[and] a track record of excellence in their contribution to the state of the city's environment. He is former Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University and has served on environmental boards and task forces including as mentioned in his letter, Chair of the Board of Directors of Learning for a Sustainable Future.

The annual awards have ten categories many of them sponsored by corporations and organizations including Community Project (Loblaw), Energy Conservation (AutoShare), Environmental Awareness (Toronto Hydro), Green Design (Enbridge Gas Distribution), Green Roof (Clean Water Foundation), Health (Genuine Health), Leadership (Toronto Community Foundation), Market Transformation (Bullfrog Power), Water Efficiency (Toronto Water) and Youth (TD Bank Financial Group). And the tenth award is the Bob Hunter Environmental Achievement Award named in honour of the late Bob Hunter for agencies or special purpose boards of the City of Toronto. Nominations for next year open January 1, 2008 closing February 29. The ceremony will be held May 7, 2008 at Toronto City Hall.

Green Toronto Awards. About the awards. http://www.toronto.ca/greentorontoawards/about.htm
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TIME COFFEE TABLE MAG-BOOK: GLOBAL WARMING

Who says that environmental books can't be beautiful. The Time Global Warming magazine-format book is a beauty of glossy photos and a good explanation of what the issue of global warming is all about although some would argue that by avoiding the politics of climate change, the book might have missed the main point. Instead the emphasis is on an overview of the science, the symptoms, the potential effects, the work being done, some personal actions people can take as individuals as well as a bigger approach to solutions. Except for the back cover which is an ad by HP on how the company is developing power-saving features on computers, the book is ad-free. The book is printed on Stora Enso ArborWeb 80# Gloss which are environmentally friendly papers with 30% postconsumer recycled content and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. GL thinks if we are going to use up glossy paper, this book is a good way to do it.

 

Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION: A BABY STEP FORWARD

Global climate change is a children's health issue and the American Academy of Pediatrics has developed a policy statement as well as a technical report which concludes that, "Pediatric health care professionals are in an ideal position to advocate for action, not only to address climate change but also, more broadly, to ensure sustainability." Children are identified as a "particularly vulnerable group that is likely to suffer disproportionately from both direct and indirect adverse health effects of climate change." Specific health effects are discussed including:
Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST RECOGNIZED BY GOVERNOR GENERAL

Louis Fortier of Quebec City, Quebec was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his work on climate change in the Arctic. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Polar Marine Ecosystems at Laval University and is scientific director of ArcticNet, one of Canada's network of Centres of Excellence that, together with Inuit organizations, northern communities, government agencies and the private sector examines the impact of climate change in Canada's Arctic. He is in charge of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen, a heavy icebreaker retrofitted into a state-of-the-art Arctic science vessel in 2003. Funding was $27.6 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and $3 million from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Canadian-led the research on Arctic ecosystems is part of an international consortium committed to use the Amundsen, which is the property of Canada and crewed by Coast Guard employees, from May to October for ten years.

Fortier, a professor at Laval University, is one of those scientists able to speak passionately and clearly about the meaning of climate change. With the Nobel Peace Prize leading in honouring environmental achievements (Al Gore and Wangari Maathai), GL hopes that Canada's highest honour will continue to feature the important contribution made by those who work in environmental protection. The recognition often gives honourees more chances to talk about what is being done.

Paid subscribers see links to original documents and references here.
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NOW MEANS NEXT YEAR, MAYBE

In a masterful illustration of how to make a news story out of inaction, Federal Environment Minister John Baird recently issued a press release in which he was quoted as saying "The Government of Canada is taking action now to cut water pollution by setting hard and tough new national standards for sewage treatment". Later the press release explained that "the proposed regulations are to be published next year ".
 
GL asks Minister Baird: How soon is now? 

Government of Canada Takes Action to Combat Dumping of Raw Sewage and Upgrade Sewage Treatment, Ottawa , September 24, 2007 http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=714D9AAE-1&news=FA83843D-2731-4CA1-8750-C75F380B572A
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THIS SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY & SERVICES SUPPLEMENT
 
With this issue our organizational subscribers receive our Sustainable Technology and Services Supplement with articles entitled:
Great Lakes Shipping Makes Green Promises
Clothing Company: Green Giant
Winners and Losers in the Corporate Greening Race
CME Environmental Technology Award
The Little Car That Can - Be Sold in Canada
CCME Pollution Prevention Awards
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