Larry's Environmental Issues Blog

Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is fond of citing both her energy expertise and her love for the environment, but the longer Palin is on the national stage the more we learn about her troubling, and in some cases disastrous, environmental record. And the more we discover how often her support for polluting industries and energy producers trumps her environmental concerns—even when it means placing the health of children and the general public at serious risk. Read more...

Here’s some election news that is both encouraging and troubling.

The good people of Minnesota are leaning heavily toward passing a constitutional amendment that would authorize a statewide sales-tax increase to provide more money for the environment and the arts, according to a telephone poll of likely voters commissioned by the Star Tribune newspaper.

Fifty-nine percent said they planned to vote for the amendment, and 32 percent said they would vote no. Support for the amendment came from all age, income and gender groups, and was also favored by both urban and rural voters.

Despite strong support for the amendment, however, very few Minnesota voters really know what it would do. Read more...

What's so smart about Smart Cars? Sure, their small size (at first glance, they seem to be no bigger than a large roller skate) makes them easy to maneuver in and out of city traffic, and you can park them almost anywhere, but does their small profile translate into big savings on fuel? And what about safety? Can a car the size of your shoe keep you safe on the road?

Learn more about Smart Car safety and fuel economy, and whether they're worth the sticker price, by clicking on the link and reading the article.

_{Photo courtesy of Spike55151/Flickr}

Faced with the threat of a presidential veto that would have shut down the federal government in the midst of an economic crisis, congressional Democrats reluctantly agreed to allow the offshore drilling ban to expire on September 30.

Renewal of the 26-year-old offshore drilling ban was included in the stopgap funding bill that is needed to keep the government afloat financially until a new president and Congress can take office and make a number of major spending decisions. President Bush had threatened to veto the bill unless any restrictions on offshore drilling were removed.

Now that the offshore drilling ban is set to expire, and the Republicans’ mantra of “drill, drill, drill” is another step closer to reality, there are still important questions that remain unanswered:

• What will happen when the offshore drilling ban expires?
• What effect will the loss of the offshore drilling ban have on the environment and the economy?
• What chance will there be of reinstating the offshore drilling ban when the next Congress convenes and a new president occupies the White House?

  Finding strategic solutions that will enable the United States to strengthen its economy and meet its energy needs without causing irreparable harm to the environment is one of the most important challenges facing the nation and its leaders today. Removing the offshore drilling ban and opening America's coastal waters to oil and gas exploration raises more questions than it answers.

In a year when every presidential candidate is talking almost daily about energy and the environment, and staking out positions on issues such as global warming, offshore drilling and nuclear energy, you might assume that many voters would be deciding how to cast their ballots based on how the candidates plan to address those issues once they become president. According to a recent Gallup Poll, you would be wrong.

Read more...

Bisphenol A (BPA), the controversial chemical that is in many everyday products such as plastic baby bottles and the plastic liniing in most food and beverage cans, was in the news again this week. New research shows an increased incidence of heart disease, diabetes and liver abnormalities in adults with higher levels of exposure to BPA, and earlier studies have found evidence that BPA disrupts children's brain and hormone development.

BPA is so widely used that avoiding it altogether may be impossible, but if you're worried about the potentially harmful effects of BPA on you and your family there are things you can do to lower your exposure to BPA and reduce your risks of serious health problems.

With global warming redefining the environmental, political and economic landscape these days, people everywhere are seeking a better understanding of how much their everyday decisions contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Online calculators can help you measure the size of your carbon footprint and provide recommendations for things you can do to reduce it. Learn how to calculate and reduce your carbon footprint, starting today.
_{Photo courtesy of Getty Images}

The City of San Antonio, Texas, has just struck a deal with a private energy services firm that will make it the first U.S. city to convert human waste into energy that can heat homes and fuel the power plants that provide electricity. Once the project is fully operational, more than 90 percent of the liquid and solid waste that San Antonio residents now flush and drain away will be recycled, and the city will earn a quarter million dollars per year in the process.

As Hurricane Ike pounds toward the Gulf Coast of Texas, gasoline prices are surging along with seawater. Wholesale gasoline prices have already soared to nearly $5.00 per gallon, and retail prices are beginning to spike in many parts of the country. One station in South Carolina this morning is selling regular gasoline for $5.23 per gallon. Many other stations are reporting shortages and closing down their pumps.

The reason for all of this high-priced anxiety is that Texas oil refineries supply a significant percentage of the gasoline Americans use every day. There are 24 oil refineries in Texas, including the nation’s largest, and many of them are directly in the path of Hurricane Ike. For safety, the refineries have shut down their operations, taking millions of barrels of gasoline offline at least until the storm has passed.

Officials are predicting Hurricane Ike will bring a wall of seawater 20-25 feet high, which could devastate the city of Galveston and cause significant damage as far inland as Houston. That much seawater could also flood several refineries, threatening storage tanks and pipelines, and wiping out the electrical power the refineries need to operate. Similar flooding during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 kept some oil refineries out of operation for as much as six to nine months after the hurricane was over.

The current interruption in the flow of gasoline from the Texas refineries, combined with fears about future shortages if the refineries are severely damaged and unable to operate for weeks or months after Hurricane Ike has run its course, is why prices are rising so quickly today. In the days ahead, prices are likely to rise even higher, and gasoline shortages may become a part of daily life for awhile.

Also Read:

• Hurricane Ike: Gas Prices Jump -- U.S. Politics at About.com
• What Causes Hurricanes?
• How Hurricanes Threaten Offshore Drilling and the Environment
• Election 2008: Where the Presidential Candidates Stand on Offshore Drilling

When John McCain accepted the Republican nomination for president last night [September 4, 2008], he talked about education and the economy, about terrorism and taxes, about knowing who he works for and what he plans to fight for once he becomes president.

McCain paid little attention to the environment during his acceptance speech (even though he claims it is one of his top campaign priorities), except for one vague allusion to restoring “the health of our planet” that he offered as a kind of afterthought near the end of the energy independence section. He also skipped any reference to climate change or global warming.

Read more...