Environment Memo

We are starting to drill down now into the NY State draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on permits for drilling in the Marcellus shale.  The environmental consequences of this drilling are of concern to many, such that it is important to investigate both the legal/regulatory and the technical aspects of this permitting process. For [...]

There’s a new research report in Environmental Health Perspectives, entitled “Oseltamivir Carboxylate – the Active Metabolite of Oseltamivir Phosphate (Tamiflu), Detected in Sewage Discharge and River Water in Japan.” One problem pointed out in the paper is that the metabolite’s presence in warm sewage discharge waters, where birds ten to flock, could help foster development [...]

Wired Magazine has an interesting story about a Soviet-era doomsday device that is apparently still active.  As reported there, the system was to guarantee an automatic Soviet response to an American nuclear strike. The system, called Perimeter (and also known as Dead Hand in Russian), is not widely publicized, due in part to the Russian [...]

As stated previously, these posts on environmental permitting have broad applicability.  In the present instance we are beginning a deep dive into a major permitting issue, that of drilling in the Marcellus shale.  The NY state’s Department of Environmental Conservation has released a draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on permits for drilling there, and comments [...]

I’ve pointed out in a previous post some of the reasons why environmental permitting processes include public comments (and public hearings).  It is important to understand a lot more about commenting on documents such as the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement developed by NY State for permitting drilling activities in the Marcellus Shale (the [...]

Green Grok, has a post about the carbon dioxide in champagne and soda that’s a  good read, but misses the party on at least one important issue. Grok points out that carbon dioxide in champagne and soda, whether generated internally or injected artificially, is probably not an issue with respect to global warming.  He notes, [...]

The World Toilet Expo is coming to Singapore this December.  As they point out: There are an estimated 2.5 billion people who remain without proper sanitation facilities worldwide. This translates to an unprecedented demand for over 500 million new household sanitation systems, as well as sanitation facilities in schools, religious buildings, marketplaces, transport centres and [...]

It’s hard to resist noting the recent discussion of the economy by Bill Gross, the famous bond investor, called  “Doo Doo Economics” at his firm Pimco’s website. Gross compares picking up after one’s dog to what is happening in places like California, economically and metaphorically speaking.  He points out how California’s  education system has apparently [...]

I’ve been promising to provide  some insight on what public comments and public hearings are for.  While these ideas are  aimed for the present at the shale-watchers out there,  they have broad applicability to many environmental issues, especially those involving permits. First, why do they “allow” public comments?  One simple (but not trite) answer is: [...]

As stated on the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation’s website: The Department has released the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement for horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing to develop the Marcellus Shale. As most shale-watchers out there know, there’s a public comment period on this puppy, which ends November 30. At this stage, [...]