Josh Mogerman's Blog: Curbing Pollution

They Came from the Canal!: Asian carp brilliance in the form of a U of C poster

2010-04-24T21:29:09Z

As the entire Great Lakes region awaits a final answer as to whether the U.S. Supreme Court will engage in the ongoing Asian carp crisis, there was some much needed levity interjected in the public debate this week from, of all places, the University of Chicago.

It was love at first sight the moment I spied the blood-red letters of “They came from the canal” screaming from the top of the U of C’s Earth Week poster in faux-classic horror movie style. Having spent so much time on the Asian carp issue, I was totally hooked by the mock hysteria evoked by the gloomy graphics and a pitchfork-wielding bighead carp. Completely brilliant. I had to have one.

So I started making calls. First to the University Press Office. Then to their Sustainability Office where I chatted with director Ilsa Flanagan about the image which had been emblazoned on posters and T-shirts all over the South Side campus. After fawning over the illustration a bit, we talked about what had motivated such an engaging graphical treatment of water pollution:

“We wanted it to be fun. Environmentalism can be all gloom and doom…and sometimes our students too…”

…And that’s certainly true. Admittedly, we greenies can be at times…un-fun. And, U of C is not exactly considered a party school…

“We were looking to engage in a different way. The hysteria over the carp, while hundreds of other invasive species threaten the Great Lakes, can sometimes feel like one of those 1950’s movies…”

And that’s the kernel that drove designer Tom Tian, a fourth year poli-sci student at University of Chicago (he is also a cartoonist and former Managing Editor for the University’s newspaper, The Maroon). Since the office of Sustainability didn’t seem to have any posters or T-shirts, I went straight to the source. He couldn’t help me either…but he was good-natured enough to answer an avalanche of email questions about his inspiration for the image (Creature from the Black Lagoon), whether he was scared of the carp invasion (“No red-blooded man should be terrified of Asian carp, or fish of any variety, for that matter.”), and whether he had tasted one of the fish given all the “eat ‘em all” stories in the news of late (originally from Beijing, he has tasted other carp species which are popular “and delicious” throughout Asia, but no silver or bighead carp have hit his dinner plate).

So, why am I making such a big deal about this? Well, aside from being seriously cool and pretty funny, the design does two things:

It creates a highly engaging visual image of water pollution. The carp sucks you in, but it points to broader issues of water quality and waste. This is extremely valuable because, short of oil slicks and acid-bubbling streams, water pollution is not very visual and extremely un-sexy (the NY Times' excellent Toxic Water series aside). And it is an issue of every-growing importance will be vexing us more as the scarcity that experts have been predicting for some time begins to kick in…

It highlights the broader importance of the whole Asian carp issue. Whatever happens, the extreme danger from invasive species and the less obvious issues of crumbling infrastructure are now very firmly in the public’s consciousness. And I think we will see some very positive results to these issues in the future. Frankly, that is largely because of the engaging nature of Asian carp---summarized nicely in this poster.

I’ll continue to hassle the U of C people until I can get my hands on some of their carp swag. A big poster would look great in NRDC Chicago’s sunny offices, which sadly lack much artwork on the walls… But more importantly, I will pat them on the back for a brilliantly engaging execution that could help get folks involved down the line.

Of Sinkholes and Zombies: Tar sands pipeline projects are a looming horror story

2009-06-19T21:00:00Z

"They're coming to get you Barbara..."

Those are some of the last words we hear from an unfortunate victim early in "Night of the Living Dead." With creeping doom and danger sprouting up all around them, a pair of siblings finds themselves in the worst possible place---visiting the cemetery just as hungry zombies are emerging from the grave. They don't realize there is a problem until it is too late---as the mocking brother loses a chunk of his neck to the shambling undead.

There's something similar happening here in the Midwest.

Our energy sector is introducing a slow underground menace that most will not catch onto until it is too late. Bitumen. The climate changing quasi-oil mined from Canada's tar sands. I've railed about the global warming dangers of the refining of bitumen, the environmental impact of digging this stuff out of Canada's boreal forest, and the unique threat that the refineries themselves pose to what is arguably the most important natural resource this nation has in the Great Lakes...

And as refineries are retooled to process the Alberta's tarry gunk, a growing web of pipelines is sprouting up to feed them. And those pipelines come with their own set of dangers for which we are blissfully unaware.

The Canadian Consulate in Chicago, which seems to have become a 24/7 shop for marketing tar sands to Midwesterners, has been busy promoting some Enbridge Pipeline projects in the region to extend tar sands oil deeper and deeper into the Midwest and eventually the Gulf Coast. They've taken the road show to Central Illinois to convince resistant landowners that they should give the pipelines right of way through their lands. The landowners are wise to hold out.

Just take a look at the recent ruling in Wisconsin where Enbridge was fined $1.1 million for environmental infractions that, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, disrupted and degraded forests and wetlands across 14 counties.

Even better, check out this NTSB report about a 2003 Enbridge spill in Minnesota. The pipeline burst, dumping a quarter million gallons of tar sands oil in less than 15 minutes. To contain the problem before it leached into the Mississippi, officials were forced to set the spill on fire---creating a sulfur-rific black cloud a mile high and five miles wide (photo from the report below). Yum. Folks who have noted that the current Enbridge project will pass near streams and drinking water sources should take heed... And so should state regulators and local governments who are supposed to protect the public health and safety. The land owners through whose property Enbridge proposes to pipe tar sands should not be the only ones to ask the right questions about Enbridge's risky business.

Currently, an even bigger tar sands pipeline project is getting a lot of attention. A coalition of landowners, steelworkers, and enviros expressed their concerns about the massive Keystone Pipeline this week. It crosses six states on its way to the Wood River refinery (which sits literally at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers). Given the news about the project's progress, those folks are right to be concerned. It turns out that there are sinkholes opening up all around sections of the pipeline in the Dakotas where it was drilled through unstable, sandy soil. Oops, those are 30 or 40' deep sink holes that are swallowing trees whole...

The problem is growing, just like those sink holes. With the Canadians attempting to increase tar sand production five fold in the coming years, more pipeline projects are coming our way. And more holes being chomped out of the landscape and climate, just like the guy's neck in the movie.

"They're coming to get you Barbara..."

Hoosier Regulator? Feds and local governments wonder just what is going on in Indiana…

2009-01-23T22:50:04Z

There has been an eerie silence in Indiana as two branches of state government have steadily whittled public protections down to the nub in recent weeks. That is a frightening prospect in a state that contains one of the country's most polluted regions---but until recently, the Hoosier media has been oddly quiet about a steady assault on the state's environmental laws and regulators.

But this week, there are sudden signs of life with the US EPA and local officials joining a growing chorus of concern. Thankfully, the Gary Post-Tribune has chronicled the onslaught kicked off by Governor Daniels in December when he began taking a hatchet to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). After weeks of hacking, here are some of the programs that have been discarded:

Local air quality monitoring. Local air pollution monitoring contracts were dumped. An editorial in the Gary Post-Tribune, a paper plunked in the midst of some of the most polluted air in the country noted that, "The end of the contracts doesn't just mean a lack of local monitoring. It means less monitoring, period." And "The winner is industry. The loser is anyone who breathes."
Recycling programs. The state wasn't spending a lot here, but a $2 million fund for recycling program grants has been dumped "temporarily."
No fines for state agencies. Thanks to crack reporting from the Post-Tribune, we know that the state itself is a serial polluter. For example, the Indiana Department of Transportation was cited for dumping raw sewage into rivers and streams over 500 times in recent years. In the past, IDEM could fine the agencies to help force them to, literally, clean up their act. I guess the state got sick of paying itself fines because that power has been stripped and now IDEM can only send legal notices, an easily ignored slap on the wrist.
The IDEM enforcement division. Not sure how this one will shake up, but it could potentially be the most impactful of the bunch. The governor eliminated the division responsible for ensuring that the laws are followed. They are now lumped in with the folks who handle permitting and other issues. Local conservationists have expressed real concern about the mixing of these functions, though the state claims it will offer efficiency. Given some of the permits that have been issued, I think this could be very dangerous. And, according to press reports yesterday, this move has concerned the EPA enough for them to request a meeting.

In a state that can proudly claim to be a national leader in coal ash ponds, along with a huge array of industrial polluters and some massive new dirty projects coming online, you might expect this assault on the living conditions of every citizen to be countered by another branch of the government.

But apparently the Governor's marauding did not go far enough for Representative Phyllis Pond who entered a new bill into the state legislature to ensure that IDEM was completely neutered. According to the Post-Tribune:

A new bill would make it nearly impossible for Indiana to implement stricter environmental laws than required by the federal government -- unless it's an emergency and business representatives approve.

"That's exactly right," said state Rep. Phyllis Pond, R-New Haven, about the bill. "Unless there's some situation that really needs it, then we don't need to make a rule. I meant to make it very difficult to them to make rules more strict than EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.) If we really need it, EPA would have it."

The bill would establish an environmental rule review board, which would prevent existing air, water and solid waste pollution control boards from adopting state environmental regulations that are stricter than federal laws unless it's an emergency and the new board approves.

The board would consist of seven members. The three voting members would be the Indiana Department of Environmental Management commissioner or his designee and two businessmen appointed by the governor. Four legislators would be non-voting members.

From my vantage point, it seems highly unlikely that IDEM was ever going to push environmental protections to anything near new heights (look no further than the ongoing fight over BP's air pollution permits in Whiting).

But hey, better safe than sorry, right?

When the Representative was asked why her proposed board did not include any representation of Indiana citizens, municipal governments, or folks with a modicum of environmental concerns she noted that smaller boards are more likely to get things done.

Sadly, it seems like these folks have already gotten a lot done in Indiana of late...

But this week there have been hopeful signs. Earlier in the week, the USEPA sent a letter expressing their concerns and calling for a meeting. And officials from the cities of Gary, Hammond, and Evansville publicly expressed outrage over the elimination of air quality monitoring in their heavily-industrial region, which the state claims it can do more efficiently. Today's Post-Tribune includes the following from Dona Bergman, director of Evansville's Environmental Protection Agency:

Bergman called it "absolutely absurd" and "dis-ingenuous" to claim IDEM would be as effective and efficient as local agencies.

Hammond, Gary and Evansville officials have expressed concern that IDEM will be less responsive to complaints of residents and perform inspections less frequently.

"For the larger sources," such as U.S. Steel, BP and NIPSCO, "the ones that IDEM staff will have resources to inspect, 70 percent of those will get done only every two years. Thirty percent will be done every three years," Bergman said. "Local agencies did all those and a whole lot more every year."

Given our experience in the region, this last comment is perhaps the scariest part of this entire debate. If polluters like BP have been fighting lax permits given out by the state, what happens when the state stops monitoring to ensure those weak standards are met?

Hopefully these new voices will shine a light on the region---if it can penetrate the smog...

Photo taken amidst Lake Michigan's fabulous living sand dunes at Marquette Park in Gary, IN by Leah the Librarian, via Flickr

Water or Oil? Report says tar sands muck up Great Lakes

2008-10-08T21:41:28Z

Canada is the leading provider of oil to the US. But sadly, a growing percentage of that petroleum oozing south comes in the form of goop from Alberta's tar sands mines, most of which makes its way to the Great Lakes Region for refining. The University of Toronto released a report Wednesday that sets up an uncomfortable question about that dynamic. We really need to ask ourselves:

Which is more important to North America, fresh water or more oil?

Tar Sands. NRDC has pressed discussion and analysis of Tar Sands in multiple policy papers, advocacy briefings, legislative testimony, community meetings, and litigation. And, of course, here on Switchboard; how it is responsible for 3 times more greenhouse gas pollution as conventional crude oil, how it's extraction is destroying vast swaths of Canada and maybe creating mutant fish, how it might adversely affect communities that are already struggling, and how investments in its dirty infrastructure retards the growth of the clean energy economy we so desperately need in this country. But the University of Toronto's report entitled How the Oil Sands got to the Great Lakes Basin: Pipelines, refineries and emissions to air and water sets the scene for a much more urgent discussion.

Is our thirst for oil powerful enough to jeopardize the Great Lakes, which represent 1/5 of the world's fresh water?

In the University of Toronto report, researchers spell out how new transcontinental pipelines stretching from Alberta into the heart of Great Lakes and massive refinery expansions in the U.S. Midwest are creating a "pollution delivery system" that threatens our air and water quality, as well as human health in the region. The report outlines significant and growing damage already underway from refineries and pipelines---and calls for more research on the particular health threats that are likely unique to low grade bitumen products.

We know CO2 and an ugly array of pollutants will be raining down into the lakes as the expansions move forward, we know because the refineries have asked for permission to do this in the form of air and water pollution permits.

I am still making my way through the University of Toronto's report, and while it is gratifying to see NRDC's battle for stricter air permits for BP's Whiting, IN refinery and our recent settlement with ConocoPhillips cited as lone bright spots in the story, the narrative itself is otherwise fairly scary. It tells the same tale as NRDC's Midwest program has since its inception: the use of tar sands speeds climate change, destroys one of the most precious ecosystems on Earth, and forces disproportionate costs on the communities impacted by tar sands in the form of public health and environmental degradation.

That means that if you live near one of the massive refineries that are being retooled to deal with this stuff, you are going to be seeing more asthma and respiratory problems in your community. And we can't forget that if we let nasty pollutants go up into the air all around the Great Lakes---well, what goes up, must come down---and it will come down, into the drinking water source for ore than 30 million Americans (and plenty of Canadians too). If you live in the Midwest, you should be paying attention.

Last week there was much rejoicing when the Great Lakes Compact was signed. But the protections that were put in place are likely moot if we are going to allow our waters to be fouled by aggressively supporting the infrastructure for, what the report calls, a "pollution delivery system."

There is good news. In Canada, there is a growing awakening to the dangers present within their borders. I have talked to Canadian journalists trying to understand how the tar sands affect their nation's image internationally. And the opinion pages of Canadian newspapers reflect an ever-more conflicted public trying to weigh the undeniable environmental impacts against the economic windfall of oil.

In the U.S., the media is starting to pick up on the inherent problems of trying to fighting climate change while the oil companies and many in our government are advocating for the dirtiest fuel sources they can find. Reports like this one support and reinforce the arguments that NRDC is making in Indiana, Illinois, and DC.

We recently filed suit against the State Department over the proposed Keystone pipeline, which would move dirty tar sands oil from Alberta to Illinois for refining. When signing the treaties, the State Department treated the pipeline as though it was a benign tube, with limited environmental impacts. We will be arguing that activities past the ends of the tube need to be considered, so stay tuned!

Death by Chocolate? Not likely. Chicago Tribune exposes worst air pollution culprits.

2008-10-01T15:36:33Z

The Chicago Tribune celebrated their new layout with another great story from environmental reporter Michael Hawthorne splashed across the newly-designed front page.

The article shines a light on EPA pollution data that has gotten short shrift.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spent millions of dollars to assess the dangers that air pollution poses but has failed to fulfill promises to make the research more accessible to the public. So the Tribune is posting the information on its Web site, where users can easily find nearby polluters and the chemicals going into their air.

While Hawthorne's articles have traditionally focused on Midwestern pollution issues, he and researcher/co-author Darnell Little, have done a huge favor for anyone concerned about air pollution in the U.S. Where the EPA has dragged their feet, the Trib has excelled by making the entire database available on their Web site.

Interested in air quality near you? Get a list of the worst polluters in any county in the U.S.

But as exciting as the newly accessible information is...the news is not good for us here in Chicago. Cook County has the worst numbers in the country.

"This raises very important questions about public health in our communities," said Dr. Peter Orris, chief of environmental and occupational medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center. "If the government's own data shows we have a problem, they should be doing more about it."

One wry commenter noted that the only recent high profile case that the EPA has brought in Chicago was against the Blommer Chocolate factory that sits near the Loop and gives downtown its iconic and often mouth-watering aroma. According to the numbers exposed by Hawthorne and Little, EPA needs to be less focused on that "death by chocolate" threat posed by the 7,498th riskiest facility in the nation when the 5th most dangerous facility is only a few miles away (and 7 of the nation's 100 worst air pollution threats to the public health sit in Cook County)...

BP Could Learn A Lot from James Brown

2008-05-06T23:42:15Z

James Brown famously exclaimed “Give the drummer some…”

BP could learn a lot from the late, great, Godfather of Soul.

Last week was a very good one for the British oil giant. Tuesday, BP announced that they had brought in a jaw-dropping $6.59 BILLION profit in the last three months (that is more than many countries’ annual GDP).

And Thursday, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) surprised everyone by awarding BP an air pollution permit for expansion of its refinery in Whiting, IN. The fact that the permit was awarded was not the surprise---how could an agency charged with improving Hoosier’s household income stand in the way of a big project, no matter how dangerous or dirty? Instead, the move was shocking due to the speed of turning around the woefully inadequate permit, as well as IDEM’s willingness to completely ignore the significant concerns expressed by NRDC and a veritable cornucopia of other environmental and community groups. Ann Alexander, the lead attorney on the challenge likened it to “drive by permitting.”

The air permit gives BP the green light to move forward on an expansion project to make the already dirty refinery into the nation’s biggest tar sands oil processor. That’s right; one of the dirtiest facilities in the country has gotten permission to get dirtier. And they are spending billions of dollars to process the dirtiest oil around, spewing all the climate changing and disease-causing pollutants that come with it. More arsenic, lead, sulfur, and CO2 for everyone in densely packed northwest Indiana (and just 20 miles from Chicago).

What does that have to do with the “Hardest Working Man in Show Business?” Brown and his backing bands crisscrossed America putting on the same legendary high-energy live shows everywhere they stopped. He was always at the center of the show, but Soul Brother #1 knew that he needed to take care of his supporting cast, the audience, and everyone who made it all happen. Everyone in the band needed a little time in the spotlight…even the drummer, who always seems to be ignored and overlooked.

BP should follow that lead---take care of everyone impacted by the refinery. You’d think that being flush with cash would allow BP to invest in the best possible facilities to protect the folks living closest to the expanded refinery. “Can’t the drummer have some?”

But the Whiting Refinery still falls short of existing Clean Air Act regulations. The 100+ year old facility is behind similar facilities in the Bay area of California where simple structural improvements and best practices are being employed to minimize the impact on the surrounding populations and environment. Why do the people of San Francisco deserve stronger protections than the folks in Gary, Indiana?

In NRDC’s challenge to BP’s air permit a number of simple changes were suggested to prevent flaring---the use of those big torches that burn off excess gases and kick out massive volumes of pollution in the process. Looking out for the communities around the refinery is largely an issue of using good engineering design and practices to avoid unnecessary flaring. Adequate compressor capacity and backup compressors are essential to minimize flaring, and not very expensive to add. But BP chooses not to make the investment. Same goes for recycling some of the gases produced in the refinery, rather than simply sending them out the smokestack. No interest from BP. In fact, NRDC suggested an assortment of processes, work practices, and analyses that seem natural for an efficient business...but when you make a boatload of cash, I guess that sort of thing seems less important...

Instead of using those billions of dollars to protect communities like Chesterton, Hobart, Hammond, and Chicago’s south side, BP pushes for permit requirements that the cash-starved state government all too willingly applies. That leaves some of America’s hardest-working families paying for those profits with their health. As JB would say, the deal is “Super Bad.”