Bama Environmental News - BEN http://www.BamaNews.com May 28, 2002 #178 1) Sen. Sessions Announces White House Mercury Task Force 2) "Downstream Alabama" Impacted By Atlanta's Water Use 3) Alabama Toxic Release Inventory Information Released 4) Alabama Educator Wins 2002 Wetlands Award 5) BEN Notes : Camp McDowell Seeking Educators, Alabama Heritage Magazine Features "The Mussels of Muscle Shoals", Wild Alabama Magazine Features Auburn Coach Pat Dye, Candidates Forum on May 30th in Birmingham 6. Websites Featured in BEN #178 ********************************************************** "My soul can find no staircase to heaven unless it be through earth's loveliness." - Michelangelo *********************************************************** On May 10th, Tamra Power, a Sheffield High School senior received the inaugural Sheffield High School Environmental Public Service Scholarship. The Public Service Scholarship is one of BEN's three chosen charities. In lieu of subscriptions, we ask our readers to contribute to either the Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham Southern College, Camp McDowell Environmental Education (Pat Byington) Scholarship or the Sheffield Education Foundation. To learn more about these organizations and "how to contribute" visit the BEN website at http://www.bamanews.com/donation.html ****************************************************************** 1. Sen. Sessions Announces White House Mercury Task Force - Last week, in response to a letter written by Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, the White House announced the formation of a new multi-agency federal task force to address mercury pollution in the Gulf of Mexico and across the nation. The task force will operate under the National Science and Technology Council, an agency which handles federal science-related issues. Sen. Sessions requested that the panel also include representatives from the U.S. EPA, the Department of the Interior, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Commerce and other federal agencies. Sessions credited the Mobile Register's revelations about mercury contamination in the Gulf for propelling the issue onto the national agenda. To read the entire Mobile Register mercury series, visit their website at http://www.al.com/specialreport/?mobileregister/mercuryinthewater.html 2. "Downstream Alabama" Impacted By Atlanta's Water Use - According to recent findings by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, metro Atlanta is consuming water from the Chattahoochee River at a rate that is decades ahead of what Georgia officials had projected. Using 1998-2001 consumption data, the Corps said metro Atlanta, which grew from 3 million residents in 1990 to 4.1 million in 2000, actually exceeded expected water use predicted for 2030 during 1999 and 2000. Corps officials stressed their information was preliminary, but their report does put into question the state of Georgia's earlier projections. Presently, negotiators from Alabama, Georgia and Florida are striving to come to a water allocation agreement in the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river basins. Alabama and Georgia have reached a tentative agreement involving the ACT, though Alabama officials concede some changes will be made before it is made final. 3. Alabama Toxic Release Inventory Information Released - On May 23rd, the EPA issued its annual report on the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment. This year's "Toxic Release Inventory" (TRI) report contains newly included data on persistent bioaccumulative toxic (PBT) chemicals, such as dioxins, mercury and PCBs. According to the report, Alabama ranks 14th nationally for total releases within the state and 12th nationally for total on and off site releases. On a more local level, Mobile County ranked 8th in the nation for total toxic releases to the air. It ranked 58th in the nation for water discharges. Most of Mobile's air pollution releases was attributed to Acordis, a rayon plant that is now closed. The latest TRI numbers did not reflect the closing. To learn more about TRI and to access the latest information on the web, visit the EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/tri 4. Alabama Educator Wins 2002 Wetlands Award - Robert Hastings, director of the Alabama Natural Heritage Program at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, a program of the Nature Conservancy, has won the 2002 National Wetlands Award for Education and Outreach. Since 1989, the National Wetlands Awards program has honored exceptional individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary effort, innovation and excellence in wetlands conservation, research or education. The program is cosponsored by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), EPA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Dr. Hastings was honored for developing the Turtle Cove environmental education center in Louisiana. For more information on the National Wetlands Awards winners, visit the ELI website at http://www.eli.org/nwa/nwaprogram.htm 5. BEN Notes : Camp McDowell Seeking Educators, Alabama Heritage Magazine Features "The Mussels of Muscle Shoals", Wild Alabama Magazine Features Auburn Coach Pat Dye, Candidates Forum on May 30th in Birmingham Camp McDowell Seeking Educators - Camp McDowell, an Episcopal Church Camp, is currently looking for individuals enthusiastic about sharing the natural world of Alabama with school children from throughout the state. The Camp is seeking 4th-8th grade environmental education instructors to teach during the fall and spring. Classes include pond and stream ecology, forest ecology, orienteering and Native American history. No teaching certificate is required. To inquire about these positions please call Jennifer Arnold at 205-387-1806 or write cmec@campmcdowell.com. For additional information visit the Camp McDowell website at http://www.campmcdowell.com/cmec Alabama Heritage Magazine Features "The Mussels of Muscle Shoals" - Ever wondered how Muscle Shoals got its name? Learn about the story of the "mussels of Muscle Shoals" and their importance to the wealth and well being of the state in the latest edition of Alabama Heritage Magazine. Written by Stuart McGregor, a Shoals native and biologist, the article is a must read, especially for people who grew up in the Shoals (including BEN's publisher). To order the current edition of Alabama Heritage go to http://www.alabamaheritage.com/current.htm#muscleshoals Wild Alabama Magazine Features Auburn Coach Pat Dye - Wild Alabama Magazine released their April/June edition of the magazine this month. On the cover and featured in a 4 page interview in the magazine is former Auburn head coach Pat Dye. Titled "A Coach's Vision to Save Alabama" the interview/article with Coach Dye is an excerpt from the coach's radio program. The 80 page magazine will be reaching newsstands soon. To order a copy of Wild Alabama Magazine call the group at 256-974-6166 or visit their website at http://www.wildalabama.org . Candidates Forum on May 30th in Birmingham - Come hear local and statewide candidates express their views on the environment at Birmingham Southern's Southern Environmental Center, Thursday, May 30th at 6:00. Remember, election day June 4th is fast approaching. For more information about the event contact the Alabama Rivers Alliance at 205-322-6395. 6. Websites Featured in BEN #178 Bama Environmental News - Groups To Donate http://www.bamanews.com/donation.html Mobile Register - Mercury Series http://www.al.com/specialreport/?mobileregister/mercuryinthewater.html EPA TRI Report http://www.epa.gov/tri ELI National Wetlands Awards http://www.eli.org/nwa/nwaprogram.htm Camp McDowell - Education Positions http://www.campmcdowell.com/cmec Alabama Heritage Magazine http://www.alabamaheritage.com/current.htm#muscleshoals Wild Alabama http://www.wildalabama.org   ************************************************************** Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists. If you have any questions or comments about this publication or would like your address to be removed from the BEN e-mail list, contact Pat Byington, the author and publisher of BEN at 205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com . 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