August 21, 2003

#206

1) Report: Birmingham Ranks 8th in Nation for Bad Air
2) $600 Million Solutia/Monsanto PCB Settlement Announced
3) UAH Scientists Publish Ozone Layer Recovery Study
4) Judge Halts Duck River Dam Plan
5) BEN Notes: Mobile's Green Space Master Plan, Delta Monitoring Program, Smart Growth Conference In the Shoals, Forever Wild Tags Go On Sale Sept. 1st, Deep South Subterranean Grotto Website

1. Report: Birmingham Ranks 8th in Nation for Bad Air - According to a new study released by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, the Birmingham area ranks 8th nationally for bad air days.

The study, which uses information from the EPA's Air Quality Index for unhealthy air, identified 100 unhealthy air days from 2000 to 2002 in the Birmingham area, stemming from ozone and particulate air pollution. In contrast, the No. 1 metro area on the bad air list, Riverside-Bernardino, California suffered 445 bad air days in the same three year period.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management did not dispute the study's findings. However, they did claim the study did not give the same weight to a slightly polluted day in Birmingham, compared to the more dangerous polluted air days in Houston, Texas. Houston, generally is considered one of the worst cities in the nation for air pollution. It ranked 9th behind Birmingham in the study.

To learn more about this new national study, visit the Surface Transportation Policy Project website at http://www.transact.org

2. $600 Million Solutia/Monsanto PCB Settlement Announced - Earlier this week, Solutia and Monsanto agreed to a $600 million cash settlement, health initiatives and community outreach programs to resolve claims in federal and state courts over PCB contamination in Anniston, Alabama.

The tentative settlement, announced in Birmingham's federal court, is on behalf of 21,000 plaintiffs who began suing in 1996, blaming Monsanto for polluting their property and endangering the public's health. The agreement ends a long running trial involving 3500 plaintiffs in state court before Calhoun County Circuit Judge Joel Laird in which a jury has awarded $100 million in settlement damages.

Along with the cash settlement, community health initiatives valued at more than $75 million over the next 20 years will be carried out in low income areas. There will also be an educational trust created, funding for a medical clinic and a health screening program.

3. UAH Scientists Publish Ozone Layer Recovery Study - According to studies conducted at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the rate at which the Earth's thin protective blanket of ozone is being destroyed has slowed and is beginning to recover as a result of international efforts to eliminate harmful chemicals found in aerosols and refrigerants.

The studies which were announced at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. in late July, offer the first global evidence that the ban on Chlorofluorocarbons or CFC's, is having the desired impact on a global scale.

Dr. Michael Newchurch at UAH, stated in an interview with the Huntsville Times, that scientists expect to see recovery of the ozone layer, but it will be decades away. He projects that we won't record 1980 ozone levels until about the year 2040. The groundbreaking research was funded by NASA.

4. Judge Halts Duck River Plan - Last week, U.S. District Judge Karon O. Bowdre set aside the U.S Army Corps of Engineers' permit for the construction of the Duck River dam, a project designed to add an alternative water supply source for Cullman and Morgan counties. The project was stopped because the Corps did not take a hard look at the environmental impacts of the dam, other projects in the Black Warrior River Basin and the effects the dam would have on the Mulberry Fork river.

"It's a great victory for Alabama's rivers," said Ray Vaughan, a WildLaw attorney.

The Duck River is one Alabama's last free flowing rivers. The proposed dam had come under fire from water enthusiasts, who feared the dam's impact on the environment and the flow of Mulberry Fork would have a devastating impact on the very popular recreational area.

5. BEN Notes: Mobile's Green Space Master Plan, Delta Monitoring Program, Smart Growth Conference In the Shoals, Forever Wild Tags Go On Sale Sept. 1st, Deep South Subterranean Grotto Website

Mobile's Green Space Master Plan - In 1999, ReBloom, a project of the Mobile Tricentennial, commissioned a Green Space Master Plan for the City of Mobile to provide a guideline for the next 300 years. The plan calls for a doubling of park space from 1100 acres to 2200 acres, trails, waterfront protection and preservation of environmentally sensitive areas. For more information about this very forward looking plan, visit the ReBloom website at http://www.rebloom.org

Delta Monitoring Program - The Alabama Coastal Foundation, Mobile Bay Watch and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program are working together to recruit volunteers who interested in the Delta. You are a perfect match for this program if you have time, access to a boat and are interested in helping the community better understand the Delta. For more information about the Delta Monitoring Program contact the Alabama Coastal Foundation at 251-990-6002 or visit their website at alcoastalfoundation.org

Smart Growth Conference In the Shoals - The Shoals Environmental Alliance will be hosting a public forum on Smart Growth "The Benefits of Smart Growth and Green Spaces" at the Event Center located at 310 North Pine Street in downtown Florence, Monday, August 25, at 6:30. This will be a very informative and thought provoking event. For more information about the forum, contact Charlie Rose at 256-381-2826 or Nancy Muse at 256-767-2909.

Forever Wild Tags Go On Sale Sept. 1st - Forever Wild Tags will be available in county courthouses and annexes Sept. 1st. Individuals who would like a personalized tag can order them now. If you would like to get your tag in any month other than your normal renewal month, you can do so by paying an additional $1.25 per tag. Proceeds from the premium paid for these tags will be used only for purchase of public lands in Alabama.

Deep South Subterranean Grotto Website - Here is a great new website for folks in the Montgomery area who care about the outdoors. It is the Deep South Subterranean Grotto - http://www.dssg-cavers.org