Threatened and Endangered Species: At What Cost? The Corps of Engineers Looks at Expenditures and Priorities

Current political conditions, primarily budgetary uncertainty, and the related reluctance to make funding commitments for future generations, have raised questions about the costs of conservation and environmental protection that have not previously been asked. As Federal investments are scrutinized and budgets become ever more constrained, the costs associated with environmental requirements could begin to be of greater importance and to influence decisions on Federal projects. In response to concerns about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) spending under the Endangered Species Act (P.L. 93-205) (ESA), a limited investigation was performed to determine the accuracy of reported Corps expenditures. The investigation showed that, for particular groups of species, actual conservation costs for threatened and endangered species may be twice the amounts previously reported in the annual ESA expenditure reporting to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In light of this finding, the Corps has sought a means to provide more accurate and consistent reporting of expenditures for addressing threatened and endangered species. A Species Costs Template (template) has been developed to identify the types and magnitude of costs related to the ESA and to counteract the impediments (legal, institutional, and practical) to underreporting costs. The template will be used by the Corps for reporting ESA costs beginning with Fiscal Year 2005 (FY05) (reported in January 2006). Five broad categories of expenditures (effects determination costs, ESA protection and conservation costs, equipment costs, opportunity costs, and other species costs) are identified by the template.     

Microbial transformation and degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls

This paper reviews the potential of microorganisms to transform polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In anaerobic environments, higher chlorinated biphenyls can undergo reductive dehalogenation. Meta- and para-chlorines in PCB congeners are more susceptible to dechlorination than ortho-chlorines. Anaerobes catalyzing PCB dechlorination have not been isolated in pure culture but there is strong evidence from enrichment cultures that some Dehalococcoides spp. and other microorganisms within the Chloroflexi phylum can grow by linking the oxidation of H(2) to the reductive dechlorination of PCBs. Lower chlorinated biphenyls can be co-metabolized aerobically. Some aerobes can also grow by utilizing PCB congeners containing only one or two chlorines as sole carbon/energy source. An example is the growth of Burkholderia cepacia by transformation of 4-chlorobiphenyl to chlorobenzoates. The latter compounds are susceptible to aerobic mineralization. Higher chlorinated biphenyls therefore are potentially fully biodegradable in a sequence of reductive dechlorination followed by aerobic mineralization of the lower chlorinated products.     

Review and assessment of models for predicting the migration of radionuclides through rivers

The present paper summarises the results of the review and assessment of state-of-the-art models developed for predicting the migration of radionuclides through rivers. The different approaches of the models to predict the behaviour of radionuclides in lotic ecosystems are presented and compared. The models were classified and evaluated according to their main methodological approaches. The results of an exercise of model application to specific contamination scenarios aimed at assessing and comparing the model performances were described. A critical evaluation and analysis of the uncertainty of the models was carried out. The main factors influencing the inherent uncertainty of the models, such as the incompleteness of the actual knowledge and the intrinsic environmental and biological variability of the processes controlling the behaviour of radionuclides in rivers, are analysed.     

Development of the high spatial resolution EMICAT2000 emission model for air pollutants from the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula (Catalonia, Spain)

Ozone (O(3)) pollution episodes take place in Catalonia (NE of the Iberian Peninsula), mainly during summertime. The complex O(3) behaviour could be understood by using a Chemical Transport Model (CTM). Emission inventories provide the spatial and temporal emissions distribution of the O(3) precursors and other pollutants required by this approach. We developed the EMICAT2000 model with high spatial (cells of 1 km(2)) and temporal (1h) resolutions, to estimate the emissions during the year 2000 from Catalonia. Total annual emissions were 107 kt yr(-1) of NO(x), 137 kt yr(-1) of NMVOC, 267 kt yr(-1) of CO, 65 kt yr(-1) of SO(2), 24 kt yr(-1) of TSP and 32,175 kt yr(-1) of equivalent CO(2). Main NO(x) sources are on-road traffic (58%) and industries (38%). Main NMVOC sources are on-road traffic (36%), vegetation (34%) and use of solvents (13%). Speciation was established according to the Carbon Bond IV mechanism. EMICAT2000 generates directly the data files required for the third generation CTM Models-3/CMAQ.     

Case study: Voluntary agreements in environmental management at formosa plastics

Three agreements addressing environmental and safety performance, zero discharge of wastewater and sustainable development have been signed between Formosa Plastics Corporation, Texas (Formosa Plastics), and its former adversaries. The key element of the agreements is the improvement of the affected community. These agreements go beyond public information and beyond procedures for public participation. They have led to meaningful public participation and partnership and are unique in this respect. The following article explores the setup and results of each agreement. The initial agreement, the Blackburn-Formosa Agreement, signed in 1992, set the stage for subsequent partnerships. The Wilson-Formosa Zero Discharge Agreement followed in 1994. Finally, the Sustainable Development Agreement was signed by Jim Blackburn, Diane Wilson, and Formosa Plastics in late 1997. These agreements have proven very successful in avoiding disputes and helping improve company performance in environmental and safety issues. In many respects, these agreements offer a model for others in working with an affected community.