WHO GETS CLEAN WATER? AID ALLOCATION TO SMALL WATER SYSTEMS IN PENNSYLVANIA1

ABSTRACT: Research on the condition of drinking water provision in the United States documents the inequitable financial impact of environmental regulations on small water systems (those serving 3,300 or fewer people). While a variety of federal and state financial assistance programs are available for water systems, few quantitative analyses have evaluated the success of these programs in alleviating the problems of small systems. A case study of the largest aid initiative for water supply infrastructure in Pennsylvania provides the empirical framework through which to analyze government funding opportunities for water systems. This study examines the allocation practices of the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) to water systems of varying sizes. Utilizing data from PENNVEST applications and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the distribution of PENNVEST award recipients and denied applicants by size characteristics are compared. The study indicates that very small water systems (those serving 500 or fewer) do not apply for or receive funds with the same frequency as their larger counterparts. Understanding the allocation of awards from PENNVEST offers insight into the ability of small communities to access capital for water supply infrastructure.     

A COST‐BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF WATER QUALITY PROTECTION IN THE CATAWBA BASIN1

ABSTRACT: The primary objective of this study was to perform a cost‐benefit analysis of maintaining the current level of water quality in the Catawba River basin. Economic benefits were estimated using a stated preference survey method designed to value respondents' willingness to pay for a management plan to protect water quality in the Catawba basin over time. From the surveys conducted with 1,085 area residents, we calculated an annual mean willingness to pay of $139 for the management plan, or more than $75.4 million for all taxpayers in the area. Over the five‐year time horizon in which respondents were asked to pay for the management plan, this resulted in a total economic benefit of $340.1 million. The Watershed Analysis Risk Management Framework model was used to estimate the amount of management activities needed to protect the current level of water quality in the basin over time. Based on the model results, the total cost of the management plan was calculated to be $244.8 million over a ten‐year period. The resulting cost‐benefit analysis indicated that the potential benefits of this management plan would outweigh the costs by more than $95 million.     

异生型化合物生物降解及调控机理研究进展

异生型化合物是一种具有多种毒害作用的难降解污染物,因此利用微生物资源降解异生型化合物具有十分重要的意义。文章综述了异生型化合物微生物降解途径及调控机理方面的最新研究进展,同时探讨了功能基因组学、宏基因组学以及蛋白质组学技术在相关研究中的应用。     

Component regulation in novel La-Co-O-C composite catalyst for boosted redox reactions and enhanced thermal stability in methane combustion

A novel La-Co-O-C (LC-C) composites were prepared via a facile co-hydrothermal route with oxides and glycerol and further optimized for methane catalytic activity and thermal stability via component regulation. It was demonstrated that Co₃O₄ phase was the main component in regulation. The combined results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed desorption of oxygen (O₂-TPD), temperature-programmed reduction of hydrogen (H₂-TPR), temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia/carbon dioxide (NH₃/CO₂-TPD) revealed that component regulation led to more oxygen vacancies and exposure of surface Co²⁺, lower surface basicity and optimized acidity, which were beneficial for adsorption of active oxygen species and activation of methane molecules, resulting in the excellent catalytic oxidation performance. Especially, the (3.5)LC-C (3.5 is Co-to-La molar ratio) showed the optimum activity and the T₅₀ and T₉₀ (the temperature at which the CH₄ conversion rate was 50% and 90%, respectively) were 318 and 367°C, respectively. Using theoretical calculations and in situ diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy characterization, it was also found that the catalytic mechanism changes from the “Rideal-Eley” mechanism to the “Two-term” mechanism depending on the temperature windows in which the reaction takes place. Besides, the use of the “Flynn-Wall-Ozawa” model in thermoanalytical kinetics revealed that component regulation simultaneously optimized the decomposition activation energy, further expanding the application scope of carbon-containing composites.     

福建省地级市人为源活性氮排放及其特征分析

在人口增长和快速城市化的背景下,活性氮排放对生态环境的影响日益加剧.为研究省级尺度活性氮排放规律,采用排放因子法建立2000、2005及2010年福建省人为源活性氮排放清单,分析各地市3个年份活性氮排放量及排放强度特征.结果表明,3个年份福建省活性氮排放总量分别为538.4、587.0和619.97 Gg,呈整体增加趋势.在9个地级市中,增速最快的为莆田市,而漳州市排放量有所下降.排放量最大的为漳州和泉州,排放量最小的为宁德与厦门.从排放来源看,90%以上的排放来自农田生态系统和畜禽养殖系统.能源活动贡献较小,但其排放增长最为显著.2010年,各地市单位面积活性氮排放强度呈"东南沿海高西北内陆低"的格局,最高为厦门市,最低为三明市;GDP和人口排放强度则呈"东南沿海低西北内陆高"的格局,最高为南平市,最低为厦门市.在分析各地市活性氮排放源特征的基础上,探讨了不同地区活性氮减排重点,研究结果可为福建省及下辖各地市活性氮减排提供科学依据.     

环境规制、空间溢出与地区产业竞争力

利用1999-2009年中国30个省大中型工业企业数据,考察了产业竞争力的影响因素,特别是环境规制的影响.通过非空间模型和空间Durbin模型检验了产业竞争力和环境规制的关系.在空间模型中,估算了直接和溢出效应.结果发现,环境规制变量的直接和溢出效应分别为-0.17和0.559,且统计上高度显著,进而其总效应也显著为正.这表明,环境规制有较高的正的空间溢出效应,这似乎有可能引发地区间的环境竞次竞争行为;如果忽略污染的空间溢出,将严重低估环境规制的作用.还发现,外商直接投资、科技人员数和产业规模对产业竞争力有显著的正的直接效应.进而提出政府应加快完善环境补偿的制度,一是中央政府应当建立健全环境补偿立法;二是完善环境补偿的管理体制,协调和指导跨地区的环境补偿;三是加大与环境补偿有关的财政转移支付力度.     

水质监测中存在的若干技术问题 (续)

在全国“持证上岗”、“计量认证”、实验室现场考核和《亚洲地区实验室精度管理手册》编制过程及“监测质量调查”的基础上，发现我国部分环境监测站在水质监测的实际操作、试样前处理、监测分析方法选择及数据分析等方面尚存在一些技术问题。在分析这些问题的同时，提出了解决办法和建立我国质量保证指标体系的建议。     

国内环境民间组织合法性初探

环境保护领域的"政府失灵"和"市场失灵"要求社会调整机制的引入.社会调整机制以市民社会理论和实践为基础,市民社会主要由保护公民权利和公民政治参与的民间组织构成.环境民间组织作为一类组织生存下去的首要问题是其合法性.本文从政治和法律两个方面,论述了国内环境民间组织的合法性及其不足,并对克服其合法性危机进行了有益思考,以期国内环境民间组织健康发展,弥补市场调整机制与政府调整机制在环境保护方面的不足.     

江汉湖沼资源的开发与保护

湖沼是重要的自然资源,是开发水体生态农业以及发展轻化工业原材料的生产基地保护湖沼资源不但能调控环境,且可成为天然水生或沼生生物基因库。对江汉湖沼资源的合理开发利用,既能收到巨大经济效益,又可保护湖沼生态环境和发挥其生态效益作用。     

The current state of knowledge of ecosystems and ecosystem services in Russia: A status report

This paper focusses on a conceptual overview of ways to address a comprehensive analysis of ecosystem services (ES) in a country as large and heterogeneous as Russia. As a first step, a methodology for assessing the services for the federal subjects of Russia was chosen, i.e., its constituent provinces and similar entities, in physical terms. Russia harbors a great diversity of natural conditions and ecosystems which are suppliers of ES, and likewise a variety of the socio-economic conditions that shape the demand for these services and their consumption. The methodological approach described permits several important tasks to be addressed: the evaluation of the degree of satisfaction of people’s needs for ES, the identification of ecological donor and acceptor regions, and zoning of the country’s territory for ES assessment. The next step is to prepare a prototype of a National Report on ES in Russia, for which we are presenting the planned structure.