• National Organic Standards Take Effect
  
• Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Dismantled
  
• National Radon Action Week Observed
  
• Nevada Wilderness Bill Passed by Congress
  
• Judge Cites Forest Service for Overgrazing
  
• Animal Protection Measures on November Ballots
  
• Database Lists Water Monitoring Methods
  
• Wild Hogs Damaging Virgin Islands National Park
  

National Organic Standards Take Effect

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman launched the implementation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) national organic standards, which will provide consistent labeling for agricultural products coast to coast.

"Today, when consumers see the USDA national organic seal on products, they will know that the products labeled organic will be consistent across the country," said Veneman. "Organic agriculture is increasing and organic farmers across the country have been looking forward to the release of these regulations with anticipation they will create consumer confidence in their products."

The standards were developed with extensive industry input and hundreds of thousands of public comments. As of today, any organic agricultural product must meet USDA standards in order to be sold under an organic label.

The USDA developed new labeling rules to help consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy. Consumers can tell organically produced food from conventionally produced food by looking at package labels and watching for signs in the supermarket.

"We're very pleased with the work that USDA employees and the Organic Standards Board have done over the years to finalize these regulations," said Veneman. "Today, consumers will begin to see the results of these efforts."

The USDA Organic Seal tells consumers that a product is at least 95 percent organic. Products with 70 to 95 percent organic ingredients can say so on the label (made with organic fruit, for example), but they can not display the organic seal.

The organic industry is growing between 20 and 25 percent a year, and has been for the last several years. U.S. retail sales of organic foods reached about $7.8 billion in 2000, with global sales topping $17.5 billion.

To help the industry continue to expand, the USDA is administering a $5 million cost share program to help defray the costs of certification incurred by organic producers and handlers. The USDA will also set aside $3 million per year for fiscal years 2003 to 2007 to administer competitive research grants, largely through the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.

The research will focus on determining desirable traits for organic commodities; identifying marketing and policy constraints on the expansion of organic agriculture; and conducting advanced research on organic farms, including production, marketing and socioeconomic research.

"The focus on consumer awareness is just beginning," said A.J. Yates, administrator of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Program. "To coincide with implementation of the standards, we have updated our website to make it more user friendly and provide consumer information through a variety of avenues."

Consumers can access the information at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop

USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service has also upgraded its organic website, which provides information and resources to organic food and beverage exporters: http://www.fas.usda.gov/agx/organics/organics

Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Dismantled

In September, staff at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) completed the dismantling and removal of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR), which shut down in 1997 following 15 years of operation. During its experimental life, TFTR set records for fusion performance and made major contributions to the development of fusion as a long term energy alternative.

"This marks the end of an important chapter in the history of fusion," said Raymond Orbach, director of the Office of Science, which oversees PPPL for the DOE. "The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor achieved many firsts that brought us closer to an era of fusion power. Now that the decommissioning of TFTR has been completed safely, on schedule and under budget, in keeping with Office of Science best practices, we look forward to continued contributions in fusion power research from PPPL."

The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor in 1989. (Photo courtesy PPPL)

Work on the removal of TFTR began in October of 1999. The experiment stood 24 feet tall with a diameter of 38 feet. It contained an 80-ton doughnut shaped vacuum chamber, 587 tons of magnetic field coils, a 15 ton titanium center column, and a massive stainless steel support structure. TFTR's use of a fuel mixture containing tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, added to the challenge of its safe removal.

The most challenging aspect of the TFTR disassembly was the segmentation of the 100 cubic yard vacuum vessel. Use of conventional technologies such as abrasive sawing and flame cutting could not address health and safety concerns.

PPPL's engineering team addressed these challenges by developing an innovative system - diamond wire cutting used in conjunction with a concrete filling technique - which reduced worker radiation exposure, airborne emissions, and waste generation.

In the fusion process, matter is converted to energy when the nuclei of light elements, such as hydrogen, join or fuse to form heavier elements. In experiments such as TFTR, physicists employ magnetic fields to confine hot, ionized gases called plasmas, which fuel the fusion reactions.

Compared to fossil fuels and fission, now used in commercial power plants, fusion would have certain advantages, including an inexhaustible fuel supply; no chemical combustion products; and inherent safety, with minimal production of waste.

"The unprecedented scientific success of TFTR experiments has now been followed by its safe dismantling and removal," noted PPPL director Robert Goldston. "Not only did TFTR greatly advance fusion science, but its safe, cost effective, and efficient decommissioning also demonstrates the promise of fusion as an environmentally attractive, economical energy source."

National Radon Action Week Observed

This week, October 20-26, has been named as National Radon Action Week. The event kicks off a year of special attention by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal and state agencies regarding the risks of radon gas.

"The National Safety Council is committed to raising awareness of the dangers of radon," said NSC president Alan McMillan. "Radon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless radioactive gas formed by the natural radioactive decay of uranium in rock, soil and water. It can be found in all 50 states and the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States."

Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in people's lungs when they breathe. As they break down further, these particles release small bursts of energy, which can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of a lifetime.

Not everyone exposed to elevated levels of radon will develop lung cancer, and the amount of time between exposure and the onset of the disease may be many years.

Nearly one out of every 15 homes has a radon level that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be elevated - four picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or greater. The average radon in air level in single family U.S. homes is 1.3 pCi/L.

Because most people spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors, indoor exposure to radon is an important concern.

The Council's Radon Hotline provides a toll free number: 800-767-7236 through which callers can order a brochure on radon. It contains information on ordering a low cost short term test kit.

Another NSC number, 800-557-2366, allows callers to speak with an information specialist regarding specific radon related questions. Callers can also order free radon documents, including the EPA booklet, "Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon."

For more information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/rnactionmonth.html

Nevada Wilderness Bill Passed by Congress

The Clark County Public Lands and Natural Resources (PLAN) Act of 2002 was introduced earlier this year by Nevada Senators Harry Reid, a Democrat, and John Ensign, a Republican. The bill, which President George W. Bush is expected to sign, won the support of several environmental groups.

"Everyone wins with this legislation," said Senator Reid after the bill passed the Senate late last week. "Over the past year and a half, Senator Ensign, [Representative Jim] Gibbons and I brought all interested parties to the table to ensure we would ultimately reach the best possible land management plan for Clark County. We reached a broad, bipartisan compromise that will balance growth and development while protecting natural resources. Tonight we are seeing the final realization of that endeavor."

The Clark County lands bill adds a total of 444,000 acres in Clark County - land that is home to desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, mountain lions, and endangered and threatened species including the desert tortoise, peregrine falcon, southwestern willow flycatcher and the yellow-billed cuckoo - to the national wilderness preservation system.

The bill also releases 231,000 acres of wilderness study areas for possible development by educational and research institutions and residential developers, with detailed management plans intended to ensure Clark County's orderly growth over the next several decades.

The bill creates the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area in southern Nevada, which will help protect ancient rock art, and expands the existing Red Rock National Conservation Area through a land trade with the Howard Hughes Corporation. The measure also establishes a Southern Nevada Litter Cleanup Campaign led by volunteers, civic organizations, environmental groups and private industry.

"A product of years of work, this bill will protect our pristine vistas, promote responsible growth, and preserve over 140 years of Nevada water rights law," said Representative Gibbons, a Nevada Republican.

Judge Cites Forest Service for Overgrazing

In a ruling of summary judgement, U.S. District Judge Raner Collins decided that the USFS presented no "evidence of merit" in its defense against the case brought by the conservation group Forest Guardians and other environmental organizations. Collins ordered the USFS and environmental groups to propose possible solutions for the overgrazing problem.

"The environmental bar has been raised. The balance has been shifted in favor of wildlife,"

"This landmark ruling will require the Forest Service to go back to the drawing board and do a better job of protecting endangered wildlife from livestock caused damage to streams and grasslands," said John Horning, executive director of Forest Guardians. "What we're talking about is a major shift in how the Forest Service deals with grazing."

The Forest Guardians argued in court that the USFS has failed to protect habitat for the Mexican spotted owl habitat on 80 percent of ranching allotments in the Southwest.

In his 13 page ruling, Collins said the USFS "is not in compliance with the Endangered Species Act" due to its failure to implement a 1996 grazing plan aimed at protecting habitat for the endangered Mexican spotted owl. The plan, authored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, covered the 11 national forests of Arizona and New Mexico.

Cattle ranchers are allowed to graze their herds on public lands for minimal costs - $1.35 per month for each cow-calf pair. The costs per month of grazing the same animals on leased private lands run as high as $12 per month.

But heavy grazing can strip forest floors of vegetation, removing food and cover for the mice and voles on which the endangered spotted owl feeds. Grazing also can erode streambanks and pollute waterways, and disrupt the natural fire cycle.

Judge Collins ordered the USFS and Forest Guardians to file briefs on an "appropriate remedy" for overgrazing by October 25, On November 1, the plaintiffs and defendants are due in court to present oral arguments regarding their proposed remedies.

Sometime later in November, Collins is expected to issue a decision regarding what action the USFS must take to meet the requirements of the spotted owl recovery plan.

Animal Protection Measures on November Ballots

"The steady stream of animal protection measures on ballots and their regular acceptance by voters are clear indicators that Americans strongly favor public policies that promote the humane treatment of animals," said Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). "We're confident that voters will agree that public policies are needed to protect animals from intentional harm and abuse."

The various ballot measures will help shape public policy on issues such as factory farming and animal fighting.

Among the issues to be voted on this November:

• Florida voters will decide whether to ban gestation crates - two foot by seven foot cages in which pregnant pigs are housed - when they vote on Amendment 10. The crates are so small that confined pigs can not turn around.
• Voters in Oklahoma will decide State Question 687, an initiative to outlaw cockfighting and make Oklahoma the 48th state to ban the practice. Oklahoma is one of only three states where cockfighting is still legal.
• In Arkansas, voters will decide whether to toughen penalties for extreme acts of animal cruelty, including cockfighting. Initiated Act 1 would make extreme animal cruelty a class D felony.
• In Georgia, Amendment 6 would establish a program that would curtail dog and cat overpopulations to reduce the number of animals euthanized by animal shelters. The program, which will fund subsidized spay neuter programs across the state, will be paid for by the voluntary purchase of special license plates.

The HSUS and other animal protection groups are urging voters to support these measures. But other measures are strongly opposed by the groups.

In Oklahoma, SQ 698 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution by increasing the number of signatures needed to qualify an initiative to promote the welfare of animals. It would almost double the number of signatures needed for a measure on that subject.

"State Question 698 is a measure designed to protect cockfighting, and it is an unmistakable attack on the voting rights of all Oklahomans," Pacelle said. The state's two largest newspapers - "The Tulsa World" and "The Daily Oklahoman" - have denounced SQ 698 as an attack on direct democracy.

In Arizona, animal protection groups are opposing Proposition 201, which would expand gambling at greyhound racing tracks and provide a new revenue stream for this industry. The HSUS and The Fund for Animals oppose greyhound racing because of the industry's mistreatment and killing of dogs.

"Agricultural groups and other animal use industries often exert disproportionate influence on state legislatures," said Pacelle. "If state legislators won't pass enormously popular bills such as a ban on cockfighting or an upgrade of an anti-cruelty statute, for example, it is obvious that special interests are influencing legislative outcomes. That's why the initiative process is so very important."

Database Lists Water Monitoring Methods

The database will allow scientists and managers monitoring water quality to compare data collection methods at a glance and find the method that best meets their needs. The tool also allows monitoring data to be shared among different agencies and organizations that use different methods at different times.

"This will save a lot of time and effort for everyone, offering a single place on the Internet where people can search for information about suitable, well documented methods of monitoring," said Dr. Robert Hirsch, USGS associate director for water. "This will help to ensure that future monitoring efforts use appropriate methods and it will add to everyone's ability to share the results of their monitoring programs."

The database was developed in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other partners in the federal, state and private sectors.

"NEMI represents a successful interagency effort that helps everyone (citizen groups, academics, industry, and government agencies) share information on the methods they use to do environmental monitoring," Hirsch added.

Called NEMI - the National Environmental Methods Index, the tool is a free, web based online clearinghouse of environmental monitoring methods. The NEMI database contains chemical, micro-biological and radiochemical method summaries of lab and field protocols for regulatory and non-regulatory water quality analyses.

In the future, NEMI will be expanded to meet the needs of the monitoring community. For example, biological methods will be added to NEMI, along with additional field and laboratory methods of importance to the monitoring community.

NEMI provides a summary of the procedures and performance data needed to assess methods. Critical data on sensitivity, accuracy, precision, instrumentation, source and relative cost are produced as tabular reports, and full methods are linked to the summaries.

"The state regulators who manage the nation's water quality programs are pleased to see the development of this database because we expect it to assist environmental professionals in selecting appropriate analytical methods for water quality investigations," said Robbi Savage, executive director of the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators. "Searching NEMI produces a list of approved analytical methods with specific information that can save time and provide a higher level of accuracy in tracking regarding method number, source, detection limits and relative cost."

For more information, visit the NEMI database at: http://www.nemi.gov

Wild Hogs Damaging Virgin Islands National Park

Wild hog populations pose a threat to the native natural resources, long term resource management programs of the Park, cultural resources, and visitor health and safety. The NPS proposal includes building fences to keep wild hogs out of Park property and setting traps to catch hogs that have already invaded the park. In some cases, involving elusive or difficult to capture animals, the feral hogs may be hunted with dogs and rifles.

Non-native domestic hogs are not native to North America or South America. Christopher Columbus first introduced these European hogs into the West Indies in 1493. The Danes brought wild hogs to St. John in the early 1700s when they colonized that island.

Wild hogs have established breeding populations in many areas of the Virgin Islands National Park. Hogs escape from fenced enclosures and wander into surrounding areas, including National Park lands, where they become feral.

The National Park Service (NPS) has released a Draft Sustained Reduction Plan for Non-native Wild Hogs Within Virgin Islands National Park Environmental Assessment (EA) for a public review period which closes November 22.

The proposed action is intended to address the potential for spreading into new areas, particularly now that several populations are established in both the northern and southern portions of the Park, mitigating current impacts, and sustaining a near zero population to limit future impacts.

"Because the Park boundary is entirely permeable with private or territorial lands, feral animals readily enter from adjacent lands," noted John King, Virgin Islands National Park superintendent. "Animals inhabiting adjacent lands can easily enter the Park and establish breeding populations. For these reasons the permanent elimination (eradication) of hogs from the Park is impossible. Therefore, feasible alternatives must focus on regular efforts to reduce the population size and maintain them at low levels."

Hog rooting behavior disrupts natural communities, individual species populations, forest successional patterns and forest nutrient cycles. Rooting on trails and in the forest often results in high rates of soil erosion, which affects aquatic habitats.

Rooting and wallowing by hogs affect the aesthetic and wilderness values of the Park, and wild hogs affect Park wildlife through predation, habitat alteration and competition for food.

"Non-native species such as wild hogs pose a serious threat to the Park's natural resources, long term management programs, and visitor health and safety," said Rafe Boulon, chief of resources management at Virgin Islands National Park. "The program is termed a 'sustained reduction' because once the hog populations are reduced to low levels, the smaller populations will be held at/or below that level. The proposed control program mirrors similar programs throughout the world and is needed to meet a variety of federal laws and National Park Service mandates."

For more information, visit: http://www.nps.gov/viis