Dayhoff Carroll: www.kevindayhoff.org Westminster Md Online - The Winchester Report, by Kevin Earl Dayhoff: Runner, writer, artist, fire and police chaplain Mindless ramblings of a runner, journalist, and artist Westminster, Hampstead, Manchester, Taneytown, Union Bridge, Mount Airy and Sykesville in Carroll Co, Maryland... and Frederick Co. Westminster Fire Dept., Firefighters, police officers, Carroll Co Sheriff's Office, Md St Police. Chaplain duties, Religion, Grace Lutheran Ch.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Save Farm Families Fundraiser planned for the Hudson Family on February 18, 2012
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Maryland Department of the Environment: Clean Water Innovations Trade Show - July 13th
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*****
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Route 32 improvements opposed years ago
September 15, 2009 by Kevin Dayhoff
Years ago, the improvements to, what is now deemed to be a dangerous portion of, Route 32 in Carroll and Howard Counties, were vigorously opposed to by proponents of Smart Growth and environmentalists.
Actually, those who wanted to improve the stretch of highway cited safety as the one of the biggest reasons.
I just checked through my history-research files and I don’t seem to have any the newspaper articles that referred to the opposition.
I would be curious as to what is the current position of the folks who have opposed the improvements, now that the loss of life continues to escalate?
Does anyone out there in the Maryland blogosphere remember the opposition and do you have any of the articles available?
_____
Howard County executive calls governor to press for Route 32 improvements
Renewed demands follow second fatal crash in three months
By Mike Santa Rita Posted http://explorecarroll.com/news/3410/route32/ 9/14/09
A fatal three-vehicle collision on Route 32 near the Carroll County line Thursday has reinvigorated support for fixing a stretch of road that nearby residents have long described as dangerous.
Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman said Friday he had called Gov. Martin O’Malley within hours after the fatal crash to press for immediate improvements along the road, which is state-owned and maintained.
[…]
http://explorecarroll.com/news/3410/route32/
20090915 sdosm Route 32 improvements opposed years ago
Friday, May 15, 2009
Climate Change: Garbage Gets Fresh Look as Source of Energy By JEFFREY BALL
Related: Enviro Solid Waste Man
Enviro Solid Waste Man Recycling
Enviro Solid Waste to Energy
MAY 15, 2009
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Times change, and yesterday's environmental problem starts to look like today's solution. That is what is happening with trash.
Over the past two decades, the U.S. has shut down hundreds of pollution-spewing waste incinerators on the belief that burning detritus was a bigger environmental sin than burying it. Today, most American garbage is sent to landfills, some spanning hundreds of acres miles from the cities that generate the refuse. New York City, which tosses about eight million tons of nonindustrial trash each year, trucks much of it to big landfills in states such as Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Jeffrey Ball/The Wall Street Journal.
Covanta's Hempstead, N.Y., plant burns nearly a million tons of trash a year.
Landfills have been convenient. But they are falling out of favor as improved technology and changing environmental priorities start to upend the old thinking about garbage.
Past orthodoxy held that burning trash was bad because it spewed toxic substances into the air. In an era when the big environmental threat was localized pollution like smog and cancer-causing plumes, landfills seemed the lesser evil.
Dirty air is still a concern, but now it has been eclipsed by fears of global climate change. In that calculus of environmental harm, recent research suggests, burning trash is better than burying it.
The appeal of most modern incinerators is that they don't only torch trash. They also use the heat from the incineration to boil water, which creates steam, which in turn generates electricity. Yet trash incineration produces just 0.4% of the country's electricity. Even if all U.S. garbage were burned, it wouldn't produce anywhere near enough power to meet the country's energy needs. But as concern about climate change grows, any renewable source of energy -- even a pile of garbage -- seems appealing.
[…]
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A9
Further Reading
The best way to deal with trash is to produce less of it. The next-best way is to recycle more of it, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But that still leaves loads of trash, and burning it to produce electricity is better than burying it in a landfill, the EPA says. Incinerating a ton of trash emits at least 35% less greenhouse gas and yields 10 times as much electricity as burying it, according to a recent study by EPA researchers.
Today, the U.S. burns 13% of its trash; it sends 54% of its trash to landfills and recycles 33% of it. Other countries, particularly countries in Europe that have less available space for landfills and fewer domestic fossil-fuel resources, burn more of their trash, according to a study by the European Environment Agency.
A bill drafted by Congressional Democrats would give incineration, known as "waste-to-energy," a boost. The bill would require utilities to produce 20% of their electricity from renewable-energy sources and energy-efficiency improvements by 2020. The bill's current version defines waste-to-energy as one form of renewable power, along with sources such as the wind and sun.
Many environmentalists worry that encouraging trash incineration will impinge on recycling efforts. A 1997 report by the Natural Resource Defense Council's Allen Hershkowitz argues that recycling rates could be dramatically improved with more effort. A 2008 study by trash consultant Eileen Brettler Berenyi concluded that trash incineration isn't restraining recycling. Her study, partly funded by the trash-incineration industry, found that U.S. communities with waste-to-energy plants tend to have higher-than-average recycling rates.
Read the entire article here: Climate Change: Garbage Gets Fresh Look as Source of Energy By JEFFREY BALL
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124233937494621157.html
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://www.westgov.net/
Westminster Maryland Online http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/ http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
MDGOP Announces Commission for Environmental Solutions
Maryland Republican Party
James Pelura, DVM, MS Chairman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2009
CONTACT: Justin Ready, 410-269-0113
Maryland Republicans Celebrate Earth Day
MDGOP Announces Commission for Environmental Solutions
ANNAPOLIS - Our most treasured asset, the Chesapeake Bay is in trouble. Millions of dollars are spent each year on finding solutions to pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, while each year the reports are the same….the Bay is unhealthy and more must be done.
The Maryland Republican Party realizes that more money is not the answer. The time has come for reason, rational thinking and science to lead the way for developing a responsible approach for saving our most precious natural resource, the Chesapeake Bay.
As a result, the Maryland Republican Party is proud to take this opportunity on Earth Day 2009 to announce the formation of the MDGOP Commission for Environmental Solutions.
This commission includes representatives from the Maryland General Assembly, the recycling industry, green construction, water and sewage treatment, agriculture, the power industry as well as experts from the field of natural resources.
The Maryland Republican Party firmly believes that real solutions to our environmental problems will result from a scientific and rational approach that will provide for clean air and water while maintaining strict fiscal efficiency.
Tomorrow is too late, we must act today.
###
http://www.mdgop.org/
15 West Street • Annapolis, Maryland • 21401 • (410) 263-2125 Annapolis • (410) 269-5937 Fax
20090421 MDGOP Announces Commission for Environmental Solutions
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff: www.westgov.net Westminster Maryland Online www.westminstermarylandonline.net http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Recent articles by Carrie Ann Knauer
March 12, 2009
Sustainability panel holds first meeting Before he joined a new sustainability committee formed in Carroll county, Zayn Bradley thought about what the word sustainability really means. His business in Frederick may be called Sustainable Energy Systems LLC, but sustainability can have differ... Mar. 7, 2009
Purim Celebration: Beth Shalom congregation marks holiday TAYLORSVILLE The Purim groggers spun wildly, creating a cacophony of clacking sounds at each mention of the name “Haman.” The idea is to drown out the name Haman, much like booing, said Steve Weiner, who helped distribute the groggers, ... Mar. 10, 2009
Speaker giving talk on how to endure recession As more families and households in Carroll County are likely to be affected by the struggling economy, the Westminster branch of the library will host a talk Thursday on how to live on a reduced income. Joanne Hamilton, senior agent in Family and Con... Mar. 11, 2009
Coyotes part of Carroll s ecosystem Maybe you ve heard rumors about a local farmer losing a calf to a predator, or you ve noticed fewer feral cats hanging around the neighborhood. Maybe you saw some unusual paw prints in the recent snow, or thought you caught a glimpse of an animal tha... Mar. 12, 2009
Pet waste, pet peeve SYKESVILLE Claude Hoerner knows it s neither easy nor pleasant to pick up after your dog during a walk in a public place. For the Sykesville resident, the task is particularly hard, as he strains to keep his four little dogs, each on its own retrac... Mar. 1, 2009
Dietitian offers tips for nutrition month March is National Nutrition Month, so the Times asked Joni Rampolla, a registered licensed dietitian and the director of Nutrition for Medifast, to give some nutritional tips. Q: What is the purpose of National Nutrition Month? A: National Nutrition ... Mar. 2, 2009
Library chooses nature-themed books for program Dozens of copies of the two books chosen for the 2009 On the Same Page program coordinated by the Carroll County Public Library have hit the shelves for readers to check out. This is the seventh year of On the Same Page, a program designed to have pe... Mar. 4, 2009
Carroll farms offer produce shares Every year that a farmer plants his seeds, raises his crop and awaits the harvest is a year of risks. Will it be a good crop year? Will a drought strike? Will the market prices be high enough to pay off the money put into the crops? But there s a tre... Feb. 28, 2009
Waste pickup a growing business MOUNT AIRY Karen Broadhurst said some people scoff or laugh when they see the Poop Patrol service offered by her family s pet supply business, Pet Loft. The thought of paying someone to come to your house to pick up your pet s waste for $20 or... Mar. 1, 2009
Pet waste a concern for health, environment Besides the quality-of-life issue, pet waste that is left to biodegrade in the open poses a potential threat to human health and creates a bacteria and nutrient problem in local waterways. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, animal... Mar. 1, 2009
Ag briefs for Saturday, March 7, 2009 Tractor, machinery certification offered The Baltimore County 4-H will offer a tractor and machinery safety training program for youths ages 14 and older. The Farm and Tractor Safety program will provide training to youths in basic farm safety, tract... Mar. 7, 2009
Carroll News Briefs Woman asks for new attorney BALTIMORE A Westminster woman accused of exploiting a teenage girl to create pornography has asked a federal judge to let her have a new attorney. Deborah Gail Frock, 39, of the unit block of Liberty Street in Westminste...Mar. 7, 2009
Beef meals perfect for warm weather That taste of 70-degree weather this weekend was tantalizing. A week ago you could smell smoke from wood stoves in the air; Sunday you could smell the smoke coming from grills. What better time to look at beef recipes? I know beef isn t as “in&... Mar. 11, 2009
Carroll News Briefs Men wanted for credit card fraud Police are seeking information about the identity of two men accused of stealing the credit/debit card information of a Finksburg woman. The Carroll County Sheriff s Office said the two men charged more than $600... Mar. 11, 2009
Carroll News Briefs for March 6 Crash probe continues An investigation was continuing Thursday into a crash that sent an Eldersburg woman to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Christine Marie Delmartin, 19, was flown to shock trauma after the three-vehicle... Mar. 6, 2009
Pot roast good for hearty, comfort food This week s snow was a clear reminder that March is not the bearer of spring that I always want it to be. As I sat at home Monday, watching my pants dry out from when I shoveled the sidewalk, all I could think about was warm, hearty comfort foods, an... Mar. 4, 2009
20090312 SDOSM Recent articles by Carrie Ann Knauer
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Recent articles by Tom LoBianco
December 24, 2008
Tom LoBianco
Contact Tom via e-mail
Recent Stories
Renewable sources to reduce oil demand
Rise in demand seen as near nil, say analysts
Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008
Federal energy analysts said Wednesday that U.S. demand for oil barely will grow over the coming decades because of efforts to reduce use and invest in renewable power sources, but fossil fuels will continue to make up 80 percent of the nation's energy supplies.
Emissions crackdown: Who wins, who pays?
Monday, Dec. 15, 2008
Leaders in the Democratic Congress haven't even passed new emissions standards - which likely would raise upward of $100 billion - but various interests supporting the measure already are split about who should get the money.
Obama to set health goals, tap Daschle
Energy, environmental team likely to assuage leftists
Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama is expected to announce his health care priorities at a news conference Thursday and has tapped an energy and environment team likely to assuage fears from liberals that they had been left in the cold, multiple sources said Wednesday.
Obama to name Chu as energy secretary
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama is expected to name Nobel-prize winning physicist Steven Chu his energy secretary, sources familiar with the Obama transition team said Wednesday.
Boxer: Stimulus will pass quickly
Senate eyes alternative energy
Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008
A top Senate Democrat on Monday sent a letter to President-elect Barack Obama assuring him that Congress will move quickly to approve an economic stimulus plan between $500 billion and $1 trillion, and base much of it on establishing energy independence through renewable and alternative energy sources.
GM touts electric-drive models amid bailout requests
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008
General Motors showed off its green wares at the Electric Drive Transportation Association conference Wednesday, while members of Congress sat about a half-mile away on Capitol Hill deciding whether the carmaker would survive another year.
Sen. Martinez will not seek re-election
Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008
Sen. Mel Martinez, Florida Republican, said Tuesday he would not seek re-election in 2010, ensuring a high-stakes fight in the in the battleground state of Florida.
Alternative-energy advocates hail adviser
Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008
Renewable and alternative energy advocates looking to score politically by moving their issue into the realm of national security debates notched a victory Monday when President-elect Barack Obama picked retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones to become his national security adviser.
'Tofurkymobile' out for new holiday traditions
Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008
The Tofurkymobile plows on, long after the day of real turkey gobbling has passed and the seasonal jokes about tofu raised "in the wild" have been shelved for another year.
Cheap gas stalls green efforts
Tax idea loses public support
Friday, Nov. 28, 2008
Advocates of energy conservation and renewable fuels may be the only ones in America looking back nostalgically on the days of $4-a-gallon gasoline.
20081224 Recent articles by Tom LoBianco
http://www.washingtontimes.com/staff/tom-lobianco/
Monday, July 28, 2008
Fans of L.E.D.’s Say This Bulb’s Time Has Come by ERIC A. TAUB July 28, 2008
Fans of L.E.D.’s Say This Bulb’s Time Has Come by ERIC A. TAUB July 28, 2008
When the Sentry Equipment Corporation in Oconomowoc, Wis., was considering how to light its new factory last year, the company’s president, Michael Farrell, decided to try something new: light emitting diodes, or L.E.D.’s.
“I knew L.E.D.’s were used in stoplights. I wondered why they can’t be used in buildings,” Mr. Farrell said. “So I went on a mission.”
What Mr. Farrell found was a light source that many of the biggest bulb manufacturers are now convinced will supplant incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs.
[…]
L.E.D. bulbs, with their brighter light and longer life, have already replaced standard bulbs in many of the nation’s traffic lights. Indeed, the red, green and yellow signals are — aside from the tiny blinking red light on a DVD player, a cellphone or another electronic device — probably the most familiar application of the technology.
But it is showing up in more prominent spots. The ball that descends in Times Square on New Year’s Eve is illuminated with L.E.D.’s. And the managers of the Empire State Building are considering a proposal to light it with L.E.D. fixtures, which would allow them to remotely change the building’s colors to one of millions of variations.
The nation’s Big Three of lighting — General Electric, Osram Sylvania and Royal Philips Electronics — are embracing a new era of more efficient technologies, like halogen, compact fluorescent and solid-state devices. Encouraged by legislation and the rising cost of energy, as well as concerns about greenhouse gases, consumers are swapping out incandescent bulbs.
The switch is forcing a fast change in strategy, as companies reposition their manufacturing lines. General Electric, for instance, said earlier this month that it was spinning off its unit that makes bulbs.
The bulb makers face a tough problem. Their businesses were built on customers who regularly replaced light bulbs. How do you make a profit when new lighting may commonly last 50 to 100 times as long as a standard bulb? Compact fluorescents, which use less than one-third the power and last up to 10 times as long as standard bulbs, have replaced incandescent bulbs in many homes and offices.
[…]
Read the rest of the article here: Fans of L.E.D.’s Say This Bulb’s Time Has Come by ERIC A. TAUB July 28, 2008
20080728 Fans of L.E.D.’s Say This Bulb Time Has Come by Eric Taub
Fans of L.E.D.’s Say This Bulb’s Time Has Come by ERIC A. TAUB July 28, 2008
Fans of L.E.D.’s Say This Bulb’s Time Has Come by ERIC A. TAUB July 28, 2008
When the Sentry Equipment Corporation in Oconomowoc, Wis., was considering how to light its new factory last year, the company’s president, Michael Farrell, decided to try something new: light emitting diodes, or L.E.D.’s.
“I knew L.E.D.’s were used in stoplights. I wondered why they can’t be used in buildings,” Mr. Farrell said. “So I went on a mission.”
What Mr. Farrell found was a light source that many of the biggest bulb manufacturers are now convinced will supplant incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs.
[…]
L.E.D. bulbs, with their brighter light and longer life, have already replaced standard bulbs in many of the nation’s traffic lights. Indeed, the red, green and yellow signals are — aside from the tiny blinking red light on a DVD player, a cellphone or another electronic device — probably the most familiar application of the technology.
But it is showing up in more prominent spots. The ball that descends in Times Square on New Year’s Eve is illuminated with L.E.D.’s. And the managers of the Empire State Building are considering a proposal to light it with L.E.D. fixtures, which would allow them to remotely change the building’s colors to one of millions of variations.
The nation’s Big Three of lighting — General Electric, Osram Sylvania and Royal Philips Electronics — are embracing a new era of more efficient technologies, like halogen, compact fluorescent and solid-state devices. Encouraged by legislation and the rising cost of energy, as well as concerns about greenhouse gases, consumers are swapping out incandescent bulbs.
The switch is forcing a fast change in strategy, as companies reposition their manufacturing lines. General Electric, for instance, said earlier this month that it was spinning off its unit that makes bulbs.
The bulb makers face a tough problem. Their businesses were built on customers who regularly replaced light bulbs. How do you make a profit when new lighting may commonly last 50 to 100 times as long as a standard bulb? Compact fluorescents, which use less than one-third the power and last up to 10 times as long as standard bulbs, have replaced incandescent bulbs in many homes and offices.
[…]
Read the rest of the article here: Fans of L.E.D.’s Say This Bulb’s Time Has Come by ERIC A. TAUB July 28, 2008
20080728 Fans of L.E.D.’s Say This Bulb Time Has Come by Eric Taub
Friday, July 11, 2008
What is happening at the Westminster Shopping Center?
July 11, 2008
Update: photo – October 28, 2008
Many folks have asked what is happening with the portion of the Westminster Shopping Center at the corner of Englar Road and Rte 140.
Sometime ago, the two back-to-back gas stations, that were located there, were torn down.
Then the area was fenced off and nothing has happened since.
Now anyone who knows anything about shopping centers knows that things often happen at break-neck glacier speed; so many of us thought nothing of it for a while.
I asked around and no one seemed to know anything. I thought of calling the owners, the Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (WRIT) – and well - I lost track of it. There are only so many hours in the day.
My experience with the WRIT is that they are usually very accessible – I just never got around to calling them.
And then the other night I was rummaging around the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) website researching another matter and there it was: “Facts about Westminster Citgo and Shopping Center Voluntary Cleanup Program.”
Apparently they are cleaning-up the site before they move forward… Which is a good thing.
I’ll paste the information from the MDE website below, but first some very brief reference material on the shopping center: “StoreTrax” deck sheet on the Westminster Shopping Center (retrieved July 10th, 2008):
Westminster Shopping Center, Route 140 & Englar Road, Westminster, MD
Details: County: Carroll, Type: Community, Built: 1958, Renovated: 2000: Westminster Shopping Center went through a complete redevelopment in 2000. Medium Boxes and Small Sites available for National Tenants. Total Square Feet: 176,692
Washington Real Estate Investment Trust 6110 Executive Blvd. Suite 800 Rockville, MD 20852
Leasing Agent(s) Steve Krupinski, 301-255-0846 phone, 301-984-9612 faxskrupinski@writ.com
http://www.storetrax.com/stx/showNAProperty.do?centerId=811&type=1&st_inc=no
MDE Facts about Westminster Citgo and Shopping Center Voluntary Cleanup Program
October 30, 2007
Page 1
Maryland Department of the Enviroment
1800 Washington Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21230-1718 www.mde.state.md.us
410-537-3000 800-633-6101 TTY Users: 800-735-2258
Facts About…
Department of the Environment
WESTMINSTER CITGO AND SHOPPING CENTER
(VOLUNTARY CLEANUP PROGRAM)
Site Location
The Westminster Citgo and Shopping Center property consists of two parcels totaling 10.84-acres located at the southeast corner of Route 140 and Englar Road in Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland. The property is a strip mall shopping center with several stand-alone buildings and paved parking areas. Overland flow from the property discharges to the southeast. The Town of Westminster supplies water and sanitary sewer services to the property and the vicinity. The Town of Westminster derives the majority of their potable water from groundwater and the Westminster Citgo property is located in the wellhead protection area. The property is zoned business. Other commercial properties surround the property.
Site History
Prior to 1958, the property was used for agricultural purposes, and in 1958, the property was developed into a shopping center. A dual operator service station was located on the property as early as 1959 and the associated building was demolished in 2006.
The current owner, Washington Real Estate Investment Trust, purchased the property from Westminster Shopping Center, Inc. in 1972.
In 1957, Westminster Shopping Center, Inc. purchased the property from Scott and Anita Bair who purchased it in 1955. Prior to 1955, the Albaugh and Babylon Grocery Company owned the property.
Environmental Investigations and Actions
Two service stations operated at the property from 1959 until 2006. Numerous underground storage tanks have historically been associated with the service stations. These tanks have all been removed from the property with the exception of one 8,000-gallon tank that was abandoned in place in 1989. During tank removal in 2006, petroleum contamination was noted in the soil and groundwater. Contaminated soils, totaling 322 tons, were also removed during the tank excavations. A Phase II investigation was conducted subsequently and revealed additional petroleum soil impacts and contamination of groundwater at the property.
An Oil Control Program (OCP) case was opened for the property (#2005-0945-CL). In November 2006, the OCP approved a work plan for the property that required additional sampling. In April 2007, the OCP requested an interim corrective action plan be developed to address the petroleum contamination at the property. The request also includes quarterly sampling of the groundwater from the existing monitoring wells.
Page 2
1800 Washington Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21230-1718 www.mde.state.md.us
410-537-3000 800-633-6101 TTY Users: 800-735-2258
Current Status
On August 20, 2007, Washington Real Estate Investment Trust submitted two Voluntary Cleanup Program applications for the property seeking a restricted no further requirements determination for the shopping center and certificate of completion for the service station for commercial future uses of the property.
Planned or Potential Future Action
The proposed future use of the property will be commercial.
Contact
Jim Carroll
Maryland Department of the Environment
(410) 537-3437
Land Restoration Program
Last Update: October 30, 2007
http://www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/Westminster%20Citgo%20and%20Shopping%20Cntr.pdf.
20080711 What is happening at the Westminster Shopping Center?
Friday, March 28, 2008
20080326 Too Little, Too Late - Media Discover Mercury in Fluorescent Bulbs by the Business and Media Institute
Each CFL contains about 5 milligrams of mercury. That’s enough for state environmental agencies to recommend complicated and expensive cleanups for accidental bulb breaks in homes.
Related: Labels: Congress, Environmentalism, Environmentalism Light Bulbs and compact fluorescent light bulbs
20070913 Light Bulb Efficiency Standards
Too Little, Too Late - Media Discover Mercury in Fluorescent Bulbs
Journalists' beloved 'eco-friendly' lights now considered more dangerous than originally thought, after government mandate required their use.
By Nathan Burchfiel
Business & Media Institute
3/26/2008
What is it about government mandates that curse innovation to failure?
Ethanol turned out to be more environmentally harmful than the fossil fuels it was replacing via federal mandate. Now scientists understand the “green” compact fluorescent light bulbs to be dangerous because they contain mercury.
While scientists couldn’t agree on just how beneficial compact fluorescent light bulbs were, journalists on network news shows had widely agreed that CFLs are a good thing.
“They last 10 times longer and they’re really great for the environment,” Kris Connell of Real Simple Magazine said on “The Early Show” March 10.
Each of the three broadcast networks has featured the bulbs and promoted them as energy-efficient, environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional incandescent bulbs. Journalists and others who support the bulbs touted their benefits but rarely focused on the potential risks.
NBC’s “Today” show featured the bulbs on its “Today Goes Green” series Jan. 23, 2008, as one way average Americans can adjust their lives to be more “environmentally friendly.”
“If every American home replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than three million American homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars,” co-host Meredith Vieira said.
“Replace just one of your standard light bulbs with one of those curly compact fluorescent lamps,” Diane Sawyer suggested on ABC’s “Good Morning
The Sept. 28, 2007, CBS “Early Show” even said “going green,” including switching from traditional incandescent bulbs to CFLs, was “good for your health, it’s good for your pocketbook, and it’s good for the environment.”
The print media joined in.
With this help from the media, proponents of the bulbs convinced Congress to ban incandescent light bulbs in the energy bill President Bush signed into law in Dec. 19, 2007. The bill increases efficiency standards and effectively bans traditional bulbs by 2014, a timetable considered a victory by supporters like Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., who was the first to introduce legislation that would ban the bulbs.
But what the media ignored or downplayed in the run-up to the ban was that CFLs contain mercury, a highly toxic metal infamous for its presence in thermometers. In the last two years, network news shows mentioned the CFL-mercury link only seven times. Four of the reports came after the incandescent ban had already been signed into law.
Each CFL contains about 5 milligrams of mercury. That’s enough for state environmental agencies to recommend complicated and expensive cleanups for accidental bulb breaks in homes.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection recommended a woman contact a hazardous waste cleanup company when a CFL broke on her child’s bedroom carpet, sending the mercury level to more than six times the “safe” limit. The crew estimated the cleanup would cost $2,000.
The
The 5 milligrams of mercury are also enough to contaminate 6,000 gallons of water beyond safe drinking levels, according to a March 19 MSNBC.com article that “extrapolated from
Read the entire article: Too Little, Too Late - Media Discover Mercury in Fluorescent Bulbs
Monday, December 17, 2007
20070913 Light Bulb Efficiency Standards
20070913 Light Bulb Efficiency Standards
Senate Energy Committee hearing Wednesday - - S2017
http://green.yahoo.com/18seconds/
http://www.house.gov/harman/press/archive.shtml
#### 12/17/2007 ####
_____
Update: March 28, 2008
Mercury in Fluorescent Bulbs - misc.health.alternative | Google Groups
The bill increases efficiency standards and effectively bans traditional bulbs
by 2014, a timetable considered a victory by supporters like Rep. Jane Harman ...
groups.google.com/group/misc.health.alternative/ browse_thread/thread/d215ea606dcae214/7735aedd9a26bd32
The Virtual Office of Congresswoman Jane Harman - News - HARMAN ...
Jane Harman (D-Venice) and Fred Upton (R-MI) to ban by 2020 the sale of any light
bulb that is not three times more efficient than today’s incandescent ...
www.house.gov/list/press/ca36_harman/June_27.shtml
Energy bill boosts fuel-economy standards - Los Angeles Times
Dec 19, 2007 ... Harman's provision would require that by 2020 light bulbs be at least three ...
to set stricter energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs. ...
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/ la-na-energy19dec19,0,1969731.story?coll=la-home-center
EarthNews » Archive » Light-bulb bill a likely winner if ...
Sep 13, 2007 ... Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich. ... If Congress passes light-bulb
efficiency legislation, it would join a host of other ...
www.earthportal.org/news/?p=469
Hill Heat : S.2017, to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation ...
‘Tough’ Standards. Representative Jane Harman, a chief sponsor of the House ...
inefficient incandescent light bulbs toward higher-efficiency standards. ...
www.hillheat.com/events/2007/09/12/ s-2017-to-amend-the-energy-policy-and-conservation-act-to-prov...
Bill to Ban Regular Light Bulbs Introduced in House -- 03/21/2007
Mar 21, 2007 ... Jane Harman (D-Calif.) introduced legislation that would set target ... ban light
bulbs that do not comply with energy-efficiency targets. ...
www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/ Nation/archive/200703/NAT20070321a.html
News Archive - The Virtual Office of Congresswoman Jane Harman
The Virtual Office of Congresswoman Jane Harman. return to the home page ...
PROVISION TO INCREASE LIGHT BULB EFFICIENCY PASSES HOUSE Harman-authored ...
www.house.gov/harman/press/archive.shtml
Jane Harman - SHARP Network
HARMAN, Jane F., a Representative from California; born in New York, N.Y., June 28,
... By 2020, the bill requires that light bulbs be at least 3 times more ...
sharp.sefora.org/people/house/jane-harman/
Kah Zoohl List: Light Bulbs and Liberty
Congresswoman Jane Harman is one of the few Democratic politicians whom I ...
YOUR LIBERTY to set minimum efficiency standards for light bulbs and ban the ...
kazoolist.blogspot.com/2007/03/ light-bulbs-and-liberty.html
Bush signs bill to increase fuel efficiency - Los Angeles Times
Dec 20, 2007 ... click to enlarge. We ban by 2012 the famously inefficient 100-watt incandescent
bulb. — Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) ...
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/ la-na-energy20dec20,1,3516223.story
For more information: Jane Harman Light Bulb Efficiency Standards
Monday, January 8, 2007
20070107 An Inconvenient Truth to be shown at the CAC
“An Inconvenient Truth” will be shown at the Carroll Arts Center on January 13th, 2007
http://www.carr.org/arts/index_files/Page441.htm
“An Inconvenient Truth”
Saturday, January 13 2:00 & 7:00 pm
$5 Adults/$4 Arts Council Members, Seniors 60+ and Students 18 & Under.
Rated PG; 96 min; 2006
Stay for a moderated discussion of this film’s important topics following the presentation by the Catoctin Maryland Group – Sierra Club.
For more information: Contact: Dan at 410-857-4129 or dooze@qis.net
This renowned film offers a passionate and inspirational look at former Vice President Al Gore’s fervent crusade to halt global warming’s deadly progress in its tracks by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. www.climatecrisis.net
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Kevin Dayhoff: www.westgov.net Westminster Maryland Online www.westminstermarylandonline.net http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, April 7, 1999
Environmental Affairs Advisory Board Rediscovered on the County Staff DisOrganized ReOrganizational Chart
Today, it was disclosed exactly where the Environmental Affairs Advisory Board would soon be restored to the County Staff disorganized reorganizational chart.
…..Attendance of all County Staff was mandatory at a ceremony at the fountain in front of the County Office Building as high Carroll County Government officials announced stringent new regulations developed to stem the alarming rise of environmental activism in the community. One official was overheard to say: "Environmentalists get emotional and that leads to overkill in the regulation department."
Meanwhile, at a secret, undisclosed location……………………………………
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/kevindayhoff Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1040426835
Tuesday, November 10, 1998
November 7th, 1998 Chesapeake Bay Partner Community - Gold Partner Community Award presented to Carroll County
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/
E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/