MUENCHHAUSEN
AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,
RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,
AND RELATED TOPICS
By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.
BETHESDA, MD
JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET
FEBRUARY 16, 2015
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WELCOME!
The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take
the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much
as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of
those to go around in other publications.
The
Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen.
Please send comments to the e-mail address above.
KEYSTONE
XL PASSED CONGRESS: SO WHAT?
Well, a bill to approve the construction of the much-debated Keystone XL Pipeline to ship Alberta Oil Sands
oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast area of the US finally has passed both houses
of Congress, been reconciled, and forwarded to the President for signature,
after years of discussion. TGB believes that the chances of a presidential
signature or a Congressional veto override are lower than TGB’s chances of
hitting the jackpot on the Mega Millions or Power Ball lottery. But let’s see
what political and economics analysts at the Union Bank of Switzerland have to
say about it in their own words (and they reputedly are among the best in their
professions):
More
Energy to Come After Keystone. The House voted this week to
pass the Senate-passed legislation approving the Keystone XL Pipeline project.
The bill will be sent to President Obama, who is expected to veto it. A federal
study from the Environmental Protection Agency indicating possible adverse
environmental impacts from the pipeline project was strategically released last
week, and it will be cited as part of the reason for the President's veto. The
veto will end legislative efforts on Keystone for now, but it will not end the
broader debate over energy policy. Look for new and separate debates and
votes soon over lifting the prohibition on the export of U.S. crude oil,
accelerating U.S. exports of natural gas, pipeline infrastructure improvements,
designation of land to be used or not used for energy production, and other
measures (1).
FUNDING TO STUDY “R”
By “R”, TGB means microbial resistance to drugs. It appears that $100
million could be allocated to the National Institutes of Health’s Biomedical
Advanced Research and Development Authority to study how bacteria attain “R”
and to develop new drugs and diagnostics that detect diseases and get around “R”
(2). In addition, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta, GA) could receive
funding—perhaps nearly $700 million—to create an “isolate bank” of “R” strains
and to educate hospital personnel in properly using antibiotics in such a way
as to minimize the emergence of resistant organisms. Among other efforts would
be working on ways to minimize the use of antibiotics in animal feed or,
better, exclude them from feed (Food and Drug Administration and US Department
of Agriculture).
Resistant bacteria: trying to meet the challenge.
GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS?
Not if the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has its way. In
southwestern Alaska, near Iliamna Lake, it is estimated that there is ore
containing 6.7 million pounds of gold, worth about $120 billion at current
prices (3). Northern Dynasty
Minerals Ltd., a Canadian firm, proposes to establish Pebble Mine to extract
this ore. Problem is that this mineral treasure is located beneath spawning
ground for one of Earth’s biggest runs of sockeye salmon. This fishery is
reputed to generate $500 million a year in revenue.
EPA might invoke a rarely used legal authority to bar the company from
beginning work on Pebble Mine. This action is known as a “preemptive veto”.
Many conservationists, Alaskan natives, fishermen, and other interests oppose
any such mining activity. It will be interesting to see the extent to which EPA’s
preemptive veto may be contested in Congress and in cognizant courts—TGB somehow
expects the matter to go to court—or whether the EPA action will stick.
Iliamna Lake, Alaska: Major salmon spawning grounds (4)
REFERENCES
1. Union Bank of Switzerland. www.ubs.com/fs.
2.
Kaiser, J., Servick, K. “Biomedical initiatives get top billing in budget
rollout”. Science, 6 Feb. 2015, 347, p. 601.
3.
Warrick, J. “In EPA’s likely mine ‘veto’, foes see a vein of overreach”. The
Washington Post, Feb. 16, 2015, p. A1.
4. Natural Resources Defense Council. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mskoglund/pebble_mine_in_alaska_worst_id.html.
4. Natural Resources Defense Council. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mskoglund/pebble_mine_in_alaska_worst_id.html.
