Critics say the US Environmental Protection Agency caved in to pressure from the White House and the cement industry in formulating a new mercury emissions rule. Tracy Samilton reports the rule will let old plants pollute as much as ever:
Transcript
Critics say the US Environmental Protection Agency caved in to pressure from the White House and the cement industry in formulating a new mercury emissions rule. Tracy Samilton reports the rule will let old plants pollute as much as ever:
Mercury is a deadly toxin that can cause birth defects and other health hazards. The new rule restricts mercury emissions on new or updated cement plants. But old plants don’t have to clean up their mercury emissions.
Bill Freese lives near an older cement plant that has been emitting ten times more mercury than it was disclosing to regulators. Freese says he’s disgusted by the EPA’s decision. He’s also none too happy that the plant, which advertises its friendliness to the environment, hasn’t voluntarily reduced the emissions.
“They just refuse to do it because they’d rather not spend the money. As long as they can continue doing what they’re doing, why spend money to clean things up? And they call themselves stewards of our environment.”
Cement industry officials say mercury scrubbing technologies would cost too much, but promise voluntary reforms of some kind in the future.
An environmental group wants to convince lawmakers that tougher mercury rules are needed. They tested legislators for mercury contamination. Amanda Vinicky reports:
Transcript
An environmental group wants to convince lawmakers that tougher mercury rules are needed. They tested legislators for mercury contamination. Amanda Vinicky reports:
Usually the main area under the Illinois State House dome is filled with lobbyists and lawmakers. But earlier this year a haircutter set up shop to take hair samples from several willing legislators.
Their hair was tested for mercury. Turns out, 9 out of 28 have more mercury in their systems than the federal government considers safe.
Jean Flemma is with the Mercury Free Illinois coalition. She explains why they tested politicians:
“We thought it would be an interesting representation of the public as a whole, because our representatives represent us.”
Another reason is because of their control over environmental policy. Flemma says once lawmakers see they can be affected, they’ll want to act to reduce mercury emissions from coal burning power plants and other sources.
A close-up of the quagga mussel. Quaggas have spread in all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior. (Photo courtesy of the Michigan Sea Grant
Archives)
The quagga (left) next to its close relative, the zebra mussel. (Photo courtesy of the Michigan Sea Grant Archives)
Whitefish is a main dish for everything from fish boils to fancy dinners all around the Great Lakes region. But in some areas of the Great Lakes, whitefish aren’t doing so well. Rebecca Williams reports on what’s happening to the fish many people love to eat:
Transcript
Whitefish is a main dish for everything from fish boils to fancy dinners all around the Great Lakes region. But in some areas of the Great Lakes, whitefish aren’t doing so well. Rebecca Williams reports on what’s happening to the fish many people love to eat:
(sound of knives getting sharpened and fish being filleted)
Mike Monahan sells fish from all over the world at his seafood market. But he says whitefish is a very popular seller.
“It’s been there forever, and everybody just expects it to be there, and it’s inexpensive. But really it’s a great fish, as far as a nice light delicate fish, I’d put it up against the soles and flounders.”
Monahan says he’s still getting good supplies of whitefish. So, for now, he’s happy.
But some of the people who catch whitefish are worried. Commercial fishers have been hauling in skinnier whitefish in some parts of the lakes. It’s taking whitefish longer to grow to a size worth selling. And in some cases, the fish aren’t fat enough to make a good fillet.
(sound of shorebirds)
Paul Jensen fishes for whitefish in Lake Michigan. He says lately, he’s had to move his boat to deeper waters. That’s because whitefish are hungry and they’re swimming out deeper. They aren’t finding their favorite food. It’s a little shrimp-like creature called Diporeia.
“Diporeia are probably like a Snickers bar to whitefish; they were high in fats, high in lipids and it was their main food – it was very nutritious for them and it affected their growth rate. Eating Diporeia a fish could reach maturity maybe in 18 months or 2 years. Now we’re looking at fish that may take 5 years to get there.”
Whitefish are not eating Diporeia because it’s vanishing. In some places, researchers used to find 10-thousand of the little critters in a square meter of sediment. Now there are very few, or none at all.
Tom Nalepa has been trying to figure out why. Nalepa is a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab.
“It’s a real scientific puzzle as to why Diporeia is declining. It’s definitely related to the spread of quagga mussels and zebra mussels but that exact negative relationship is kind of elusive at this point in time.”
But Nalepa says he’s sure the invasive mussels are to blame. The mussels got into the Lakes in the ballast tanks of foreign ships. And they’ve spread in all the lakes except Superior.
Tom Nalepa says he’s seen populations of Diporeia crash right around the time the mussels were booming. Nalepa says now, Diporeia’s gone from large areas in most of the Lakes.
That’s bad because Diporeia is an important food source for most of the fish in the Great Lakes.
But for whitefish it’s really crucial. Back in the good old days, Diporeia made up about 80% of their diet.
Tom Nalepa says whitefish are trying to find something else to eat. He’s seeing them switch to a snack food that could make them even skinnier.
They’re starting to eat quagga mussels.
“When whitefish feed on quagga mussels they have to deal with the shell which has no energy content at all and it has to pass the shells through its digestive system so basically the fish feels full when it’s not getting any energy source.”
Nalepa says to the fish, quagga mussels must seem like good food, because there are lots of them.
He says quagga mussels are booming, because they can live in harsher conditions than zebra mussels can. So biologists are predicting quaggas will be even worse for the lakes than zebra mussels.
“Where are things ultimately going to end up? People may just have to get used to fewer fish. Because basically now we’re trading the fish community for the mussel community. The lakes are loaded with mussels instead of fish now. It may be just the way it’s gonna be.”
Some fishermen are already seeing things change. One day last season, Paul Jensen pulled in some of his nets. He was expecting fish.
“It was kind of startling because the amount of quagga mussels that came up with those nets far exceeded the catch of fish. And we hadn’t really equipped the boat with a snow shovel to shovel quagga mussels out of the boat. The impacts are startling because you begin to wonder, if our little net caught these, how many are there and what are the impacts going to be down the road?”
Jensen says he wishes the invaders had never gotten into the lakes in the first place, because there’s no way to predict what effect they’ll have next.
But some scientists worry these changes at the bottom of the food chain will lead to a major collapse of the fish stocks that many people depend on.
Seattle's Freeway Park, an example of covering an urban freeway with green space. (Photo courtesy of Seattle Parks and Recreation)
The park provides a welcome natural sanctuary from the urban environment.
(Photo courtesy of Seattle Parks and Recreation)
The park's builders used concrete in the park's landscaping as well as its structural support. (Photo courtesy of Seattle Parks and Recreation)
Highways are unwelcome, noisy, polluting neighbors to people who live near them. They’re so imposing that it’s hard to imagine making one disappear. But that’s exactly what one town might do. Shawn Allee reports they hope to create some new greenspace in the process:
Transcript
Highways are unwelcome, noisy, polluting neighbors to people who live near them. They’re so imposing that it’s hard to imagine making one disappear. But that’s exactly what one town might do. Shawn Allee reports they hope to create some new greenspace in the process:
Architect Fred Brandstrader and I stand on a bridge above a freeway that runs through Oak Park, IL.
“That sound you’re hearing now, anyone who lives a block on either side of this expressway, it’s like that. There are times when you can’t talk across the street because it’s so loud.”
He ought to know; he lives near the Eisenhower Expressway, or what people call “The Ike.”
What really galls him is how the Ike divided the town in the 1950s.
“First of all, not only do you have the eye sore, but you’ve got all these residents here. You’ve got a school tucked in back there…”
S.A.: “That we can see.”
“Right, that you can see. We’ve got the conservatory right there, and this cuts right through the middle of it.”
And you can’t rid Oak Park, Illinois of this scar without getting rid of the expressway… or can you?
Brandstrader’s with a group that wants to turn a mile and half of open expressway into a tunnel. Supporters want to put sixty acres of park on top. Traffic would move under the new park space. It’s hard to imagine how this highway could disappear.
On the other hand, this was a thriving neighborhood fifty years ago. Some people still remember it that way.
“We’re right on the banks of the lovely Eisenhower expressway, enjoy it.”
S.A.: “You say that with a little bitterness, why is that?”
“Well, because it is my mortal enemy.”
Peggy Studney says, while the Ike was being built, it claimed dozens of her neighbors’ homes.
And she put up with lots of construction.
“And when the pile driver was pounding, the bed would vibrate, and often in the morning you’d have to push your bed back three feet to the wall, where it was to begin with. And that went on for five years.”
Fifty years later, she contends with heavy traffic noise and pollution. But despite all that, she does not support the plan to put a park on top of the Ike. She worries the project will bring back years of construction clatter.
Project supporters face a big obstacle. This would be the longest freeway cover in the nation. The state won’t help, so they’d need federal money, maybe a billion dollars of it.
“That’s a major trend in downtown roadways all over the country.”
Robert Bruegmann teaches architecture, art and urban planning at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Phoenix and Seattle already put parks on top of existing freeways. Bruegmann admits such projects are expensive, but they let cities balance transportation and the need for space.
“The urban freeway, just like the railroad before it, made a big gash into the city necessarily. That’s what happens with all great big infrastructure, and then the city grows back up around it. As the land around it becomes valuable, it becomes very worthwhile to deck them over and create all kinds of amenities, where you had mostly noise and pollution before.”
Back in Oak Park, architect Fred Brandstrader and I walk along a sidewalk near the Ike. Brandstrader explains the state’s planning to rehab the Ike soon. He says that would be the perfect time to deck the expressway. Doing both at the same time will save a lot of money.
Before long, someone interrupts our conversation.
“Peggy?”
Ah, Peggy Studney. I’m glad she’s here to clear something up. Again, Peggy Studney does not support Brandstrader’s plan to cover the Ike. She worries it will prolong construction.
P.S.: “I couldn’t stand the thought of it.”
F.B.: “They’re going to tear up the expressway anyways. It’s going to be ugly anyways.”
P.S.: “Fred will tell you his side of the story, I’m sure. But you know my side of the story: I hate that thing.”
F.B.: “I’d rather the end result be you know, sixty new acres, most of which is park and open space as an end product, instead of all the noise I hear and have to scrub my porch every weekend because of all the particulate matter.
Architect Fred Brandstrader believes the problem can be solved through good design. And he says the Ike isn’t such a powerful foe anyway. It took money and political will to divide his Oak Park neighborhood. Brandstrader contends it will take more of the same to fix it.
Some Native American tribes are starting to raise more concerns about climate change. Chuck Quirmbach reports:
Transcript
Some Native American tribes are starting to raise more concerns about climate change. Chuck Quirmbach reports:
About fifty tribes recently met with the National Wildlife Federation, for a conference on global climate change.
Paul Christel is fisheries biologist for the Lac Courtes Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He says the tribes are getting a better handle on how global warming is affecting tribal lands and waters. In colder climates, Christel says ice is arriving later and melting earlier, which can affect fishing seasons.
“You know, customs that have been carried on for thousands of years are all of a sudden shaken up. And it’s not a theoretical issue anymore. It’s hitting people in a very real, very physical way.”
Christel says he hopes Congress and the Bush Administation will take note of the greater tribal interest in slowing down climate change.
A new report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General shows the US Forest Service is spending too much money fighting fires. It suggests the feds get some help paying the bills from state governments. Mark Brodie reports:
Transcript
A new report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General shows the US Forest Service is spending too much money fighting fires. It suggests the feds get some help paying the bills from state governments. Mark Brodie reports:
The Inspector General report says the Forest Service went over budget four times in the last six years, spending more than a billion dollars in each of those years.
The service blames the cost increase in part on housing developments. They say more homes are being built farther into the forest.
Tom Harbour is the Forest Service’s Fire Chief.
“All of us treat protection of life as our certain first priority, and then treat the protection of communities and values on public lands as our second, and you bet it does make things more difficult.”
But some state foresters say the real difficulty comes from issues like changes in the weather and too much fire fuel on federal land. They say downed trees and excess brush make it difficult for the forest service to contain fires.
Both sides say they’ll bargain hard when it comes time to pay the bill for fighting fires.
Flu season is here. And this year the campus at the University of Michigan will be teeming with students wearing surgical masks. But it’s not a sign that a pandemic has hit the US. Tracy Samilton reports:
Transcript
Flu season is here. And this year the campus at the University of Michigan will be teeming with students wearing surgical masks. But it’s not a sign that a pandemic has hit the US. Tracy Samilton reports:
The students will be participating in a massive study to determine if wearing surgical masks really helps to cut down on the risk of getting the flu. University of Michigan researcher Arnold Monto says wearing a mask may end up having only a small effect. But he says it’s still important to know for sure.
“The reason these kinds of differences may be very important is they’re easier to implement than taking medication, so even if it has a very small effect it will end up having a major impact when we do have the inevitable pandemic.”
Students will be expected to wear surgical masks in the dorms, and they’ll be encouraged to wear them everywhere they go. The study will last for six weeks, the expected duration of the flu season.
The US Environmental Protection Agency will conduct an extensive three-year study on the health of the nation’s lakes. Mark Brush has more:
Transcript
The US Environmental Protection Agency will conduct an extensive three-year study on the health of the nation’s lakes. Mark Brush has more:
The EPA says it will survey a total of 909 inland lakes, ponds, and reservoirs across the country. The survey will be done in cooperation with state agencies and some Native American tribes.
They’re hoping to determine how many US lakes are in good, fair, or poor condition. Researchers will test water samples for levels of nutrients, bacteria from human and animal wastes, some pesticides, and they’ll take a look at the conditions of the waterways’ shorelines.
This study is being done after criticisms have been leveled against the EPA. The Government Accountability Office and the National Research Council, among others, have said that the EPA doesn’t know enough about the condition of the nation’s waterways. They say there’s not enough data to make good water management policy at the federal, state and local levels.
The EPA says the nationwide survey will be completed in 2009.
A new study suggests exposure in the womb to chemicals that mimic estrogen could increase the risk of developing breast cancer as an adult. Rebecca Williams reports the study looked specifically at a chemical that’s found in many food containers and plastic bottles:
Transcript
A new study suggests exposure in the womb to chemicals that mimic estrogen could increase the risk of developing breast cancer as an adult. Rebecca Williams reports the study looked specifically at a chemical that’s found in many food containers and plastic bottles:
Bisphenol A has been shown to leach out of food and beverage containers. Scientists are concerned about human exposure to the chemical because it mimics the hormone estrogen.
The new study provides evidence that exposure to estrogen mimics as a fetus increases the risk of developing breast cancer as an adult.
The findings were based on animal studies in rats.
Dr. Ana Soto is an author of the study in the journal Reproductive Toxicology.
“We used to think that the womb was a pristine environment. And we know now that it is not a pristine environment anymore. And I think we should be terribly concerned about that.”
Soto says the rates of breast cancer in the US and Europe have increased over the past 50 years. She says fetal exposure to estrogen mimics could be the underlying cause of that increase.
Planting fish in the Elk Creek in the late 1800's. Photo courtesy of the State of Michigan Archives.
A re-creation of the State of Michigan's Wolverine "fish car" that ran from 1913-1935. Photo by Tamar Charney.
Collecting fish eggs from the Detroit River in the late 1800's. Photo courtesy of the State of Michigan Archives.
Tim Tebeau fishes for steelhead trout in the Boyne River in Northern Michigan. Photo by Tamar Charney.
The Wolverine fish car at the Soo Hatchery in 1916. Photo courtesy of the State of Michigan Archives.
Brook trout at the Michigan Fisheries Visitors Center's stream viewing chamber. Photo by Tamar Charney.
Head to almost any body of water and chances are you’ll find someone there fishing. We take it for granted that lakes and streams have fish in them. But most waterways can’t produce enough fish to keep up with demand. For more than 100 years states around the nation have been stocking the water with fish. Tamar Charney reports:
Transcript
Head to almost any body of water and chances are you’ll find someone there fishing. We take it for granted that lakes and streams have fish in them. But most waterways can’t produce enough fish to keep up with demand. For over 100 years states around the nation have been stocking the water with fish. Tamar Charney reports:
(Sounds of water in a stream)
When you stand at the side of the Boyne River in northern Michigan, you can smell the balsam fir that line the banks.
“There go a couple of salmon, right at our feet you can see.”
Tim Tebeau is standing under some branches casting his line into the river.
“We’re fishing for steelhead trout today. They are most likely just lying there waiting for something to come their way.”
The lakes and streams in this part of the state have drawn fishermen for years. Tim Tebeau says that includes writer Ernest Hemingway who set many of his short stories in Northern Michigan.
“As a writer I kind of revere Hemingway, and I spend a lot of time fishing the very same streams he did when he was spending his summers here.”
But if it weren’t for human intervention there wouldn’t have been fish for Hemingway, or for Tim Tebeau to fish for. In the mid to late 1800’s people started noticing that pollution, habitat destruction from dams and logging, and over-fishing were killing off almost all the fish in New England, and in the Great Lakes region.
Gary Whelen is the fish production manager for the state of Michigan. He says people began to squeeze out the eggs from fish, hatch them, and put the small fish back into lakes and streams.
“In 1870 many state agencies were looking at building hatchery systems.”
The hatchery systems rebuilt the populations of many native fish, including the brook trout that Hemingway liked to fish for. But they didn’t just breed local fish. For instance they brought in brown trout from Germany in 1883, and Whelan says the steelhead that Tim Tebeau fishes for came from California in 1877.
“Some of us depict that era as the ‘Johnny Fishseed’ period, where we were moving fish all over the continent, and internationally for that matter, bringing fish in that were considered commercially or economically important.”
Now this was long before there were highways, so if you wanted to move stuff long distances you basically had one choice.
(sound of train whistle)
That’s right, trains.
“This is a re-creation of the last of the 3 fish cars that transported fish around the state of Michigan. So this is a re-creation of the Wolverine.”
Maureen Jacobs is with the Michigan Fishery’s Visitors Center. The train car she’s standing in shows people, complete with train sound effects, how the fish were moved in the late 1800s and early 1900s. What you see is that the fish rode in the lap of luxury.
“They had chandeliers on the old fish cars!”
See, the fish cars were Pullman cars, used ones, but they still had all the trappings, including the mahogany bunks that the guys who cared for the fish slept on. Underneath the bunks were row after row of milk cans full of water and tiny little fish.
“Public citizens called ‘applicants’ would apply for permits to meet the train at different depots around the state of Michigan. From there, they would remove the old fish cans and plant the fingerlings in different lakes, rivers, and streams, so the public would basically stock the fish.”
Things are different today. People no longer pick up cans at the train station. Hatcheries are big modern facilities, the fish are moved by truck, and fisheries’ staff take care of releasing them. But they are still needed to make sure there are enough for people to fish for, because over-fishing and environmental damage are problems that haven’t gone away.
(Sounds of birds and water.)
“I’m going to adjust the depth a little bit here, get it closer to the bottom.”
Unfortunately the dark shapes you can just make out swimming around in the Boyne River aren’t biting Tim Tebeau’s line. But he’s says they’re there.
“If it weren’t for stocking programs like the ones we have, we wouldn’t be fishing for anything today; we’d simply be standing here enjoying the river.”
And perhaps tomorrow he’ll catch one, take a good look at it, and release it back to it’s watery world; an experience that will show up in unexpected ways in his writing, the same way fishing these streams inspired Ernest Hemingway many years ago. Good thing there were fish to fish for, huh?
