Dan's Outside

2003.08.23

***New Kind of Electricity Market Strains Old Wires Beyond Limits.
Consumers have learned a difficult lesson about the electricity grid: it was an afterthought during the decade-long process of deregulating the power industry. By Neela Banerjee and David Firestone. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

***EPA misled public on 9/11 pollution
– White House ordered false assurances on air quality, report says [SFGate]

The draft statement contained a warning from EPA scientists that homes and businesses near ground zero should be cleaned by professionals. Instead, the public was told to follow instructions from New York City officials.

Another draft statement was deleted; it raised concerns about “sensitive populations” such as asthma patients, the elderly and people with underlying respiratory diseases.

A statement about discovery of asbestos at higher than safe levels in dust samples from lower Manhattan was changed to state that “samples confirm previous reports that ambient air quality meets OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards and consequently is not a cause for public concern.”

Language in an EPA draft stating that asbestos levels in some areas were three times higher than national standards was changed to “slightly above the 1 percent trigger for defining asbestos material.”

***A more pleasant topic
– I took this photo yesterday at Almaden Quicksilver Park.

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August 23, 2003 - Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary