Abstract Hazardous waste management is one of the most problematic issues that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asked to face: Hazardous waste is challenging to clean and dispose of and there tend to be complications resulting from the disposal of waste in the response from the public sector in terms of opposing localized disposal plans. The EPA is also challenged in terms of funding, for the cleanup and disposal of hazardous wastes is a costly process. This paper investigates how the EPA manages the funding and cleanup of hazardous wastes despite these challenges.
This paper argues against the proposed nuclear waste repository to be located at the Yucca Mountain, less than one hundred miles from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Abstract This paper explains that the proposal to ship nuclear waste from across the country by train to a proposed nuclear waste at a repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is strongly rejected by not only Nevadans but also the rest of the country. The author points out that the reasons for this rejection is not only the fear of radiation but also for Nevadans economic issues such as the decrease in property values and tourism, the cost of accident cleanup and the problems associated with short- term employment are extremely troublesome. The paper stresses that, although there is plenty of information available stating that there is no threat associated with building a repository at Yucca Mountain and shipping nuclear waste across the country, the majority of this information comes from the Department of Energy (DOE) and their reputation and motives are suspect.
From the Paper "A possible benefit to Nevada with the building of a nuclear waste repository is the additional jobs that would be available to Nevada residents. This benefit, however, would be small and would not outweigh the economic drawbacks already mentioned. If even one hotel/casino project were not built in Nevada due to negative images or fear associated with the repository, the jobs lost from that business would not be made up by the number of jobs gained by building the repository. Because of direct and indirect employment, if one major hotel/casino was not built in Nevada, the loss could be as many as 14,200 jobs and $500 million annually for the local economy."
Abstract This paper examines the enormous environmental disaster of the Exxon Valdez oil spill into the Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The paper provides the history of the Exxon Company, a detailed description of the accident and the following environmental cleanup. It describes the criminal negligence of the company and complete public relations failure.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Situation Analysis
Burning Mechanical Cleanup Chemical Dispersants
Effects on the Environment
Government Action
Exxon's Reaction
Conclusion
From the Paper "The Exxon Valdez, a tanker loaded with oil from the shipping terminal in Valdez, Alaska, ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound (in the Gulf of Alaska) at 12:04am, on March 24, 1989. At the helm was of Gregory Cousins, Third Mate, who was not licensed to pilot the ship through Prince William Sound, whose waters were considered treacherous. Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of the ship, was apparently asleep below deck. Third Mate Cousins had tried to dodge floating ice, performing a series of strange right turns. When the ship hit Bligh Reef, its hull ruptured and much of the cargo spilled. In the next few days, the oil spread rapidly, causing the deaths of thousands of sea birds, sea otters, and other wildlife. It covered the coastline with oil from the ship resulting of the wreck and eventually contamination of marine life; the fishing season in the sound was halted for several years.
Abstract The paper describes the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, the damages it caused to the the coastal environment along southern Alaska's shore, and the methods used for the cleanup. The paper also identifies the legal policies on oil transportation and collection that were created after this spill.
Outline:
Summary of the Spill
Impact on the Environment
Legal Policies Following the Spill
Oil Cleanup New Tanker Designs to Minimize Effects of Spills
From the Paper "The oil Tanker Exxon Valdez spilled over 10.8 million gallons of oil into the waters of Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989, after which the currents and waves washed the oil out to sea and in to shore, killing millions of marine organisms and birds. After unsuccessful cleanup methods and attempts, the United States Coast Guard had to resort to skimming the oil off of the water, which proved strenuous, and was made even more difficult by unsatisfactory weather conditions. Exxon was widely criticized for its lethargic attitude when it came to assisting in the cleanup, as the coast guard started the efforts without any help from the oil company."
Abstract This paper is an in-depth look at the Galveston hurricane, the path it followed, the conditions and characteristics of the storm. The author discusses the loss of life and damage caused by the hurricane, as well as the cleanup efforts by the city and future precautions taken after the devastation in Texas.
From the Paper "On August 27th, 1900, meteorologists began to notice a small storm developing in the equatorial mid-Atlantic. Still getting organized, it drifted westward through the Greater Antilles with moderate winds and torrential rains. In Jamaica, miles of roadway, railroad tracks, and sidewalk were washed into the ocean. Cuba was submerged in over two feet of rainwater, and much of southern Florida faced the wrath of the hurricane, as well. As it crossed over the tepid waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the storm gained strength, eventually making its way to the shores of Galveston, Texas."
From the Paper "This research examines the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), with a view toward assessing current proposals before the Congress to either reauthorize, restructure or terminate the program. The CERCLA was enacted in 1980 as a mechanism for cleaning up sites across the country that were contaminated by toxins (Hoffman 4). The discovery of toxicity of significant levels at Love Canal in Western New York was a major motivation for the enactment by the Congress of the CERCLA. Had there been no discovery of the toxicity at the Love Canal site, the likelihood is that an environmental cleanup law such as the CERCLA never would have been enacted."
From the Paper "This paper will examine how the issues of lender liability for environmental harms are handled in the United States. Canada, and Australia. The main focus of the paper will be on the whether a lender can be held liable for environmental harms as an owner or person in control of a contaminated site. The principle way in which a lender can be held liable is by forcing it to pay for the cost of cleaning up a contaminated site. The main controversy in this area is whether the security interest held by a lender is a sufficient enough property interest to classify the lender as an owner or gives the lender enough control of the contaminated site. The section of this paper concerning the United States will focus solely upon federal law, namely CERCLA, since federal environmental law constitutes a fairly comprehensive..."
Federal budget process applied to EPA. Proposed 1997 budget, focusing on need for & cost of toxic site cleanup, liability, remediation decisions, impact of budgetary constraints.
2,925 words (approx. 11.7 pages), 10 sources, 1996, $ 103.95
From the Paper "This research analyzes the federal budget process as that process applies to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The findings of this analysis are presented within the contexts of (1) functional identification, (2) the proposed budget for the 1997 fiscal year, (3) change in budget and budget debate issues, and (4) budgetary implications.
Functional Identification
The EPA is charged with implementing federal environmental protection laws, and the agency is charged with monitoring activity and enforcing compliance with those laws. National polls consistently reflect strong and widespread support for the environment...."
Discusses how the Enron scandal and similar events have made consumers more weary of corporations. Discusses ways law enforcement plans to deal with this change.
Abstract This paper presents a detailed examination of the use of criminal prosecution for the purpose of cleaning up corporate America. The writer uses several examples of criminal prosecution in large corporations to provide evidence of the trend. The writer also discusses the federal government's stance on corporate crime.
From the Paper "The Enron scandal made news around the world and shocked many who used to believe that corporate heads could be trusted. While the Enron scandal was sensational it was not the first instance of corporate crime nor was it the last. For many years corporate crime has been considered a lesser offense than other crimes. It has been tagged white collar crime for several generations and the prisons which hold the rarely prosecuted offenders are more like country clubs than prisons. In more recent years, given the magnitude and far reaching affects of scandals like Enron the American public has demanded accountability, not only on the part of those who commit the crime but from those who make the decision whether or not to prosecute those involved. Given the current economic climate in the nation concern has grown regarding corporate crime. If Americans are going to see a reduction in crime at the corporate level, it will have to support criminal prosecution as the most common weapon against it."
Abstract This paper gives a full overview of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB). The paper presents background information on PCBs, including their sources, cleanup efforts, stakeholders, and similar toxins. The paper emphasizes environmental and water quality applications.
From the Paper "Advances in the treatment of affected aquatic systems have been made and PCB contamination is becoming less widespread. The stakeholders associated with this issue are large electrical companies like White-Westinghouse and General Electric and biotechnology corporations such as the Monsanto Company. The electric companies needed a chemical that could be used for industrial cooling and the Monsanto Company used their technology to create this chemical. (Schmidt,48)"
Abstract This paper is a thorough review of the problem of environmental racism and whether it does indeed exist in Chicagoland. The paper also examines whether or not instances of environmental injustice have increased or decreased since President Bill Clinton's Executive Order 12898 was issued in 1994. The paper also attempts to determine whether the civil rights movement in general has left the environmental injustice/environmental racism agenda behind.
Table of Contents
Literature Review
Chicagoland Contaminated Sites
Environmental Racism/Environmental Injustice
Civil Rights Movement/Environmental Justice
Methodology
Results
New Handling of Environmental Remediation
Post-Executive Order 12898
Pre-Executive Order 12898 Remediation
Second Radioactive Cleanup Site
Printing Chemicals
Lead Removal at East St. Louis Sites
Illinois EPA Projects, 2004 and 2003
Activities in 2003
Activities in 2004
Activities in 2005
Discussion
From the Paper "Within days of taking office the first time, William Jefferson Clinton initiated his 'governing by memoranda' activities. This article begins with his immediate overturning of the Bush I gag rule concerning abortion, and then went on rapidly to other birth-control issues, gays in the military and more. Because of these rapid and far-reaching actions, the concepts of policy tools has become one open to more scrutiny than before Clinton began his series of 25 presidential memoranda and 18 executive orders that "implemented the administration's reinventing government initiatives." Among the important memoranda this article analyzes was Executive Order 12898, the purpose of which "was to 'focus Federal attention on the environmental and human health conditions in minority communities and low-income communities with the goal of achieving environmental justice'." The memorandum, however, "specifically involved" civil rights laws already on the books and required to be used by federal agencies in, arguably, all the agencies' endeavors."
Abstract This paper explains that a Brownfield site is any land or premises which has been used previously as a building site and is not currently fully in use and can be used again as part of an environmental policy plan. The author points out that such land may be derelict land, which requires the removal of chemical waste, derelict infrastructure or instability problems, before the land can be redeveloped. The paper relates that the Brownfield system has been successful because it has opened the way for most investors while still maintaining sufficient control to force a cleanup and to assure that housing is placed where housing is needed and business property where business property is needed, according to some centralized plan rather than on an ad hoc basis as was more common in the past.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Availability
National Land Use Data Base Statistics: Context
Characteristics of Brownfield Sites
Stoke-on-Trent
Agency
Economic Issues
Social Policy
Physical Development
Leveraging Partners
From the Paper "One of the areas that have been redeveloped in this fashion is at Stoke-on-Trent, and analysts have examined this site and reported on the brownfield process. R.M. Ball writes specifically about recent policy pronouncements on the UK built environment so as to reinforce the importance of infrastructure, sustainable use, and brownfield
development, and he focuses directly on the issue of vacant industrial premises, or brown buildings, in the local industrial property market. Ball argues that property development is both an economic and a social process, and in both areas, Ball sees the process as an interaction between "actors" in the development process in relation to structural forces that both constrain and facilitate actors as they seek to express and realize their interests."
Abstract In this article, the writer explains that N.O.A.A. stands for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and that the organization's main responsibility is to clean up mess made by oil spills in the ocean. In this paper, the writer examines issues regarding oil spills and discusses the tasks of the N.O.A.A.
Contents:
What is N.O.A.A.?
What is an Oil Spill?
History of Oil Spills.
How NOAA Responds to Spills?
What Kind of Chemicals Do they Use for Cleanup?
How Long Clean Up Takes?
How Tools Being Improved Such as High-pressure and Hot Water Washing?
What is Done for Oiled Animals?
Are there Precautions Taken Against Spills?
Bibliography
From the Paper "Oil spreads rapidly especially when it is light and the water is wavy because it helps the oils to move faster and spreads out easily. But then when the oil is heavy such as black oil, the spread of it is so slow because they are contained together and the fluidity is sticky. The condition of the water also matters with the spread of the oil and the temperature also. When the weather is cold the oil are somewhat frozen and solid so the spread of it is slow. In terms of weather, when it is windy and there is storm, we are expecting the oil to spread quick and fast, and what is hard to clean up is they are not contained in one area, some of them can be found in different areas and can be found also in the shoreline thus damaging the corals and the animals in the water."
Abstract This paper discusses the Brownfield redevelopment project in the Greater Toronto area. The paper contends that the considerable interest in Brownfield redevelopment, as seen in the prominence of such projects as the Gooderham and Worts Distillery, the redevelopment of the former Greenwood racetrack in the Beaches, and most recently the Port Lands and the Railway Lands, suggest that Brownfield redevelopment is an idea whose time has come. The paper also points out that this level of redevelopment is only occurring due to market forces as the high cost of real estate in Toronto render the cleanup costs necessary for Brownfield redevelopment acceptable to private developers. The paper then discusses and analyzes many of the issues surrounding the redevelopment of Brownfield.
From the Paper During the past two decades there has been considerable interest in brownfield redevelopment in the Greater Toronto Area. The prominence of such projects as the Gooderham and Worts Distillery, the redevelopment of the former Greenwood racetrack in the Beaches, and most recently the Port Lands and the Railway Lands appears to suggest that brownfield redevelopment is an idea whose time has come. While this level of redevelopment is undeniable, it must also be acknowledged that, in most cases, this level of redevelopment is only occurring due to market forces as the high cost of real estate in Toronto render the cleanup costs necessary for brownfield redevelopment acceptable to private developers.
This paper is a case study of the environmental disaster at Love Canal in Niagara Falls, which led to new environmental policies and the creation of the Superfund.
Abstract This paper explains that the never completed Love Canal became a dump site for chemical wastes from Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation, a local company and subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation. The author relates that, in 1978, twenty five years after the Hooker Chemical Company stopped dumping into the Love Canal, it was suspected that carcinogens were leaching from their containers causing birth defects, miscarriages, breathing problems and burns. The paper states that the Department of Justice, acting as a representative of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), won lawsuits against these companies. The author reports that, in 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, known as Superfund, which enforced a tax on industries with chemical and petroleum products and made it easier for the Federal Government to respond to hazardous waste exposure.
Table of Contents:
An Introduction to Love Canal
The Love Canal Chemical Incident
The United States vs. Hooker Chemical
Funding for Relief Efforts
Love Canal and the Creation of Superfund
The Road to Recovery and Normalization
Present Day Love Canal
From the Paper "Prosecutors requested that the court order an immediate remediation of all four disposal site, the construction of walls to barricade the chemicals that remained, and to install water and air monitoring systems, all to be funded by Hooker Chemical. Complete medical service for each person living in the Love Canal and Hyde Park areas of Niagara Falls was also requested by prosecutors, at the expense of Hooker. This medical program requested was to include all past and present residents and their offspring, and health coverage was proposed for the rest of their lives."
