News from 8 September 2000 on edie

New quiz for civil engineers

A new eQuiz in which civil engineers can win prizes such as a laptop computer or a digital camera has been launched by an hydraulics and hydrology website.

Conservatives and Lib-Dems would replace Climate Change Levy

The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats would both replace the Climate Change Levy if elected into office at the next general election.

No evidence of long-term health risk from electromagnetic fields

Public uncertainty over the long-term health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) from electricity transmission and distribution networks is due to poor management communication, says Eurelectric, the union of the electricity industry in Europe.

Confusion over nuclear waste management

Arguments over whether to store or reprocess nuclear waste have been thrown into confusion following what has been described as an attempt by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to suppress a conclusion that it doesn’t like.

Pollutants blamed for huge increase in hermaphrodite polar bears

Pollutants such as PCBs from distant industrial centres have been blamed for an alarming incidence of hermaphroditic polar bears in the Arctic Svalbard islands.

Environment Agency says it is “becoming even more effective”

At its Annual General Meeting on 5 September, the Environment Agency (EA) pledged that its primary future aim is to contribute to sustainable development.

Researcher to turn sewage sludge into combustible gas

A US professor has developed a process allowing difficult to dispose of sewage sludge to be turned into a combustible gas with a positive by-product, methane gas.

Commission to prosecute six countries over lax planning against major pollution accidents

The European Commission is to take Germany, Luxembourg, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Austria to the European Court of Justice over their failure to prepare for major industrial accidents involving dangerous substances.

Spain’s new national water plan sparks widespread controversy

Spain’s newly-presented National Hydrological Plan, which aims to distribute water evenly throughout the country, has met with heavy criticism from water-rich regions and environmentalists.

Battle rages on whether or not to log in fire prevention

Contrary to the claims of Republican politicians, two studies - one by a Congressional research group and one by an environmental group have concluded that logging does not protect national forests against forest fires.

Boston Harbour goes sewage-free

Daily discharges of hundreds of millions of gallons of treated effluent into the shallow waters of Boston Harbour are ending, says Greater Boston’s wastewater utility, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA).

Texas set to exceed ambitious renewables target

Oil-rich Texas is expected to meet the nation's most ambitious state goal for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources seven years ahead of schedule.

Day: 8 September 2000