Day: 23 July 1999

SWITZERLAND: Environment Agency bans dirty bonfires

Bonfires will be lit across Switzerland for the national holiday of 1st August, but the national environment agency has warned citizens to keep it clean.

US Army invests in ‘green’ bullets

The US Army will reduce its use of lead bullets in favour of tungsten bullets, according to The International Tungsten Industry Association. Lead bullets pose a danger to the environment, ending up in sediment, groundwater and surface water.

EPA defends Combined Sewer Overflow and funding policies

The EPA has criticised proposed Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) legislation as "a step backward" for efforts to implement its own CSO Policy, and has defended the ability of the State Revolving Funds (SRF) system to finance clean water infrastructure projects.

Love Canal litigation ends but pollution clean-up continues

A settlement has been reached in the last court case involving four Superfund waste sites in the Love Canal area of Niagara Falls, NY. Occidental Chemical Corporation and Olin Corporation will pay the US federal government $6 million in reimbursement for the clean-up of the 102nd Street landfill site.

EPA tells Americans to get ready for information on drinking water quality

Television, radio and print advertisements were launched on 19 July by the EPA to let Americans know that they will soon receive information regarding the quality and safety of their drinking water. The Consumer Confidence Reports will be issued annually.

Scientists accuse Mitsubishi of threatening the gray whale

Thirty-four eminent scientists, including nine Nobel prize laureates, have joined in the fight against a planned a saltworks facility in Baja California, Mexico. Disagreement surrounds whether a plan to build a 260km² saltworks threatens the San Ignacio Lagoon, the last pristine breeding ground of the gray whale.

Royal Caribbean agrees to $18 million fine for illegal dumping

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd has pleaded guilty to 21 charges of illegally dumping oil and hazardous chemicals. A fine of $18 million comes a little more than a year after the company pleaded guilty to similar charges that resulted in a $9 million fine.

Norweb close to meeting domestic electricity reduction target

Norweb has met 80% of its domestic energy-saving target, set by The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. All 14 UK electricity companies are required to meet reduction targets for domestic energy consumption. Norweb is ahead of schedule with 80% of its 179 million units of saving achieved in just over a year.

Daihatsu sells 3 of the UK’s 10 greenest cars

Motorists seeking to reduce their contribution to UK greenhouse gas emissions, noise pollution and overall fuel consumption can find information on the web of the greenest cars currently available.

Search begins for new chair of Environment Agency

The search to replace Lord de Ramsey, chair of the Environment Agency, has begun. De Ramsey, who announced in May that he will retire at the beginning of 2000, has been unpopular with environmentalists.

Plutonium cargo sails as Greenpeace bank accounts are frozen

British Nuclear Fuels Limited succeeded in freezing Greenpeace International's bank account on Tuesday 20 July, accusing the environmental organisation of breaching terms of a UK injunction that forbids Greenpeace from interfering with the sea shipment of Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel to Japan.

Methane emissions from landfill sites may be 50% lower than previous estimates

A DETR-sponsored study has estimated that methane emissions from UK landfill sites may be less than half the amount previously thought. But additional data will be required if more accurate emission figures are necessary.

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie