Archive for the ‘Energy’ Category

The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new online resource intended to promote knowledge sharing and collaboration among the scientific community on environmental modeling. The Integrated Environmental Modeling Hub (iemHUB) website is designed to “facilitate knowledge sharing, discussion and collaboration on models and tools that support multimedia and multidisciplinary analysis.” The agency uses integrated environmental modeling to simulate environmental processes and interactions between ecological and human-influenced systems and to inform its decision making process.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS), a bureau of the Department of the Interior, finalized review of a permit application from Cape Wind Associates to construct a controversial wind farm project on a 24- square-mile area on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar had indicated that he wanted remaining issues resolved in a timely manner, and had set a March 1, 2010, deadline to determine if a resolution of adverse effects among consulting parties could be reached. The ACHP is convening a panel of members to develop formal comments for Secretary Salazar.

While much recent public and media attention had focused on the finding that Nantucket Sound is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) as well as for meeting other criteria, there are also a number of other historic resources that would be affected by the project.

The proposal consists of 130 wind turbine generators in a 24-square-mile area on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). While none of the Section 106 issues are unprecedented in themselves, this complex, high-profile undertaking underscores some challenging policy issues associated with the development of alternative and renewable sources of energy and their potential effects on historic properties and their settings.

The ACHP formally entered the Section 106 review in April 2005, when the Corps of Engineers (Corps) was the lead agency, after receiving expressions of concern questioning Corps’ compliance with the Section 106 regulations. MMS became lead agency after assuming responsibility for alternative energy projects on the OCS as required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. MMS formally initiated its Section 106 consultation process in 2008, holding consultation meetings in July and September, and formally issuing a Determination of Effect in December 2008. In the finding, MMS identified 29 historic properties that will be adversely affected by the undertaking, including 28 historic structures or districts and one TCP.

Other consulting parties include the Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), the National Trust for Historic Preservation, governments and historical commissions from local communities within the viewshed of the proposed project, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), a coalition of local citizens dedicated to preservation of the natural and historic setting of Nantucket Sound, and others.

The ACHP participated in consultations and issued letters in December 2008 and April and June 2009 advising MMS regarding steps to resolve issues of concern involving the Section 106 process. The major concerns focused on the sufficiency of the effort to identify historic properties, the eligibility of Nantucket Sound as a historic property, the effect on two National Historic Landmarks (NHLs), and the status of consultation with tribes regarding the identification of additional historic properties of religious and cultural significance to them. Read the rest of this entry »

Former Gas Station Sites

EPA estimates that there are over 200,000 petroleum brownfields sites across America. Many of these include former gas stations. Because these properties are often located near traffic intersections and other areas with high levels of automobile traffic, they may present opportunities to site or otherwise support the infrastructure for alternative fuel vehicles. Existing infrastructure and facilities suitable for reuse could be used to support station operations. Renewable energy resources, such as solar energy, could also help power operations and advanced vehicles.

Feasibility Study: Winter – fall 2010

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will conduct a study that aims to: (1) develop criteria to evaluate former gas station properties as sites for alternative fuel stations, and (2) determine how to convert these former gas stations into alternative fuel stations. The study will then identify the best locations for various alternative fuels based on traffic corridors and the supply and demand for each fuel. If applicable, the study may also explore opportunities for introducing renewable energy resources into the development of these stations.

“And here on the Gulf Coast, we’re working to make sure this region is protected in the event of a 100-year storm. We’ve already seen 220 miles worth of levees and flood walls repaired, and we are working to strengthen the wetlands and barrier islands that are the first line of defense for the Gulf Coast. This isn’t just critical to this region’s physical protection, it’s critical to our environment, it’s critical to our economy. That’s why we’re establishing an interagency working group that will be responsible for coordinating our restoration efforts across the Gulf at all levels of government.”
- President Barack Obama, October 15, 2009

The Obama Administration has released a policy document describing federal actions for restoring coastal ecosystems, including wetlands and barrier islands, in the Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast as part of a strategy to protect the region against the effects of hurricanes, subsidence, and sea level rise. The document, Roadmap for Restoring Ecosystem Resiliency and Sustainability in the Louisiana and Mississippi Coasts, includes short-term objectives and actions intended to stem the rapid rate of ecosystem loss in the region. According to Obama administration officials, the plan is intended to bring long-term safety and viability in the Gulf Coast area, complementing existing regional efforts.

Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration

The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $7.8 million in grants to 20 U.S. communities for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiency. The communities were selected under the Climate Showcase Communities grant program to receive peer exchange, training, and technical support from EPA. Grant recipients include the city of Eugene, Oregon’s SmartTrips program, an outreach and training program to help residents choose climate-friendly travel options, and Salt Lake City’s Sustainable Transportation for a Sustainable Future project, which will conduct research and develop community-based social marketing to enhance existing vehicle travel reduction programs.