Denver’s skyline was frequently hazy this summer because of wildfires.

The emissions from the fires are doing more than messing with our view. Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research have found that the emissions are pumping out tens of thousands of tons of particles, carbon dioxide, pollutants that form ground-level ozone and even mercury produced by power plants and absorbed by vegetation.

Atmospheric scientist Christine Wiedinmyer at NCAR in Boulder is among the researchers studying what the wildfires are doing to our air quality. It’s a crucial question for the Denver metro area and northern Colorado, which have struggled through the years to meet federal air-quality standards.

It’s a serious concern for the entire region, where wildfires, including Colorado’s most destructive on record, have burned all summer. And it’s a problem likely to get worse as record hot, dry weather, driven by climate change, intensifies the fire danger in the West.

Wiedinmyer has compared Colorado’s wildfire emissions in 2002—another bad year—to this summer. Carbon monoxide emissions from April through June 2002 totaled 47,000 metric tons, or the equivalent of 15 percent of all human-caused sources for that time period. During the same period this year, wildfires in Colorado produced 76,000 metric tons of carbon monoxide—equivalent to 24 percent of all human-caused carbon monoxide in those three months. Carbon monoxide is an air pollutant regulated by air quality standards and is also released from man-made sources such as cars and power plants.

Carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas produced by human activities, was boosted by the wildfires this year. Wiedinmyer calculated that the fires generated 1.3 million metric tons of the gas through July. In 2009, the last year for which data were available, Colorado’s entire commercial sector emitted 4.6 million tons of carbon dioxide. The grand total for all sectors was 93.7 million metric tons.

“Overall, the fires are equivalent to a small fraction of that the man-made emissions of carbon dioxide,’’ Wiedinmyer said, “but when you start looking at individual sectors, at individual types of fuel, like coal or natural gas, it can be significant.’’

Smoke rises from a wildfire burning in Boulder’s foothills.

The figure of 1.3 million tons from this year’s wildfires covers just the first seven months. The number doesn’t include emissions from out-of-state fires that drift into Colorado.

The research has caught the attention of Colorado state health officials, who are trying to figure out what larger, more frequent wildfires will mean for air quality – and the mandate to meet federal standards. State regulators have tightened regulations on the natural gas industry in eastern Colorado as the metro area has slipped out of compliance the past few years.

So, health officials want to know the volume and type of emissions coming from wildfires, said Gordon Pierce of the state air pollution control division. Pierce said much of the state’s concern centers on the fine particles and other pollutants that form ground-level ozone.

Other states are also looking at the research on pollution from wildfires.

“One of the reasons we’ve looked at that, and the carbon releases from the fires, was that states are looking at their carbon emissions and trying to understand their carbon budget for policy purposes,’’ Wiedinmyer said. “Particularly in the Western U.S., it’s really important to consider the fires and what’s happening to the ecosystems. You have large releases of carbon to the atmosphere when you have these large-scale fires and they are significant when you compare them to anthropogenic emissions.’’

Pledge to vote wildlife-friendly this election>>

On a clear, summer day, downtown Seattle appears etched into the skyline (left), but Central Washington wildfires muddle the view today (right). Credits: Cierra Hunziker, Patricia Tillmann.

Wenatchee wildfires have near- and far-reaching effects

As reported on KUOW’s Weekday this morning, grassland and timber wildfires near Wenatchee have raised the Haze Index to a 6 in the area (listen to 1:00 to 11:33). The reduced air quality is a problem for sensitive populations such as those with respiratory conditions, as well as firefighters who are getting “kettle cough” from the smoke. Even in Seattle, Janet Pierce, Spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), suggested sensitive populations should be cautious about the air quality and check the news for updates (current air quality is also available from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency).

Air quality is not the only issue facing those in the Wenatchee area. Many are worried about losing their homes and not receiving the proper notice to evacuate. Ms. Pierce assured listeners this morning that the Sherriff’s office is knocking on doors to notify those needing to evacuate. She also educated listeners about the three-level notification system used by DNR. It is a “Ready, Set, Go” system, where Level I means “Get Ready” and Level III means “Go.”

While I am reassured by the availability of warning systems throughout Washington State, I remain worried about the apparent increases in our region’s susceptibility to wildfire due to fire suppression, pests, and climate change.

Fire suppression, pests, and climate change exacerbate wildfire

Fire is a natural and necessary process in Washington’s forests, but forests in the Wenatchee area remain prone to excessively large or hot fires due to a history of fire suppression, pest management decisions, and other activities. Fire suppression allows dry underbrush, dead trees, and branches to build up on the forest floor, providing more than adequate fuel for fires and increasing the probability of fires that are larger and hotter than they were in the past. Climate change projections for Washington, specifically projections of increased summer temperature and decreased summer precipitation (relative to 1916-2006), indicate:

 “Regional area burned is likely to double or even triple by the end of the 2040s, although Washington ecosystems have different sensitivities to climate and thus different responses to climatic change” (University of Washington Climate Impacts Group [CIG], 2009).

Pests such as insects are also a natural part of forests, but the increasing presence of invasive species such as spruce budworm and pine bark beetle can leave a large number of dead trees. As noted in a recently released study by The Nature Conservancy, these trees are quick to ignite in a fire, which can further exacerbate fire severity. With climate change, the vulnerability of Washington’s trees to mountain pine beetle outbreak is projected to increase, especially for pines and trees at higher elevations (see CIG study). In fact, Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark issued Forest Health Hazard Warnings in response to declining forest conditions in several eastern Washington counties.

The risks of wildfire can be addressed with effective and proactive management

I know wildfire is a natural process and I appreciate its vital role in healthy forest and grassland ecosystems. But I also understand it puts homes and people at risk and that climate change, in combination with forest and pest management decisions, is projected to increase that risk. Fortunately, scientists and managers are working hard to come up with effective, proactive management strategies to help forest and grassland ecosystems, as well as the people and wildlife in those systems, adapt to a changing climate. Learn more at the CIG page and the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange.

And be sure to visit our Facebook page or Twitter account (@nwfpacific) to let us know what you think about the blog!

President Barack Obama shakes hands with House Speaker John Boehner before delivering the State of the Union address, Jan. 25, 2011 (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

In 2011, Congress repeatedly targeted conservation programs that protect America’s clean water, clean air, healthy rivers, lakes and shorelines teeming with wildlife, benefits that every American has a right to enjoy. At the same time, Congress protected tax giveaways for coal, oil and gas special interests totaling billions of dollars.

Will we hear a different tune in 2012? Some key issues to consider in advance of President Obama’s State of the Union address:

• Keystone XL tar sands pipeline: Big Oil and its Congressional allies tried to ram this pipeline down the throats of American families in their insatiable appetite for more profits, forcing President Obama into a decision even before a final route was mapped out. Keystone XL is a scam – Canada would get the jobs, China would get the oil, and America would get spills of toxic tar sands oil. House Speaker John Boehner said on Sunday he may once again hold a critical payroll tax extension hostage in an attempt to force approval of the pipeline over concerns from Nebraska landowners and safety regulators.
• Clean Air Act limits on mercury and carbon pollution: The House took an incredible 191 anti-environment votes in 2011, but new limits on mercury pollution (rolled out last month) and carbon pollution (due this year) have survived the assaults. The new mercury standard will not only prevent 11,000 thousand premature deaths, it will support 46,000 new short-term construction jobs and 8,000 long-term utility jobs. The first-ever carbon standard is an important step towards holding polluters accountable for their emissions, creating a more level playing field to give a fair shot to America’s expanding clean economy, which already supports 2.7 million jobs.
• New fuel efficiency standards: American businesses, labor, conservation and consumer groups have all gotten behind the Obama administration’s stronger fuel efficiency standards that cut pollution, build jobs, save families and businesses money and enhance America’s security.  With big benefits across the board, it’s no surprise that the most recent survey by consumer reports found that 93% of the public supports stricter fuel economy standards.
• Renewable energy tax credits: Despite the economic struggles, 2011 was a banner year for clean energy, with global investment surging to a record $260 billion according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Congress can ensure continued growth simply by extending existing renewable energy tax credits, which would create and sustain 54,000 jobs within the next four years according to Navigant Consulting and represent just a fraction of the subsidies Congress feeds to the coal, gas and oil industries.
• Clean Water Act restoration: Clean water protections have been weakened by two Supreme Court decisions that ignored congressional intent and narrowly interpreted the scope of waters covered by the Act, putting in doubt pollution safeguards for many vital wetlands, lakes and streams. Restoring the Clean Water Act would help protect the $122 billion outdoor recreation economy and over 1 million outdoor recreation jobs supported by hunters, anglers, and other Americans who enjoy the outdoors.
• Gulf Coast restoration (RESTORE Act): Under current law, BP and others responsible for the Gulf oil disaster must pay Clean Water Act penalties for each barrel of oil spilled into the gulf, but without action from Congress, this money will go towards unrelated federal spending instead of restoring the area damaged by the spill. Will the White House and Congress make this urgent legislation a priority?

In 2012, Washington has a chance to restore not just fiscal balance to our budget, but moral purpose to America’s future. Future generations will judge us on the legacy that we leave behind.  We must not turn back the clock and say we can’t afford clean air and water for our children and grandchildren.

The National Wildlife Federation’s four million supporters from across the political spectrum want clean energy and they want leaders who’ll face down special interests to deliver it. President Obama has shown he’s willing to stand up to oil lobbyists to safeguard clean water, clean air and wildlife to create a better, stronger, healthier America. Is Congress willing to do the same?

Take Action

The Environmental Protection Agency is acting now to limit carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants, but is coming under assault from polluter-funded attack groups.

Let the Environmental Protection Agency know support limits on carbon pollution to protect the future of polar bears.

Power plant in Morro Bay, CA via kafka4prez/flickr

Twenty plus years in the making, the new pollution limits on power plants will cut mercury emissions by 91%, reduce acid gas emissions 91%, and significantly cut arsenic, lead and nickel emissions.

Mercury Standards a Long Time Coming

The announcement is a tremendous victory for people and wildlife. National Wildlife Federation’s effort to curb mercury air pollution started back in September 1999 when we released Clean the Rain, Clean the Lakes: Mercury in Rain Is Polluting the Great Lakes (pdf)

The report warned of mercury’s potency as a neurotoxin that can cause neurological and brain damage at low levels in people and reproductive hazards in wildlife.

Excerpt from NWF’s 1999 mercury report:

The Clean the Rain Campaign…will press for the control and eventual elimination of mercury emissions that are contaminating the rain. It will call for the implementation of the following actions…

Coal-fired power plants must cut and eventually eliminate their combustion of coal (a major source of mercury, as well as smog and acid rain-producing pollutants). 

New Rules Will Protect Children, Improve Health, Create Jobs

Each year, EPA’s new air toxic pollution rules will prevent 11,000 thousand of premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks, 130,000 cases of childhood asthma and 6,300 cases of acute bronchitis. And it will prevent mercury exposure to children that can adversely affect their developing brains – including effect on their ability to walk, talk, read and learn.

The rules will also provide employment for thousands. The updating of older power plants with modern air pollution control technology will support 46,000 new short-term construction jobs and 8,000 long-term utility jobs.

And as NWF has documented, the new pollution rules are also a huge present to wildlife. Mercury pollution belching out of power plants settles in our lakes and rivers where microscopic organisms convert the inorganic mercury into methylmercury. This form of mercury accumulates up the food chain in fish and then other into other animals when they eat fish. As a result, species from the common loon to the river otter to the Florida panther are impacted by mercury.

Read NWF’s report Game Changers: Air Pollution, a Warming Climate, and the Troubled Future for America’s Hunting and Fishing Heritage that shows how mercury, carbon dioxide, and other air pollutants are directly impacting numerous species, including black ducks, moose, and walleye, that are revered as part of our country’s angling, hunting and conservation heritage.

Over the last year, thousands of NWF members and supporters have continued the campaign started in 1999. They have attended public hearings, signed postcards, made phone calls, and sent over 50,000 messages supporting the EPA’s new efforts on mercury and pushing back against polluters attempts in Congress to stop these new air pollution protections.

So join NWF as we thank the EPA for taking action to protect your kids and wildlife from the dangers of mercury and toxic air pollution. Together, we can all breathe a little easier.

Learn more about mercury pollution >>

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is a longtime champion of clean air. Last week, he told his Senate colleagues that no matter how you look at it, clean air is a great investment and it’s time to stop playing games with Americans’ health:

[W]e are not just in this Chamber to represent the polluters. We are supposed to be here to represent all Americans, and Americans benefit from environmental regulation big time.

Over the lifetime of the Clean Air Act, for instance, for every $1 it costs to add pollution controls, Americans have received about $30 in health and other benefits. By the way, installing those pollution controls created jobs because they went to manufacturers to build the controls and to Americans to install them. But setting that aside, a 30-to-1 benefit ratio to keep our air clean sounds like a mighty wise investment to me. That 30-to-1 ratio doesn’t even count the intangible benefits — intangible but very real benefits — of clear air and clean water, the benefits of the heart and the soul, the benefits to a grandfather of taking his granddaughter to the fishing hole and still finding fish there or of the city kid being able to go to a beach and have it clean enough to swim there or the benefit to a mom who is spared the burden of worry, of sitting next to her asthmatic baby on the emergency room albuterol inhaler waiting for his infant lungs to clear.

Watch:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’re at work and can’t watch the whole video, read the full transcript at Climate Progress, then take a moment to speak out for clean air.

Image Courtesy of Planetware.com

Public Hearings on Proposed Air Pollution Standards for Oil and Natural Gas Production

Tuesday, September 27, 2011
David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Rooms 315-316
1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Colorado Convention Center
Room 207
700 14thSt.
Denver, CO 80202

Thursday, September 29, 2011
Arlington Municipal Building
City Council Chambers
101 W. Abram St.
Arlington, Texas 76010

A bad air day can make a lot of other days much worse for people and wildlife. The EPA is seeking input to balance its proposals to reduce air pollution from the oil and gas industry with responsible energy development. Even if you can’t attend a hearing, you can still speak up for wildlife impacted by energy development.

Photo taken of Gus at the beach by Colleen Fitzgerald

In December, I became a father of a beautiful, now 8-month old boy named August.  We call him “Gus.”

As someone whose full-time job at the National Wildlife Federation is to reconnect children with nature, I often joked that I now have my very own case study on this issue within my own family.

Experiencing the Outdoors With My Son

It was tough to get outdoors with Gus in the winter months, but as the weather warmed up we would go for family walks in our downtown neighborhood of Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.

Gus would notice the robins, doves, pigeons and cardinals on the street, reach out the baby-carrier to grab the wet leaves of bushes and trees.  We would occasionally take a longer hike through Rock Creek Park.

Photo of Gus taken by Colleen Fitzgerald

In March, we went for a week-long visit to the beach in Florida and then to the Jersey Shore in July, spending hours outdoors every day, often just sitting on the back patio or in the shade on the beach.

We were blown away by how well Gus slept that week and were told by many, “oh, that’s all that fresh air.”  It seems to be a well known fact that kids sleep better when they get time outdoors and fresh air. As a parent, I’ve seen it with my own eyes!

Code Orange Days Impacting Outdoor Time for Kids

Then, this summer, on May 30^th, we had our first “Code Orange Air Quality Day.” I’ve heard these alerts in the past, but the warning on the radio that morning advising “sensitive groups, including young children” to stay indoors caught my attention.

The next day was “Code Red,” the warning was stronger.  I called our pediatrician, who advised us to keep Gus inside on Code Orange or Red days, except for the early mornings or a quick trip to get in the car and go somewhere.

At first, this seemed like a hassle, but manageable.  As summer unfolded though, about 1/3 of our days in DC this summer were Code Orange or worse, due to ozone pollution from cars, power plants and other sources.  So much for getting that fresh air!

As I spent my days  encouraging children and families to spend time outdoors through First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Outside initiative, National Get Outdoors Day and the Great American Backyard Campout, and as President Obama and nearly every Governor proclaimed June as “Great Outdoors Month,” we were ironically keeping our son indoors.

For parents living in urban areas, this may be “old news.”  For me it was a pretty astonishing paradox.  Summertime for me has always been about playing outdoors, exploring, going to camp, and generally having fun outside. We understand that a variety of societal changes have led to childhood moving indoors, but the safety of the air we breathe was not on my list.

Now it is.

EPA Under Pressure to Change Acceptable Ozone Pollution Levels

The Environmental Protection Agency is also considering changing the threshold for how much ozone pollution is acceptable for our lungs. In 2008, during the Bush Administration, the EPA ignored its own scientific report suggesting that the standards were not strong enough due to industry pressure.

Any day now we will likely see revised standards that share the truth with the American people.  According to a poll by the American Lung Association, the American people are hungry for the truth.  Though, after reading this Washington Post article about big business and big oil lobbying against the standard, I’m concerned we may never know which days are safe and which are not.

The only thing worse than my son not going out for 1/3 of the summer would be learning that we’ve been kept in the dark by our government about the true health implications of spending time outdoors during the supposedly “clean air” days…

And don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of days even in urban areas are safe to spend time outdoors – indoor air pollution often makes time outdoors a healthy option!  But that will be the subject of another blog…

I enjoy living in a diverse city where I can walk to the grocery store, church and work, and maintain a low carbon footprint.  For the health of my son Gus, I wonder how long we will be able to do so.  And enough about me!  What about those who don’t have the means to pick up and move where the air is cleaner and safer for their children?

Please share with us “Why You Care about Clean Air” so we can share your perspective with policy makers in Washington.  I hope you will also learn more about policies that reconnect children, youth and families with nature by following me on Twitter @PatrickNWF and visiting www.beoutthere.org/policy.

It’s officially summer, and while we’re all enjoying some fun in the sun there are a few reasons to stay indoors this July: ozone alert days.   Last week in Holyoke, Massachusetts where they have already experienced 24 orange alert days, and 4 red alert days, the National Wildlife Federation partnered with Sierra Club, Neighbor to Neighbor, and Nuestras Raices to call attention to the staggering rate (24%) of asthma in youth; that’s 1 in 4 kids within the community (10% is the state average).

Virgenmina Perez with grandson, Junial Cruz

The event took place in one of Nuestras Raices’ community gardens where elders and children work together to build a stronger community and work on projects that benefit Holyoke residents. The event was attended by Virgenmina Perez & her grandson, a 2 year old boy, Juniel, who suffers from asthma. Virgenmina also shared the story of her 6 month year old great-grandson, who was hopsitalized for 3 months because his asthma was so bad. Find out how ozone pollution affects your health.

Virgenmina Perez described how it felt to have 5 of her family members suffer from asthma:

“It is tough for me, it’s tough for all of my family, it is tough to see somebody who cannot breathe.”

These residents were rallying for cleaner air, a problem they attribute to the Mount Tom Coal Plant.  This local power plant emits so much pollution through particulate matter that it has resulted in higher rates of asthma.

“Clean up what they’re doing, and if they want to do business go ahead, but clean up what you’re doing, stop polluting the people stop putting toxic pollution out into the air and stop making the people of Holyoke sick,” said Drew Grande of the Sierra Club.

Hot Off the Press:

Vehicles Fuel Efficiency Article

This piece written by the Commissioner of District 18 in Oakland County, David Woodward, shows how all Americans–Democrats, Republicans and Independents– want cleaner, greener cars and trucks.

“Keeping our auto companies competitive is crucial to our economy, and if we don’t build on progress we’ve made and get even more fuel efficient, we’re going to fall behind.”–David Woodward, Commissioner Oakland County district 18.

What You Can Do:

1. Request postcards! Would you rather send a postcard to the EPA? Let us know if you want to sign a postcard– and recruit 20 others concerned about mercury in fish to do the same! Contact kordickj@nwf.org
2. Submit a comment to the EPA letting them know you want stricter regulations on mercury emissions.  It is SO easy and takes seconds.
3. Help protect river otters by sending a message to the EPA asking them to restore the Clean Water Act protections!

The report debunks industry claims that the regulations will wreak havoc on the utility sector.

image courtesy lex18.com

The technology to comply with the new regulations is readily available, and  60% of US power plants have already installed the technology necessary to comply with the rules.

Though a few coal-heavy utilities have asked Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to push back the deadline, claiming that the rules do not give them enough time to install all the required pollution controls, the EPA representative said it would not make sense to delay the rules across the board for those utilities who failed to heed notice that these pollution reductions would soon be required.

As the utility representative noted, there are leaders and followers among utilities. He echoed that the EPA should not delay important health benefits for those few utilities that were not proactive in updating pollution controls.

After all, installing technology to make sure power plants operate more safely is part of the evolution of a plant, just like getting your grandmother’s thirty-year-old car inspected and fixed is part of owning and operating a car.

In this case, the stakes are much higher than having a noisy muffler. The EPA found that the proposed pollution reductions will have annual benefits that include:

… [up to] 17,000 fewer premature mortalities, 4,300 fewer cases of chronic bronchitis, 10,000 fewer non-fatal heart attacks, 12,000 fewer hospitalizations (for respiratory and cardiovascular disease combined), 4.9 million fewer days of restricted activity due to respiratory illness and approximately 830,000 fewer lost work days.

We also estimate substantial health improvements for children in the form of 110,000 fewer asthma attacks, 6,700 fewer hospital admissions due to asthma, 10,000 fewer cases of acute bronchitis, and approximately 210,000 fewer cases of upper and lower respiratory illness.[2]

When 17,000 lives can be saved each year by reducing the amount of mercury, arsenic, and toxic air pollution spewing out of power plants, there is no excuse to continue with business as usual. As one panelist  said “the health of our families can no longer be a hotbed partisan issue.” I couldn’t agree more.

Take action here and tell the EPA that you want the strongest protections possible against dangerous air.

The impact of this chain of events is clear. If you fish a lot and eat your catch, you are on the frontline of mercury exposure. Mercury pollution thus turns fishing – one of our great recreational pastimes – into something with potentially dangerous consequences. Exposure to mercury is linked to negative neurological impacts (such as decreased cognitive thinking, memory, attention and fine motor skills) and increased risk of heart disease.

Mercury pollution harms fish, and the wildlife that depend on them — from walleye and largemouth bass to the common loon to the river otter. Take action to protect from toxic mercury pollution.

courtesy edf.org

This is why imposing strict limits on the mercury, arsenic, and other toxic air pollutants from the nation’s coal-fired power plants is of critical importance sportsmen and sportswomen across the country. And today, NWF released a letter from the mercury frontline.

Hunters and Anglers Rally for Action

Over 320 hunting and angling groups came together to tell Congress that it needs to support strong Clean Air Act rules like the new limits on mercury and toxic air pollution that would reduce mercury pollution from power plants by 91%, prevent 17,000 premature deaths per year, and start reducing toxic pollution in our nation’s lakes, streams, and rivers.

Congress should already be well aware that anglers stand in the mercury exposure bull’s eye. In 1997, as directed by Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delivered its Mercury Study Report. Nearly fifteen years ago, the report highlighted the increased risks of mercury exposure among those who fish stating:

• Exposures among specific subpopulations including anglers . . . indicate that their average exposures to methylmercury may be more than two-times greater than those experience by the average population.

The situation is not any better now. In an Analysis that accompanied the proposed new reductions in mercury pollution the EPA found:

• Several subpopulations with particularly high potential risks of mercury exposure due to relatively high rates of freshwater fish consumption. The particular groups on the front line of exposure include low-income African-American recreational/subsistence fishers in the Southeast region, low-income white recreational/subsistence fishers in the Southeast region, low-income female recreational/subsistence fishers, and Hispanic subsistence fishers.

Let’s look even deeper. A 2009 Study studying mercury exposure in recreational fishermen in Louisiana found:

• Louisiana anglers who participated in the study had hair concentrations of mercury that were 4 times the median of the only available nationally representative sample of women of childbearing age, related to even consumption of fish with low to moderate mercury concentrations.

EPA Air Toxics Rules Badly Needed

So what does all this mean? It means that fishermen are far more exposed than even the general population to mercury and more likely to suffer from the health impacts associated with mercury exposure. And while some fish contain more methylmercury than others (big fish that eat smaller fish tend to contain more methylmercury), those who fish and eat even the smaller fish need to see strict new mercury and air toxic rules now.

For Information Visit: www.nwf.org/mercury