Even on a hot July afternoon, this major pollution point source in downtown Cleveland
keeps burning coal and polluting the environment and surrounding citizens - can you name this polluter?
 

realNEO Cuyahoga Council Candidate Question #2: Explain The Cost To Society Of This Pollution Point Source.

Where is this major air pollution source located, what is the business responsible, what are the economics of the business and its pollution relative to the regional and state economies, what are the costs to society of the pollution caused, at all levels, and how well informed are citizens of all these facts, to protect them from significant physical harm?

C'harm'ing Little Italy Double for rent - free cancer brought to you by MCCO, Green City Blue Lake Institute
University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University and 20 other great non-profits

As shall be made abundantly clear before August 10, 2010, when "EPA Hosting Public Hearing to Discuss Citizen Concerns Over MCCO University Circle Coal Powerplant Permit Renewal", over 20 major University Circle institutions including Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals and the Cleveland Natural History Museum - home of the "sustainability"-oriented "Green City Blue Lake Institute" - are connected to utility services provided by the Medical Center Company, which burns coal in the heart of a residential community of University Circle, bordering East Cleveland, Cleveland Heights and the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland. Burning coal causes pollution that kills people and the MCCO coal plant is very old and very dirty - one of the most polluting point sources in Ohio.

Site Survey for realNEO Brightest Greenest Valley Development Properties

I was moved today by coverage in the Cleveland Plain Dealer of the Gulf Oil Spill - Living in Alabama, with the oil spill: Ryan Dezember - props for this personal and eye opening guest editorial today - from the PD: Dezember is a reporter for the Mobile Press-Register in Alabama. He is a graduate of Kent State University, and a Bay Village native. Some key observations:

That morning, I caught my first whiff of the pungent odor outside my house some five miles north of the beach. So stifling was the acrid smell that before making the connection to the spill, I figured that someone in my neighborhood was getting a new roof.

Such is the prognosis that federal wildlife officials have decided that there is virtually no chance any of the 50,000 or so sea turtle hatchlings that emerge from the northern Gulf's beaches each summer would survive in their now-toxic natal waters.

The consequences of losing the entire $1.5 billion summer tourism season will be far-reaching. Right now is the season's peak, and the glassy towers that line the beach are emptier than they were in the dead of winter.

Early in the morning of June 23, the spill's pall claimed its first local casualty. William Allen "Rookie" Kruse, a 55-year-old fisherman, sent his crew on an errand at a Gulf Shores marina and -- while they were still within earshot -- put a pistol to his head and fired.

In Case You Are Wondering If The Cleveland Plain Dealer Will Cover The Pollution From MCCO?!?!...

Will the plain Dealer promote the upcoming EPA hearing on the licensing of the MCCO coal burning plant that provides steam heat to University Hospitals, among over 20 University Circle institutions...

The first rule of the Art Of Surviving Cleveland is PROTECT YOUR DNA!

As reported on realNEO: "what we have learned after sampling and genetically profiling many gull families is that colonies close to integrated steel mills transmit DNA mutations to their offspring more frequently than those at rural sites. In addition, the closer the colony to steel mills, the higher the mutation rate".  Further, "Our genetic analyses of environmentally exposed mice revealed that offspring from the steel site inherited nearly double the frequency of DNA mutations compared to their rural counterparts. Clearly, air pollution near integrated steel mills can induce genetic damage. At this time we cannot identify the class of chemical pollutant responsible, but suggest that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, by-products of coal combustion, are a likely candidate."

In other words, and further: if you want to live a long, healthy, normal life and perhaps have offspring... DON'T live, work, eat, visit or play near a steel mill or any coal-burning facility... DON'T DO THIS:

NOTE: So far this year, NE Ohio has experienced ozone exceedances of the USEPA health-based standard on April 15, May 27, June 18, and July 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 15.  Hot summer, folks!

 
Northeast Ohio - Temperatures will be in the 90's tomorrow, and humidity will be very high.  The wind will be almost calm in Northeast Ohio.  Consequently, an Air Quality Advisory is being issued for the counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit for Thursday, July 15.

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Did You Know? A Coal-Burning Power Plant is Polluting Our Neighborhood and Endangering Our Health

Concerned? Speak Up!

Legalize It and I Will Industrialize It: Industrial Hemp Is the Engine to Kickstart This Economy

Over 30 countries around the world grow industrial hemp, including big players like China and France. Multipurpose and versatile - hemp makes its way into everything from ice cream to paint to clothing - hemp could be called the wonder resource. In North America alone, the hemp industry accounts for over $360 million annually, and yet the U.S. has yet to make its way onto the list of agriculturally and economically savvy countries that are reaping the benefits of cultivating the crop.

Broken Air Pollution Monitoring Station in Cleveland, Ohio, on an UNHEALTHY DAY - July 5, 2010

As highlighted in my posting on realNEO July 8, 2010 - "Texas regulators are failing to properly monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards! Like in Ohio?!" - I've concluded that "Ohio regulators are failing to properly monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards, and that I believe that political, business and environmental leadership are hiding the violations of polluters by causing ineffective and so publicly harmful and dangerous pollution control practices here, which are made possible by government failure here to really monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards."

Further, I make clear, "the Sierra Club and the Federal EPA are taking legal action AGAINST the Texas STATE REGULATORS and the world's largest corporations because they are not in fact protecting the environment, as required by the Federal government," I go on to report "I have been compiling evidence of corrupt and/or incompetent pollution control in Ohio for many years, and have now formally requested the help of the Sierra Club and their affiliates around the world to force change upon Ohio regulators who are failing to properly monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards here."

I conclude: "As I am seeking real, good outcomes for here - elimination of physical harm from Mittal and other excessive polluters in this region - like being realized through real environmentalism in Texas, my role in this community is not Mr. Nice Guy. I am the uncompromising polluter-killer who makes the Sierra Club seem like a breath of cool fresh air on an astoundingly dangerous Cleveland July afternoon, like today..."

Right on cue, like a breathe of fresh air, I recieved copies today of correspondence from the Sierra Club addressing this very issue, and I asked permission to share that on realNEO as public information and motivation for citizens to engage the government on these issues

Real bicycle commuter riding to work in a lumber yard in the Cleveland Flats. His work didn't cause this smog.

Why am I so hostile toward Ohio leadership?

Must be the poison in the air!

And, the life in hell lived by real environmentalists.

Consider what is necessary to clean up the air in environmentally-compromised Texas, where "Environmental groups say Exxon Mobil refinery violates U.S. air law" - "The environmental groups' legal maneuvers are part of broader accusations by the organizations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that Texas regulators are failing to properly monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards."

You think it is any easier to deal with the greatest corruption on Earth - the corruption of our environmental laws - right here in highly corrupt, polluted, old-economy Northeast Ohio?

Now in our sixth day of high temperatures, high humidity, high levels of air pollution harm and considerable human suffering, the Cleveland-Akron-Lorain area of Ohio now has the distinction of being on the U.S. EPA's Forecast list of 5 worst pollution locations in the county for July 8, 2010 - and our pollution monitoring equipment is not working consistently in the region, so our air pollution is likely worse than recorded and/or reported by the EPA. So, if the EPA finds real NEO #2 in America for pollution, I'm quite sure we are in fact #1.

Not a reason for LeBron to remain in Cleveland. Definitely a reason to stop burning coal in Northeast Ohio and world-wide.

Air Quality Advisory Extended for Northeast Ohio 
Thursday, July 8, 2010 - Ozone and Fine Particles

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By all standards, the environment in Northeast Ohio this week is harmful for all citizens. In addition to daytime temperatures in the 90s, there are high levels of pollution in the air - the region has been under air pollution advisory conditions since July 3 and the crisis is far from over. While our temperatures are not as high as some parts of the Eastern United States, the pollution is worse in few places in the country... only conditions in southern Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky are as poor or worse right now. And much of our regional pollution monitoring equipment is broken right now, so our conditions may be far worse than reported.

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Dear citizens who are concerned about the coal burning power plant operated by Medical Center Company (MCCO) in University Circle, and another that has been planned by MCCO for construction in East Cleveland...

...and who are interested to help the Sierra Club with preparations for an upcoming EPA hearing on the renewal of the permit for the MCCO plant to continue burning coal in our neighborhood - August 10, 2010, 4:30-6:45 PM at the MLK Branch of the Cleveland Public Library...

...you are invited to join Sierra Club Campuses Beyond Coal field organizer Matthew/Mattie Reitman for an informal planning session at 1894 Roxbury Road, East Cleveland, Ohio, tomorrow, July 7, 2010, from 8-9 AM.

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Air Quality Advisory Issued for Northeast Ohio 
Tuesday and Wednesday, July 6 and 7, 2010 due to Ozone

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Saturday, Jul 3:		Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups		Ozone

For additional information concerning the air quality forecast, contact one of the following agencies, or visit http://airohio.epa.state.ohs .

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Figure 4. Hemp Products Flowchart. Processing to End Product Groups.

Industrial Hemp as an Alternative Crop in North Dakota - A White Paper Study of the Markets, Profitability, Processing, Agronomics and History
David G. Kraenzel, Tim Petry, Bill Nelson, Marshall J. Anderson, Dustin Mathern, Robert Todd
The Institute for Natural Resources and Economic Development (INRED) - North Dakota State University
Agricultural Economics Report No. 402 - July 23, 1998

Abstract: This report is in response to a national and state interest in the potential benefits of industrial hemp as an alternative crop. Industrial hemp has many uses which can be categorized into nine submarkets. North Dakota may have a comparative advantage in producing industrial hemp seed for oil because of the multi-oil processing facility in Carrington (AgGrow Oils) and the established infrastructure. Industrial hemp is currently legally produced in 22 countries with Canada being the closest and is recognized as a legal and legitimate crop in both the NAFTA and GATT agreements. The main obstacles for legalization of industrial hemp appear to be 1) law enforcement officials are concerned about the regulation, 2) no domestic facilities currently exist to process hemp stalks, although Canada will have such facilities shortly, 3) there is a lack of current production and processing technology, and 4) lack of research on the production potential and quality aspects of the crop. Since very little is known about the potential yield and quality of industrial hemp fiber and seed that would be produced in North Dakota, it is recommended that controlled experimental production and processing be allowed. Necessary baseline production, processing, and marketing data could be collected and analyzed, and law enforcement concerns could also be addressed.

Map 7.1: Potential Energy Distribution among Ohio Counties (in Billions)

Joe Koncelik's Ohio Environmental Law Blog recently reported "Benefits of Biomass Power Questioned - Implications for Ohio", about a renewable fuels permitting issue that has surfaced with a FirstEnergy coal powerplant being converted to biomass, which offers great insight on the development and future of our biomass industry, and links to valuable source material for those considering the economic and environmental future of energy in Ohio, America and worldwide. In this excellent posting, Koncelik points out, "

Ohio's best hope for reducing its overwhelming dependence on coal for electricity generation is  biomass.  While wind and solar have significant benefits, it is unquestioned that current technology does not allow these renewable sources to be forms of base-load power generation. 

Biomass does have that potential in Ohio, as is evidenced by the recent announcements of the conversion of 312-megawatt First Energy's Burger coal-fired power plant to biomass generation.  Now that proposal is meeting opposition by environmental groups. As reported in Biomass Magazine."

In fact, environmentalists and regulators are demanding that FirstEnergy identify what biomass they intend to use from where to power their proposed-to-be "renewable" fuel plant - that is good economics and environmentalism. The dynamics of the Burger plant application are interesting and important for the future of the biomass sector in Ohio - while Ohio has a bright biomass renaissance ahead, we are still in the dark ages of its development.

The WHO, WIPO and the WTO are jointly organizing a Symposium at technical level on Access to Medicines: Pricing and Procurement Practices on July 16, 2010 at the Centre William Rappard in the WTO in Geneva.

The purpose of the symposium is to learn what international and regional agencies have experienced in the pricing and procurement of medicines as important determinants of access. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss where to obtain information on access to medicines, their prices and their availability. The core questions are about drug procurement, pricing and relevant intellectual property issues. The discussions will be technical, serving as a forum for participants to share information, views and practical experiences.

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Last month, the The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association released the first ever comprehensive third party assessment of the economic impact of the 28 renewable fuel plants in Canada and renewable fuels investments in Canada. The assessment conducted by econometric firm Doyletech Corporation, concluded that, “the grand total of the annual positive economic impact of renewable fuels is $2.013 billion”.  Most interesting, from the perspective of developing this industry in Ohio (and it is developing here) is the report finding that: "All levels of government gain from renewable fuels plants. In light of the net benefits to governments at the provincial and federal levels being in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and many millions at the municipal level, it would seem that incentive programs to encourage biofuels production and use in Canada have been a wise investment."

Optimising Harvesting and Storage Systems for Energy Crops in The Netherlands.
Dr.Ir.Willem.Huisman - Wageningen University, Netherlands, Dept. Agrotechnology and Food Science, Farm Technology Group.

Introduction

Biomass crops for energy production can be produced in many ways. The choice of the best harvest and storage methods is defined by many conditions like: requirements of the applied fuel conversion technology, requirements as defined by co-firing, local climate, available technology, transport infrastructure, cost levels of the various inputs, available subsidies. The selection criteria can be: minimal costs or energy input, maximum financial or environmental profit or maximum energy output. The selection process should be based on optimisation of the whole chain, including pre-processing, rather than on single operations. A simulation model is being built to support the selection of the optimal production chain.

In this paper the farm operations of harvest and subsequent drying, storage and pre-treatment will be presented in order to discuss the aspects related to the optimisation of bio-energy chains from the farm to the gate of the conversion plant.

The energy crops under consideration

This paper will deal with fibre crops for direct combustion or gasification. We consider the perennial grasses: miscanthus, reed canary grass and switchgrass, the short rotation woody crop: willow and the annual crop: hemp. The advantage of an annual crop is that after the decision to produce is taken, in just one season the required biomass can be produced.

Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Ohio -  July 2008
A Review and Assessment Conducted by The Center for Integrative Environmental Research, University of Maryland

CONCLUSIONS: The state of Ohio's greatest challenge is likely to be in adapting to climate change along its waterways and on Lake Erie, as this is where the most significant economic and ecological impacts will occur. Building and maintaining an alternative transportation infrastructure would allow Ohio to maintain its vibrant manufacturing industry amidst sea-shipping uncertainty, but the costs of the sort of adaptation needs to first be researched. Natural areas such as forests and lakes will suffer from climate change. The ecological integrity of Ohio’s natural landscape will be threatened in the coming century and it is recommended that management of resources be carefully monitored to ensure the wellbeing of the economic and cultural functions that depend on them. Lastly, because flooding events are likely to occur more often, preparations to prevent and mitigate floods and flood related disasters could be made ahead of time.

Report of the Ohio State Medical Committee on cannabis Indica, BY R.R. McMEENS, M.D.

As chairman of the committee, appointed at the last session of the Ohio State Medical Society, to report upon Cannabis Indica, I have to say that no extended or adequate efforts have been made, either by myself or the other members of the committee, in soliciting the concurrence of the profession at large, with the view of ascertaining and collaborating the opinions entertained, or practical results observed, from the use of this remarkable and renowned exotic, and accordingly can offer but a partial and imperfect report at this time.

However, as the medicinal properties and therapeutical value of this abnegated and nearly obsolete agent has engaged much of my attention and inquiry for several years, and been somewhat frequently administered and attested by me, I feel too great an interest in the subject to allow so favorable an opportunity to pass without endeavoring to enlist a more general interest and co-operation in the further investigation of this peculiar, potent and misapprehended article.

Benjamin Rasmussen for The New York Times
At the Farmacy in Boulder, Colo., medical marijuana is sold in a boutiquelike atmosphere.
State law lets sellers profit as much as they can, as long as they stay within a labyrinth of rules.

When Capitalism Meets Cannabis

By DAVID SEGAL - Published: June 25, 2010 

BOULDER, Colo.

ANYONE who thinks it would be easy to get rich selling marijuana in a state where it’s legal should spend an hour with Ravi Respeto, manager of the Farmacy, an upscale dispensary here that offers Strawberry Haze, Hawaiian Skunk and other strains of Cannabis sativa at up to $16 a gram.

She will harsh your mellow.

“No M.B.A. program could have prepared me for this experience,” she says, wearing a cream-colored smock made of hemp. “People have this misconception that you just jump into it and start making money hand over fist, and that is not the case.”

Since this place opened in January, it’s been one nerve-fraying problem after another. Pot growers, used to cash-only transactions, are shocked to be paid with checks and asked for receipts. And there are a lot of unhappy surprises, like one not long ago when the Farmacy learned that its line of pot-infused beverages could not be sold nearby in Denver. Officials there had decided that any marijuana-tinged consumables had to be produced in a kitchen in the city.