ACCRA, July 30 — U. S. oil company Kosmos Energy would soon be made to cough up a huge sum of money, yet to be determined, in fines for oil spillage off the Ghana coast, a senior government official said here on Thursday.

Edward Omane-Boamah, deputy minister for environment, science and technology, told the media that the oil occurred three times around two of Kosmos' oil rigs in Ghana's Jubilee Oil Fields, discovered by the Cosmos Energy in 2007.

"We discovered that there were incidents of spillage of 598 barrels of low toxicity oil-based mud spilt around Atwood Hunter and Aban Abram (two of Kosmos' rigs) in the West Cape Three Points area," said Omane-Boamah.

The official is also the chairman of a government team to investigate the causes of the incidents that took place between Dec. 26, 2009 and March 2010.

The government said it was putting in place the structures to prevent or at least reduce to the barest minimum incidents of oil spillage in the country's virgin oil and gas industry.

In his 20-point recommendations to the government, Omane-Boamah said the fine, in addition to being punitive, was also to send a strong signal to the outside world that Ghana would not tolerate a toying with her eco-system.

"We were able to establish negligence in the first incident on December 26 last year around Aban Abram and also in the second incident in March 2010 around Atwood Hunter," he claimed.

In the second incident, for instance, there was negligence because Kosmos had deferred their own planned preventive maintenance schedule put in place to prevent such occurrences.

He disclosed that the recommendations also set perimeters for the development of the system to protect Ghana's coastal belt since they bore the brunt of any environmental consequences from activities such as oil spillage.

The deputy minister confirmed that investigations into the second incident necessitated planned but unannounced visit to the rig so as to secure first-hand information to facilitate their investigations.

Receiving the report, Minister for Environment Science and Technology Sherry Aryittey said the Ghanaian government would act at all times in good faith to protect the coastal lines of the country.

She explained that since there were over four million Ghanaians living along the coast whose livelihoods dependent on fishing, it was necessary to protect the fish stocks in the sea so their livelihoods would not be endangered.

"As an emerging oil and gas country, it is important to prevent spillage and to ensure that companies which operate in the industry are mindful of the environmental protection, because it is difficult to restore marine ecology, once it is distorted," the minister declared.

She promised that the government would act on the recommendations of the investigation committee as soon as practicable. (PNA/Xinhua)

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Marikina relaunches ‘Eco-Savers’ program

MANILA, July 29 — The city government of Marikina, through the City Environmental Management Office (CEMO), relaunched recently its award-winning “Eco-Savers” program.

Eco-Savers is an environmental awareness advocacy of the city government that aims to inculcate the importance of waste segregation among residents and recycling among the students.

Since its inception in 2004, the program has already tapped some 180,000 students from 17 public elementary schools in Marikina. In 2007, it won the national government's prestigious Gawad Galing Pook Award.

Mayor Del De Guzman described the advocacy as a potent tool for encouraging people’s participation to create an educated, proactive, and environmentally sound community.

“Eco-Savers has been an integral part of the environmental awareness campaign of Marikina, and we recognize the valuable contribution of the schools in helping the local government facilitate waste segregation and recycling,” De Guzman said.

Under the program, students are encouraged to bring recyclable wastes to their respective schools during Eco-Savers Day. On the event, the recyclable wastes are weighed and corresponding points are earned and recorded in the students’ Eco-Savers Passbook.

Points earned will be totaled in March and December, when the students can get their incentives in exchange for the points earned. Incentives such as school supplies and grocery items can be claimed at the Eco-Savers Bus which visits the schools in the aforementioned months.

“Through this advocacy, the students are taught at an early age how to be conscious of their day-to-day activities such as proper disposal of garbage at home that greatly affects the environment,” De Guzman said.

He noted that the plan to tap the city’s private elementary schools is now underway. (PNA) scs/HCT

BEIJING, July 29 — The water quality of a northeast China river tested clear Thursday, a day after floods swept thousands of containers full of chemicals into the waterway, said a government spokesman.

Tao Detian, a spokesman for the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said the ministry had dispatched a work team to help deal with the emergency and stepped up monitoring of water quality along the Songhua River, which flows about 1,900 km through the Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces.

More than 7,000 chemical containers had been washed into the Songhua from Yongji County, in Jilin City of Jilin Province after rain-triggered floods hit a chemical plant.

Only 3,000 containers were holding chemicals with about 170 kilograms each, and the other 4,000 were empty, government officials told a press conference Thursday morning held in Jilin City.

So far, about 400 buckets had been recovered. (PNA/Xinhua) ALM/utb

ISLAMABAD, July 29 — A Pakistan private airlines says its passengers flight ‘crashed during poor weather and thick fog’ near Islamabad Wednesday.

Plane of the private Airblue airlines, which was coming to Islamabad from the port city of Karachi, hit the Margalla Hills at 9:30 a.m., officials said. The Margalla Hills—the foothills of the Himalayas—are a series of small-elevation hills located north of Islamabad.

“We regret the loss of life and are investigating the exact circumstances of this tragedy.

This will be presented as soon as possible,” a statement from the Airblue airlines said on its website. “Airblue, with great sadness, announces the loss of flight ED 202 inbound from Karachi to Islamabad,” the airlines said.

“Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew,” the statement said.

The Airblue Operations official, W. Hameed Mirza told reporters that 152 passengers and crew members were on board of the plane. He said over 100 people feared dead in the crash.

Chairman Capital Development Authority Enayat Elahi said that 40 bodies have been recovered from the crash site atop the hills.

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani took aerial view of the crashed site of aeroplane and observed that the access to the accident site was quite difficult thus hampering the rescue operation, the PM office said.

The Prime Minister expressed deep sense of sorrow and grief over the unfortunate accident and issued instructions to concerned organizations for holding a high level inquiry to determine the cause of the tragedy.

Officials say that there is no hope of any survivor and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who earlier said that five people were survived, withdrew his earlier statement. (PNA/IRNA) LOR/ssc

BEIJING, July 29 — The heatwave and humidity lingering over much of north China is likely to ease at the weekend with a cool front coming from the north, but the scorching temperatures are likely to continue in much of the south of the country, the Central Meteorological Observatory (CMO) said Thursday.

More than half of China's provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions saw temperatures exceed 35 degrees Celsius Thursday, a CMO meteorologist said.

Most of central and western China and parts of the east would have maximum temperatures ranging from 35 to 37 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperatures in parts of Gansu, Inner Mongolia and Shanxi would exceed 40 degrees.

The CMO forecast said hot weather in most of north China would dissipate under a cool front around July 31, but the south region will continue to sweat it out.

According to CMO, temperatures in northwestern Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Chongqing and Hunan reached 37 degrees Celsius Wednesday, and some areas saw the mercury hit 44.5 degrees. (PNA/Xinhua) vcs/utb

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, July 29 -– The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) here has lauded the serious concern and prompt action of Governor Lilia Pineda in resolving the waste management problem of the province.

Lormelyn Claudio, regional director of the DENR-EMB, said they greatly appreciate the initiative of the governor to end the alarming garbage dilemma with the latter’s initiative to establish a proposed sanitary landfill in Barangay Nabuklod, Floridablanca.

"We are very pleased with the governor for taking the lead role in curbing the waste problem and proliferation of open dump sites, particularly in megadike and other idle areas in the province," Claudio said.

Floridablanca Mayor Eduardo Guerrero has offered his 21-hectare private lot in Nabuklod for the construction of the proposed sanitary landfill.

The director said that the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has already conducted the ecological hazard study of the proposed site but it has to pass also the environment impact assessment of the DENR.

She said based on the guidelines, the completion and processing of all needed documents and preparation should be done within 20 days before it would be pushed through.

While waiting for the landfill, Claudio said the province can use the Metro Clark Landfill inside the Clark Freeport Zone as garbage dump.

Claudio said that most of the time, the Pampanga River and other major tributaries are being abused and used as garbage dumps.

But now, she said the DENR-EMB is optimistic that this would end with the political will and enthusiasm showed by the local government officials.

With the lead role being played by the governor and through her partnership with the national government agencies, Claudio said she sees no reason why the garbage problem would not be resolved soon.

The EMB director said the governor will convene next Tuesday all elected officials of the barangays, municipalities and province to discuss and explain the role of the local government units and their respective responsibilities in the implementation of ecological solid waste management as stipulated in Republic Act 9003.

“The good governor is in the right track and direction as far as environment protection is concerned. Together, we can fulfill our mandate and mission for a better and environment friendly province of Pampanga,” she added. (PNA)

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MANILA, July 29 — Environmentalists on Thursday implored local barangay officials to be on the frontline of climate defence by adopting Zero Waste solutions at the local level.

The EcoWaste Coalition and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) issued its plea for Zero Waste communities as representatives of the country’s 42,000 barangays converge at the SM Mall of Asia Convention Center in Pasay City on July 30 for the Third National Convention of the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas (LBP).

“We commend our grassroots leaders who have transformed their barangays into healthy and climate-friendly havens for their constituents by implementing Zero Waste resource management,” said Roy Alvarez, President, EcoWaste Coalition.

“By embracing Zero Waste principles and implementing changes, they have saved scarce public funds from being spent for expensive haul-dump-burn waste disposal scheme,” he stated.

Zero Waste, the groups pointed out, is the fastest, most doable and most affordable action that communities can do to cut toxic pollution from unsustainable production, consumption and disposal patterns that exacerbate climate change.

“Zero Waste is the most practical community action that can be undertaken by the barangay councils and residents to promote ecological values, conserve resources, stop the discharge of climate damaging pollutants and boost local economies,” said Manny Calonzo, Coordinator, GAIA.

“We therefore urge our barangay leaders to be the Zero Waste change leaders that our country needs, prevent and reduce waste, recycle materials safely back into nature and the economy, and cut dependency on landfills and incinerators,” he further said.

“Recognizing the essential role of the informal waste sector such as the waste pickers will further help the communities in achieving even higher waste diversion results given their immense recycling knowhow,” Calonzo added.

Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, provides a useful framework to guide communities in keeping their neighborhood clean and green by not resorting to littering, dumping and burning of discards, the groups said.

A GAIA report released in 2009 has listed basic elements that should form part of the desired policy shift from waste disposal to Zero Waste. These are:

-reducing waste disposal in landfills and incinerators to zero;

–>investing in reuse, recycling and composting jobs and infrastructure;

–>requiring that products are made to be non-toxic and recyclable;

–>ensuring that manufacturers of products assume full social and environmental costs of what they produce;

–>ensuring that industries reuse materials and respect worker and community rights; and

–>preventing waste and reducing unnecessary consumption.(PNA) LOR/pr/mec

WASHINGTON, July 30 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday denied 10 petitions challenging its 2009 determination that climate change is real, is occurring due to emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities, and threatens human health and the environment.

The petitions to reconsider EPA's Endangerment Finding claim that climate science cannot be trusted, and assert a conspiracy that invalidates the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

The EPA had received the petitions from states such as Texas and Virginia and groups like the Ohio Coal Association.

After months of serious consideration of the petitions and of the state of climate change science, the EPA finds no evidence to support these claims. In contrast, the EPA's review shows that climate science is credible, compelling, and growing stronger.

"The endangerment finding is based on years of science from the U.S. and around the world. These petitions — based as they are on selectively edited, out-of-context data and a manufactured controversy — provide no evidence to undermine our determination. Excess greenhouse gases are a threat to our health and welfare," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

"Defenders of the status quo will try to slow our efforts to get America running on clean energy. A better solution would be to join the vast majority of the American people who want to see more green jobs, more clean energy innovation and an end to the oil addiction that pollutes our planet and jeopardizes our national security," Jackson added. (PNA/Xinhua)

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By Kristy Inus

KOTA KINABALU, July 29 — Biomass, a green energy sector with an estimated value of RM30 billion in Sabah, has been earmarked as the next major industry to be developed in the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Lahad Datu.

POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd's chief executive officer Dr Pang Teck Wai said a Japanese company had already set up operations in the cluster to pursue biomass activities and the state government was continuously promoting the infrastructure there to attract investors.

POIC Sabah was set up by the state government to spearhead palm oil downstream processing and the company is placed under the supervision of the State Industrial Development Ministry.

"This is what we called the infant stage, so now the state government is trying to move towards opening this frontier for investment opportunities," Pang told reporters after the opening of Malaysia's largest palm oil technology expo, Palmex 2010, here Thursday.

"We have created the best infrastructure. So the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle we are trying to put together is access to raw materials, which over the next few months we will probably hear more of the state government's initiatives," he said.

All along, the palm oil industry has not been able to get biomass activities started because of the difficulty in accessing raw materials such as empty fruit bunches, oil palm fronds and oil palm trunks, Pang said.

"So the state government is now in the process of seeing how we can facilitate investors' access to biomass raw materials. Not only access but also at a price low enough and competitive enough," he said.

Sabah, which produces about one third or 5.4 million tonnes of the total country's crude palm oil of 17.5 million tonnes annually, has a lot of raw materials readily available to be used for the biomass industry, according to Pang.

"In the palm oil industry, some said that the major part of the wealth in the oil palm tree is not in the oil but in the biomass," he said.

"Sabah's palm oil industry produces around 27 million tonnes of raw materials (that can be used for biomass), and six million tonnes are empty fruit bunches, about 19 million tonnes are fronds, and the remaining two million tonnes oil palm trunks," he added.

Besides biomass, biogas is also another huge potential to be explored in POIC in future, said State Industrial Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah.

Asked if the state government was coming up with incentives and schemes for investment in biomass, Tan said: "There will be programmes, this is a state initiative and we have explored the possibilities in a number of ways."

Earlier in his speech, Tan said he was informed that oil palm mills were not excited about power generation because of the many competing uses of oil palm biomass and the not-very-attractive rates offered by Tenaga Nasional Bhd.

The issue of biomass supply security and pricing also needed to be ironed out, he said.

On another development, Tan said POIC Lahad Datu had attained an excellent level of success, having so far attracted 27 investors with total investment valued at RM2 billion. (PNA/BERNAMA)

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BALANGA CITY, Bataan, July 29 — Alarmed with the growing menace of army worms in agricultural lands here, the city government led by Mayor Jose Enrique “Joet” S. Garcia III, discussed with City Agriculture Office ways on how to address this growing problem.

It was reported that more than 10 hectares of land planted to various crops have been totally destroyed by horn worms, army worms and cut worms in Barangay Dangcol, this city.

The town of Mariveles, particularly the barangays of Alion, Batangas, Alas-asin and Baseco, were reportedly badly hit by the sudden resurgence of worms.

Other towns in the province were similarly affected by such worms which usually come out during the advent of rainy season and cold weather after a considerably long spell of dry season.

Provincial Agriculturist Imelda Nieto, said the first attack of the worms was sighted in Barangay Maite, Hermosa town last June 17, affecting grass lands and rice fields in the northern part of the province.

Orlando Mendoza who has been into planting kamote since a decade ago said his sweet potato plantation were badly hit by horn worms and army worms.

"We usually harvest more than a hundred sacks of kamote but with this situation, I think we will harvest only 50 sacks," Mendoza lamented.

Nerissa B. Mateo, City Agriculture head said Mayor Garcia instructed the city agriculture staff to visit the affected areas and provide assistance to farmers in Barangay Dangcol and other villages were plants worms attacked.

Mateo said the city government is providing livelihood assistance in the form of animal dispersal and livestock raising to farmers in severely-hit areas.

Camote farmers in the farming village used fertilizers to control the worms but they decided to stop when they noticed that worms have become even more aggressive on the smell of fertilizers.

Ronnie Lopez, city senior agriculturist, explained that fertilizers are acidic in nature.

Lopez , together with his team recently sprayed worms-cide called "Sevin" to get rid of horn worms.

He assured residents that the chemical sprayed on the farm was non-toxic to mammals.

He said that the city government is introducing organic pesticides instead of the commercial, highly toxic variety in line with the government’s promotion of organic farming. (PNA) LOR/zst/EBE/ps