MVCAC May 2012

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Fracking's Methane Trail: A Detective Story : NPR
by Duane 17 May '12

17 May '12

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/17/151545578/frackings-methane-trail-a-detective… May 17, 2012 NPR: FRACKING'S METHANE TRAIL: A DETECTIVE STORY Gaby Petron didn't set out to challenge industry and government assumptions about how much pollution comes from natural gas drilling. She was just doing what she always does as an air pollution data sleuth for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "I look for a story in the data," says Petron. "You give me a data set, I will study it back and forth and left and right for weeks, and I will find something to tell about it." Petron saw high levels of methane in readings from a NOAA observation tower north of Denver. And through painstaking, on-the-ground detective work, she tied that pollution to the sprawling oil and gas fields in northeastern Colorado. The story she stumbled into suggests that government may be far underestimating air pollution from natural gas production. Her measurements, which were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, suggest that methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is leaking at least twice the rate reported by the industry. Coal Vs. Natural Gas: Which Is Cleaner? Her paper was the latest volley in an intense estimate war under way in the scientific community about whether natural gas really is cleaner than the coal it's already starting to replace on the electric grid. A lot of research shows power plants pump out fewer greenhouse gases when they run on gas instead of coal. But no one really knows how much natural gas leaks out when companies are drilling for gas and getting it to power plants. Natural gas is primarily methane. Methane is very effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere. And already, natural gas production is the biggest manmade U.S. source of methane. The way it is now, the Environmental Protection Agency relies on estimates of methane emissions. They're based on some measurements of emissions from individual pieces of equipment and lots of complicated math. A Revealing Tower A tall tower at the foot of the Rocky Mountains tipped off scientists that these estimates are poor substitutes for measuring. Imagine an open metal structure as tall as the Eiffel Tower and in the shape of a Toblerone chocolate box. A tiny elevator runs up the middle. For the past few years, that tower has been Gaby Petron's muse, spewing out numbers about air pollution. Petron was studying those numbers at NOAA's lab in Boulder, Colo., just 15 miles from the tower. What she saw amazed her. "Oh, my God, we were looking at something really different than anywhere else where we were taking measurements in this country," Petron recalls. "And at first I didn't know what it was." What she saw was very high levels of methane gas, not all the time, but often. And every time methane was high, she saw a consistent mix of other chemicals with it — a sort of chemical cocktail — that included methane, propane and pentane in specific proportions. Levels as high as she was seeing suggested a lot more methane than anyone realized was coming from somewhere, but from where? She talked a colleague into turning his Prius into a mobile lab so she could sniff out the source. As they drove east, toward the tower, methane levels would increase. Seeking The Source They saw lots of potential sources of methane: a landfill, cows and lots of telltale signs of the oil and gas industry, such as storage tanks, drill rigs and lots of bright red Halliburton trucks. She collected canisters of air near cows to see if they were her mysterious source. But when the analysis came back from the lab, there was methane, but not the other chemicals in the cocktail from the tower. No match. The landfill was not a match, either. When she drove around the oil and gas field northeast of the tower, the methane levels spiked."They would increase a lot, and that's why we saw we were looking at something really important and really big," Petron recalls. "We would say, 'Oh, my god, let's stop and take a sample.' " When her lab analyzed the canisters of air from the gas field, she had a match. The tower is on the southwest corner of the Denver-Julesburg basin, where at the time there were more than 20,000 active natural gas and condensate wells. She got detailed wind direction data from the tower and confirmed that methane at the tower was highest when the wind was blowing from the direction of the gas fields. She also got a hold of the industry's analysis of the mixture of chemicals that come out of the ground with the natural gas here. It also matched what she found in the tower air. "So that's when you have your moment. All right, the story is right there. It's really not the landfill. It's really not the cows. It's really all the oil and gas equipment and activities that are going on in the region. And it's not new — it's always been there. We were just not measuring it." Petron said. Then came the hard part: trying to figure out how much methane was leaking from the gas fields. That took a few years and a lot of input from industry and regulators. The science and calculations were complicated. "That's why it took so long to write this story," Petron recalls. She says even the lowest range of her estimate was higher than the leak rate industry and regulators were reporting. "Really, what our story is telling in our paper is the leak rate is twice what the industry thinks it is," she says. Petron's work also suggests that the industry is underestimating its releases of other chemicals, including benzene, which, if present at high enough levels, can cause cancer. The industry reports negligible benzene emissions. But her calculations show it is likely the region's largest source of benzene. Measuring A Sprawling Industry So why don't gas companies measure the pollution they pump into the air? Companies can have thousands of gas wells, storage tanks and equipment that leak air pollution sprawled over hundreds of square miles. Allen says it would take too much work for companies to maintain air pollution monitors near each well site. "Direct emission measurement is extremely expensive. It's not realistic to install such devices on every single emissions source that there is," says Cindy Allen, who heads the environment team for a drilling company called Encana. The American Petroleum Institute says companies are trying to improve their air pollution estimates. The trade group is working on a new survey of methane emissions from tens of thousands of wells. The API's Howard Feldman says more measurements like the ones that came from that NOAA tower are needed, too. "Both are valid, and both add to the information that we have," he says. Feldman says it's in the industry's interest to find leaks and capture methane, because methane — which is natural gas — is their product, and they don't want to lose it to the atmosphere. Road Trip Petron believes scientists need to play a much bigger role in measuring air pollution from natural gas production — at well sites and compressor stations, and over entire gas fields. This winter, she tricked out a van with a lot of sensitive instruments and hit the road in Utah and Colorado. She's collaborating with other scientists measuring the air over gas fields from aircraft. She believes pollution levels could vary a lot from one gas field to another. So Petron wants to take her van to other gas fields in Utah, Texas and Pennsylvania. "There's a lot of booming oil and gas activities around the country," Petron says. "If I could dream, I would be going to all these places." Submitted by: Duane Nichols. See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

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NPR: Medical Records Could Yield Answers On Fracking
by Duane 17 May '12

17 May '12

> Subject: NPR: Medical Records Could Yield Answers On Fracking > > http://www.npr.org/2012/05/16/151762133/medical-records-could-yield-answers… > > NPR: MEDICAL RECORDS COULD YIELD ANSWERS ON FRACKING > > PHOTO: William Reigle has fibrosis, a disease that may be aggravated by nearby fracking. He's one of more than 2 million Pennsylvanians who get their health care from Geisinger Health System. The system wants to use its extensive database of patient records to study the health impact of natural gas production. > > May 16, 2012 > A proposed study of people in northern Pennsylvania could help resolve a national debate about whether the natural gas boom is making people sick. > > The study would look at detailed health histories on hundreds of thousands of people who live near the Marcellus Shale, a rock formation in which energy companies have already drilled about 5,000 natural gas wells. > > If the study goes forward, it would be the first large-scale, scientifically rigorous assessment of the health effects of gas production. > > Secret Weapon: A Very Large Database > > In recent years, there have been lots of anecdotal reports about people who say they have been harmed by the chemicals associated with gas wells and the drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. > > Science And The Fracking Boom: Missing Answers > > Explore key components of the natural gas production process — and the questions scientists are asking. > > But "there doesn't seem to be a lot of hard data to either support or refute those claims," says David Carey, associate chief research officer of the Geisinger Health System, which provides care to more than 2 million Pennsylvanians. > So the Geisinger system wants to use its huge database of electronic health records to help researchers get definitive answers, Carey says. > > The long-term goal is to learn whether gas operations increase the incidence of diseases such as diabetes and cancer, Carey says. But first, he says, researchers want to take a quick look at whether air pollutants associated with gas drilling are affecting people with asthma and other lung problems. > > The asthma study is possible because Geisinger's database includes tens of thousands of people with asthma, says Dr. Paul Simonelli, the system's director of thoracic medicine. > > From his office in Geisinger's gleaming medical center in Danville, Pa., Simonelli demonstrates why the database is so valuable. With just a few computer keystrokes, he brings up the record for an asthma patient. > > "This patient's been seen in our system well over a dozen times," he says, scrolling through the record. "And this dates back to 2001." > > Looking For Clues In Asthma And Ozone > > Researchers want to start with asthma patients because they are very sensitive to ground-level ozone, a pollutant that often forms near gas wells, Simonelli says. > > When ozone levels rise, he says, many asthma patients begin to have trouble breathing and seek help. > > PHOTO: Dr. Paul Simonelli is the director of thoracic medicine for the Geisinger system. Geisinger researchers want to find out whether air pollutants associated with gas drilling are affecting people with asthma and other lung problems. > > Primary care physicians are usually the first people patients call, Simonelli says. Then, he says, "we see it in the specialty clinics such as my own, where we'll be messaged by lots of patients that [say,] 'I'm getting worse, what should I do?' " > > When ozone levels get really high, he says, asthma patients start showing up in emergency rooms. > > About 6 percent of people in the United States have asthma, Simonelli says, "so we're talking about an enormous number of people who are potentially at risk to have their conditions worsened by these exposures." > > And the Geisinger database contains such detailed information that it's possible to figure out things like precisely how far each asthma patient lives from a gas well, says Brian Schwartz, an environmental epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. > > Schwartz, who is working with Geisinger on the project, says the plan is to use air quality data from the Environmental Protection Agency to identify days when ozone levels are high, then use the database to answer a series of questions about asthma patients. Questions such as: "Are they being admitted to the hospital? Are they requiring emergency department visits? Are they using more inhalers?" > > 'We Just Want The Facts To Lead Us' > > Northern Pennsylvania is a particularly good place to ask those questions because gas operations are the primary source of ozone and only began a few years ago, Schwartz says. > > We're not out to get anybody. We just want to let the facts lead us wherever they will. > > - David Carey, associate chief research officer, Geisinger Health System > > "Because we have 10 years of health data, but the drilling has mainly been for the past five years, we have a period with information on asthma patients and controls before drilling, [as well as] a period after drilling," he says. > > There's one big hitch, though, Schwartz says. The asthma study alone is likely to cost nearly a million dollars — and no one has offered to pay for it yet. > > Even so, Schwartz is optimistic. One reason, he says, is that the research has strong support at Geisinger — from the CEO on down. > > There's a good reason for Geisinger's commitment, Carey says. "If you look at the map, the geographic footprint of our patient catchment area, this is literally going on in our backyard." > > So Carey and other Geisinger officials have been working to build support for the study among scientists, and capture the interest of funding agencies. > And so far the response has been positive, Carey says, in part because Geisinger is seen as a neutral party in the national debate about fracking and shale gas production. > > "We're not out to get anybody," he says. "We just want to let the facts lead us wherever they will. So if we do find that there are environmental exposures that are harming people's health, we'll say it. If we find evidence that there's nothing to worry about, we'll say that, too." > > Submitted by Duane Nichols. See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

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Fwd: Colorado School of Public Health Study says Frack Wells can Cause Acute and Chronic Health Problems
by Duane 17 May '12

17 May '12

> From: www.FrackCheckWV.net > Date: May 17, 2012 > > Subject: Colorado School of Public Health Study says Frack Wells can Cause Acute and Chronic Health Problems > > Colorado School of Public Health Study says Frack Wells can Cause Acute and Chronic Health Problems > > Colorado School of Public Health Study says Frack Wells can Cause Acute and Chronic Health Problems > > > “Our data show that it is important to include air pollution in the national dialogue on natural gas development that has focused largely on water exposures to hydraulic fracturing,” said Lisa McKenzie, Ph.D., MPH, lead author of a new report and research associate at the Colorado School of Public Health. > > The report, based on three years of monitoring, found a number of potentially toxic petroleum hydrocarbons in the air near the wells including benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene. Benzene is a well known carcinogen. > > The report, which looked at those living within a half-mile from the wells, comes in response to the rapid expansion of natural gas development in rural Garfield County, in western Colorado. McKenzie analyzed ambient air sample data collected from monitoring stations by the Garfield County Department of Public Health and Olsson Associates Inc. She used standard EPA methodology to estimate non-cancer health impacts and excess lifetime cancer risks for hydrocarbon exposure. > > The report concludes that health risks are greater for people living closest to wells and urges a reduction in those air emissions. Future studies are warranted and should include collection of area, residential and personal exposure data where wells are operating. Additional studies should also examine the toxicity of other hydrocarbons associated with natural gas development. > > This study is entitled “Human Health Risk Assessment of Air Emissions from Development of Unconventional Natural Gas Resources.” It has been accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment. > > See also the slide presentation by John Adgate, Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Colorado. It is entitled “Air Pollution Exposure and Risk Near Unconventional Natural Gas Drill Sites: Example from Garfield County, Colorado.” > > > NPR: ‘Close Encounters’ With Gas Well Pollution > > Garfield County, Colorado > PART 2. NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO SERIES ON SHALE GAS DRILLING & FRACKING. > > Here is a condensed version of the NPR report: > > Living in the middle of a natural gas boom can be pretty unsettling. The area around the town of Silt, Colo., used to be the kind of sleepy rural place where the tweet of birds was the most you would hear. Now it’s hard to make out the birds because of the rumbling of natural gas drilling rigs. The land here is steep cliffs and valleys. But bare splotches of earth called well pads are all over the place. > > What’s In Those Fumes? > > Nearly a decade ago, Garfield County in Colorado started trying to tackle that question, and was chugging ahead of the whole country in pursuit of scientific truth. Local politician Tresi Houpt was the engine pushing that effort. > > As she started to campaign to be a Garfield County commissioner, she came down from her home on a ski mountain to meet people in ranches, rural neighborhoods with the big blue skies and clear starry nights. She couldn’t believe what she saw: drill rigs right outside homes, armadas of diesel-spewing trucks, fumes wafting from equipment called compressors and condensate tanks. In Colorado, you can have a drill rig 150 feet from homes. > > In 2002, Houpt won her election. And one of the first things she wanted to know was: Did scientists have any answers for what was in the air near wells? > > Houpt and the other commissioners agreed to start spending some of the county’s gas royalties to try to get answers. They brought in Jim Rada to create an environmental health office. “There are pipelines, there are storage yards, compressor stations, gas plants,” he says, as we drive along in his hybrid SUV past thousands of sources of air pollution. Diesel exhaust spews from trucks and drilling rigs. Methane, chemicals that make ozone, and fumes that contain cancer-causing benzene leak from wells and storage tanks. > > Rada figured it would be impossible to track all this pollution, so back in 2005, he set up monitors in towns where most of the people lived. Gadgets on the roof monitor soot, smog and volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs. Years of data from these and other monitors around the county have shown that the industry is putting a lot more chemicals into the air that create smog. But levels of smog and other air pollutants still meet EPA health standards. > > In 2008, he got permission from companies to put air sampling canisters around eight wells that were being drilled. Then, for 24 hours, those canisters captured the chemicals that were coming off the wells. He found very large amounts of chemicals. Some of them, like benzene, can cause cancer. Others, like xylenes, can irritate eyes and lungs. > > Rada’s air monitoring work was rare enough that it was getting attention at some higher levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Colorado’s state public health agency were analyzing his data for answers. > > But they didn’t really find any. For instance, Rada’s eight-well test was just a pilot study. He didn’t test the air long enough or at enough places to know how much chemicals people were really being exposed to. > > At that point, Rada says the job got too big for him. This was 2009. Nearly 3,000 wells had gone in the year before. The county needed help. And its next move turned out to have some pretty painful consequences. > > Rada called in the Colorado School of Public Health to examine whether lots of new drilling within a neighborhood might hurt people’s health. To make their conclusions, the researchers were supposed to use existing studies, such as the county’s monitoring data, and whatever other science they could find. A draft assessment by the school predicted small increases in risks of cancer, headaches and lung ailments. > > People who live near gas wells held up the researchers’ work to attack the industry in lawsuits and in the media. And gas companies fought back. “Both sides were fighting,” recalls John Martin, a longtime county commissioner. “They wanted to use this document in both arguments — that it didn’t hurt anything and that it killed everyone.” > > In May of last year, the commissioners gathered for a meeting and voted to end a contract with the Colorado School of Public Health. Tresi Houpt, who had lost her re-election and wasn’t part of the vote, saw her years of work unraveling. All that momentum the county had built up came to a screeching halt. > > So, 10 years have passed since Houpt first drove around her county, hearing complaints about air pollution and the gas industry. And Garfield County’s 800 gas wells have grown to more than 8,000. People who live near wells — whether they’re in Texas, Pennsylvania or Utah — still don’t know what they’re breathing. > > Houpt believes Garfield County’s saga shows how politics, industry pressure, technical challenges and the slow pace of science have blocked the search for answers — not just for her community, but for the whole country. > > See also this posting in FrackCheckWV.

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American Lung Association Releases ‘State of the Air’ Report: What’s Your City’s Grade? « EcoWatch: Uniting the Voice of the Grassroots Environmental Movement
by Duane 04 May '12

04 May '12

http://ecowatch.org/2012/american-lung-association-releases-state-of-the-ai… American Lung Association Releases ‘State of the Air’ Report: What’s Your City’s Grade? American Lung Association The American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2012 report released on April 25 finds that in America’s most polluted cities, air quality was at its cleanest since the organization’s annual report began 13 years ago. This year’s report details the trend that standards set under the Clean Air Act to cleanup major air pollution sources—including coal-fired power plants, diesel engines and SUVs—are working to drastically cut ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot) from the air we breathe. Despite this progress, unhealthy levels of air pollution still exist and in some parts of the country worsened. “State of the Air shows that we’re making real and steady progress in cutting dangerous pollution from the air we breathe,” said Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association president and CEO. “We owe this to the ongoing protection of the Clean Air Act. But despite these improvements, America’s air quality standards are woefully outdated, and unhealthy levels of air pollution still exist across the nation, putting the health of millions of Americans at stake.” The job of cleaning the air is not finished. More than 40 percent of people in the U.S. live in areas where air pollution continues to threaten their health. That means more than 127 million people are living in counties with dangerous levels of either ozone or particle pollution that can cause wheezing and coughing, asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature death. Those at greatest risk from air pollution include infants, children, older adults, anyone with lung diseases like asthma, people with heart disease or diabetes, people with low incomes and anyone who works or exercises outdoors. The Lung Association’s annual air quality report grades cities and counties based, in part, on the color-coded Air Quality Index developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to alert the public to daily unhealthy air conditions. The 13th annual report uses the most recent, quality-controlled EPA data collected from 2008 through 2010 from official monitors for ozone and particle pollution, the two most widespread types of air pollution. Counties are graded for ozone, year-round particle pollution and short-term particle pollution levels. The report also uses EPA’s calculations for year-round particle levels. Major improvements were seen in 18 of the 25 cities most polluted by ozone, including Los Angeles, which had the lowest smog levels since the report was first published in 2000. Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati were among 17 of the 25 cities most polluted by annual particle pollution that experienced their cleanest years yet. Four cities—Pittsburgh, San Diego, Philadelphia and Visalia, Calif., had their lowest-ever, short-term particle pollution level. For the first time, Birmingham, Ala., Detroit, Mich., and York, Pa., dropped completely off the report’s 25 most-polluted cities lists. Santa Fe, N.M., ranked as the cleanest city in the nation. Meanwhile, State of the Air 2012 finds that nearly four out of 10 people in the U.S. live in counties that received an F for air quality because of unhealthy levels of ozone air pollution, which can cause health problems that day, and even days after. When inhaled, ozone irritates the lungs, like a bad sunburn, and can cause wheezing, coughing, asthma attacks and can shorten life. The report also finds that nearly 50 million Americans live in counties with too many unhealthy spikes in particle pollution levels, and nearly six million people live in areas with unhealthy year-round levels of particle pollution. Particle pollution is the most dangerous and deadly widespread air pollutant in America. This noxious mix of microscopic bits of ash, soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols can lead to early death, heart attacks, strokes and emergency room visits. Only eight counties received a failing grade for year-round particle pollution, further evidence of the continuing improvement even since last year’s report. The trend toward cleaner air continued throughout this three-year period, even as the economy, energy use and driving began to rebound after the recession in 2008-2009. The reduced emissions result from standards set under the Clean Air Act since the late 1990s that have driven continued cleanup of coal-fired power plants and the turnover of the fleet of older, dirtier SUVs, pick-up trucks, vans and diesel engines. The Ongoing Fight to Defend the Clean Air Act Although these air quality improvements clearly result from standards put into place under the Clean Air Act, big polluters and some members of Congress continue to propose to dismantle the law. Recent proposals in the Congress have included delaying implementation and blocking enforcement of parts of the law, and limiting EPA’s ability to consider all of the scientific evidence regarding the harm to public health. These challenges come despite EPA’s estimate that cutting air pollution through the Clean Air Act will prevent at least 230,000 deaths and save $2 trillion annually by 2020. “We still need to fulfill the promise of clean, healthy air for everyone, and that can only become a reality through the full implementation of the Clean Air Act. The American Lung Association strongly opposes any efforts to weaken, delay, or undermine the protective standards the law provides,” said Connor. The American people support the need for stricter limits on air pollution standards and the authority of the EPA to enforce these standards. A recent bipartisan survey found that about two-thirds of voters (66 percent) favor the EPA updating air pollution standards by setting stricter limits. Nearly three quarters (73 percent) of voters believe the nation does not have to choose between air quality and a strong economy. “The American Lung Association has been leading the fight for clean air for decades, and we are as determined as ever to give every American the clean air they deserve to breathe every day,” said Connor. To see how your community ranks in State of the Air 2012, to learn how to protect yourself and your family from air pollution, and to join the fight for healthy air, visit www.stateoftheair.org. Nation’s Most Polluted Cities 10 Most Ozone-Polluted Cities Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif. Visalia-Porterville, Calif. Bakersfield-Delano, Calif. Fresno-Madera, Calif. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, Calif.-Nev. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif. Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, Texas San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif. Merced, Calif. 10 Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution (Annual PM2.5) Bakersfield-Delano, Calif. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif. Visalia-Porterville, Calif. Fresno-Madera, Calif. Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa. Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz. Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, Ky.-Ind. Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md. St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, Mo.-Ill. 10 Cities Most Polluted by Short-Term Particle Pollution (24-hour PM2.5) Bakersfield-Delano, Calif. Fresno-Madera, Calif. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif. Modesto, Calif. Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa. Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT Logan, UT-ID Fairbanks, Alaska Merced, Calif. For more information, click here. Duane Nichols, Cell- 304-216-5535.

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US EPA strives to protect the public health and welfare long-term
by Duane330＠aol.com 03 May '12

03 May '12

EPA UPDATES CLEAN AIR STANDARDS FOR DOMESTIC OIL AND NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION On April 18, EPA finalized standards to reduce air pollution emitted from oil and natural gas wells, including for the first time, hydraulically fractured natural gas wells, storage tanks and other equipment. The new cost-effective technologies will help reduce the release of methane and other air toxics captured at the wellhead that can cause cancer and other serious health effects. For more information, go to _http://www.epa.gov/airquality/oilandgas_ (http://www.epa.gov/airquality/oilandgas) . EPA PUBLISHES NATIONAL GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY On April 16, EPA released the 17th annual U.S. greenhouse gas inventory that calculates the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by source and economic sector. The new figures indicate that overall, greenhouse gas emissions grew by more than 10 percent from 1990 to 2010, and in 2010, totaled 6,822 million metric tons. The inventory also calculates carbon dioxide emissions removed from the atmosphere by “sinks,” or carbon uptake by forests, vegetation and soils. For more information, go to _http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html_ (http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html) .

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MVCAC May 2012