From: "Gary T. Gallon"Subject: Gallon Environment Letter THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER JUNE 23, 1997 _________________________________________________________________ CANADA GETS $100 MILLION IN ARMS CREDITS FROM U.S. TO CLEAN UP U.S. MILITARY SITES IN CANADA We've just learned that in the fall of 1996, Canada signed an agreement with the United States to clean up toxic wastes on old abandoned U.S. military sites in Canada. The agreement "frees up" $100 million of Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) funds for remediation of the sites, that include 21 Distant Early Warning (DEW) sites in the Yukon and NWT, the decommissioning of the U.S. Naval Facility Argentia in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, the U.S. Strategic Air Command base at Goose Bay, Labrador, and the defunct Haines-Fairbanks oil pipeline built by the U.S. Army. According to the Bureau of National Affairs in Washington, D.C., the deal calls for the U.S. to transfer credits to Canada for DND to purchase American military hardware. Payments will be made annually to a Foreign Military Sales Trust Account, from which DND will draw credit, according to Valerie Noftle, Media Relations Officer for Canada's Dept. Of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). Unfortunately, Canada received only 39% of the funds it says is required to clean up the sites. Canada requested that the U.S. pay it $252 million for the clean. The question now, is where will the other $152 million come from in Canada to clean up the U.S. sites? *********************************************** U.S. INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL R&D TECHNOLOGY FUNDING TO $5.3 BILLION FOR 1997-98 With Canada having about one-tenth the economy of the United States, Canada should be providing about 10% of what the U.S. provides in environmental technology R&D. Canada should be spending in the neighborhood of $530 million a year. Instead Canada and its provinces have been letting their support slide. Canada dropped its Environmental Technology Commercialization Program (ETCP) replacing it with a $250 million (over four years) Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) program that gives most of its funds to the defense and aerospace industries. Ontario with over 60 per cent of the environment technologies in Canada, dropped the Ministry of Environment and Energy's successful Environmental Technology Program (ETP) Canada seems to be going backwards at the very time when other OECD countries are investing in their environment technologies industry that they see as a growth sector. ****************************************************** NEW POWER TO PETITION THE ENVIRONMENT COMMISSIONER AT THE AUDITOR GENERAL'S OFFICE ON FEDERAL ENVIRONMENT ISSUES If a federal department or agency is not living up to its sustainable development plan, you can petition the Environment and Sustainable Development Commissioner at the Auditor General's office to take action. Recent amendments to the Auditor General Act created a formal vehicle for channeling public and private sector input and concern on environmental and sustainable development issues to federal departments. These petitions must relate to matters that are the responsibility of those specific departments and agencies required to prepare and implement sustainable development strategies. The Environment Commissioner then forwards these written petitions to the appropriate minister on the Auditor General's behalf.. Ministers are required to respond to these petitions within a set time period. The Commissioner monitors the status of these petitions and reports his findings to the House of Commons in his annual report. Petitions in writing can be forwarded to the Office of the Auditor General at the following address: Auditor General of Canada or Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development 240 Sparks Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0G6 Ph. (613) 995-3708, fax (613) 957-4023 ********************************* WESTERN ONTARIO'S GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE (GEI) The Global Environmental Institute (GEI) is a new graduate-level educational institute dedicated to an interdisciplinary and international approach to teaching environmental management. GEI is currently organizing for a first summer session (GEI'98) for June, 1998 at the University of Western Ontario. The program's primary goal is to break down barriers that exist between disciplines, professions, and nations. GEI also strives to build a social, professional, and information network to further its educational and leadership goals. To this end, GEI will facilitate, encourage, and promote collaborative project, the exchange of information, and consultancy activity among the members of its community through a service called GEINET. GEI will also conduct professional courses and seminars throughout the year to interested groups and individuals. This service will be a joint undertaking with the Consulting Office for Global Environment (COGE). In this capacity, they facilitate contact between top experts in environmental fields and the organizations that require their services. Contact: The Global Environmental Institute (GEI), http://www.internetserver.com/~smaes/GEI/PUBLIC/geifr.htm ************************** SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH INSTITUTE, UBC The Sustainable Development Research Institute, at the University of British Columbia is offering a number of Asia Pacific internship positions for post-secondary graduates aged 21 to 29. Contact: Ph. (604) 822-4644; website: www.sdri.ubc.ca. ********************************* FROM STRATEGIS: INDUSTRY CANADA'S WEB SITE The Canadian High Commission in London invites Canadian environmental companies to participate at IWEX '97 - The International Water and Effluent Treatment Show - which takes place 4-6 November 1997 at the National Exhibition Centre. DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 30 JUNE, 1997. http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/ea01156e_pr601.sgmleifr.htm Just to let you know, there was a business opportunity in Australia related to water reclamation. The Olympic Co-ordination Authority (OCA) called for submissions for a water reclamation and management scheme at the site of the 2000 Olympics. Submissions deadline from interested companies was May 30, 1997. Stay tuned for others that you can bid on. http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/ea01158e_pr601.sgml.ifr.htm ******************************************************** U.S. TROOPS TO BE USED TO GUARD RAIN FORESTS AND ENDANGERED SPECIES? The United States may be considering ways of using its troops to protect ecosystems from collapse and maintain national parks in countries that request their help, according to a story in the Washington Times, June 12, 1997. It reports that 6,200 U.S. soldiers were being drafted to carry out eco-protection duties in Central and South America . . . "This is a legitimate military issue," said Timothy E. Wirth, undersecretary of state for global affairs, to the Western Hemisphere Defense Environmental Conference earlier this month. As the Cold War becomes a distant memory and Yeltsin has joined the G-7, what better way for the military to be used. It is just a matter of time, as countries begin to see how loss of resources and collapse of ecosystems lead to political instability, that the real fight is to maintain a stable supply of fresh water, rich biodiversity, and fertile soil. ********************************************************* WATER CONSERVATION ENABLES DEVELOPMENT IN ONTARIO A growing community greening business initiative in Ontario is beginning to pay off. One of the "Project Green" programs in the small Ontario community of Maidstone involved 3,300 water conservation home visits and substantial reductions in water use. Maidstone was faced with the costly alternative of building another water supply source and had its development frozen by the province until it could solve the water shortage problem. But as a result of the Project Green conservation program, MOEE has lifted a freeze on the construction of 350 homes in the area. In the meanwhile, the Green Triangle local community initiative in Guelph and Kitchener- Waterloo, have instituted a series of home audits and conservation upgrades. The home analyses are being offered: IAQ visit will cost $40, an energy- water visit $40, and a combination visit will cost the homeowner $70. Contact info is unchanged. Also a launch was held for Go Low Flow, "an exciting collaborative initiative" to promote ULF (ultra-low flow) toilets in Metro Toronto. An 800-toilet pilot takes place this summer. Metro is providing a $75/toilet rebate. Green$aver is providing home visits for each participant, including showerheads, aerators, and environmental education. For more information contact: Dave McLeod and Clifford Maynes, the Green Communities Association. 4 Knox St., Peterborough, Ontario K9H 2A8; ph: (705) 745-7479; fax: (705) 745-7294; email: cmaynes@web.net; website: www.ptbo.igs.net/~gca. ********************************************************* SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER Support the work of the Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment, subscribe to "The Gallon Environment Letter". The four-page newsletter is distributed twice monthly. Send a cheque for $98.00 a year (GST included) and help finance the research that delivers inside information and breaking news on environment business in Canada and the world. Make cheque out to "Gallon Letter", send to CIBE, 506 Victoria Ave., Montreal, Quebec, H3Y 2R5. Gary T. Gallon Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment 506 Victoria Ave. Montreal, Quebec H3Y 2R5 Ph. (514) 369-0230 Fax (514) 369-3282 email: cibe@web.net - message sent by infoterra@cedar.univie.ac.at to signoff from the list, send an email to majordomo@cedar.univie.ac.at the message body should read unsubscribe infoterra your@email.address -