Friday, December 24, 2010

1. JANE LUBCHENCO: NATURE MAGAZINES "NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR".

An editorial in Nature yesterday, "Calm in a Storm," named NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, "Newsmaker of the Year." Lubchencos frank and informed interviews in the media on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill drew attention to the need for scientists to speak out on issues that matter. But its not for the timid; she was criticized for the way her agency initially downplayed evidence of oil spreading below the surface. Ironically, Whats New was criticized for warning about below-the-surface spread before it was observed" http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN10/wn052810.html.

2. INTEGRITY: WHITE HOUSE GUIDELINES ON SCIENTIFIC TRANSPARENCY.

In March 2009, newly-elected President Obama issued a memorandum on scientific integrity forbidding the distortion of science for political ends. The move seemed to signal a clear departure from the administration of President George W. Bush, which muzzled government scientists whose views departed from those of the White House. Last week, John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, issued a four-page guideline prohibiting political interference and assuring transparency. That's all that was needed, but it didn't seem to please anyone. Some thought it was too short, but more likely it was too long; the First Amendment to the Constitution after all is a single sentence. Transparency is good, but if the transparent medium is too thick the picture tends to be distorted by refraction.

3. EMISSIONS: EPA SEIZES GREENHOUSE GAS PERMIT POWER FROM TEXAS.

The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it will seize authority from Texas to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and refineries because Gov. Rick Perry and state regulators refuse to implement the rules. Governor Perry said a number of states would side with Texas on the issue, but with only two weeks left before the new law takes effect Texas is the only state refusing to enforce it. Texas has a long history of imagining itself to be above federal law, and an equally long history of losing in court.

4. DYSPROSIUM WAR: U.S. WILL BREAK CHINAS RARE-EARTH MONOPOLY.

This is not good news. The 15 lanthanide-series metals, plus scandium and yttrium are not at all rare in the Earth's crust, but theyre widely dispersed and difficult to separate. The magnetic properties of dysprosium in particular make it important to the iphone and to hybrid and electric automobiles http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN10/wn092410.html. China gained its monopoly of rare-earth metals by cutting prices at the cost of environmental degradation. It's a time-honored path for modernization of an economy, but with its new wealth, China now seeks to improve the environment. That's not easy to do in the rare-earth market; the dust from mining operations is mildly radioactive due to thorium and uranium minerals and the separation process uses enormous amounts of toxic acids. The chief US producer was Molycorp which now plans to reopen to its notorious mine in Mountain Pass, CA, closed in part because of environmental degradation. The company promises to employ a cleaner technology, but mining it is an inherently dirty business.

Bob Park can be reached via email at whatsnew@bobpark.org
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the University, but they should be.