August 6, 2001

Boating BAC Lowered to .08

Boat U.S. reports that alcohol still causes more than 100 fatal boating accidents each year, and the U.S. Coast Guard has lowered the federal blood alcohol content (BAC) from .10 to .08 as the legal threshold for intoxication. The new standard took effect March 12 and follows the trend

among states to adopt .08.

   The new rules also replace “intoxicated” with “under the influence” to conform with other federal laws and will be enforced in any waters where the Coast guard has jurisdiction; it will not, however, supercede any state laws already in effect.

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from Louisiana’s commercial fishermen seeking to overturn that 

state’s gill net restrictions.  

   The high court’s April 30 decision ended a 6-year legal fight over the gill net law passed by the Louisiana legislature in 1995.                            

LANSING--The new Michigan Recreation & Camping Guide is a complete directory to camping opportunities at  Michigan's 96 state park and recreation areas and the 145 rustic campgrounds in their state forests.  The guide also includes info on the 600-plus miles of pathway/cross 

country ski trails found in Michigan's 4-million acre state forest.

   Copies available at any Michigan State Park or Recreation Area, and any DNR Operations Service Center, or by calling 517-373-9900. For camping reservations or more recreation information, visit the DNR Web site at http://www.michigandnr.com

Ford Power Products (FPP), a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Co. on June 14 announced plans to introduce Ford engines as a new power alternative to the North American marine industry.  The first phase of marine Ford engines will be gasoline powered, with diesels coming later. Ford spokesmen said sterndrives will be coming in a "second phase."

   Ford said it plans to target markets with engines that 

range from a compact I-4 to the V-8 and V-10 Triton 

engines. Ford will also offer the 5.4L Supercharged version 

of the "Lightning" engine that is featured exclusively in the Ford SVT Lightning pickup truck.  

   FPP will be opening its new marine and light assembly operation in Kennesaw, Georgia, in September, and the facility will house Ford's Marine Division offices, marine operations and inventory.   The company said it plans to offer a "customer Bill of Rights," designed to reflect a program dedicated to making the selection of Ford engines a "best in class" experience.

Joint project would share library, lab space

WASHINGTON - A new $55million Great Lakes research center at the University of Michigan could become part of a new federal effort to protect the world's largest source of fresh water – and its fishes.  The consolidation project would bring together several Great Lakes offices that are located in Ann Arbor and some already at the University of Michigan. 
   Leaders of several Great Lakes research offices in Ann Arbor gathered on Capitol Hill recently to push for a $55 million research center at U-M.  State and federal officials agree on the need for a new research center in Ann Arbor to consolidate a number Great Lakes offices already located at the University of Michigan.

The time is long past due for Milwaukee to clean up its act

Persistent dumping of raw sewage by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and local communities violates federal law and calls for formal action, an USEPOA official said after a recent heavy rainfall. That action could range from a negotiated deal to improve sewers to fines of $25,000 a day or more if MMSD or others balk.  While emphasizing the EPA's desire for a negotiated agreement to resolve dumping problems, fines haven't been ruled out, said James Filippini, the EPA's chief regional cop.

   While emphasizing the EPA's desire for a negotiated agreement to resolve dumping problems, fines haven't been 

ruled out, said James Filippini, the EPA's chief regional

enforcement officer. The EPA will work with the state Department of Natural Resources and MMSD on a plan to eliminate sanitary sewer dumping in the Milwaukee area,

Filippini said. The EPA tries to avoid lawsuits, and when it does sue, settles 90% of its cases without going to trial.

While MMSD is a major EPA focus, about half the 28 communities that are served by MMSD also have had sewage dumping problems, Filippini said. Those suburbs, which he did not list, also will need to make improvements, he said.

   MMSD dumped about 100 million gallons of combined storm and sanitary sewage June 12, after a heavy rainstorm. The sewage was dumped into local rivers and Lake Michigan from three locations - N. 44th and Wells st; E. Capitol Dr & Humboldt Blvd.; and S. Lincoln Memorial Dr & Russell Ave. MMSD has dumped more than 13 billion gallons of untreated wastewater since the deep tunnels opened in late 1993.

  On June 19, the Michigan House unanimously passed Senate Bill 152, which requires ships on the Great Lakes to file a report with the state Department of Environmental Quality to ensure they are in compliance with  ballast water management practices.  The bill passed without

changes and will now go to Governor Engler for signature.   

   The lists of ships using ballast water management techniques will then be promoted over the Internet in an effort to encourage shippers to use ships that practice the techniques.  In addition, ships that do not use ballast water techniques would be barred from getting state grants or loans

Economics Forecasts Grossly Inflated to Justify Construction

The US Army Corps seems unaffected by recent scandals involving senior officers who manipulated economic studies to  justify new levels of construction on US Rivers. A new analysis by Corps employees show that barge traffic trends were inflated.

   Three months after the agency was rocked by scandals involving senior officers who manipulated economic studies, the Commander of the Corps of Engineers submitted a trumped up analysis of barge traffic forecasts to Congress, according to a report written by Corps economists and released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). 

    Lt. General Robert Flowers offered the internal analysis to Congress as proof that Corps forecasts are unbiased, but the review by the Corps own specialists shows just the opposite. Most significantly, the PEER report charges that Corps construction plans are based on inflated estimates 

of future barge traffic on US rivers. The PEER reports cites 

the Corps own published documentation of actual traffic data that directly conflicts with Corps predictions, showing a doubling or tripling of barge traffic during in the next twenty years. 

   Contrary to Gen. Flowers' congressional testimony, every one of the traffic forecasts examined in the internal Corps analysis and used by the Corps to justify construction of waterway projects exhibits significant overestimates of future inland waterway navigation traffic, according to a separate review by the agency's own economists. Moreover, the Corps analysis excluded all forecasts contradicting the General's false picture of forecasting accuracy. 

   In February, the National Academy of Sciences released a report chastising the Corps for distorting inputs to its economic models in order to justify large-scale construction. The Academy recommended that future Corps feasibility studies be subjected to real independent technical review.