Posts tagged extension
Palm oil production a source of heat-trapping methane
Mar 13th
are a climate concern, CU-Boulder study says
In recent years, palm oil production has come under fire from environmentalists concerned about the deforestation of land in the tropics to make way for new palm plantations. Now there is a new reason to be concerned about palm oil’s environmental impact, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder.
An analysis published Feb. 26 in the journal Nature Climate Change shows that the wastewater produced during the processing of palm oil is a significant source of heat-trapping methane in the atmosphere. But the researchers also present a possible solution: capturing the methane and using it as a renewable energy source.
The methane bubbling up from a single palm oil wastewater lagoon during a year is roughly equivalent to the emissions from 22,000 passenger vehicles in the United States, the analysis found. This year, global methane emissions from palm oil wastewater are expected to equal 30 percent of all fossil fuel emissions from Indonesia, where widespread deforestation for palm oil production has endangered orangutans.
“This is a largely overlooked dimension of palm oil’s environmental problems,” said lead author Philip Taylor, a postdoctoral researcher at CU-Boulder’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR). “The industry has become a poster child for agriculture’s downsides, but capturing wastewater methane leaks for energy would be a step in the right direction.”
The global demand for palm oil has spiked in recent years as processed food manufacturers have sought an alternative to trans fats.
For now, the carbon footprint of cutting down forests to make way for palm plantations dwarfs the greenhouse gases coming from the wastewater lagoons. But while deforestation is expected to slow as the focus shifts to more intensive agriculture on existing plantations, the emissions from wastewater lagoons will continue unabated as long as palm oil is produced, the researchers said.
However, the climate impact of the leaking methane could be mitigated by capturing the gas and using it to fuel power plants. Biogas technology has been used successfully for decades and it can produce renewable electricity at a cost that’s competitive with traditional fuels, the authors said.
The amount of methane biogas that went uncollected from palm oil wastewater lagoons last year alone could have met a quarter of Malaysia’s electricity needs. Tapping into that unused fuel supply could yield both financial and environmental benefits, the authors said.
Capturing methane at wastewater lagoons could be encouraged by making it a requirement before palm oil products can be certified as sustainable, the authors said. Current sustainability certifications do not address wastewater emissions.
Taylor, whose research typically focuses on carbon cycling in old-growth tropical forests, was inspired to do the analysis by undergraduate researcher Hana Fancher, who also is a co-author of the journal article. Fancher and Taylor were doing research in Costa Rica, where palm oil production is spreading, when Fancher became curious about how the oil was being processed.
“She has a wastewater background,” Taylor said. “She ended up doing an honors thesis on palm oil agriculture and wastewater emissions. This paper is an extension of that thinking.”
Other co-authors from CU-Boulder include Associate Professor Diana Nemergut, doctoral student Samantha Weintraub and Professor Alan Townsend, in whose lab the work was based. Other co-authors include Cory Cleveland of the University of Montana, William Wieder of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and Teresa Bilinski of St. Edwards University.
-CU-
Westbound Arapahoe Avenue to reopen between Folsom and 15th streets on Saturday
Aug 15th
On Saturday, Aug. 17, westbound Arapahoe Avenue is scheduled to reopen, providing traffic flow in both directions between Folsom and 15th streets. On Monday, Aug. 19, the JUMP bus route is scheduled to return to Arapahoe Avenue (in both directions), with temporary bus stop closures.
This second phase of construction, with both directions of traffic open, will remain in effect through mid-May 2014. During off-peak daytime hours (8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.), sections of Arapahoe Avenue will be narrowed to one lane of alternating traffic. There will be some single-lane closures along short stretches of Arapahoe Avenue, but traffic flow will be maintained in both directions. The second phase includes underground utility installation, irrigation relocation, and construction of curbs, gutters, driveways, and sidewalks.
The first phase of the project completed:
· reconstruction of Arapahoe Avenue between 15th and 17th streets into concrete, including underground utilities and extension of the existing student drop-off lane and multi-use path along the Boulder High School property on the south side of Arapahoe Avenue;
· installation of a new gas main between 17th and 21st streets; and
· installation of new storm sewers between 15th and 17th streets, and Folsom and 21st streets.
“An important section of Arapahoe Avenue has been reconstructed from a badly rutted, asphalt street into a smooth, durable concrete roadway between 15th and 17th streets,” said Director of Public Works for Transportation Tracy Winfree. “The city appreciates the community’s patience and understanding while we continue to improve this major roadway, identified as a high-priority reconstruction by the Capital Investment Strategy Committee.”
From mid-May through mid-August 2014, Arapahoe Avenue is scheduled to be reduced to one eastbound lane of traffic, with westbound traffic detoured onto Canyon Boulevard. Businesses along Arapahoe Avenue will remain open and the Boulder Farmers’ Market will remain at its current location.
By fall 2014, Arapahoe Avenue is scheduled to be completely reconstructed into concrete between Folsom and 15th streets, along with additional enhancements. The project is funded by the 2011 voter-approved Capital Improvement Bond. For more information, call 303-441-3266 or visit www.bouldertransportation.net and select “Arapahoe Avenue Reconstruction.”
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Boulder County Commissioners extend moratorium on oil & gas development
Jan 24th
Boulder County, Colo. – Tonight, following a public hearing on recently-adopted regulations for oil and gas development in unincorporated Boulder County, the County Commissioners voted unanimously to extend a temporary moratorium on new oil and gas drilling applications (currently set to end on Feb. 4) until June 10, 2013, and to further assess fees relative to the land use and transportation impacts of local oil and gas operations.
Expressing both a desire to see more work around developing renewable energy options for Boulder County and seeking support from county residents to take their concerns about oil and gas development to state legislators who are currently considering new state rules for drilling operations, the County Commissioners acknowledged that while they don’t think they can go far enough to satisfy all constituent concerns, they are doing everything they can to make sure “we have the most comprehensive and restrictive regulations around oil and gas drilling in the State of Colorado.“
County staff had requested an extension of the Temporary Moratorium on Boulder County’s Processing of Applications for Oil and Gas Development in order to develop a plan to implement the regulations adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in December 2012. Due to the complicated nature of the new restrictions, requirements, standards and conditions that replaced 19-year-old rules for how oil and gas development can occur on unincorporated lands, staff had asked for adequate time to create an Implementation Work Plan.
County staff also presented information from the Oil & Gas Roadway Impact Study to seek direction from the County Commissioners on how to ensure impacts of oil and gas development on the public transportation system are mitigated and the cost of such mitigation is fairly and equitably allocated. Actual fees were not considered for adoption at the hearing, but the Commissioners asked staff to come back in two to three months with a proposal for the maximum legally-defensible fees allowable to mitigate local impacts or an alternate mechanism to recover costs from industry’s impact on the county transportation system.
Staff estimated – and County Commissioners affirmed – that in order to prepare for processing of new drilling and well operation applications, four additional months were necessary. The major components of the Implementation Work Plan will include:
· Development of RFQ/RFP and hiring of consultants / outside expertise
· Staff trainings
· Coordination with involved departments and agencies
· Preparation of application materials, handouts, and public information including website
· Development and adoption of planning and permit fees
· Inspection schedules
· Updating internal databases and tracking systems
· Coordination with Industry on submission of applications
· Coordination with the COGCC to harmonize new State rules with County regulations
For more information about the county’s role in oil and gas development, visit the county’s Oil and Gas Development webpage or contact Jim Webster at 720-564-2600 or jbwebster@bouldercounty.org.
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