Overview
As our population is
growing exponentially and our demand for energy and resources follows suit, we
are faced with an indispensable challenge. We must quickly develop
energy extraction practices that provide us with adequate amounts of energy,
yet are sustainable, affordable and have minimal greenhouse gas emissions and
impacts on local habitats. Last year Vermont was the first state to ban
hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the state and has also adopted a plan for
90% of our energy needs to be met with renewable resources by 2050 (VPIRG
2013). However, there is no such thing as wholly clean energy. Most energy
extraction and transportation practices have at least some negative impacts on
our planet. The goal of this study is to understand which practices are harming
our precious Vermont ecosystems the most, in addition to exposing how ‘clean’
wind, solar and hydro powers really are.
- Aswini Cherukuri
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| Victory for Vermont: Vermont's only nuclear power plant, Vermont Yankee, is to shut down in 2014! |
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Interactive Wind Turbines
Check out this interactive Wind Power Simulation on National Geographic! You will learn about the parts of a wind turbine, in addition to what conditions produce the most energy in terms of turbine shape, size, placement, etc.
-Aswini Cherukuri
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Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Plan
A preventative measure for reducing the prevalence and impacts of oil spills is the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure rule (SPCC) enforced the Environmental Protection Agency. The rule applies to all small businesses that maintain a total above ground oil storage capacity of greater than 1,320 gallons or a total underground oil storage greater than 42,000 gallons where there is a reasonable risk of oil discharge entering nearby water. This applies to many Vermont farms. If a small business fits this description, managers must develop a SPCC plan that includes operating procedures and control measures for spill prevention and mitigation measures if a spill is to occur. If a business does not form a plan or violates sections of the SPCC rule, it is subject to hefty fines or the owners are subject to imprisonment. It is much cheaper to prevent spills than to clean spills so it is not only beneficial to those who use the waters, but also the businesses themselves. This plan was implemented to maintain the quality of navigable waters to protect aquatic ecosystems and ensure safe levels of toxicity for human use. Check out this sample SPCC plan. (EPA 2013)
-Aswini Cherukuri
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Washington Post Article: Guilty plea in bird deaths at wind farms a first
Wind turbines have been nicknamed "bird cuisinarts" for causing the fatalities of many birds and bats. A North Carolina based wind farm company pleaded guilty to killing 164 birds, including 14 eagles in addition to hawks, blackbirds, wrens and sparrows over the last four years. Birds scanning the ground for food are vulnerable to being hit by turbines because they do not look up until it is too late. Duke Energy Corp agreed to pay $1 million as enforcement of environmental laws protecting birds (AP 2013). However, ExxonMobil was responsible for the deaths of 85 migratory birds from exposure to natural gas well reserve puts and waste water storage and was only fined $600,000. That is about equal to what they make every 20 minutes (AP 2009).
Duke's fine will go to a wetlands conservation fund, the State of Wyoming and the purchase of land to protect golden eagle habitat (AP 2013). As an avid birder, I find the deaths of these birds extremely deplorable; however, I do not think this should prevent the construction of wind turbines. All human activity, even our greenest energy option, entails some form of environmental impact. Money should be spent towards mitigating these effects by providing more safe habitats for these birds as more turbines are constructed. The fatalities of birds at wind farms is serious but I believe it is blown out of proportion when you compare it to the abominable effects of spills and fracking on local habitats.
- Aswini Cherukuri
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US pipeline incidents from 1/1/2010 to 3/29/2013
-Aswini Cherukuri
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We have already witnessed the effects of tar sands
spills at the end of August in Canada when the Alberta Energy Regulator
released 1.2 million liters of bitumen emulsion (a mixture of tar sands and
water)- 2.3 million pounds of “impacted soils” and 494 cubic
meters of oily vegetation were removed from the forested landscape, in addition
to the fatalities of 2 beavers, 43 birds, 104 amphibians and 40 small mammals (Linnitt 2013). It is doubtful that the rest of the wildlife in these ecosystems will recover
since their homes are caked in tar sands and tree roots are being suffocated by oil. While this cleanup process is ongoing in Canada, the United
States is considering the extension of the Keystone XL pipeline. Are we selfish enough
to risk this horror again?
-Aswini Cherukuri
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Interview with Rubenstein PhD Student
As I begin my research on the effects of energy extraction and transportation on the ecology of Vermont, I become more and more frustrated with our inability to catalyze our journey to renewable resources. According to the World Meteorological Organization, atmospheric volumes of greenhouse gases hit a new high record in 2012. Increased use of renewable resources would mean a decrease in the current levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the creation of new jobs and subsequent economy boost, a reduced need for foreign oil importation and a smaller impact on local habitats. However, all forms of energy extraction and transportation have at least some local damage. To launch my investigation on their impacts on local habitats, Christopher Clement, a PhD student in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, was happy to answer some of my preliminary questions. His research interests include climate change, energy, human behavior, and ecological economics.
A
relatively new technology, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process in
which volumes of water and chemicals are injected underground to fracture rock
in order to release natural gas. Natural gas is an alternative to coal and oil
since it a cleaner burning fossil fuel. We are also able to extract natural gas
domestically rather than depending on foreign oil. However, the extraction
process has several deleterious impacts on our climate and wildlife. Christopher
states that “the primary impact of fracking on the health of local ecosystems
relates to groundwater contamination.” In order to release the natural gas, the
bedrock must be drilled. Thus, the water table is hit through the drilling
process causing high pressure water and chemicals to seep into the groundwater
table. He also mentioned that, unfortunately, even in ideal conditions, some
groundwater contamination is inevitable. Even the fracked gas can seep into
groundwater. The migration of these
chemicals into drinking water supplies leaves insufficient volumes of water for
other uses and can even make it flammable. According to the National Wildlife
Federation, spills kill livestock, fish and other aquatics in nearby bodies of
water. The logistics of constructing a drilling site cause significant damage
to local habitats; construction of roads, drilling pads and the pipelines
involve significant forest clearing, resulting in habitat fragmentation. Check
out the “Human Development and Fragmentation” tab for more information about
the impacts of habitat fragmentation!
In
2012, Vermont, our beautiful Green Mountain state, became the first state to
ban fracking. Since we did not have significant gas reserves to frack anyway,
Christopher believes that the ban was more of a solidarity move. However, at
the moment, Vermont is considering a proposed fracked gas pipeline that will
run under Lake Champlain to International Paper in Ticonderoga, New York. My
question is, if fracking is too harmful for the Green Mountain State, is it not too harmful for
everywhere else? We are becoming increasingly dependent on natural gas for
energy because when you disregard the extraction process, is it much cleaner
than coal. Vermont aims for 90% of its total energy to be renewable by 2050.
Will our increased use of natural gas be an impediment towards reaching this
goal or a stepping stone from coal? Christopher believes that, at least in the
near future, there is no “path forward that does not involve natural gas on
level” and it can be seen as a “bridge fuel” as its direct use certainly has
lower greenhouse gas emissions than coal. I believe that importing natural gas,
via the proposed pipeline, will force us to choose natural gas because of its
availability for generations, rather than allowing renewable resources to grow.
Maybe this is
pessimistic of me, but I believe that a spill from this proposed natural gas pipeline
is inevitable. The effects of a spill would be severe on the fragile Lake
Champlain ecosystem. Christopher stated that wetlands are particularly
sensitive to coastal and terrestrial spills; marine ecosystems are especially
sensitive to contamination, increased water temperature and carbon
sequestration and its subsequent raise in pH. This makes the water unsuitable
for many sensitive organisms, disrupting the ecosystem balance. In addition to
wetlands, he mentioned that frozen tundras and permafrost areas are also very
sensitive. Since they are perpetually frozen, they can contain a large amount
of methane, which will be released when it melts. Even our temperate forests
are experience stresses on tree species because of the warmer temperatures and
new invasive species that are thriving in the changing climate and replacing
native species that cannot adjust.
Despite my unfaltering
dreams of a happy, hippie world where everything runs on wind, solar and
hydroelectric power, I realize the detrimental effects they can have on
ecosystems. Many Vermonters support the use of wind power; however, many do not
want it in their ‘backyard’ and see wind turbines as an eyesore. Christopher
stated that the only places suitable for large-scale energy generation are on
ridge tops. This can have significant impacts on the landscape as construction
would entail grading for level swatches of land and creation of access roads
that would result in substantial erosion. Therefore, the main local ecological
impacts of wind turbines would be habitat fragmentation on ridge tops and
forest clearing. He mentioned that we
would not, however, see the effects of turbine manufacturing in Vermont, as we
outsource this to places like China. Solar energy requires minimal change to
the landscape and is suitable in most places and therefore does not have a
noteworthy ecological impacts.
Renewable resources have minimal effects on local
ecosystems and their generation of energy does not produce greenhouse gases. In
order for our transition from coal to clean energy to occur, energy companies
need incentives to change and subsidies to jump start their change. We do not
want to have to experience the effects of a spill, time and again, before we
actually commit to renewables. Let’s start now by divesting from fossil fuels
to prevent the industry from growing and reinvesting in renewables! Start a
divestment campaign at your school, town or business to help catalyze our nation's
transition. Check out http://gofossilfree.org/about/for more information about starting a campaign!
-Aswini Cherukuri
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About me:My name is Aswini Cherukuri. I am a sophomore in the Rubenstein School, majoring in Environmental Science and Wildlife Biology. The beautiful mountains of Vermont have become my new home though Potomac, MD, a town on the Potomac River, will always be my home base. I love doing anything outdoors, from sports to hiking, biking, birding and much more!
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Work Cited:
EPA. (2013). Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule. Emergency Management. from http://www.epa.gov/osweroe1/content/spcc/
Associated Press. (2009, August 8). Exxon Mobil pleads guilty to killing birds, NBC News. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32407506/#.UpdmAuLjW3M
Associated Press. (2013, November 23). Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/guilty-plea-in-bird-deaths-at-wind-farms-a-first/2013/11/23/f5466be4-5417-11e3-9ee6-2580086d8254_story.html
Linnitt, C. (2013). Uncontrolled CNRL Tar Sands Spill Ongoing, 1.4M Litres Recovered. DeSmog Canada. Retrieved 2013, November 10, from http://desmog.ca/2013/09/06/uncontrolled-CNRL-tar-sands-spill-ongoing-1.4m-barrels-recovered |
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