What's New Robert L. Park 24 Dec 2010

WHAT=92S NEW   Robert L. Par no k   Friday, 24 Dec 2010   Washington, DC

1. JANE LUBCHENCO: NATURE MAGAZINE=92S "NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR".
An editorial in Nature yesterday, "Calm in a Storm," named NOAA=20
Administrator Jane Lubchenco, "Newsmaker of the Year."  Lubchenco=92s fra=
nk=20
and informed interviews in the media on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill=20
drew attention to the need for scientists to speak out on issues that=20
matter.  But it=92s not for the timid; she was criticized for the way her=
=20
agency initially downplayed evidence of oil spreading below the surface. =
=20
Ironically, What=92s New was criticized for warning about below-the-surfa=
ce=20
spread before it was observed=20
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=20
scientific integrity forbidding the distortion of science for political=20
ends. The move seemed to signal a clear departure from the administration=
=20
of President George W. Bush, which muzzled government scientists whose=20
views departed from those of the White House.  Last week, John Holdren,=20
director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, issu=
ed=20
a four-page guideline prohibiting political interference and assuring=20
transparency.  That's all that was needed, but it didn't seem to please=20
anyone.  Some thought it was too short, but more likely it was too long;=20
the First Amendment to the Constitution after all is a single sentence.=20
Transparency is good, but if the transparent medium is too thick the=20
picture tends to be distorted by refraction.
=20
3. EMISSIONS: EPA SEIZES GREENHOUSE GAS PERMIT POWER FROM TEXAS. =20
The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it will seize=20
authority from Texas to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plan=
ts=20
and refineries because Gov. Rick Perry and state regulators refuse to=20
implement the rules.  Governor Perry said a number of states would side=20
with Texas on the issue, but with only two weeks left before the new law=20
takes effect Texas is the only state refusing to enforce it. Texas has a=20
long history of imagining itself to be above federal law, and an equally=20
long history of losing in court.

4. DYSPROSIUM WAR: U.S. WILL BREAK CHINA=92S RARE-EARTH MONOPOLY.=20
This is not good news. The 15 lanthanide-series metals, plus scandium and=
=20
yttrium are not at all rare in the Earth's crust, but they=92re widely=20
dispersed and difficult to separate. The magnetic properties of dysprosiu=
m=20
in particular make it important to the iphone and to hybrid and electric=20
automobiles http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN10/wn092410.html . China=20
gained its monopoly of rare-earth metals by cutting prices at the cost of=
=20
environmental degradation. It's a time-honored path for modernization of =
an=20
economy, but with its new wealth, China now seeks to improve the=20
environment. That's not easy to do in the rare-earth market; the dust fro=
m=20
mining operations is mildly radioactive due to thorium and uranium minera=
ls=20
and the separation process uses enormous amounts of toxic acids.  The chi=
ef=20
US producer was Molycorp which now plans to reopen to its notorious mine =
in=20
Mountain Pass, CA, closed in part because of environmental degradation.  =
=20
The company promises to employ a cleaner technology, but mining it is an=20
inherently dirty business.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
---
Archives of What's New can be found at http://www.bobpark.org
What's New is moving to a different listserver and our
subscription process has changed. To change your subscription
status please visit this link:
http://listserv.umd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dbobparks-whatsnew&A=3D1