ECOLOGY

GRAIN STOCKPILES AT LOWEST LEVEL IN 25 YEARS

KEVIN MORRISON, FINANCIAL TIMES - The world's stockpiles of wheat are at
their lowest level in more than a quarter century, according to the US
Department of Agriculture, which on Thursday slashed its forecasts for
global wheat and corn production. The lower forecasts were largely
attributable to the severe drought in Australia. . .

To add to the global supply concerns, Ukraine has introduced licenses
and quotas on its wheat exports, effectively bringing shipments to a
standstill. This has already halted Ukrainian wheat shipments of 50,000
tons to India. The USDA also lowered wheat output for China, Brazil and
the European Union.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0c021878-5a16-11db-8f16-0000779e2340.html

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UTILITY TO START BUYING COW MANURE FOR ENERGY

REUTERS - Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said Thursday it will purchase
natural gas from cow manure produced at dairy farms in California to
fuel power plants. The utility, a subsidiary of PG&E Corp., will buy the
gas from Environmental Power Corp., a renewable energy developer based
in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. . . The deal is for the purchase of up to
8,000 decatherms per day of pipeline-quality gas. Financial terms and
the length of the gas purchase agreement were not disclosed.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-10-
12T184432Z_01_N12256222_RTRIDST_0_ENERGY-PG-E.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna

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Ocean "Dead Zones" Increasing Fast
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/102006EB.shtml
The number of "dead zones" in the world's oceans may have increased by a third
in just two years. Fertilizers, sewage, fossil fuel burning, and other
pollutants have led to a doubling in the number of oxygen-deficient coastal
areas.

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60 Years to Restore the Ozone Layer Over Antarctica
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/102006EC.shtml
Another giant ozone hole has opened up over the Antarctic, while evidence mounts
that 20 years of international efforts have finally helped the atmosphere to
start to heal itself.

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Energy Bill Is a Boon to Oil Companies
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/101906EA.shtml
Tucked into a massive energy bill sponsored by Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.)
and passed by the House earlier this year are provisions that would open the
outer continental shelf to oil drilling and slash future royalties owed to the
federal government by companies prospecting in Rocky Mountain oil shale
deposits. Pombo's bill would reduce royalties from the customary 12.5% of annual
revenue to 1%.

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Greens Eye Comeback for American Bison
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/101906EB.shtml
The seven bison on display in a fenced enclosure here hardly evoke the teeming
hordes that once stretched to the horizon. But some ecologists hope that they
can reintroduce bison to the wild in parts of the American West. A conference on
the ecological future of the bison starts Monday in Denver, Colorado. Over 100
scientists, ranchers, policymakers and representatives from Native American
groups will explore ways to give bison more freedom to move.

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Refugees, Disease Big Risk From Global Warming
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/101906EC.shtml
The world is not doing enough to combat global warming which, left unchecked,
could trigger a mass movement of people and have serious consequences for
security and health. Experts have said that millions of people in densely
populated, low-lying, developing countries such as Bangladesh and parts of
China, Indonesia and Vietnam might be forced to move by rising sea levels.

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