Plus news on lead dust and solar power
Sprawling plumes of dust from Africa may figure into Florida’s hurricane threat this season, eliminating lead dust under a new EPA plan may impact millions of homes and schools, plus Florida’s municipal utilities announce a big push toward solar power here in the Sunshine State. It’s all in this week’s Environment & Engineering Digest.
The Saharan Air Layer of dust. Courtesy, Jason Dunion NOAA/HRD
Saharan Dust: The Saharan Air Layers have returned to Florida and are expected to be around awhile. They’re comprised of light, dry sand and other minerals and are carried aloft from Africa across the Atlantic Ocean to Florida and the rest of the southeast US coast. They help prevent hurricane formation by blocking out part of the sun that heats the ocean. The higher winds that carry the dust also impede hurricane formation and because it’s sand, it makes for a much dryer atmosphere, robbing storms of the moisture they need to form. As a bonus, they make our sunrises and sunsets more colorful!
The dust layers don’t necessarily last throughout hurricane season. Their presence last year though contributed to hurricane-free August. But because of the warmer temperatures now in the Atlantic, forecasters are predicting a normal to above-normal hurricane season. Stay watchful!
Crackdown on Lead: The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is out with a proposed tougher standard for lead in paint found in older homes and schools and anywhere else that children frequent. It reportedly reflects a new scientific consensus that lead can harm children at microscopic levels. Under the proposal, an inspection that finds any level of lead would require the location to be classified as a lead hazard, thus requiring disclosures to existing occupants or home buyers, and the EPA says in some cases, require that lead be reduced to levels that are functionally invisible.
The sale of lead-based paint has been banned in the US since 1978 and current EPA rules have allowed for low-level exposure from paint applied before that time. In a statement, EPA said “There is no safe level of lead.” It estimated there are about 31 million homes with lead paint on their walls, which creates dust if scraped or sanded that can be poisonous if ingested. This latest move was prompted by a successful lawsuit by environmental groups, including the Sierra Club.
Solar Power: The Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) recently announced it’s going to add six more solar energy generating farms by the end of 2026 to provide additional electricity to 20 municipalities across Florida. The project, in conjunction with Origis Energy, is described as one of the largest municipal-backed solar projects in the nation. Upon completion, the expansion will quadruple the amount of solar power currently generated by the project from 150 megawatts to 600 megawatts of power, enough for 120,000 homes. FMPA said the cost of solar power from the project is approximately one-third the cost of a typical private, rooftop solar system.
LMA Newsletter of 7-24-23
