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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 1990)
Group asks companies to decrease emissions By Jannette Bush Staff Reporter A local environmental group ex pects seven Nebraska companies to sign a ‘ ‘Good Neighbor Agreement’ ’ acknowledging that they arc environ mental polluters, but will work to cut down on toxic emissions. Richard Johnson, pollution pre vention coordinator for Ecology Now, said the companies have been noti fied, but only Kawasaki Motor Manu facturing Corp., has signed the agree ment. The other six Nebraska companies that were sent the agreement arc Goodyear Corp., Arcadian Corp., the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), Lozier Corp., OMC Cushman and Nashua. Johnson said Ecology Now chose those companies because they arc polluters and because they arc lo cated near or in Lincoln or Omaha. Johnson said the com panics under stand the seriousness of toxic emis sions. But more needs to be done, he said. Stan Patzcl, plant manager of Goodyear in Lincoln, said it’s pos sible that Goodyear will sign the agree ment. Currently, the corporations won’t sign agreements with interest groups because they could misinform the public, Patzcl said. Patzcl said Goodyear releases zinc, but the corporation docs report to the EPA. Goodyear also has a full-time research and development staff that has reduced toxic emissions over the past 20 years, he said. Johnson said that although the seven companies arc following toxic emis sions regulations set by the Environ mental Protection Agency, he wants them to work harder. “We arc in an environmental cri sis, and this project will make an impact,’’ Johnson said. Johnson, senior civil engineering majorat the University of Nebraska Lincoln, said conflict arises between Top 5 largest releases of toxins In Nebraska, 1987 (reported In pounds) Arcadian Corp, _ 2,980,000 CEPEX, ]fnc. j 2 485,1351 Nashua Corp. SOME OF -a:—- THE TOXINS 1,814,850 |N The TOP ~ --J 5 COMPANIES: Norden t\abs, Inc■ Ammonia 1,669,700J Mef/iano/ -x—-— Nitric Acid Control Data, Corp. CfttonVw . fJ ----■‘‘ i ' Sulfuric Acid 1,059,200 j_Asbestos Source: Nebraska Federa . JFliable) tion & National Wildlife 7?c*:on® FederatonLftggn .VI - J companies and interest groups when information is inaccurately reported about a company. He said inaccurate information can make the company look bad. Johnson said he docs not want conflict with the companies, but wants companies to look at ways of cutting toxic emission . “We’re just trying to work with them and pul this issue to the fore front,” he said. According to the Nebraska Wild life Federation, Arcadian’s liquid fertilizer plant in La Platte is the worst polluter in Nebraska, emitting 2.89 million pounds of ammonia, methanol, zinc compounds and ammonium nitrate in 1987. Arcadian is the 499th worst polluter in the nation, according to the federation. “I think by more public pressure, it will be dealt with,” Johnson said. If the companies do not sign the agreement and refuse to work with Ecology Now, Johnson said, he will get other concerned people together and protest. Ecology Now is participating in the National Pollution Prevention Project in conjunction with groups such as the National Toxics Cam paign. Education Continued from Page 1 than just the number of degrees and credit hours generated. It often is more important. Bums said, to consider the quality, not quantity, of the program. Many programs not meeting leg islative standards only fail in one of the categories - often the num ber of degrees generated, he said. Often these programs generate many more credit hours than re quired by law, he said, because they may be required for another major. Bruce Stahl, executive director of the coordinating commission, said although NU reported the highest percentage of programs not meeting legislative criteria that were continued without review, institu tions do not necessarily have to report to the commission whether they monitored a program. The stale colleges reviewed 75 percent of programs that did not meet the criteria, did not monitor 21 percent and ended or consoli dated 4 percent. The community colleges dis continued the highest percentage of programs, with 21.8 percent cut or consolidated. Of programs con tinued, they reviewed 40 percent and did not monitor 38.2 percent. In 1989, six UNL programs were reviewed by the commission. The only one not meeting legislative standards was the Department ol Food Science & Technology. Food Science had only an average ol Five bachelor degrees, 4.8 master’s degrees and 2.8 doctorate degrees It averaged 190.7 credit hours pci full-time faculty member and the university planned to continue the program without review. The report suites that facuit) members said enrollment in iht program will be increased aftei new construction is completed ir mid-1990. The university report# one new program under considera tion, a bachelor of science in hos pitality management. The university was commended in the commission report for the “rigor applied to their program review.” The university assembles study teams from peer institutions at pro gram sites to conduct the equiva lent of a mini-accreditation review. “The use of third-party opinion is a telling statement for their value,” the report states. ‘ ‘The review ma terials from the university arc ex emplary.” Since 1985, the commission has reviewed all 472 academic pro grams at Nebraska public higher education institutions, 134 of which did not meet legislative standards. Of those, 54 were continued with out review, 65 were continued with monitoring and 15 were combined, modified, declared inactive or ended. Based on those results, the com mission recommended that the Leg islature consider changes in the re view process: • Requiring institutions to moni tor programs for at least a year if the Legislature finds loo many programs not meeting its standards. • Requiring the monitoring proc ess to be clearly specified by law and a report that shows how pro grams are reviewed. • Researching alternative stan dards to number of degrees and credit hours produced. • Requiring a study, including the impact of financial aid, of how Nebraska higher education can become more competitive in re taining and attracting students. • Requiring a study of enroll ment patterns throughout the state. • Clarifying language specify ing program standards. • Reviewing proposed programs to determine whether they have state or regional priority and which institutions should offer them. Professor: Turnouts not comparable By Jennifer O’Ciika Staff Reporter Although voter turnout at ASUN elections is significantly lower than for the NU Board of Regents, those figures can’t accurately be com pared, according to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor. Some regents have complained about low voter turnout in ASUN elections, citing it as a reason for not giving student regents a vote on the board. Robert Sittig, professor of po litical science, said regents enjoy high voter turnouts because they are placed on the ballot with candi dates for president, the Nebraska Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Association of Students of the University of Nebraska elections, which decide the student regent from UNL, stand on their own on the ballot. “Regents’ races don’t drive the elections,” Sittig said. “If we just had a regents’ race, we’d probably be disappointed with the low turn out.” About 10 to 15 percent of those who vote in general elections don’t even vote for regents, Sittig said. Only registered voters can vote in regent races. Voter turnout in ASUN races is figured to include the entire stu dent population at UNL because students don’t have to register. Last year, 11.7 percent of stu dents, voted. That figure increased this year to 16.3 percent. In the 1984 3rd District regent race, about 68 percent of registered voters participated, but about 73 percent voted for president on the same ballot, according to figures from the Nebraska secretary of stale’s office. Only about 29 percent of those registered voted in the 1984 2nd District race in which only one candidate, Kcrmil Hansen, ran. About 74 percent of 2nd District registered voters look part in the presidential election that year. Seventy-three percent of the Nebraska population was registered to vote in 1984, according to fig ures from the Department of Eco nomic Development. In 1988, 51.6 percent of regis tered voters, 39 percent of the 3rd District population 18 and older, took part in an uncontcstcd regent election. In the 4th District, 66.5 percent of registered voters, 48 percent of the eligible population, voted in the regent race in 1988. In the 5th District, 68.9 percent of registered citizens, 50.8 percent of the eli gible population, voted for regent candidates, while turnout in the 8th District, which consists only of Douglas County, was 27.9 percent of registered voters. 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