SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota has become the 33rd state to confirm that the emerald ash borer has arrived, leading to an emergency quarantine and a public information session tonight for residents in the western part of the state.
The quarantine is meant to restrict the movement of ash materials in Minnehaha County, because a common way the insect moves to new areas is when infested firewood is transported there. John Ball, an entomologist with the South Dakota State University Extension Office, said while the invasive insect has not been found elsewhere in the state, he expects it to reach Pierre in the next five years, and eventually Rapid City.
"We have only confirmed the infestation in the northern part of Sioux Falls, and we have looked,” Ball said. “I predicted we'd find it in Sioux Falls somewhere between 2013 and 2018 so, so far, I'm guessing pretty good."
About 250 trees in Sioux Falls have the disease, and the insect already has killed 60 million ash trees nationwide since 2002. Tonight's informational meeting in Rapid City is at the Game, Fish and Parks Outdoor Campus West, 4130 Adventure Trail, beginning at 7 p.m.
From the 1920s through the 1980s, millions of American elm trees were decimated by Dutch elm disease, which Ball said led homeowners to over-plant ash trees, and also maples. He has some advice for homeowners who want to be proactive in planting new trees.
"Let's get off this kick of just going to the flavor of the month and planting all of one grouping: all maples or all ash or all elm,” he said. “Instead, my advice to people that are planting trees now is look what your neighbors have planted, and plant something else."
One way Sioux Falls plans to slow the spread of disease to its 80,000 ash trees is by introducing parasitoid wasps that prey on the borers. Ben Slager manages the Michigan laboratory producing the wasps. He said they're not dangerous, and give trees a better chance of survival.
"They're really only interested in laying their eggs in Emerald Ash Borer,” Slager said. “They won't bother humans, they're not going to bother your pet, they're not going to go after anything other than Emerald Ash Borer."
Scientists believe the ash borer arrived in the U.S. in the 1990s, most likely hitching a ride in wooden shipping crates from Russia, China, Japan or Korea.
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CO2 pipelines are on the increase in the United States, and like all pipelines, they come with risks. Preparing for those risks is a major focus of the Community Benefits Agreement between Nebraska-based Bold Alliance and Tallgrass Energy Solutions.
Tallgrass plans to modify an existing gas pipeline that crosses Nebraska to transport CO2.
Bold Alliance Director Jane Kleeb said her organization stands with communities facing energy infrastructure projects, to help ensure they have what they need and that the company is giving back. She pointed to Satartia, Mississippi's 2020 experience with a massive CO2 pipeline leak as evidence of the importance of first-responder training.
"We have real money in here," she said, "$400,000 initially, and then an additional $200,000 for training and $100,000 for an emergency response system that first responders will get, to equip their mostly-volunteer firefighters."
Not only did the Mississippi first responders lack the training for a CO2 disaster, Kleeb said, but some were unaware the pipeline even existed.
Tallgrass has said it will conduct yearly training for first responders in the 10-county area, and send yearly notices to all landowners along the route. Kleeb said she expects the firefighter training to begin within the next few months.
CO2 is colorless, odorless and displaces oxygen, making it potentially deadly. It can disable internal-combustion engines on vehicles needed for evacuation. Although CO2 pipelines cover more than 5,000 miles in the United States and continue to be built, Kleeb said federal regulations aren't yet in place.
"For folks listening, you may be, like, 'What do you mean they don't have regulations in place?' And that's what we've been saying for the last few years: We need regulations in place," she said. "No pipeline will go into operation in our state until those regulations are finished, and Tallgrass then knows the type of safety valves and other things they have to put in place to be in compliance."
This month, a pipeline rupture in Sulphur, Louisiana, leaked more than 2,600 barrels of CO2 and took two hours to control.
Another provision in the Community Benefits Agreement is annual royalty payments, which Kleeb calls a "significant win" for Nebraska landowners.
"Landowners are now going to be getting 10 cents per metric ton that is sequestered of the carbon," she said. "So, that could be up to $1 million every year that will go back to landowners in the path of this pipeline."
Kleeb said no pipeline companies in the Midwest currently pay landowners a royalty for use of their land.
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April has been "Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month," but the pests don't know that. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it's the best time of year for Pennsylvanians to spot invasive species before they can do more damage.
Invasive pests cost the United States about $40 billion a year in damages to trees, plants and crops.
Kathryn Bronsky, national policy manager for USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said hungry pests include not only invasive insects but diseases they carry, which people can unknowingly spread.
"Some examples of what to be on the lookout for are Asian longhorn beetle and spongy moths, and other pests that harm trees and natural resources," she said. "And fruit flies, citrus greening, spotted lanternfly and lots of others that can damage crops and agriculture here in the U.S."
Bronsky said spotted lanternfly eggs have not hatched yet, so she urges people to be on the lookout for their egg masses, which resemble small mud smears. She recommends scraping them into plastic bags with sanitizer, or squashing them directly. Either approach will help diminish the invasive spotted lanternfly population.
Invasive pests attack different types of trees, Bronsky said. The tree of heaven is their preferred host, but a wide range of fruit, ornamental and woody trees also are at risk. Bronsky added that climate change and certain weather conditions can magnify the impact of invasive pests.
"We know climate change can increase the level of plant pest infestation and disease infection," she said. "It also allows these pests to produce more generations each year, and extends the suitable habitat for these plant pests so they can spread to new areas that we didn't know they could previously exist."
She added that it's important to note that such items as firewood can carry pests, from spotted lanternflies to spongy moths, that can then be spread through the movement of firewood. She suggests people avoid this by purchasing only heat-treated certified firewood.
People can report sightings to the USDA online at hungrypests.com.
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A new study raised red flags about respiratory health in Pennsylvania, particularly for those living near oil and gas activity.
The study by GeoHealth said nationwide, oil and gas venting and flaring exacerbate asthma in 73,000 children, including nearly 12,000 in Pennsylvania.
Jackson Zeiler, public health analyst for the Environmental Health Project, said energy developers do flaring and venting on a regular basis to remove excess gas. He explained the study looked at the potential health risks associated with the practice.
"There's adverse birth outcomes, there's cancer outcomes," Zeiler pointed out. "Volatile Organic Compounds are a big part of these emissions, which have a whole host of health effects, including respiratory health issues, different neurological effects like headaches and dizziness for people who are working in those facilities, and people who live really close by."
Zeiler noted flaring also contributes to an increased risk of hospitalizations, emergency room visits, worsening asthma and even premature death. But the energy industry said flaring is needed to minimize pressure at well sites, for testing and other reasons.
The study used satellite images and gas-imaging techniques to visualize emissions. Zeiler added companies are required to report their emissions to regulatory authorities and the data is compiled into a National Emissions Inventory through various sensors.
"They looked at the National Emissions Inventory numbers and compared it to the actual imaging that they looked at," Zeiler emphasized. "They found that the imaging saw way more emissions than was accounted for in the National Emissions Inventory. They're able to conclude that companies are underreporting, essentially, what they're flaring and what they're emitting."
He suggested Pennsylvanians could work with lawmakers on stricter reporting guidelines and transparency requirements for oil and gas operators. He also recommended advocating for greater setback distances between well sites and residential areas to minimize exposure.
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