11 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Relationship between the DOE loan guaranty and California Environmental Quality Act environmental review processes
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is involved in numerous geothermal research, development, demonstration, and loan guaranty projects in the State of California. These projects often require the preparation of both an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), as required by California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Impact Statement (EIS) as required under NEPA. DOE adoption or utilization of information contained in EIR's to meet that agency's NEPA requirements and thereby reduce duplication of effort is dependent on four critical issues: (1) the scope of the proposed action analyzed, (2) the completeness of treatment of environmental issues, (3) the level of DOE involvement in EIR preparation, and (4) the timing of DOE involvement in EIR preparation. At this time, several constraints prevent the integration of the DOE Loan Guaranty and CEQA environmental review and documentation processes. First, the time required to complete an EIR (up to 2 years in some cases) is not compatible with DOE's goal of processing loan guaranty applications within a 4 month period. Second, the CEQA process is usually initiated and completed prior to DOE's involvement in the project. Therefore, DOE often has no role in document preparation and must verify the content of an EIR before adopting or using that document and often must prepare a separate DOE EA even though an EIR exists
History of Use and Trade of Agarwood
Aromatics originating from the resin-infused infected wood of the Aquilaria and Gyrinops genera have distinct and valued fragrances. Resin formation occurs as a response to internal injury and/or infections in the stems of the agarwood tree. The incenses and perfumes that are produced from agarwood have been valued for centuries and used by many cultures for spiritual, opulent, and aphrodisiac purposes. Agarwood is highly revered in the seminal texts of Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam. As early as 1400 B.C.E., agarwood was described as a fragrant product in Sanskrit texts, and in 65 B.C.E., Dioscorides detailed several medical applications for agarwood. Knowledge of human-induced agarwood formation was recorded in China as early as 300 C.E., where it was known that cutting into a tree would lead to a color change in its internal tissues within a year of the injury as a consequence of resin development. There is historical evidence of international trade in agarwood between the producing (tropical southeastern Asia) and consuming (Middle East, India, China, and Japan) regions of the world. Agarwood has been consumed primarily as incense with the burning of wood chips directly or as an important ingredient for powdered incense blends. The aromatic qualities of agarwood are influenced by the species and variety of the two genera, geographic location, its branch, trunk and root origin, length of time since infection, and methods of harvesting and processing. The subtle but numerous variations in agarwood properties led to the development of systems for product classification and description in several consumer countries. This paper reviews the uses and trade of agarwood and its social, political, and economic significance in human history