Page 28 - ANTILL DGB

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 16 deceMber 2019
U.S. finally giving boot to official foot measurement

By SETH BORENSTEIN him: A contractor from
Associated Press a state that uses the U.S.
WASHINGTON (AP) — foot planned a building in
Change is afoot for the of- the glide path of a major
ficial measuring stick used airport in a state that uses
to size up big places in the international foot. The
America. confusion over the two dif-
The reason? There are ac- ferent feet caused delays,
tually two different defini- extra cost and redesign of
tions of the 12-inch mea- the building to be one floor
surement known as a foot. shorter. (Dennis wouldn’t
Some land surveyors use identify the airport.)
what’s known as the U.S. “It’s embarrassing that we
survey foot. Others use the even had this going on for
definition that’s more ac- 60 years,” Dennis says. “This
cepted by the broader whole thing is ridiculous.”
world: the international Dennis knows some will
foot. squawk.
The difference between The U.S. foot “sounds very
them is so tiny that you patriotic, very American,”
can’t see it with the na- he said in a webinar. “Then
ked eye on a 12-inch ruler. there’s the word ‘interna-
But over big distances, it tional foot,’ which sounds
matters. So, to reduce the In this April 18, 1958 file photo, Philip N. Brooks, right, a New York State surveyor, takes a look kind of new world order,
chance for errors and con- through his transit on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation near Niagara Falls, N.Y., while Tuscarora U.N.-sanctioned, maybe
fusion, the federal govern- Chief Elton Black Cloud Greene watches. with a whiff of socialism.”
ment has announced it’s Associated Press But it makes sense to be
finally giving the boot to using the same measuring
the survey foot. that everyone use the in- Surveyors in 40 U.S. states The small difference may stick as the rest of the world
The international foot is ternational foot but al- and territories still use the not seem like much, but it to save time and eliminate
the smaller one — adding lowed surveyors to keep to larger U.S. foot. The rest use caused trouble in planning embarrassing errors, he
about an eighth of an inch the old U.S. survey foot for the smaller international for high speed rail in Cali- says.
of difference when mea- a while. That temporary re- one. fornia, Dennis said. It also Those who fear this is a slip-
suring a mile. That means prieve has lasted 60 years, “We have chaos,” says created a mess for bridge pery slope leading to the
the United States is 28.3 but it will finally end in 2022, Michael Dennis, a project work between Oregon, metric system are worry-
feet wider when measured the National Oceanic and manager for NOAA’s Na- which uses the internation- ing a century too late, NIST
using the international foot Atmospheric Administra- tional Geodetic Survey. al foot, and Washington, metric coordinator Eliza-
instead of the survey foot. tion and the National In- Geodetics is surveying that which uses the U.S. one, he beth Benham says. Since
The change started in stitute of Standards and takes into account the said. 1893, the official definition
1959, when the federal Technology announced in curve of the Earth. “This is a Dennis also relayed a hor- of a foot is based on the
government mandated October. mess.” ror story one surveyor sent meter.q

Louisiana sues California

over alligator ban

Associated Press alligator products notwith- the state’s coastal habi-
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Loui- standing the fact that no tat is privately owned, the
siana is suing the state of such alligators live in Cali- state does not have direct
California over its decision fornia,” the lawsuit says. control over how it is man-
to ban the import and sale According to The Times- aged. But the alligator in-
of alligator products, say- Picayune/the New Or- dustry provides economic
ing the ban will hurt an im- leans Advocate, California incentives for landowners
portant Louisiana industry banned alligator skins and to take steps to protect
and ultimately could hurt meats in the 1970s but re- marshlands that serve as
the state’s wetlands. peatedly issued excep- habitat for the alligators.
In this Friday, Oct. 18, 2019 file photo, an alligator rests in In a lawsuit filed Thursday, tions that allowed sales. The state argues that if
Everglades National Park, near Flamingo, Fla. Louisiana said the econo- The newspaper reports California’s ban goes into
Associated Press my surrounding alligators that the most recent ex- effect, “landowners will be
has played a key role in emption expires on Jan. 1 forced to greatly reduce
bringing back the Ameri- of next year, and this time or cease their erosion con-
can alligator population California’s legislature did trol efforts because they
and is an important factor not pass another exemp- will be unable to economi-
in protecting wetlands and tion. The newspaper re- cally sustain those efforts,
other species besides alli- ports the alligator ban was resulting in irreparable
gators that depend on the backed by a coalition of harm to their property as
wetlands. animal rights and environ- well as harm to Louisiana’s
“California has neverthe- mental groups. sovereign environmen-
less attempted to destroy Louisiana said in its law- tal interests in wetland
the market for American suit that because most of preservation.”q