In its largest enforcement action ever in a pesticides case, the U.S. EPA is seeking $3.7 million in penalties from a Memphis, Tenn.-based pesticide manufacturer for using chemicals from unapproved foreign manufacturers. The agency says that the Micro Flo Company imported thousands of drums of insecticide ingredients from 1996 to 1999 under the pretense that they were from an approved manufacturer in India, when the chemicals were actually from elsewhere. The EPA's Marlene Tucker said there was no evidence that the chemicals had hurt anyone, but "the whole point of the statute is not that the harm occurred but that …

The U.K. government is the first out of the gate with a scheme to allow trading in greenhouse gas emissions within its borders -- and U.S. chemical company DuPont and Japanese trading house Marubeni have made the first swap under the system. Dupont, which operates plants in the U.K., has sold to Marubeni the rights to emit about 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide in 2002, the first year the trading system will be up and running. Meanwhile, in other pollution news, Britain's Environment Minister Michael Meacher has asked local governments in the country to help cut air pollution in half …

Roxanne Quimby, owner of Burt's Bees natural products, is buying up land in Maine in the hopes of laying the foundation for a new national park in the state. So far, she has bought 8,000 acres at a cost of $3 million, with the purchase of another 5,700 acres pending, and she has contributed millions more to other land conservation efforts. Quimby is allied with the group Restore: The North Woods, which has proposed a Maine Woods National Park that would be larger than Yellowstone and Yosemite combined. The state legislature has adopted a resolution opposing the park concept, though …

Enviros in Brazil have created a certification organization to help consumers learn whether wood they are purchasing from the Amazon was cut on the up and up -- or whether it was cut illegally. The World Wildlife Fund said yesterday that the organization would function as an arm of the international Forest Stewardship Council. So far, the FSC has certified 70 timber companies in Brazil, and WWF said one goal of the group would be to "help enlarge the Brazilian share of the world's market while supporting good forest management." Last year, deforestation in the Amazon was at its worst …

In a pleasant surprise, the Bush administration called yesterday for less money to be spent on traditional farm subsidies and more to be spent on boosting conservation efforts and gaining access to international markets. The administration said traditional subsidies have allowed wealthy cotton and grain farmers to expand their acreage without losing benefits because subsidies haven't been based on need. Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, said, "This could be a watershed in agriculture policy if the administration follows through with specific proposals for the new farm bill."

In its first major move on air pollution since President Bush took office, the U.S. EPA yesterday proposed the first emissions rules for snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, forklifts, and diesel-powered boats. The proposal, which is particularly aimed at reducing pollution in national parks, would cut total carbon-monoxide emissions from the vehicles by 56 percent and hydrocarbon and nitrogen-oxide emissions by almost 80 percent. Some enviros said the proposal wasn't strong enough because snowmobile pollution would have to be reduced by only 50 percent by 2010. They said a snowmobile used for one hour emits about as much hydrocarbon pollution as a …

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week confirmed the discovery of a new northern gray wolf pack in Idaho, moving the recovery timetable for the species ahead by one year. For the gray wolf to be removed from the list of endangered species in the region, 30 pairs must breed for three consecutive years in packs in western Montana, central Idaho, and the greater Yellowstone National Park area. With the recent discovery, the wolf could qualify for removal as soon as 2003. Delisting would normally return wolf management to the states, but the feds have said they would make …

For years, the wealthy nations of the world have been dumping their massive old ships on poor countries, leaving the extremely hazardous work of breaking them down to workers elsewhere. About 4,000 civilian and military ships are slated to go out of service each year. "Only a fraction of the world fleet is being recycled properly," said Niko Wijnolst, chair of the Dutch Maritime Network. Many of the ships end up in India and Bangladesh, where workers without helmets, protective glasses, or even shoes deal with the explosive gases, PCBs, asbestos, and other toxins that make up the vessels. A …

Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) said yesterday that his state can meet electricity demands for the next decade by "using renewable energy and efficiency and relying less on large fossil-fuel plants." For starters, Dean said he would probably devote $750,000 from an oil-industry settlement to solar and wind system rebates. Christine Salembier, commissioner of the state Department of Public Service, said that the state saved residents $17.7 million last year on their electric bills through a statewide energy conservation program. She said the resulting reduction in greenhouse gas emissions was equivalent to taking 2,100 cars off the road.

"The future of Kenyan tourism is green," says Judy Gona, executive director of the Ecotourism Society of Kenya, which is working to create a low-impact, more environmentally friendly tourism industry in the second-most visited country in Africa. ESOK's 80 members are mostly small, secluded camps and lodges that are built with local materials. They use alternative energy sources and serve locally produced food. Even some of the country's larger, mass-market tourist lodges are adopting eco-friendly policies, such as heating water with solar power instead of firewood. Others, however, are trying to cash in on the ecotourism label without changing their …