Scientists fear that an ecological disaster may be unfolding off the coast of North Carolina, following in the wake of Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd, which dumped some three feet of rain on the eastern third of the state in September. Flooding from the hurricanes washed loads of pollution and organic matter out to sea -- including raw sewage, hog waste, fertilizers, decomposing vegetation, and topsoil -- threatening the biologically rich waters between the mainland and the Outer Banks barrier islands, the second largest estuary in the U.S. When the water in the estuary warms up next spring or summer, vast …

The U.S. wind power industry got a boost last week from news that congressional negotiators agreed to extend a tax credit for electricity produced from wind and some other renewable sources. The credit, which had expired on June 30, is estimated to reduce the cost of wind power by 1.3 to 2.0 cents per kilowatt hour. Wind energy can now be generated for around 4 to 6 cents per kilowatt hour, before taking into account the credit, compared to the cost of fossil-fuel energy at about 3.5 cents per kilowatt hour. The University of California at Irvine released a report …

Two longtime Congressional enemies -- Reps. Don Young (R-Alaska) and George Miller (D-Calif.) -- teamed up yesterday to successfully push a bill through the House Resources Committee that would earmark about $2.9 billion dollars in offshore oil drilling royalties each year for environmental protection. The money, some $2.5 billion more than is currently spent from oil revenues on conservation, could be used for land acquisition, coastline protection, creation of urban parks, and preservation of wildlife. Young fought off amendments from conservative Western Republicans that would have weakened the bill. The measure faces a tough fight going into the full House, …

Orca whales in the waters around Washington state and British Columbia are severely contaminated with PCBs, which can weaken the animals' immune systems and hamper reproduction, according to a comprehensive, new study by Canadian and American scientists. Researchers took samples from 47 killer whales and found that they are 400 to 500 times more contaminated than humans. "These killer whales can now be considered among the most contaminated marine mammals in the world," said Peter Ross of the Institute of Ocean Sciences. PCBs, a long-lasting industrial compound, were banned in Canada and the U.S. in the mid-1970s, but are still …

Tension is rising in British Columbia as timber companies begin to log what many call the Great Bear Rain Forest along Canada's western coast, a vast, largely undisturbed old-growth area comprising one quarter of the world's remaining temperate rainforest. Arguing that the economy needed a boost, the British Columbia government recently slashed logging royalties to get the cutting started in this area, which enviros have dubbed "the Brazil of the north." Tour operators, native groups, and Canadian and American environmentalists are all working to fight the logging. The economy in British Columbia is gradually shifting away from timber dependence, with …

Americans can expect to see more areas in the western U.S. protected as national monuments in the coming year, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said yesterday. Such designations can be made without congressional approval; Pres. Clinton angered western politicians in 1996 by creating the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. Babbitt spoke at a congressional hearing on a bill by Rep. Bob Stump (R-Ariz.) that seeks to head off creation of the Shivwits Plateau National Monument in Arizona by creating a national conservation area instead, which Babbitt said would give the land even less protection than it has now. Babbitt also …

General Motors is taking a step forward in the race to produce green cars with an announcement today that it has developed a new concept vehicle, called the Triax, that can operate with a range of power sources, including gasoline, hybrid, and electric systems powered by either batteries or fuel cells. In the meantime, U.S. automakers are planning to install more efficient, cleaner engines in some of their trucks, replacing old V-6 and V-8 systems. They will try to convince consumers that the new engines will still pack a powerful punch. The EPA has proposed new regulations that would force …

God's Last Offer: Negotiating for a Sustainable Future by Ed Ayres Four Walls Eight Windows, 1999, 357 pages In 1998, S. Sailam, a farmer living with his pregnant wife and two children in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, found that the pesticide he was spraying on his cotton crop had ceased to do its job. In desperation, he killed himself by squirting the pesticide down his throat. More than 100 of his fellow farmers in the region took their lives with this same tragic gesture in January and February of last year. They had been pressed by the …

The winners on the EPA's annual list of the most fuel-efficient cars and trucks are losers in the marketplace. The most fuel-efficient cars, those getting at least 40 mpg, represent just 0.57 percent of the U.S. market. Light trucks such as the Land Rover Range Rover -- the least efficient SUV on the EPA's list, getting just 12 miles per gallon in the city and 15 on the highway -- account for 48.08 percent of the market. Top marks from the EPA went to the Honda Insight, which will go on sale in the U.S. in December; the two-seater gasoline-electric …

The city of Bremen, Germany, is trying to convince its residents to abandon car ownership by giving them access to an ultra-modern public transport system and a car-sharing program that lets citizens quickly and cheaply rent vehicles at 37 city locations. Bremen officials say the effect of their program, which was launched in 1990, is hard to quantify, but they believe it has enabled one-third of households to dispense with their automobiles. The city has also reduced traffic on its inner city streets by about 500 cars per year. At first, residents who gave up cars thought they were making …