The Green Mountain State is looking less and less green every day: Vermont environmentalists are increasingly concerned about the fate of the state under new Republican Gov. Jim Douglas. So far, Douglas has proposed an 8 percent cut in the Natural Resources Agency budget, pledged to reexamine a plan to protect lands in the Northeast Kingdom, and appointed business executives to key environmental positions. Ten green leaders will meet with Douglas today to urge the creation of a Council of Environmental Advisors and ask the governor to maintain his pledge to balance economic development with environmental protection.

If ever there were a city that needed a good subway system, it is New Delhi, India, one of the world's most populous (14 million) and most crowded metropolises. Now the city's got just that, and everyone, from residents to foreigners, is amazed and thrilled by its success. Although the entire 62-mile, 90-station subway system won't be complete until the end of the decade, the first part opened on time and on budget -- a cause for celebration for any public-works project, and a rare occurrence in India. The project, which was begun four and a half years ago and …

Going green could save Wisconsin more than $225 million over the next two years, according to a coalition of state environmental groups. Yesterday, the groups released a "Green Budget" itemizing ways Wisconsin could save money while protecting the environment. One of the budget's simplest recommendations -- using more efficient lighting and turning off unused electronic equipment in state office buildings -- would save between $9.2 million and $18.4 million per year, and far more if public schools followed suit. Purging the state's car fleet of gas-guzzling vehicles like the Ford Excursion would also save a chunk of money, according to …

The Bush administration is considering privatizing about 70 percent of National Park Service jobs, according to the Interior Department. The jobs in question range from maintenance workers to secretaries to scientists. Law enforcement officers, managers, and most park rangers would not be affected. About 4 percent of current employees could lose their jobs. Interior Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Cameron touted the proposal, saying, "This is a way to capture the benefits of competition to produce better performance and better value." But critics fear the mass privatization would undermine park protections because private firms would not have the same history and …

If Michigan environmentalists get their way, the state will dramatically expand its bottle law to cover 750 million additional beverage containers per year, including juice, water, and tea bottles that currently wind up as litter or in landfills. The state's 1976 bottle law, which quickly cleaned up roadside litter, is both popular and successful. Every year, Michigan residents redeem 95 percent of the more than 4 billion bottles and cans covered by the bill. Now, enviros want to add a 10-cent deposit to other drink containers, but grocers and beverage distributors say the move would be costly and solve only …

Joining the European Union comes at a price: The 10 nations that are poised to become members next year will have to spend up to $117 billion to meet the bloc's 149 environmental regulations, according to E.U. Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom. For the mostly poor, formerly communist nations in question, that amounts to between 2 and 3 percent of gross domestic product -- money that will probably have to come from private investors and international lending institutions. Meeting the E.U. wastewater directive presents the heaviest financial burden; other costly measures include landfill regulations and incineration standards. The 10 countries due …

In a sign of increasing international concern about the ecological challenges posed by China, one of the world's most prominent greens has moved to Beijing and set up shop as an environmental consultant. For more than three decades, Canadian Maurice Strong has been a major player in global diplomacy, environmental and otherwise; earlier this month, he intervened in the North Korean nuclear crisis as a special envoy for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Now, Strong plans to help tackle pollution, deforestation, pesticide use, and other environmental problems in China by advising business and government on ecological matters. A forceful critic of …

In an all-out effort to demonstrate the viability of voluntary solutions to global climate change, officials from the Bush administration are touring the country, coaxing promises from industry leaders to cut greenhouse gas emissions. If self-regulation fails to attract enough takers, staving off mandatory emissions restrictions will become increasingly difficult -- a fact that many industry leaders see as sufficient incentive to participate in the president's plan. Others, however, criticize what they call the "mandatory voluntary climate program," saying it is coercive. Environmentalists, meanwhile, say the plan is far too narrow in scope to have any impact on climate change. …

Move over, NASDAQ. Watch out, NYSE. Here comes the Chicago Climate Exchange, the nation's first greenhouse-gas trading program. Announced yesterday by a coalition of corporations and government entities including DuPont, Ford Motor Company, Motorola, and the city of Chicago, the exchange will permit companies to reduce (on paper, at least) their emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming gases through buying credits earned by firms that surpass emissions-reductions goals. Those participating in the exchange will sign a pledge to reduce emissions over the next four years by 4 percent of their average levels from 1998 to 2002. A similar …

Emissions that contribute to smog in the Los Angeles area are drastically worse than previously estimated, air-quality officials admitted yesterday. The announcement marked a reversal of the usual optimistic rhetoric about California air quality, which has been steadily improving since the late 1980s. Now it seems that progress in eliminating the two most common pollutants that lead to smog is not as advanced as previously thought. The miscalculation is due to underestimated emissions from cars, trucks, and consumer products ranging from deodorant and hairspray to household cleaners. California is under federal mandate to improve air quality by 2010; failure to …