The U.S. Department of Agriculture is encouraging farmers and ranchers to fight climate change with techniques that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Speaking in Kansas on Friday, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced new incentives and technical support programs to help farmers increase carbon sequestration, though her speech was notably short on specifics. Farmers are being urged to do their part by tilling less, increasing crop rotation, and reducing soil erosion, among other steps, while ranchers are called on to help the cause by reducing overgrazing. "This is good for the environment and it is good for agriculture," Veneman said. The …

With the feds having fallen down on the job, the California state Senate stepped in yesterday to keep up the fight against air pollution. The state Senate voted to add New Source Review rules to the state's clean-air regulations -- the same type of rules that the Bush administration did away with on a national level in December 2002. The federal rules had required older power plants and factories to install state-of-the-art pollution controls if they made upgrades that would boost production. The decision by the Bush team to loosen the rules set off a firestorm of protest in the …

China yesterday blocked the flow of the Yangtze River by closing gates at the massive Three Gorges Dam and began to fill up what will be the world's largest reservoir. It's a joyous occasion for government engineers and Communist Party faithful who have long touted the coming benefits of hydroelectric power and flood control, and it's a devastating blow to environmentalists and up to 2 million people who will eventually be displaced by the rising waters. The reservoir will grow to be 385 miles long and a mile wide and will submerge two cities and 1,352 villages. Enviros warn that …

Dear Umbra, I recently read a claim that "motorcycles produce far more pollution per mile than your typical car, truck, or SUV." Is that true? I've got a friend who's currently making her (bad-ass) way across country on a Harley -- 60 mpg, baby -- and we are both curious about the environmental impacts compared with a car. BillyBrooklyn, N.Y. Dearest Billy, Bad news for your friend and her bad behind. If she's getting 60 miles per gallon, that's about three times better than the average car these days, and certainly far better than the 1984 Nissan Rustbucket that I …

Dear Umbra, We have a six-year-old daughter, a three-year-old daughter, and -- surprise! (well, not completely) -- a new baby girl due in the next two months. Our fuel-efficient car cannot fit two car seats and a booster across the back seat, and according to Washington state law ("six-years-old and 60 pounds"), my petite six-year-old will remain in her booster for some time. I've been looking into minivans but am discouraged by their poor mileage. Through much Internet research, I've determined that Toyota makes a hybrid minivan (Estima) and that it will be a cold day in a warm place …

Macadamia-nut shells will soon be the source of electricity for more than 1,200 Australian homes. Construction began this week on a biomass cogeneration plant in the northern Australian state of Queensland that will produce renewable energy by burning more than 5,000 tons of shells generated by the nation's native macadamia nut industry. "This project ... could be replicated across a range of other industries, including peanut, timber, meat, wheat, and grain processing, where waste streams could generate heat, electricity, and revenue," said Kate Skilleter of Ergon Energy, the state-owned company behind the venture. The plant, the first of its kind …

For the second time in the last two weeks, a major utility company has reached a settlement with the U.S. EPA to clean up its act under the New Source Review rules of the federal Clean Air Act. Last week, it was the Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Resources; now, it's We Energies, a Wisconsin electric company that will spend as much as $600 million to upgrade plants and reduce emissions in Michigan and Wisconsin. The company has 10 years to cut acid-rain-causing sulfur dioxide emissions 68 percent and smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions 65 percent. Together, the changes could eliminate 105,000 tons …

Lest you think environmental news is all gloom, all the time, here's a little pick-me-up: Thanks to the Clean Air Act, the U.S. has all but eradicated carbon monoxide pollution, one of the most hazardous air emissions, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences reported yesterday. In 1971, when the act set federal standards for carbon monoxide, 90 percent of monitored areas violated them. Now, just a handful of places still have CO troubles (including Anchorage, Alaska, and some Southern California cities), and usually only for one or two days per year. As a result, the health impacts, which include accidental …

The Bush administration last week proposed the breaching of a hydroelectric dam near Missoula, Mont. -- yep, you read that right. It's not one of the four dams on the Snake River that enviros want to tear down in order to restore salmon runs, but it's in the same region. The Milltown Dam blocks migration of threatened bull trout and traps dangerous toxics from mining operations upstream, storing them in a reservoir. "The Bush administration is doing the right thing here," said Tracy Stone-Manning, executive director of the Clark Fork Coalition, a local environmental group. Even Republicans hate the Milltown …