Monday, 19 Sep 2005

A Flood of Accusations

Justice Dept. looking for ways to blame New Orleans flood on enviros

The feds are digging around for info they could use to blame the flooding of New Orleans on environmentalists. At the request of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Justice Department last week emailed U.S. attorneys' offices in the Gulf Coast region with this question: "Has your district defended any cases on behalf of the Army Corps of Engineers against claims brought by environmental groups seeking to block or otherwise impede the Corps' work on the levees protecting New Orleans?" The inquiry followed on the heels of a Sept. 8 article in the National Review Online that criticized enviro groups for suing in 1996 over the way the Corps was planning to raise Mississippi River levees and suggested that the suit may have contributed to the flooding of New Orleans -- erroneously, because it was a different set of levees that broke during Hurricane Katrina. A Sept. 9 article in the Los Angeles Times also asked whether enviros bore some culpability because in 1977 they sued the Corps over a shoddy environmental impact statement on its plans to build a hurricane barrier to protect New Orleans; the Corps never followed up on the project.


We all know Sammy Hagar can't do it, but can you? A reader who remembers the national speed limit of the 1970s wants to know why "driving 55" is more fuel-efficient. Although Umbra's vehicle of choice is a unicycle -- which rarely tops five miles per hour -- she knows people who know physics. Velocity, drag, and your lead foot: she adds it all up in today's column.

Plight My Fire

Spain reprimands public for careless behavior leading to forest fires

Spain has endured about 23,000 forest fires this year, up more than 25 percent from the same time last year. The blazes have destroyed more than 370,000 acres of land and killed 17 citizens -- and more than 90 percent of them have been started by people. The government has long avoided assigning blame to the public, perhaps fearing political fallout, but now environment minister Cristina Narbona is criticizing Spaniards for widespread flouting of fire-safety regulations and for not reporting violations. Forest fires in Spain are frequently set by farmers and ranchers seeking to clear land for fields or pastures or drive off wildlife. Some arsonists are burning forests to facilitate urban development. "I am not going to apologize for saying that society is complicit in these fires," said Narbona in August. "The ones that should apologize are the people that produce, tolerate, and consent to these fires."


Jay Tutchton, director of the University of Denver's environmental law clinic, is the first to admit that eco-litigation would never make for good TV courtroom drama. But it sure does make for a satisfying job, he says, allowing him to teach students the ins and outs of suing corporate scofflaws and represent environmental groups that otherwise couldn't afford a lawyer. He's this week's InterActivist, so send him a question by noon PDT on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

Off by a Mileage

EPA to revise tests of new cars' gas mileage

The U.S. EPA has announced plans to overhaul its current method for estimating the fuel economy of new automobiles -- the miles-per-gallon numbers stuck on the windows of every new car. The method now in use has changed little since the mid-1970s, even though driving conditions have changed substantially -- including more traffic, higher highway speeds, and the proliferation of fuel-consuming add-ons like air conditioners. Consumer's Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, strongly supports EPA's move. Its independent testing has found that vehicles often fall below their official fuel-economy ratings, sometimes by 40 to 50 percent. Automakers, on the other hand, oppose revising the fuel-economy tests; more realistic mileage figures could make it harder for the companies to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. The EPA says a formal proposal will be ready by the end of this year, and new standards could be in place in time to apply to 2007 auto models.