Monday, 06 Feb 2006

To Evon Peter, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding lands aren't a remote wilderness -- they're home. He served as a chief in his Gwich'in village in far northern Alaska for three years during his 20s, and now dedicates his time to Native Movement, a collective of activists working on projects ranging from environmental justice and the protection of sacred sites to youth leadership development. He's also this week's InterActivist. Send him your burningest questions by noon PST on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

Conned Air

EPA chief twisted particulate pollution advice, say scientists

U.S. EPA chief Stephen Johnson "twisted" and "misrepresented" recommendations on regulating soot and dust pollution from the agency's own air-quality experts, according to, um, the agency's own air-quality experts. In an unprecedented move, the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee is urging Johnson to change course on the pollution proposals he announced in December, which ignore the scientists' haze-reduction advice, significantly weaken their recommendations on controlling the smallest, most health-hazardous particles of soot, and -- most controversially -- propose entirely eliminating regulation of dust in the agriculture and mining industries in rural areas. Several panel members say Johnson misleadingly credited the committee with supporting these exemptions. Bart Ostro of the California EPA says the White House Office of Management and Budget, along with industry trade associations, played major roles in gutting the particulate controls.


Itching to replace that 30-year-old shagadelic carpet but unsure about your eco-friendly flooring options? In today's column, advice maven Umbra Fisk gives a quick rundown of the pros and cons of the most common flooring materials, and uncovers some others you might not have considered. She's so grounded, that one.

Wait, We Thought He Was a C Student

Bush, Congress get D+ on ocean protection efforts

Ocean advocates are urging the Bush administration to wake up and smell the marine decay. The Joint Ocean Commission -- a collaboration of two expert panels -- has given the U.S. a D+ for efforts to reverse the deterioration of the world's oceans, and warned that this failure of federal will is putting the American economy at serious risk. Former energy secretary and retired Adm. James Watkins, chair of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy created by President Bush, says the administration has failed to invest in vital marine science. And former Clinton chief of staff Leon Panetta, chair of the Pew Oceans Commission, criticizes Congress for draining the funding allocated to ocean issues into earmarks -- pet projects in their home districts and states. In 2004, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy made more than 200 recommendations for turning the oceans around, including improved fisheries management and increased research funding -- and most have been ignored.

Meter Aid

New power meters help customers cool juice use

Millions of California households will soon be able to see at a glance how much electricity and money is being gobbled up as they flip on their hairdryers and plasma TVs. California regulators and two of the state's biggest utilities are rolling out a $2 billion program to install "advanced" electricity meters in select homes. The devices display how much electricity a customer is using and how much it's costing in real time, encouraging folks to cut back during peak hours. The utilities will use the data provided by the meters to offer variable-rate plans that reward good power behavior -- like running dishwashers off-peak -- to help alleviate California's perpetual power crunches. In a pilot project, electricity use fell by an average of 13 percent in the 2,500 participating homes. Similar programs have cut electricity consumption in Pennsylvania, Florida, Sweden (natch), and elsewhere, says a California energy commissioner.