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Arctic National Wildlife Rorschach

Energy Department Study Fuels Arctic Refuge Controversy A new Energy Department study on the prospect of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has both sides in the long-running controversy claiming vindication. According to the study, oil production in the refuge would peak in about 2025 and at that point would reduce U.S. dependence […]

Grile-y Coyote

New Report Critical of Interior’s Griles Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles has repeatedly had dealings with mining and energy companies represented by his former lobbying firm, which is still sending him payments amounting to some $1 million over four years. While his actions signify an “institutional failure” to avoid the appearance of impropriety, they […]

Dispatches from a field trip to study water systems in West Africa

Sarah Lynn Cunningham works for the Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District in Kentucky, implementing the principles of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES). This week, she’s doing reconnaissance in Tamale, Ghana, to assess ways to improve water and waste management. Tuesday, 16 Mar 2004 TAMALE, Ghana. My colleague Steve Hubbs, an environmental […]

Regulate First, Ask Questions Later

Flurry of Charges Leads EPA to Revisit Mercury Regs Amid a swirl of angry charges from states, environmental groups, and its own employees, the U.S. EPA is promising to revisit controversial proposed regulations on mercury emissions from power plants. Several EPA staffers — who remain anonymous to avoid retaliation — revealed what enviro groups have […]

Good Label Manners

Today’s conscientious consumer has a plethora of choices at the supermarket: “Free-Range,” “Farm-Friendly,” “Organic,” and that warmest and fuzziest of warm-fuzzies, “Natural.” These labels all sound wonderful, but what do they mean? Some of them, it turns out, mean quite a bit, while others mean almost nothing. Bewildered shoppers can get the scoop on which […]

China “R” Us

China’s booming economy is straining the country’s energy resources to the breaking point. Last year its oil imports rose by a third, it became the world’s largest steel importer (surpassing the U.S.), its domestic coal production rose by 100 million tons — and still there were intermittent blackouts as electricity consumption jumped by 15 percent. […]

Natural Corn Killers

Genetically modified corn has crept into Mexican fields, despite a federal prohibition against the planting of GM crops, and indigenous people and small-scale farmers are protesting loudly against the intrusion. In response, the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a body created through the NAFTA environmental side agreement, last week held a symposium on the […]

Stand-up Comity

Oregon’s Siuslaw National Forest has emerged as a model for the way timber companies, environmentalists, and local communities can cooperate to manage forests. It is one of the few national forests in the state exceeding U.S. Forest Service logging goals. It’s also the site of substantial ecological restoration, with streams boasting seven times the levels […]

Fed Up

Efforts by U.S. states in the northeast to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are falling short, in part due to unsympathetic federal policies. While they see plenty of room for more aggressive efforts, even the region’s most vocal environmental critics acknowledge that northeastern states have taken unprecedented steps to reduce emissions. The biggest initiative has been […]

A wildlife habitat enthusiast answers questions

What organization are you affiliated with? WindStar Wildlife Institute. What does it do? WindStar Wildlife Institute is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization that works to stem the loss of native plants, wildlife, and wildlife habitat by effectively teaching wildlife-habitat improvement practices through proven methods such as “neighbor helping neighbor” and “education through demonstration.” In […]