Uncategorized

A Fine Kettle of Fish

The federal Clean Water Act might be a great thing in theory, but how’s it doing in practice? Not so well, it turns out, due to the failure of the U.S. EPA to adequately enforce it. At any given moment, roughly 25 percent of all large industrial plants and water-treatment facilities are in violation of […]

Gag Me With a Rule

There was good news and bad news for U.S. forests yesterday. In the former department, the Bush administration announced that it would not renew a temporary rule that permitted some road-building in national forests. That decision effectively restores the “roadless rule,” a Clinton-era policy prohibiting development on almost one-third of the nation’s forests, or 58 […]

From Russia With Sludge

Fifteen percent of Russia is facing disastrous environmental conditions, President Vladimir Putin said yesterday. Putin identified environmental devastation as one of the most serious problems facing the country and affecting the livelihood of its people, and said many areas of the country were in a “critical or near-critical state.” The most industrialized regions of the […]

C02, Too?

Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts sued the federal government yesterday to force it to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. The lawsuit, which alleges that the emissions fuel global warming and should therefore be governed by the Clean Air Act, marks the first time a state has sued the government to force it to take action on climate […]

What if Money Did Grow on Trees?

Come on Baby, Fire My Light

Compact fluorescent light bulbs, those money- and energy-saving improvements on the old-fashioned incandescent variety, are extraordinarily popular in Wisconsin. About 12 percent of all light bulbs sold in the state are CFLs, a figure that trounces the national average of roughly 1 percent. That’s thanks largely to Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program, which educates homebuilders […]

Oh, the Humanity

Before they can be put on the market, pesticides are usually tested for safety on animals. Government regulators then establish an exposure level for humans that is 10 times more conservative than the safety level for animals. In an effort to abolish the tenfold safety net, pesticide companies frequently sponsor clinical tests on volunteers to […]

Jagged Little Pill

Birth control pills aren’t just having an effect on human reproduction: They’re dramatically reducing the fertility of male rainbow trout as well, according to a study by scientists in Washington state. In the study, adult captive trout were exposed to synthetic estrogen for two months, then spawned with a healthy female. Synthetic estrogen, which is […]

Cruising for Trouble

Environmental protesters came out to say good riddance when the Crystal Harmony cruise ship pulled out of port in San Francisco yesterday. The Crystal Cruises company was banned from docking its ships in Monterey, Calif., in March because one of its ships had discharged tens of thousands of gallons of wastewater into the Monterey Bay […]

Crime-iny!

Environmental advocates in Oregon are worried that a bill intended to crack down on so-called ecoterrorism could punish activists who take part in peaceful protests and acts of civil disobedience. The Oregon Senate yesterday overwhelmingly passed legislation that would let “eco-sabotage” crimes be prosecuted under the state’s racketeering laws and would allow prosecutors to seek […]