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Virgin Rebirth

Meanwhile, wetlands are also a matter of concern in a place that could scarcely be more different from Iraq: the island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. The Virgin Islands Indigenous and Endangered Species Act of 1990 specifies that the policy of the territory is to “prevent a net loss of wetlands to the […]

The Ides of Marsh

Verdant marshes and wetlands were much of what helped put the “fertile” in the Fertile Crescent, that swath of land between the Tigris and Euphrates that is considered the birthplace of Western civilization. But in the last few decades, those marshes have been all but destroyed by dam-building and civil strife in Iraq. Those marshes […]

Cleaner Smoke Stacki Thanks to Pataki

New York state now boasts the nation’s strictest pollution controls on power plants, thanks to measures approved yesterday by Gov. George Pataki (R). The announcement was met with joy by environmentalists, who had been pushing for the tougher rules for upwards of three years, but the electricity industry said the move would cost custumers while […]

Giving the Devil His DU

As many people wonder about the long-term environmental effects of the war in Iraq, the U.N. has issued a report documenting the ongoing pollution problems posed by depleted uranium (DU) ammunition used by NATO forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the mid-1990s. The report, published by the U.N. Environment Programme, found DU contamination in groundwater and drinking […]

Lack of Interest

Three months ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture settled a case against a Texas-based biotechnology company whose genetically modified (GM) feed corn contaminated natural corn and soybeans. The USDA represented the settlement as a sharp crackdown on violators of GM standards — but in fact, the settlement involved a no-interest $3.5 million government loan, meaning […]

Polluters Still Pay (at Least, for Senators)

Bad Medicine

South Africa’s indigenous forests cover less than one-half of 1 percent of the country — and the wooded land that remains is severely threatened by people who illegally gather medicinal plants to turn a profit. Michael Peter, director of the nation’s Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, said the problem isn’t traditional native herbalists but […]

A Kulongoski Time Coming

In his first major speech on the environment since taking office, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) promised yesterday that economic concerns would not undermine environmental protections in the state. In a speech to conservationists, the governor pledged to oppose efforts to roll back environmental regulations such as the state Endangered Species Act; to provide sufficient […]

Dean of Emissions

The federal government has changed its tune on air quality in California, with the U.S. EPA easing pressure on the state to impose more stringent air-pollution controls on farms. Just last month, the EPA said the state should repeal a law exempting large farms from air-pollution monitoring permits; now, it is calling instead for an […]

Everybody’s Gone, Surfing

Summer is on its way to Biarritz, France, the surfing capital of Europe — but despite the surf and sun, no one is yet riding the waves. That’s because surfing is banned in Biarritz and along some 160 miles of coastline in southwestern France, due to lingering environmental problems from the oil spill of the […]