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Crash Test Dummies?

A panel appointed by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences has eased up on the auto industry in a draft report on fuel-economy standards. An earlier draft, which was leaked to the New York Times, said big increases in fuel economy for cars and SUVs would be possible over the next six to 10 years; […]

Gulp of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico’s dead zone, where nutrient pollution from farms in the Midwest has chocked off fish life, is bigger this year than ever before, according to university researchers. Stretching from the Mississippi River delta to Texas waters, the 8,000-square-mile, low-oxygen area is forcing crabs and other bottom feeders to the surface. Environmental groups […]

Just Say No to G.M. Escargot

The European Commission proposed a framework yesterday to replace Europe’s three-year moratorium on approving new genetically modified foods. The proposed rules would require labels on all approved biotech foods and testing for the presence of genetically modified organisms at each stage of the production chain. The commission tried to dodge one bullet — in this […]

Colorado man cleans up war-game carnage

The war is over and Dan Sharps is doing a body count. In a thicket of pinyon and juniper trees, something big and violent has cleared a path. Dan Sharps as a tack. Photo: David Mayfield. “Lost arm,” Sharps says, gesturing toward one tree clipped of a big branch. “Lost leg,” he says, pointing to […]

The Brown Lagoon

Lagoons of animal waste from large factory farms are threatening drinking water and recreational waters across the country, according to a report released Tuesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Clean Water Network. The groups want new lagoons to be banned and existing ones to be phased out within the next five years. […]

Backstroke to the Future

Christopher Swain of Eugene, Ore., plans to swim all 1,243 miles of the Columbia River to call attention to what he describes as “a contaminated beauty.” The feds are now investigating the river for sources of mercury and other nasties. Swain, who works for Columbia Riverkeeper, will embark on the 160-day swim next summer; in […]

Caffeine Fix

With the support of environmentalists and other activists, some eco-friendly coffees are hitting the big time. Borders Books, Hyatt hotels, Safeway, and Starbucks are all selling sustainable blends. Bird-lovers point consumers to “shade-grown” coffee that protects the trees used by migratory songbirds; other greenies talk up “organic” coffees; and still others tout “fair-trade” coffees that […]

Lease Me Alone

Michigan Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus (R) made pit stops in three Great Lakes cities on Monday to spread the word that he doesn’t support the plan by his boss, Gov. John Engler (R), to end a moratorium on new leases for oil and gas drilling under the lakes. Engler says the drilling would be environmentally […]

Hudson Hawk

General Electric is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar PR blitz to try to sway the Bush administration to withdraw a proposed plan to clean up the Hudson River. The Clinton-era plan calls for dredging a 40-mile stretch of the river to remove PCBs dumped there for decades by GE. The company would have to […]

Turning Over a New Leach

After spending more than $80 million on the project, the U.S.’s largest gold-mining company has ended plans to open the first major open-pit, cyanide-leach mine in Washington state. The Crown Jewel Mine in northeastern Washington would have blown the side off a mountain to extract about 1.4 million ounces of gold. Houston-based Newmont Mining Corp. […]