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Dim Summary
China’s top environmental official warned yesterday that air and water quality are on the decline and soil erosion is continuing at a fast clip in the country. Nearly half of China’s river water supplies don’t meet safety standards, said Xie Zhenhua, director of the Environmental Protection Administration, which produces an annual state of the environment […]
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Grin and Bear It
British Columbia this fall will begin its most ambitious wildlife reintroduction effort ever, a long-term plan to increase grizzly bear populations in the core of its North Cascades mountain range. The Environment Ministry hopes to increase the population in the 3,800 square-mile area from fewer than 25 individuals to 150 bears by 2050. Trapping and […]
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River of Gross
In an attempt to boost his image on the environment, President Bush visited the Everglades National Park yesterday and called attention to what he said would be budget increases for Everglades restoration. But Mary Munson, Florida director of the National Parks Conservation Foundation, said the president’s proposed spending is less than what former President Clinton […]
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Phoenix Rising From the Toxic Ashes
Hundreds of mostly African-American and Latino residents living in southeast Phoenix accused the city yesterday of turning their neighborhood into a toxic dumping ground. They are backing a class-action lawsuit that claims that they are the victims of more than two decades of environmental racism. Last August, an industrial fire in the area sent toxic […]
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Making Assess of Themselves
To recognize World Environment Day today, the U.N. is launching a $21 million, four-year assessment of the planet’s ecosystems. The study will be coordinated by the U.N. Environment Programme and involve 1,500 scientists, who will have the tough task of balancing the needs of people (food and resources) with the needs of animals and plants. […]
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To Market, to Market, to Buy a Fat Pig
Groups that promote “free-market” solutions to environmental problems were once thought of as loonies, even by some officials in the Reagan administration. No more. Ideas developed by groups such as the Political Economy Research Center in Bozeman, Mont., and the Reason Center in Los Angeles are now held dear by the Bush administration. The groups […]
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The Return of the Swamp Thing
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to weaken rules meant to protect thousands of streams and wetlands, making it easier for developers to move ahead with building projects. The corps, for example, has proposed scrapping a rule requiring developers to obtain case-by-case permits for projects that disturb more than 300 feet of streams. It […]
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Just Tread-full
The scrap tire industry sure is happy about Ford’s plans to replace 13 million Firestone tires from SUVs and pickup trucks. Ford’s Jason Vines said the company is “finding the most efficient and environmentally friendly way to dispose” of the tires. Tires are used for highway surfaces in California, Arizona, and Texas, and playground equipment […]
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Enron End Run
With the Democratic takeover of the U.S. Senate, prospects for President Bush’s energy plan have gotten significantly dimmer. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), the incoming chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said he would try to force the Energy Department to draft rules to increase the fuel efficiency of SUVs and light trucks. […]
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All Fired Up
Three logging trucks were set on fire on Friday near the Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon where environmental protesters have been trying to prevent trees from being cut. Donald Fontenot of the Cascadia Forest Alliance, which has helped to organize the longtime protest, said, “The torching of the trucks strays from what is really […]
