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California, Here We Come, Right Back Where We Started From
As California’s energy woes continue, the Bush administration is considering easing air-pollution rules to make it less difficult to build power plants in the state. On a related note, Bush last week asserted that environmental regulations in the state were “preventing California from having a 100 percent max output at their plants — as I […]
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The Davos Is in the Details
Anti-globalization protesters are swarming to the ski resort town of Davos, Switzerland, to demonstrate against the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, an elite group that includes representatives from 1,000 of the world’s largest corporations. Organizers of the meeting, which begins today, say they have given environmentalists, unions, and other activists an unprecedented amount […]
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Nothing Could Be Finer Than to Be an Oil Refiner
In one of the first major environmental challenges for the Bush administration, the oil refining industry yesterday announced plans to sue the U.S. EPA over its rule to require cleaner diesel fuel, which was finalized in the last days of the Clinton administration. Bob Slaughter, general counsel for the National Petrochemical Refiners Association, said, “We […]
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Jungle Love, Drivin' Me Mad, Makin' Me Crazy
Brazil’s Science and Technology Ministry is disputing the science behind a study published last week in the journal Science that gave a gloomy outlook on the future of the Amazon rainforest. The study said that as little as 5 percent of the forest will remain pristine by 2020 if Brazil proceeds with a plan to […]
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Hello, Gale. Goodbye, Trees!
In a blow to environmentalists, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 18-2 this morning to confirm the nomination of Gale Norton for Interior secretary. Republicans and Democrats alike predicted that Norton would easily be confirmed next week by the full Senate to the post. Environmental groups have been lobbying full-bore over the past […]
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Oil Things to Oil People
The Bush administration says the California electricity crisis gives weight to its argument that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska needs to be opened to oil and gas drilling as soon as possible to provide more fuel to the country. The Bush team is working with Alaska Sen. Frank Murkowski (R) to propose a […]
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Mountin' Gorillas
Only two mountain gorilla populations exist in the world, but the good news is that the larger of two has grown by 10 percent in the past decade, according to conservation groups. About 355 gorillas live in the Virunga mountain range spanning Rwanda, Uganda, and the Republic of Congo, despite armed conflict in the area […]
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Slow Down, You Chew Too Fast
The Slow Food movement, which strives to save foods that are produced locally and organically, has taken root in the U.S., with some 4,000 members participating in 50 chapters across the country. It seeks to put people in touch with food and the farmers who produce it. Some 60,000 people worldwide in 35 countries now […]
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Finding Forester (For Now)
The world’s forests are continuing to shrink, but at a slower rate than five years ago, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said yesterday. Since 1995, the world has lost 22 million acres of forest per year, a figure 20 percent lower than the previous five years. Forests are disappearing most rapidly in Africa and […]
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Ford, Lincoln, Mercury
American automakers haven’t kept promises to eliminate mercury from new cars, according to two different reports by environmental groups. In 1995, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler pledged to phase out the use of mercury in electrical switches and lighting. In 2000, however, General Motors and Ford sold vehicles containing 6 million to 9 million mercury […]
