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Fuels Rush In
Arizona is facing a major budget crisis because of a well-intentioned but poorly designed law that gives residents big incentives and tax breaks for buying vehicles that run on alternative fuels. The program was expected to cost between $3 million and $10 million, but so many residents have taken advantage of it that it is […]
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Oiled Again!
Work began yesterday on a multibillion-dollar pipeline that will carry oil from Chad through Cameroon to Africa’s Atlantic coast, a project bitterly opposed by environmentalists and human rights advocates. The World Bank is supplying 3 percent of the financing for the $3.5 billion, 670-mile pipeline project, which is being spearheaded by ExxonMobil. Opponents argue that […]
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Best of the Wurst
Hoping to gain the high ground on climate change, the German government announced new steps yesterday that are aimed at making sure the country fulfills its pledge to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 21 percent from 1990 levels by 2010, as agreed to in the Kyoto climate change treaty. Measures passed yesterday include support for […]
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This Sends Shivas Down Our Spine
India’s highest court gave its approval yesterday for a large hydroelectric dam on the Narmada river, a project that had been stalled for six years because of a lawsuit filed by environmentalists. The government said that construction will resume immediately on the Sardar Sarovar dam, part of a massive hydroelectric project that will build some […]
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Butterfly in the Ointment
A coalition of environmental groups, including Greenpeace, notified the U.S. EPA yesterday of intent to sue, contending that the agency could harm a number of endangered species such as the Karner blue butterfly if it renews licenses for genetically modified crops that are toxic to insects. A Cornell University study last year found that pollen […]
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We're Not Gonna Take This Lion Down
The North Pacific fishing industry is proposing a rider to a major budget bill in the U.S. Congress that would lift a federal court injunction banning fishing in Alaskan waters where endangered Steller sea lions feed. In July, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. government had not developed an adequate protection plan for the […]
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Slurry With the Dinge on Top
A huge spill of coal slurry into streams in eastern Kentucky has caused water shortages and school closings and prompted Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton (D) to declare a state of emergency in 10 counties. About 250 million gallons of coal waste with the consistency of wet cement have spilled out of a retention pond at […]
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Poll Bearers
Sixty-three percent of likely American voters say they favor government action that would force automakers to improve the gas mileage of SUVs, according to a Christian Science Monitor poll. Fifty-seven percent say they would pay an extra $1,000 for a vehicle with greater fuel efficiency. Enviros might be pleased by these responses, but are likely […]
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Fairy, Fairy, Quite Contrary
In a decision that could curb sprawl and development in Southern California, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced yesterday that it is designating more than 500,000 acres as critical habitat for two species — the threatened gnatcatcher bird and the endangered fairy shrimp. The move will affect and add costs to the plans of […]
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Magnificent, Seven!
Seven of the world’s major corporations committed themselves yesterday to making significant reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions, a voluntary effort to combat climate change ahead of any government requirements. Working in partnership with the nonprofit Environmental Defense, the companies — DuPont, BP, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Suncor Energy, Ontario Power Generation, Alcan Aluminum, and Pechiney […]
