Uncategorized
All Stories
-
Go Ahead and Jump
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday proposed designating 5.4 million acres as critical habitat for the threatened California red-legged frog, a move likely to affect development and agriculture in the state, particularly in Southern California. This designation, which would be the largest of its kind in the state and one of the largest […]
-
Wild and Crazy Guy
U.S. Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck this weekend said his agency should be leading the effort to protect what’s left of wild spaces and that he would increase the number of people on his payroll working on wilderness issues. Speaking at a national wilderness conference in Denver, Dombeck said, “Five percent of our land area […]
-
No Kenya Do
Community leaders in Kwale, Kenya, are deeply troubled by a Canadian mining company’s plans to turn thousands of acres of forest and farmland on Kenya’s eastern coast into a $150 million titanium strip mine. Opponents of the massive mining project charge that it is fraught with corruption and would devastate a fragile ecosystem, as well […]
-
Thaw Shucks
Adding weight to arguments that global warming is upon us, a study appearing today in the journal Science concludes that 26 bodies of water in the Northern Hemisphere are freezing an average of 8.7 days later and thawing out 9.8 days earlier than they did 150 years ago. The study was a based on direct […]
-
Piping Hot
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill yesterday to require tougher safety measures for oil and natural-gas pipelines, hoping to prevent spills and leaks that pollute the environment and sometimes prove deadly. The bill would increase inspections and fines for hazardous accidents and require pipeline operators to disclose more info to government regulators. Still, some […]
-
We Kid You Not
Louisiana and Texas are the states that emit the most chemicals dangerous to children, according to a report released yesterday by activist groups. It found that about half of all toxic chemical emissions reported to the federal government are suspected to affect the way children’s bodies and brains develop, and drew attention to a finding […]
-
Fishing for Votes
Commercial salmon fishing should be shut down in Washington state to save endangered salmon runs, says former radio talk show host John Carlson, the favorite to win the Republican primary for governor in the state. As governor, Carlson says he would ban nets used by almost all commercial and tribal fisheries. Carlson: “It makes no […]
-
Hot Diggity Smog
The buzz a couple of weeks ago was that Los Angeles was set to regain the title of smoggiest city in the U.S. from Houston — but, hark, the race isn’t yet over. As of yesterday, Houston had rebounded and surpassed L.A. with 37 days above the national standard for ozone pollution compared to L.A.’s […]
-
My Gorge Is Rising
A combination of population growth, drought, desertification, water waste, and global warming is causing a serious water shortage in China that experts say could induce environmental and political crises. Officials are blaming drought for a 9.3 percent drop in the summer grain yield, and water rationing has been imposed on residents and industries in nearly […]
