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Byrds of a Feather Flock Together
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) rallied more than 500 miners outside the Capitol yesterday, complaining that the White House had backed off on its support for a rider that would let strip mining continue on West Virginia mountaintops. A federal judge ruled last month that the controversial “mountaintop removal” mining technique, which uses explosives to take […]
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The Yellow Haze of Texas
GOP presidential frontrunner George W. Bush boasts about a law he signed in Texas earlier this year that set voluntary pollution standards for old industrial plants, saying he has done more than any previous Texas governor to clean up industry. But enviros and even federal officials say the new law is far too lax to […]
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Checkin' of the Sea
Enviros are launching campaigns to help seafood eaters know which species they ought to avoid and which they can devour without too much guilt. The Natural Resources Defense Council and SeaWeb mounted a successful push last year against the consumption of swordfish because of its declining populations; many restaurants responded by dropping swordfish from their […]
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Jumpin' Dam Bash, It's a Gas Gas Gas
In what will be the largest dam removal effort in California, Pacific Gas & Electric announced yesterday that it plans to demolish five small but significant dams on a Northern California stream in an attempt to save endangered salmon runs. Federal and state governments will pay $27 million to help remove the dams, PG&E will […]
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The Japan Syndrome
Fifteen of 17 large nuclear facilities in Japan have inadequate health and safety measures, according to a report released yesterday by the nation’s Labor Ministry. The report found 25 violations of health and safety law, most related to inadequate checks on radiation exposure. The ministry issued instructions to nuclear facilities to improve their records, and […]
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Another Rainy Day for Microsoft
Climate change is likely to bring wetter weather to the Pacific Northwest, according to researchers at the University of Washington. The scientists, who make up a federally sponsored research team known as the Northwest Climate Impacts Group, today will describe what Northwesterners should expect to see over the next 50 years as climate patterns shift. […]
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Deb Jensen, Santa Catalina Island Conservancy
Deb Jensen is director of education at the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy. Monday, 8 Nov 1999 CATALINA ISLAND, Calif. Waking up to the sound and smell of rain this morning was, well … refreshing. It has been months since any precipitation has fallen as rain here. Conversations have been punctuated by fears about drought, global […]
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A Tree Grows in Pyongyang
Troubled by North Korea’s deforestation problem, the nation’s leader, Kim Jong Il, is launching an effort to plant millions of trees. Most of the country’s forests, except those in tourist areas, have been chopped down by people desperate for fuel, and with trees no longer holding soil in place, rain is washing topsoil away and […]
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The Empire State Strikes Back
New York Gov. George Pataki (R) plans to impose new state vehicle emissions standards that are stricter than federal requirements, adopting the set of standards that is now in place only in California. Massachusetts has signaled its intention to follow suit, a development that is expected to help push the entire auto industry to develop […]
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Wired, Wild West
Wilderness movements in the U.S. are gathering steam and pushing for protection of ever-larger areas, even as the Republican-controlled Congress thwarts most wilderness bills. An extensive citizen-led survey of Utah lands has lead to a campaign for 9.1 million acres of federally protected wilderness in the state, and has inspired other efforts throughout the West […]
