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Fish Don't Fry in the Kitchen, But Beans Do Burn in Brazil
Brazil’s southernmost state yesterday launched a big publicity push to keep farmers from illegally planting genetically modified soybean seeds smuggled in from neighboring Argentina. A black market is growing for the seeds, which save farmers money on herbicides and pesticides. Industry sources estimate that nearly 10 percent of Brazil’s soybean harvest could be genetically modified, […]
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Is McCain Able?
GOP presidential contender John McCain yesterday called for cutting federal subsidies for oil, gas, ethanol, and sugar and using the money to fund a school voucher program. A major theme of McCain’s campaign has been fighting special interests, and in going after the oil and gas subsidies, he strikes against an industry that is a […]
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If Not for the Courage of the Fearless Judge, the Minnow Would Be Lost
Enviros have won a big court case that could lead to the protection of more than 200 miles of streams in Arizona and New Mexico from mining, grazing, and development. A federal judge ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must designate critical habitat for two federally listed endangered minnow species within five months. […]
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Motor Mouths
Federal regulators should crack down on pollution from power plants and factories and not put so much of the burden on cars, says AAA, the motorists’ advocacy group. The group is releasing a study today that found that pollution from automobiles has declined much more rapidly over the past 30 years than pollution from other […]
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Label Pains
The U.S. is considering requiring that genetically modified foods be labeled as such, but no decision has been reached, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson said this week. Some reports indicate that the U.S. hopes to develop a labeling proposal by the time of the World Trade Organization meeting that will begin in Seattle in […]
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This Plum Needs Some Pruning
The Sierra Club’s national board of directors is opposing a major swap of public and private land in Washington state, which was approved by the Senate last week. The board heard last week from residents of Randle, Wash., who live near a parcel of national forest called Watch Mountain that would be turned over to […]
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Gee, You Mean We Can't Trust the Nuclear Power Industry?
The owner of the Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Connecticut yesterday admitted that the plant had falsified environmental records and deliberately promoted unqualified plant operators, pleading guilty to 23 federal felonies and agreeing to pay $10 million in fines, the largest penalty ever for a U.S. nuclear plant. Prosecutors said the plant’s actions could have […]
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Come On, Rudy, Sign the Local Motion
Some 567 local officials from all 50 states — including the mayors of Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. — are calling on the federal government to act more aggressively to combat climate change, in a statement to be released today. As of late last week, enviros had been saying they’d scored a coup […]
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Just Two Words: Scary Plastics
Phthalates, plastic-softening chemicals used in medical tubing and children’s toys, are at the center of a contentious debate, with enviros and a number of health experts arguing that the chemicals may cause serious health problems for humans. A panel of scientists led by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop released a report in June that […]
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A Rising Tide Floods All Islands
Small island nations throughout the world are threatened by climate change, toxic waste, and excessive tourism, island leaders said yesterday during a U.N. session in New York focusing on their problems. The 43 members of the Alliance of Small Island States say they want an end to industrial fishing and the transport of nuclear and […]
