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Balance Beamed
Six environmental groups filed suit yesterday against the federal government, arguing that they should have seats on two federally established committees that advise the U.S. on forest product trade issues. The committees are now composed solely of industry representatives, despite a federal law requiring them to be “fairly balanced in terms of the points of […]
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Invasive Procedures
Today marks the first meeting of the federal government’s new multi-agency Invasive Species Council, a group that will tackle the mounting problems of exotic plants and animals in the U.S. The more than 50,000 nonnative species in the U.S. cost the economy some $138 billion a year, according to a Cornell University study released last […]
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Russia: Let Me Atom!
Russia sees a potential $15 billion enterprise in storing nuclear waste from around the world, and Russian officials will meet next week with Vice Pres. Al Gore and other U.S. officials to discuss the project. Under the plan, nations would pay as much as $1.5 million per metric ton to have an estimated 10,000 tons […]
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Phew, I Feel Safer Already, Part II
The world’s 440 nuclear power plants are on track to deal with the millennium computer bug, the International Atomic Energy Agency said yesterday. The agency’s reviews of plants uncovered some “vulnerabilities” in data and monitoring systems, but the IAEA claims there are no problems related to safe operation of the plants. Meanwhile, the Norwegian environmental […]
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Grime and Punishment
A Russian military and environmental journalist was acquitted yesterday of treason and espionage charges. Grigory Pasko was arrested and imprisoned in November 1997 after filing a report for a Japanese television station that purportedly showed Russian sailors dumping radioactive waste into the Sea of Japan. Prosecutors accused Pasko of selling military secrets, but Pasko says […]
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Roundtable Still Benighted
The Business Roundtable, representing chief executives of more than 200 of the largest U.S. companies, yesterday called for a national summit to discuss ways business and government can speed the development of energy-efficient technologies. The group touted the great potential of new energy-related technologies to curb global warming and cut businesses’ production costs. The Roundtable […]
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Pop the Corks?
One day after some estimates that the world population has hit 6 billion, the House voted to restore U.S. support for the U.N. Population Fund, which was cut off last fall by the GOP. Yesterday, 46 Republicans joined the majority of Democrats in voting for up to $25 million in U.S. aid. The bill stipulates […]
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Phew, I Feel Safer Already
The U.S. Army plans to manufacture and use eco-friendly bullets that will still kill people but won’t be quite so deadly to the environment. New tungsten-based bullets will be phased in as replacements for traditional lead bullets, which can cause lead buildup in the environment and contaminate sediments, surface water, and groundwater. Some 1 million […]
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A Chicken-S**t Tax Cut
Tax credits would go to companies that convert chicken droppings into electricity under a provision tucked into a giant Senate tax-cut bill by Sen. William Roth (R-Del.). Chicken farming is the largest agricultural enterprise in Delaware, and chicken manure has become a major source of pollution. Technology for burning the manure to produce electricity has […]
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Himalayan Low
Global warming could melt Himalayan glaciers within 40 years, according to new research to be presented this week at a meeting of the World Meteorological Organization. The Gangotri glacier at the head of the Ganges River is receding at a rate of about 90 feet per year. The melting of glaciers could increase the risk […]
