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Blow by Blow

The EPA last week accepted petitions from eight Northeastern states asking the agency to order sharp cuts in pollution from individual dirty power plants in the Midwest and South. The pollution is believed to blow into the Northeast and contribute to serious air quality problems in the region. Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA […]

You Say Tomato, I Say Lawsuit

Thirteen states have passed laws that protect farmers and food producers from criticism that could cut back on their sales, and environmentalists and consumer advocates are warning that the laws are limiting the public’s right to know about potential dangers. Some publishers and broadcasters, fearing lawsuits under the laws, have declined to publicize information about […]

Prez: Life's a Beach — and So Are Republicans

President Clinton on Saturday ordered federal agencies to boost efforts to clean up beaches and waterways, and he challenged states to do the same. Giving his weekly radio address while on vacation at a remote wildlife preserve in Florida, Clinton also criticized Republicans for “rolling back” environmental protections by attaching narrowly focused riders to major […]

Steer Clear of that Weasel Diesel

Environmental officials are considering a crackdown on diesel, a common and dangerous pollutant that can clog lungs, damage genes, and cause cancer. The California Air Resources Board last year declared that diesel particles are carcinogenic and is studying ways to reduce their health threat; the EPA is considering a similar move. In a series of […]

What Lurks in the Basement?

We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us

For the first time, more Japanese companies favor a tax on carbon-dioxide emissions than oppose it, according to a poll released by the nation’s Environment Agency yesterday. “The poll indicates there is a growing perception among Japanese firms that voluntary corporate efforts alone cannot curb carbon-dioxide emissions,” an agency official said.

We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Not Us

Mobil CEO Lucio A. Noto got testy yesterday when enviros suggested that the company’s planned merger with Exxon, approved overwhelmingly by stockholders yesterday, would create an environmentally irresponsible monster. Noto lit into the Kyoto climate change treaty, saying Exxon and Mobil oppose it and that it’s “not worth the paper that it’s written on.” He […]

This Is the Place

The Clinton administration and Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt (R) have reached a broad general agreement that could result in more than 1 million acres of wilderness in Utah’s West Desert. The still nascent deal faces potential opposition from environmentalists and county commissioners, and would need approval from Congress. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt has the task […]

Birth of a Breach Idea

The feds must breach four dams on the lower Snake River in order to honor treaty obligations to Indian tribes in the Northwest, according to a new report from a consultant to the Army Corps of Engineers. The corps is considering three options for restoring salmon and steelhead trout in the river and will make […]

Fly Wolf

Two more packs of Mexican gray wolves were released into eastern Arizona last week, bringing the number of wolves in the area’s reintroduction program to at least 19. One pack, taken from central New Mexico, was driven into Arizona, flown by helicopter into the Arizona forest, then packed into the backcountry on mules. The reintroduction […]