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Spain Is Banging Its Head over Heavy Metal
The region in Spain near the Guadiamar River is still reeling from an ecological disaster that took place one year ago, when the waste reservoir of a nearby zinc mine burst open and spilled more than one billion gallons of toxic slurry into the river, flooding hundreds of farms. The noxious waste has contaminated the […]
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Brower Beaten
David Brower, the 86-year-old environmental legend, on Saturday abandoned his bid to become president of the Sierra Club, acknowledging that he didn’t have enough votes among the board of directors. He backed the nomination of Chuck McGrady, who was unanimously elected to a second one-year term. Brower, who sits on the board, had criticized the […]
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Corn Canned
Following publication yesterday of a study that found genetically modified corn can kill monarch butterflies, the European Union governing body suspended approval for two types of gene-altered corn. Two other types have already been approved by the EU. In all, 18 genetically modified products have been approved by the EU since 1992; however, there has […]
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Biz Cool to Bush's Warming Stance
Pro-business types are aghast at Texas Gov. George W. Bush’s (R) recent announcement that he believes global warming is underway. Bush, the top GOP presidential contender, said he changed his position after meeting with advisers who agree that there is “some warming, but disagree about its cause and impact.” The head of the Environmental Defense […]
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Browner Courts a Fight
The Clinton administration will do its darndest to overturn an appeals court decision made last week that invalidated EPA clean-air regulations on ozone and particulates, EPA Administrator Carol Browner said yesterday. In addition to appealing the ruling, which Browner called “extreme, illogical, and bizarre,” the administration will press on with its efforts to crack down […]
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Invasion of the Habitat Snatchers
As of July 1, ships planning to enter U.S. waters will have to show they are doing their part to stem the tide of invasive species. The Coast Guard is implementing new regulations that will require big ocean vessels to empty their ballast tanks at sea before entering U.S. waters, in theory washing out foreign […]
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Nuclear Leak
Three nuclear power plants in New England held closed-door discussions with a British company last year about the possibility of shipping their high-level nuclear waste to the U.K. Though the negotiations went nowhere, British anti-nuke groups were angry this week when news of the discussions leaked out. The New England nuclear plants want to shut […]
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Brower Tries to Climb Sierra Again
David Brower, the outspoken, 86-year-old American conservationist, is making a bid for the presidency of the Sierra Club, a group with which he has had a hot-and-cold relationship over the years. Should he become president, Brower has said he would reopen the issue of immigration, which caused a big schism in the group last year, […]
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Food Not Fit for a Monarch
Genetically modified corn can kill monarch butterflies, according to a study by Cornell University scientists published in today’s issue of the journal Nature. The corn contains a toxin that kills pests that feed on the crop, but researchers determined that the toxin also poses a risk to the butterflies. They found that toxic pollen from […]
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Clean Air Inaction
Thirty-nine percent of factories tracked in a federal database were guilty of significant Clean Air Act violations from 1997 through 1998, according to a study released today by the Environmental Working Group. The violations by the businesses studied — oil refineries, pulp mills, steel mills, iron mills, auto assembly plants, and metal smelting and refining […]
