Latest Articles

Weighing Obama’s and McCain’s stances on food and farm policy

Will the next president be tough enough to defy the wishes of agribusiness? Apologies to Grant Wood Last month at Slow Food Nation, Michael Pollan made an interesting point about food policy and presidential politics. Food issues won’t likely play much of a role during the campaign’s stretch run, Pollan said, but the winning candidate […]

Streamlining the agricultural process in Iowa

This is a guest post by my travel partner, Todd Dwyer, head blogger for Dell’s ReGeneration.org, where this post originally appeared. —– I have a shocking piece of news for you. You may want to sit down for this: Agriculture is big business in Iowa. Did I say “big?” Maybe that’s an understatement. Of the […]

Biden questioner says ‘clean coal’ doesn’t exist

Last night, Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden said that his previous remarks on “clean coal” were “taken out of context,” and that he “for 25 years has supported clean coal technology.” The remarks came after moderator Gwen Ifill asked him to clarify earlier, seemingly contradictory statements on clean coal. Clean coal leapt into the spotlight […]

House passes bailout plan with extensions for renewables, sends to Bush’s desk

If at first you don’t succeed, try again. After failing to muster enough votes on Monday, the House on Friday approved the financial market bailout plan by a vote of 263-171, sending the bill to the desk of the president. The final version of the bailout included the extensions for renewable tax credits that Congress […]

Oregon looks to protect its ocean ecology

Amidst the slavering cries to drill pretty much everywhere, it’s encouraging to hear the news from Oregon. The state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has just finished accepting proposals for new marine reserves — protected places where Oregon’s maritime ecology can thrive. A coalition of conservation leaders has developed an ambitious and smart proposal. Now […]

How commodity grain farmers have sown the seeds of their demise

In “Dispatches From the Fields,” Ariane Lotti and Stephanie Ogburn, who are working on small farms in Iowa and Colorado this season, share their thoughts on producing real food in the midst of America’s agro-industrial landscape. —– A field of dried soybeans ready to be combined. Although “that time of year” in corn and soybean […]

CFL study argues against a mandate to switch from incandescents

Choose your metaphor: losing sight of the forest for the details of the leaves in the trees, Pyrrhic victory, you name it. All could be applied to this study here, which looks at countries and states according to how much mercury would drop or rise in their air if they switched from incandescent lighting to […]

Houston joins Los Angeles in having ‘severe’ smog problem

Houston has received the dubious honor of becoming the second U.S. city to have a “severe” smog problem, as classified by the U.S. EPA. Los Angeles is its partner in grime. The downgrade from a “moderate” to “severe” smog problem gives Texas’ largest city nine extra years to meet federal air-quality standards. Both Houston and […]

Watch the video and read the transcript

Last night’s vice presidential debate featured an important exchange on climate change. Grist is posting the video and transcript excerpt below: Moderator Gwen Ifill’s question to Sarah Palin: “Governor, I’m happy to talk to you in this next section about energy issues. Let’s talk about climate change. What is true and what is false about […]

Nine states sue EPA over water rule, saying it allows pollution

Nine U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba have sued the U.S. EPA over a regulatory change that exempts transfers of water from one water body to another from Clean Water Act protections. If allowed to stand, the plaintiffs charge, the June administrative ruling would permit ships to dump ballast water in the Great […]