Latest Articles

Umbra on wine bottle stoppers

Dear Umbra, Here’s a question I couldn’t find an answer to in the Grist archives: What kind of plastic is being used for the corks in wine bottles? If I decide to put a bottle in the cellar for several years, will the plastic leach into the wine? Thanks for your help! Holli B. Portland, […]

2008 Arctic sea-ice melt second-meltiest ever

Sea-ice melt in the Arctic this year was the second-largest on record, falling just short of 2007’s all-time record melt, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The slightly larger ice cover this year is hardly cause for celebration, though; sea ice may have covered more of the ocean’s surface overall, […]

Renewable energy promotion policies: transparent

The previously discussed finance mechanisms tend to hide the costs of building renewable generators by concealing the actual cost per unit of electricity and costs for the ratepayers or taxpayers as a whole. In an era when so much is hanging on energy policy, it makes more sense to consider policies that do not pull […]

House energy bill includes oil-shale provisions that alarm conservation groups

The energy bill that passed in the House last night also permits forward movement on commercial oil-shale development, a provision added to the legislation on Monday. The provision repeals the current moratorium on finalizing regulations regarding oil-shale production, and would allow states to decide whether or not to permit oil-shale development on federal lands within […]

EPA, U.S. lax on e-waste regulation, GAO says

A new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office paints a bleak picture of electronic-waste practices in the United States and condemns the U.S. EPA for its lax enforcement of a new national e-waste law. E-waste often contains toxics like cadmium, lead, and mercury, which can leach out of computers, TVs, and other electronics once […]

Tesla Motors to build electric-car plant in San Jose, Calif.

Tesla Motors, maker of the ultra-sleek, ultra-expensive, all-electric Tesla Roadster sports car, has announced it will build a manufacturing plant in San Jose, Calif., to churn out within two years its newest all-electric offering: a five-seater sedan. Priced at a still-spendy-but-slightly-saner $60,000, Tesla’s “Model S” sedan is expected to roll off the production line in […]

Gray wolves in northern Rockies to remain on endangered list for now

Gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains will remain on the endangered species list for the foreseeable future, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokesperson. FWS’ Ed Bangs said Tuesday that the agency will withdraw its rule (released in March) that had declared the gray wolf population in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming recovered and […]

House passes an energy bill that combines increased drilling with expansion of renewables

After a day-long debate over energy legislation, the House passed the Democrats’ “Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act,” a bill that both opens up new areas of the country to oil extraction and increases support for renewables. “The energy bill puts us onto that path of independence by having a comprehensive legislation which […]

Markey on House Dems’ energy bill

The House just passed the Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act [PDF] (more on that in a moment). In the meantime, here’s video of Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming Chair Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on the floor earlier with one of the more passionate speeches of the day:

The GMO seed giant expects Roundup to generate $1.8 billion in profits in 2008

Monsanto positions itself as a green company. “Using the tools of modern biology,” its website informs us, “we help farmers grow more yield sustainably so they can produce more and conserve more.” Compare that twaddle to this bit from Monsanto’s announcement on Tuesday: [Monsanto’s Chief Financial Officer Terry] Crews will indicate that Monsanto’s Roundup® and […]