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The Sweden Hereafter

Sweden aims to be oil-free in 15 years It’s official: Sweden is the coolest … country … evar. Already widely admired for meatballs, Ikea, and, um, other Swedish stuff, the country has now announced its aim to have an oil-free economy by 2020. The Swedes cut the percentage of their energy coming from oil from […]

A Woman Needs a Fish Like a Bicycle Needs … Oh, Never Mind

One in five U.S. women have high mercury levels, suggests new report You weren’t thinking of having children, were you? Good: One in five American women of childbearing age may have unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies, according to a new report by the Environmental Quality Institute at University of North Carolina-Asheville. In the […]

Less Money, Mo’ Problems

Bush’s 2007 budget slashes funding for energy conservation When President Bush said “America is addicted to oil,” we thought he meant that was a bad thing. Apparently not: Bush’s proposed 2007 budget increases funding for oil and gas drilling on public lands and slashes $100 million from some of the Energy Department’s most effective conservation […]

Gristmill exclusive!!!!!

Breaking news!

At my breakfast this morning with Lester Brown, the man ordered a ham and cheese omelet.

That's right. This alleged "environmentalist" is not ... a ... vegetarian.

Press inquiries may be directed to me.

Developing ...

Coal companies sue feds for letting them slack on safety

After the Sago coal mine disaster killed 12 West Virginia miners last month, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) came under widespread criticism for failing to adequately regulate the coal industry and protect mine workers. Critics blamed the Bush administration for stocking the agency with coal industry cronies who wanted a more "cooperative" approach to safety regulations rather than serious enforcement. Now, one more group has joined the chorus of MSHA critics: the very coal companies that worked to gut the agency in the first place.

Read the rest of this weird, wacky tale.

It sucks

Sigh:

President Bush's latest spending plan is unlikely to substantially reduce US oil consumption in the short term because it slashes $100 million from federal programs promoting conservation and falls short of the commitment in last year's energy bill to make vast new investments in renewable and emerging technologies, like hydrogen fuel and solar power.

I can hardly bear to discuss the rest of this story -- though it is an excellent piece of reporting. You should read it.

To summarize: Bush's budget is de-funding and de-emphasizing energy conservation, very much deliberately ("Craig Stevens, a Department of Energy spokesman, said the White House's emphasis on new energy sources over conservation reflects the department's current priorities."). Renewables are getting less money even than they were promised in last year's energy bill. Most of the money for renewables is devoted to nuclear, specifically a "$250 million Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, designed in part to encourage developing nations to build nuclear power plants." He's increasing the Interior Department's budget for oil drilling, and assuming revenues from drilling in the Arctic Refuge. And on and on.

Everything Bush said about energy in the SOTU was a farce. Nothing has changed.

Buying hybrid SUVs allows car companies to sell gas-guzzlers

Oy. I used to think the introduction of hybrid SUVs was generally a good thing -- with perhaps even greater potential for saving fuel than hybrid cars. But this New York Times article brings up a point I simply hadn't considered: Buying a fuel-efficient SUV makes it possible for car companies to sell big gas guzzlers without incurring any penalties under federal CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards. From the article:

[E]very Toyota Highlander hybrid S.U.V. begets a hulking Lexus S.U.V., and every Ford Escape -- the hybrid S.U.V. that Kermit the Frog hawked during the Super Bowl -- makes room for a Lincoln Navigator, which gets all of 12 miles a gallon. Instead of simply saving gas when you buy a hybrid, you're giving somebody else the right to use it.

This is vexing, to say the least.

Mustache v. Cheney

I can't very well let a Tom Friedman column go by without comment, now can I?

Today the Mustache grasps the rear end of our Vice President, carefully aligns it, and then gives it a swift kick.

Well done.

Umbra on bamboo flooring

Dear Umbra, We will be putting in new flooring in the very near future. My first choice was hardwood, but I have recently read a lot about bamboo. Because it is renewable, it seems to be a better option. But how is it grown? Who is harvesting it? Are the people in the industry fair […]

The Present Future

Glimpsing the predicament of our moment, of "a human world newly and suddenly vulnerable to the forces of a changed planet," writer and artist team up to question the fantasy of human control over destiny.

That's the tag line for "The Present Future: Paintings for a very hot planet," a showcase of paintings by Alexis Rockman, accompanied by an essay from Bill McKibben, in the latest issue of Orion Magazine. Check it out.