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New EPA fuel economy regs

The EPA's long-awaited and more accurate fuel-economy calculations will debut next week.

Over 150 activists send letter asking Kennedy to reconsider position

Cape Wind Associates' plan to build a big wind-power farm off the coast of Cape Cod has been dividing enviros for years, but the disagreement got a lot more heated last month when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran a high-profile op-ed railing against the project in The New York Times.

An excerpt:

These turbines are less than six miles from shore and would be seen from Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Hundreds of flashing lights to warn airplanes away from the turbines will steal the stars and nighttime views. The noise of the turbines will be audible onshore. A transformer substation rising 100 feet above the sound would house giant helicopter pads and 40,000 gallons of potentially hazardous oil. According to the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the project will damage the views from 16 historic sites and lighthouses on the cape and nearby islands. The Humane Society estimates the whirling turbines could every year kill thousands of migrating songbirds and sea ducks.

That didn't sit so well with many enviros who see climate change as the big environmental issue and therefore think renewable-energy projects should be welcomed in all our backyards. More than 150 green leaders and activists this week sent a letter to Kennedy asking him to reconsider. Word is Kennedy said he'll meet with them to discuss. We'll keep you posted.

Meantime, here's the letter:

Enviros plot to beat Pombo in November

Just a week into this election year and already environmental strategists are up to their elbows in plots to snatch Congress from the grip of anti-environment GOP leaders and turn it over to a conservation-minded majority. Leaders of green groups including the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife are hatching plans to help political allies […]

According to Wired.

1. Your property value will decrease.
2. They're ugly.
3. You'll hear noises similar to those Nazi troops used to torture Jews with during the holocaust.
4. They'll cause strokes.
5. Women will menstruate five times a month.

At least some people think so, according to a Wired article about the battle against wind farms in upstate New York.

Poor safety enforcement led to the tragedy

The Sago mine disaster was first and foremost an incredible tragedy. (I challenge you to read this story and not get a tear in your eye.) I haven't said anything about it because in my experience most initial reports around accidents like this are exaggerated or plain wrong -- and that was certainly the case in Sago.

But now that the dust is clearing a little bit, there seems to be a growing consensus that the accident was, if not the direct result, at least indirectly related to a woeful lack of enforcement on the part of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. And that, of course, has to do with the coal industry's extraordinary friendliness with the Bush administration (though previous administrations, including Clinton's and Bush I's, share plenty of responsibility).

Start with today's NYT editorial, but for details and background, check out the guest posts from Ellen Smith, the editor of Mine Safety and Health News, over on Washington Monthly: here, here, and here. ThinkProgress also has some good stuff here, here, and here.

Update [2006-1-6 14:28:57 by David Roberts]: More from Jordan Barab.

New Year’s Resolutions 2006

Stop drooling over concept cars we’ll never own That is, as soon as we’re done gawking at this stackable, shareable, electric two-seater dreamt up by MIT’s Smart Cities team. It’s inspired by corralled shopping-carts, powered by four “wheel robots” with 360-degree movement, and fully customizable. Drool. Photo: Franco Vairani. Be as eco-conscious as Britney Spears […]

Stockholm-ward Bound

Stockholm is second Euro capital to charge for driving into the city All the cool cities are doing it! (Wait, is Stockholm cool?) This week, Sweden’s capital began a trial run of a new system that will charge for the privilege of driving into the city, and officials have declared it a success so far. […]

If It Ain’t Broke, Break It

New report from House Republicans targets cornerstone environmental law House Republicans have issued a 30-page report that proposes fixes for the National Environmental Policy Act — a law greens say isn’t broken. Since 1970, NEPA has required that activities on federal lands that may have environmental impact (think road building and flood control) be subject […]

Trawl of Tears

Deepwater fish being pushed to the edge of extinction Key species of deep-sea fish are nearing extinction, having declined by up to 98 percent in the past few decades. In a new study in the journal Nature, three researchers analyzed catches of five deepwater species from the northwest Atlantic, off the Canadian coast — each […]

Diss Diss Bang Bang

Feds hand management of Idaho gray wolves over to the state Uh oh, there’s gonna be some shootin’! The Bush administration has transferred management of the gray wolf population in Idaho to the state government — even though the animal is still listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. The deal was sealed at a […]