Latest Articles
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A spotlight on young enviro activists
David Brower, a pioneer of the U.S. environmental movement, once said that his generation depended on young people “to shape us up before it’s too late.” Though Brower — former executive director of the Sierra Club, founder of Friends of the Earth and the Earth Island Institute — passed away in 2000, his legacy lives […]
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Demerit Badge
Bush Admin. Facilitates Drilling Next to Boy Scout Camp It sounds like a modern adaptation of Dickens, but it’s all too true: A White House energy task force is clearing the way for El Paso Corp., a Houston-based energy company, to drill for natural gas near the nation’s largest Boy Scout camp. The Valle Vidal […]
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Nucular Mismanagery
Nuclear Industry Not Having a Great Week Yesterday — on the 59th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki, marked by the city mayor’s plea to the U.S. to abolish nuclear weapons — Japan experienced its most deadly nuclear accident to date, with four workers killed by scalding steam (ouch) spewing from a ruptured pipe at […]
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Pollution on the Orient Express
Asian Air Pollution Wafts Over Eastern U.S. Air pollution from Asia has been found hovering over the northeast U.S., calling into question the efficacy of domestic efforts to improve air quality. “At some point, it may be cheaper to sell pollution-control equipment to China,” said researcher Daniel J. Jacob. Researchers from six countries are involved […]
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Park ‘n’ Chide
Kerry Promises to Renew National Parks At a campaign stop in Arizona’s Grand Canyon — wait, isn’t Arizona a swing state? — John Kerry pledged to renew America’s national park system, which he said the Bush administration has left “under stress.” Noting that Bush’s budget for next fiscal year contains less money for national parks […]
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Umbra on genetically modified foods
Dear Umbra, Is most of the genetically modified food that makes its way into our grocery aisles really that harmful? It seems to me that the process of genetic modification is not that far from hybridizing and other tinkering processes that we’ve come to accept. Judi Boston, Mass. Dearest Judi, We don’t know, and that’s […]
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One-Track Mine
Bush Administration Packed with Coal-Friendly Bureaucrats In his 2000 campaign, George W. Bush promised to make coal central to his energy plan, and he was rewarded with millions of dollars in donations from the coal industry and the votes of coal miners in crucial swing states. Upon taking office, Bush appointed several coal executives and […]
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Flagging Energy
Kerry Talks Energy on the Stump; Bush Bashes His Plan Kerry talked up his plan for energy independence over the weekend while campaigning in swing states (does he go anywhere else?), saying such swing-state-friendly things as, “You want to drive a great, big SUV? Terrific. Terrific. That’s America.” That’s America indeed. Kerry’s $30 billion energy […]
