Latest Articles

Sea Whirled

Gene Study of Sargasso Sea Sample Yields Surprising Results Gene sequencing conducted on a small sample of water from the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda has revealed some 1,800 new species and led to questions about our basic knowledge of ocean biology. A group of scientists led by Craig Venter — the famed gene researcher and […]

Southwest Passage

New Mexico Passes Renewable-Energy Bills New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) yesterday celebrated the passage of a remarkable package of progressive energy bills, with the vocal support of a broad coalition including utilities, environmentalists, ranchers, and consumers. The centerpiece is a new law stating that all investor-owned electrical utilities in the state must generate 10 […]

Nothing but a GE Thing

Federal Court Gives GE Go-Ahead for Suit Against Superfund The constitutionality of the Superfund toxic-site cleanup law is once again an open question. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., this week instructed a lower court to reconsider General Electric’s suit challenging the 1980 law, overturning a year-old district court decision dismissing the case. […]

Eek-otourism

Ecotourism May Be Harming Wildlife Ecotourism — and tourism erroneously billed as eco — may be harming the very animals and ecosystems it claims to venerate. As many as one in five tourists are “ecotourists” under some definition, and those numbers are expected to continue their dramatic rise in coming years. It’s a booming business […]

Plumbing New Depths

D.C. Lead Contamination Casts Doubt on EPA Testing Methods The ongoing drama over lead contamination in Washington, D.C., tap water promises to spill over (ahem) to the rest of the country, as a hearing on Capitol Hill today examines how federal agencies handle local drinking-water safety. Extensive testing of residential tap water by the D.C. […]

Ken You Dig It?

London Mayor Considers Expanding Downtown Congestion Charging London Mayor Ken Livingstone boasts that the year-old, eight-square-mile pay zone in the center of the city — where motorists are charged $9.40 to enter between 7:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on weekdays — has worked to reduce congestion and increase the use of public transportation. He promises […]

Bush EPA dilutes meaning of environmental justice

The U.S. EPA has failed to integrate environmental justice research into the development of its policies, says a report [PDF] released on Monday by the EPA’s inspector general (IG), who operates an independent office within the agency. Play at your own risk. Photo: Environmental Defense. More troubling still, the EPA under President Bush seems to […]

Group Hug

Environmental Cooperation Bringing Hostile Nations Together Frustrated by the glacial pace and pestersome bureaucracy of major international treaties and conventions, a new generation of environmental activists is turning its focus to “environmental peacekeeping”: local, grassroots efforts to forge cooperation on ecosystem preservation among neighboring nations with a history of conflict. Activists say that, rather than […]

Well, Excuuuse Us!

U.S. Seeks Exemptions from Ban on Ozone-Damaging Pesticide The U.S. will seek to make a large number of American farmers and industries exempt from an international ban on the highly toxic and ozone-depleting pesticide methyl bromide, set to take effect next year, Bush administration officials announced yesterday. (We thought they saved this kind of stuff […]

Asbestos Times, the Worst of Times

U.S. Faces Coming Asbestos Health Crisis, Group Says Despite the common public perception that asbestos went out with bell bottoms and disco, the fact is that asbestos — like, uh, bell bottoms and disco — is still with us. In fact, claims a report released today by the Environmental Working Group, we are poised to […]