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Michelle Nijhuis reviews Entering the Stone by Barbara Hurd

On the fourth of July this year, I went underground -- under the Chihuahuan Desert, that is, and into the famous Carlsbad Caverns. Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico has been hosting tourists for the better part of a century, so it's got a lot of experience with showing itself off. The fabulous limestone decorations are subtly lit (a Hollywood lighting expert helped out with the placement of the bulbs), the paths are paved and protected by handrails, and large-capacity elevators whisk you up to the daylight.

Bush pushes his Clear Skies plan — and his electoral prospects — at a notoriously dirty power plan

Bush talks to the masses in Michigan. Photo: White House. When President Bush set out on Monday to defend his recent New Source Review rollback and promote his energy bill and Clear Skies program, it was hard not to notice the peculiar setting he chose. Wearing a hardhat and safety glasses, the commander in chief […]

The Ties That Blind

Ties to Polluters Could Compromise Leavitt at EPA, Say Critics Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt (R), President Bush’s nominee to head the U.S. EPA, has strong financial ties to polluters, which critics say cast doubt on his ability to do the job fairly and effectively. Nearly 10 percent of the campaign funds Leavitt raised over the […]

Rocky Roadless

Bush Administration Refuses to Defend Roadless Rule In what may be a final blow to the Clinton-era roadless policy, the Bush administration refused to appeal a federal court injunction against the rule by the deadline for doing so last Friday. Enviros are hopping mad that the administration didn’t defend the policy, which aimed to prevent […]

A Real Page-turner

Small Recycled Paper Company Is Making Big Strides New Leaf Paper, a small but fast-growing recycled paper company in San Francisco, aims to revolutionize the paper industry — a revolution that’s sorely needed. Ninety percent of printing and writing paper in the U.S. still has no recycled content at all, says Susan Kinsella, executive director […]

Block Party

Edwards Will Block Bush’s Choice to Head EPA North Carolina Sen. John Edwards (D), a presidential contender, is now the third senator threatening to hold up the nomination of President Bush’s choice to head the U.S. EPA, Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt (R). “The nomination will not go forward until this administration commits to giving us […]

A Nice Piece of Tailpipe

New Low-Polluting Cars to Hit U.S. Showrooms Next Month There are low-emission vehicles (LEVs), ultra-low-emission vehicles (ULEVs), super-ultra-low-emission vehicles (SULEVs), and the holy grail of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). As if the clean-car world weren’t baffling enough, now there’s a new acronym to add to this alphabet soup — partial zero-emission vehicles (PZEVs), which Ford and […]

Put It in Park

Megapark Will Protect Vast Stretch of Pristine Amazon Rainforest Brazil has announced the creation of a new “conservation corridor” that will link 12 separate protected areas in the Amazon rainforest to create a 25 million-acre megapark. It will be the world’s largest protected stretch of tropical rainforest, encompassing about 70 percent of Brazil’s northern state […]

Twisting Their Farms

California Bills Would Crack Down on Air Pollution from Farms For the first time, California farmers would have to do their part to curb air pollution, under a series of controversial bills approved last week by the state legislature. The state’s agriculture industry has long enjoyed an exemption from the federal Clean Air Act, even […]

A Boy Named “Sue”

Four States Sue EPA for Failing to Protect Kids from Pesticides Four state attorneys general filed suit against the U.S. EPA yesterday, charging that the agency is endangering kids by failing to carry out a 1996 law intended to protect children from the risks of eating pesticide-laden food. “Parents reasonably expect that every effort has […]