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Motor Voters

U.S. Senate Votes Against Increased Fuel Efficiency In a blow to advocates of stricter fuel-efficiency standards, the Senate yesterday voted 65 to 32 against a proposal by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) that would have required cars and SUVs to average 40 miles per gallon by 2015. Instead, the Senate backed an industry-supported proposal to let […]

Genetically modified animals could make it to your plate with minimal testing — and no public input

Last January, inspectors with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration paid a visit to the University of Illinois, where researchers have been studying the DNA of pigs. The pig project, based in Champaign-Urbana, is one of dozens of experiments being conducted across the country in which scientists are altering the genetic structure of animals in […]

Bark, but Little Bite?

Asserting that illegal logging causes a host of social and political problems, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday announced the launch of a new U.S. campaign to help developing countries fight unlawful deforestation. “Such blatant disregard for the law weakens governments, encourages corruption, [and] undermines democracy,” Powell said. He pointed to the example of […]

How to avoid the enviro nasties that lurk in pools

Let water sit around for 24 hours — stagnating in an old tire, say, or in a birdbath in the backyard — and some pretty nasty things can start breeding in it. After Mt. St. Helen’s erupted in Washington State in 1980, newly formed oxygen-deprived pools became breeding grounds for Legionnaires’ disease. Then there’s cholera, […]

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Mock ‘Em

Instead of preaching about the evils of General Motors’ Hummer H2, with its hulking frame and 10-mile-per-gallon fuel economy, the Sierra Club has launched a new website to mock the mega-SUV: www.hummerdinger.com. “G.M. celebrates Hummer’s state-of-the-art 1950’s engine technology with some of today’s hottest stars,” reads a mock story on the site, which goes on […]

Land of the Rising Sun

Japan, weary of being dependent on imported fuel, has taken a shine to solar power. The nation now produces half of the world’s solar energy and has surpassed the U.S. as the world’s leading producer of solar panels. The Japanese government has thrown its weight behind what it sees as a potentially strong export industry, […]

He Issa Dud

Environmentalists unleashed a barrage of criticism yesterday against Rep. Darrell Issa (R), who bankrolled much of the campaign to recall California Gov. Gray Davis (D) and is now running for the gubernatorial spot himself. “His voting record in Congress is absolutely abysmal,” said Rico Mastrodonato, executive director of the California League of Conservation Voters. Mastrodonato’s […]

Ross Freeman, American Rivers

Ross Freeman is staff scientist at the Northwest regional office of American Rivers, a conservation organization that restores and protects river systems nationwide. Monday, 28 Jul 2003 SEATTLE, Wash. As far as I can recall, the last time I had an entirely predictable, no-surprises week was during the tail end of my high school years, […]

The White House Defines Junk Mail

It’s Not a Gas, Gas, Gas

In a rare disagreement with his oil and gas buddies, President Bush is resisting pressure to institute a tax break that would pave the way for a 3,600-mile pipeline to carry natural gas from Alaska to the lower 48 states. The administration supports construction of a “commercially viable” pipeline, according to a position paper sent […]