Latest Articles

A Pregnant Pause

Women who were exposed to the pesticide DDT while in the womb had more difficulties getting pregnant as adults than did those who had no exposure, according to a new study published in the British medical journal Lancet. “This is the first research that shows it is possible that these exposures can cause problems 30 […]

Read U.S. EPA Deputy Administrator Linda Fisher’s letter of resignation.

Linda Fisher, second in command at the U.S. EPA, resigned from her post as deputy administrator on June 26, 2003, just one day before her boss, Christie Whitman, stepped down. Like Whitman, Fisher cited her family as her reason for leaving, but Beltway scuttlebutt suggested that she was upset at being passed over to head […]

Pump and Circumstance

The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will hear a case about the Florida Everglades that tests the scope of the federal government’s ability to fight pollution. At issue is how much power the feds have in controlling the amount of water pumped across the Everglades basin. State water managers say they should not […]

Fisher Cuts Bait

U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman officially stepped down today — and she wasn’t alone. The agency’s second-in-command, Linda Fisher, unexpectedly resigned as well, leaving the EPA without an obvious leader until a permanent successor is nominated and approved, a process that is expected to take many months. Like Whitman, Fisher expressed pride in the work […]

Donkey Kick

The Bush administration received a serious dressing-down in absentia last night over its misbegotten environmental policies, as five of the nine Democratic hopefuls aired their own green views during a League of Conservation Voters forum held in Los Angeles. Rather than detailing the differences in their own positions, most of the candidates who were present […]

Welcome to the Ex-jungle

The rate of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest jumped 40 percent in 2002, with 9,840 square miles of forest lost, according to figures released this week by Brazil’s Environment Ministry. That loss — the highest since 1995 — prompted alarm among environmentalists and pledges by the Brazilian government to implement emergency measures to protect the […]

Umbra on hot air balloons

Dear Umbra, There’s a Hot Air Balloon Festival going on in the Hudson Valley right now and I’m watching balloons out my window wishing I had the nerve to go up in one, while also wondering how bad they are for the environment. This isn’t just mild curiosity; you could literally make or break my […]

Umbra on reusing trophies

Dear Umbra, You are my only hope! I need help with trophies. Not trophy boyfriends or bass fishing trophies, but a large collection of wood and metal trophies that I have accrued due to a high school career rife with geeky accomplishment. My mom, who has graciously housed these trophies up ’til now, has finally […]

And other words from readers

  Re: Boycotts Will Be Boycotts Dear Editor: The entire concept of powered personal vehicles is foul, and driving has many more serious effects than air pollution, or even than inspiring oil wars: It facilitates sprawl, which cannot exist in any significant form without the automobile; it requires more and more paving, which affects not […]

Umbra on chewing gum

Dear Umbra, I shudder at the triviality of the question, but so far nobody I’ve asked has been able to provide a satisfying answer. So here it is: Is chewing gum biodegradable? Can I spit it on the compost instead of sticking it under the chair? Would green stalks sprout from the gum-spot-riddled sidewalks if […]