Latest Articles

Silvery Lining

If fish could celebrate, there would have been a major party going on among silvery minnows yesterday, when a federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation must take the species into account when managing New Mexico’s water system. State officials, who have long been fighting environmentalists over the endangered silvery minnow, claim […]

Blair Switch Project

As part of a broad cabinet reshuffle that has British politicians and citizens alike shaking their heads, U.K. Environment Minister Michael Meacher was asked yesterday by Prime Minister Tony Blair to step down. Meacher, who has held his post since 1997, was increasingly at odds with Blair over the issue of genetically modified crops; Meacher […]

Deep Blue See

Over the objections of lawmakers from coastal states, the U.S. Senate yesterday approved a plan to survey oil and natural gas deposits beneath the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Supporters say the country has the right to know the extent and nature of its energy reserves in case of a crisis. Critics say the plan could […]

Adding Fuel Cells to the Fire

The Bush administration has been busily touting fuel-cell cars as a critical component of its energy plan and the solution to many an environmental woe. But what if the solution turns out to cause its own problems? According to new research published in this week’s issue of Science, the technology used in hydrogen fuel cells […]

And other words from readers

  Re: Mobil-ized Dear Editor: Sometimes being anal pays off. I’ve been using Quicken since 1996 to track all my expenses, and I see here that I’ve spent $6,178.56 on gasoline over the past seven years. Of that total, $1,339.41 went to Mobil, $747.09 went to Exxon, and the rest to BP, Shell, and assorted […]

Turning Over a New Reef

Here’s some cheery news to lighten all the grim findings about the bleaching of much of the Great Barrier Reef: Australian scientists have stumbled onto a new reef off the coast of Queensland. At 46 square miles, the reef can’t hold a candle to its 133,200 square-mile big brother, but it’s still bigger than, for […]

Hal Clifford reviews Cruise Ship Blues by Ross Klein

For all intents and purposes, during the summer, it is the 45,000 people found on the dozens of cruise ships that ply that state's southeastern coastal waters. And the effects of that "city" on the natural environment are indeed urban, in the worst imaginable ways.

Environmental What Agency?

Rumors are heating up about who will fill the shoes of U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman, who announced her resignation last month and will step down June 27. Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne (R) and Tom Skinner, the EPA’s Midwest regional administrator, seem to have risen above two earlier possibilities — Deputy EPA Administrator Linda Fisher […]

Tapped Out

Drinking bottled water isn’t necessarily a good thing for your health or for the environment, since the plastic bottles take up space in landfills and their contents are not subject to strict regulations. But how safe is the tap water you drink? Getting better, but still not as good as it should be, according to […]

Home Is Where the Smart Is

Canada’s efforts to meet the terms of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions could have a positive outcome for homeowners: Under a plan approved by a federal cabinet committee this week, Canadians who take steps to make their homes more energy efficient could get an average rebate of about $740. […]