Latest Articles
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Brown Mountain State?
The Green Mountain State is looking less and less green every day: Vermont environmentalists are increasingly concerned about the fate of the state under new Republican Gov. Jim Douglas. So far, Douglas has proposed an 8 percent cut in the Natural Resources Agency budget, pledged to reexamine a plan to protect lands in the Northeast […]
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The Sub-way Continent
If ever there were a city that needed a good subway system, it is New Delhi, India, one of the world’s most populous (14 million) and most crowded metropolises. Now the city’s got just that, and everyone, from residents to foreigners, is amazed and thrilled by its success. Although the entire 62-mile, 90-station subway system […]
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School’s Out
A coalition of Montana mining, timber, and construction lobbyists yesterday called on the state legislature to cut funding for the University of Montana’s environmental studies department, calling it “insidious” and a threat to the state economy. Speaking to the state’s Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, Ellen Engstedt of the Montana Wood Products Association said, “We […]
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Super-efficient Cheeseheads
Going green could save Wisconsin more than $225 million over the next two years, according to a coalition of state environmental groups. Yesterday, the groups released a “Green Budget” itemizing ways Wisconsin could save money while protecting the environment. One of the budget’s simplest recommendations — using more efficient lighting and turning off unused electronic […]
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Drinking Problems
As concerns grow about possible global water shortages, the United Nations Environment Programme has published a new report on the quantity, quality, and availability of worldwide water supplies. But unlike many scientific studies that are all-but-incomprehensible to the general public, this report uses simple visual images to convey its message. The graphs and photos illustrate […]
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Board Stiffs
In what may be the most significant regulatory backdown in state history, the Oregon Board of Forestry yesterday sharply reduced its obligation to review private timber sales on landslide-prone land. In the past, the state forester was required to approve all such logging and could be held liable if an approved project later resulted in […]
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Penn Is Mightier Than the Sword
Following in the footsteps of nine other northeastern states, Pennsylvania went to court yesterday to block new, less stringent federal air-pollution regulations from taking effect. The Pennsylvania case is separate from one filed by the other states, but the issue is the same: the New Source Review rules of the Clean Air Act, which once […]
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Rick Johnson, Idaho Conservation League
Rick Johnson is executive director of the Idaho Conservation League. After working for ICL in the mid-1980s, he spent eight years in Seattle, working with the Sierra Club to protect the Northwest’s ancient forests, often as a “frequent-flyer lobbyist” in Washington, D.C. He returned to Idaho in 1995. Monday, 27 Jan 2003 BOISE, Idaho On […]
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Private Eyed
The Bush administration is considering privatizing about 70 percent of National Park Service jobs, according to the Interior Department. The jobs in question range from maintenance workers to secretaries to scientists. Law enforcement officers, managers, and most park rangers would not be affected. About 4 percent of current employees could lose their jobs. Interior Deputy […]
