Latest Articles
-
All Griled Up
During his confirmation hearing in May 2001, J. Steven Griles promised the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that his former job with a lobbying firm, where he represented a broad array of utilities, mining companies, and energy producers, would not interfere with his new position as deputy interior secretary of the United States. […]
-
For the Birds
The U.N. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals was widened this week to include six types of whales, a rare Asian river dolphin, the great white shark, and a camel capable of living on salty water. The decision to increase protections for these and other animals came at the end of […]
-
Reid It and Weep
The Bush administration distorted a report to the U.S. EPA by deleting the views of government experts who sought to curb emissions from snowmobiles, according to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Reid has released documents (which he says he obtained from an anonymous whistleblower) showing that the Interior Department removed pro-emissions-restrictions comments from a government report […]
-
Drill Press
As the U.S. Congress debates the details of a far-ranging energy bill, Interior Secretary Gale Norton has announced that she will ask President Bush to veto any version of the bill that does not allow oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The version of the bill approved by the House contains such a […]
-
Schroeder’s Symphony
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s Social Democrats will remain in power by a narrow majority, thanks to a strong showing by his coalition partner, the Green Party. Commentators agree that the most remarkable achievement of the tight parliamentary elections belonged to Joschka Fischer, foreign minister and leader of the Greens. Despite the small size of the […]
-
Luck Ran Out
Nevada has run out of funding to continue its birth-defects registry, a loss that supporters say couldn’t have come at a worse time. The registry, which was begun three years ago with a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, identifies trends in birth defects across the state in order to help identify […]
-
Sea Minus
It’s an ocean of trouble out there — such were the conclusions of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, which issued an interim report today at the halfway-point of an 18-month study of ocean health and marine resources. So far, the commission has found that about 40,000 acres of coastal wetlands in the U.S. are […]
-
Koh Chang: Ka-ching!
One by one, Thailand’s tropical islands have been overrun by the tourism industry and all but gutted by unbridled, profit-driven development. Now the nation’s impoverished government has its eye on the last large piece of unspoiled land: idyllic Koh Chang Island. This time, though, the government promises it will use proper zoning, strict regulations on […]
-
Wayne Lasuen, Student Conservation Association
Wayne Lasuen is a campus recruiter for the Student Conservation Association. Monday, 23 Sep 2002 ST. PAUL, Minn. Everyone who grows up in a small town — in my case, Mountain Home, Idaho — dreams of going elsewhere, but most people just stay put. To make matters worse, those who stick around get jealous of […]