Latest Articles
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Oily to Bed Makes a State Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
In a triumph for environmentalists, a federal appeals court has blocked an attempt by the Bush administration to revive dormant oil leases off the coast of California. Last year, a federal court granted California the power to prevent new oil exploration in federal waters near the state’s coastline, a ruling that was appealed by the […]
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The Science of the Lambs
It ain’t easy being a scientist in farm country: Researchers studying the health effects of agricultural pollution say they are being silenced by fearful superiors and harassed by individual farmers, farm groups, and even the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which funds and controls much of the research done on farming. One example: JoAnn Burkholder, a […]
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I’ll Have No Truck With That
An unlikely partnership of environmental, labor, and trucking groups filed for an emergency injunction yesterday to prevent the Bush administration from allowing Mexican trucks on U.S. roads, claiming that doing so would worsen U.S. air quality. Last week, in compliance with the North American Free Trade Agreement, President Bush called an end to 20-year-old restrictions […]
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Steve Carter-Lovejoy, Virginia Natural Heritage Program
Steve Carter-Lovejoy is the natural heritage information manager for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Monday, 2 Dec 2002 RICHMOND, Va. Hello, I’m from the government, and I’m here to help you. No, really! I’m a faithful reader of Grist’s diary feature, but I’ve never seen an entry by a “typical” employee of a […]
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Can’t See the Forest for the Stumps
Here’s something you probably weren’t feeling very thankful for on Thursday: The Bush administration issued a proposal last week that would allow managers of the country’s 155 national forests to approve logging and other commercial activities without thoroughly assessing the potential environmental damage that could result. The proposal would radically alter Clinton-era rules that required […]
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Oil and Trouble
Coastal areas in Spain are suffering the effects of a Nov. 13 spill that sent millions of gallons of oil into the waters off the nation’s northwestern coast. Although high winds and strong currents have kept most of the spilled fuel oil farther out in Atlantic waters, waves of oil crashed over a 20-foot sea […]
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Very Slow Food Movement
After months of heated debate, the 15 farm ministers of the European Union agreed last week on labeling rules for genetically modified (GM) food and animal feed. Under the plan, all food and feed containing 0.9 percent GM ingredients or more would need to be identified as such; below that threshold, no labeling would be […]
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Pole Vault
A plan to dramatically boost the use of biofuels in Poland has been approved by the country’s lower house of parliament and is now being heard by its senate. The plan, which is backed by the nation’s powerful farm lobby, would mandate that biofuels account for at least 4.5 percent of all domestic fuel sales […]
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Wine, Wine, Wine
Napa Valley, Calif., is known as the heart of U.S. wine country, not exactly as a toxic cesspool. But local environmentalists say soaring wine production in the valley has lead to unhealthy farming practices that pollute the land, place heavy pressures on natural resources, and harm wildlife. The county has passed legislation designed to limit […]
