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And other words from readers

  Re: I’d Like My C, Under the Sea Dear Editor: The article implies that storing carbon in air pockets under the sea floor is the definition of carbon sequestration. However, the technique is just one of many ways to sequester carbon. Carbon sequestration refers to any way that carbon is removed from the atmosphere. […]

Old Flame

The chemicals in fire-resistant products help keep your home safe — but they appear to be endangering species in the Norwegian Arctic. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are showing up in high concentrations in the region’s polar bears, whose cubs have a lower survival rate than elsewhere, as well as in the eggs of local seabirds, […]

Klam Bake

In the latest turn of events in the Water Crisis That Won’t Die, state officials in California are considering releasing water into the Klamath River to rescue thousands of salmon dying from unusually high water temperatures in the river. Scientists have counted more than 9,500 dead Chinook salmon near the river’s mouth since Friday, and […]

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 […]

Thighmasters of the Universe

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 […]