Latest Articles
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A breakdown of the renewables vote in the Senate
One day after declining to support tougher fuel-efficiency standards, the Senate yesterday voted down a measure that would have required 20 percent of the nation’s electricity to be produced from wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources by 2020. Currently, less than 2 percent of U.S. electricity comes from renewable resources. The measure that could […]
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Drug Bust
A federal survey that found trace levels of medications in rivers and streams throughout the U.S. could prompt the Food and Drug Administration to revitalize its environmental investigations into drug safety. The first-of-its-kind survey of more than 100 waterways found low levels of dozens of antibiotics, hormones, painkillers, cough suppressants, disinfectants, and other products excreted […]
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Mutts and Jeffords
We hate to be the bearer of still more bad tidings, but what can we say? It’s been a rough week for the environment on Capitol Hill. One day after declining to support tougher fuel-efficiency standards, the Senate yesterday voted down a measure that would have required 20 percent of the nation’s electricity to be […]
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Military Unintelligence
The House Subcommittee on Military Readiness held a hearing yesterday to discuss whether environmental regulations are impeding the full functioning of the U.S. military. Subcommittee Chair Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) said his goal was to “find a balance between the need to protect national security and the environment.” He then proceeded to criticize “ever-increasing limitations and […]
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Bush’s global warming plan is just the tip of the iceberg
MEMO TO: All National Petroleum Unlimited employees FROM: Jack Morris, CEO Has this CEO gone soft, or was there something sweet — nay, touching — in the details of President Bush’s new emissions plan? Rather than demand that we do our part to slow the pace of global warming, he’s simply letting us volunteer! Friends, […]
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Beating Bushes and Dead Horses
Responding to Mathew Gross’ piece, Grist readers did anything but beat around the bush. Gross argued that Bush’s abysmal environmental record proved that Gore would have been a far different — and better — president, notwithstanding the claims of the Naderites. That charge clearly touched a nerve with our readers. From eulogies to Rush Limbaugh […]
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A breakdown of the CAFE standards yeas and nays in the Senate
By a vote of 62 to 38, the U.S. Senate decided yesterday to remove from the energy bill a provision that would have increased Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency vehicle standards. Instead, the Senate opted for an industry-backed proposal to give the Bush administration two more years to study the implications of raising CAFE standards. You […]
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Boy Oh Boise
The timber and paper giant Boise Cascade agreed yesterday to settle a federal lawsuit, filed by the U.S. EPA and the Department of Justice, accusing the company of violating the New Source Review regulations of the Clean Air Act. The regulations require companies to install state-of-the-art pollution controls when upgrading facilities; the suit alleged that […]
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New District in Colombia
In what conservationists hope will serve as a model for future projects, Colombia has set aside a 167,960-acre park in the Amazon basin and granted the indigenous people who live there control over its management. Formally established late last month after years of negotiations between the government, indigenous people, and environmental groups, Indiwasi National Park […]
