Latest Articles
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Hunt and Picket
The Makah Indian tribe of Washington state is gearing up for another whale hunt, 11 months after its first hunt in 70 years drew international attention and impassioned protests from many environmentalists. The U.S. government made a deal in 1997 with the International Whaling Commission that allows the Makahs to kill up to five gray […]
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Bawl's in Their Court
A federal appeals court panel ruled yesterday that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission acted properly in rejecting a bid for closer review of safety issues surrounding the renewal of the operating licenses for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in southern Maryland. The NRC voted last month to extend the life of the Calvert Cliffs complex […]
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Seine Freeze
The Clinton administration’s attempt to loosen standards for “dolphin-safe” tuna has been blocked by a federal judge, preventing the label from being used on cans of tuna caught with nets that snare dolphins. Several enviro groups had filed suit in August after the Commerce Department proposed a change in the dolphin-safe labeling standards, which would […]
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You Should Have Seen the One That Got Away
Enviros are warning that a breed of genetically modified (GM) fish that can grow up to 10 times faster than normal could taint the gene pool and upset delicate ecosystems. A U.S. company, AF Protein, developed the variety of Atlantic salmon by inserting growth hormone genes from another kind of fish. The company expects the […]
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A scientist fights back against exotics
The Western U.S. has many well-known problems — overgrazing, rampant development, Garth Brooks look-alikes. But one troublesome issue that hasn’t gotten much attention is cheatgrass, an exotic weed that arrived here in the 1890s and has since taken over an area the size of Montana. Cheatgrass never prospers? Photo: Russel Stevens/Chuck Coffey, Noble Foundation. Because […]
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Magnificent, Seven!
Enviros and other activists yesterday kicked off more than a week of protests against corporate globalization in Washington, D.C., with the goal of disrupting meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund this Sunday and Monday. Seven protestors were arrested yesterday, including Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth, and John Passacantando, executive […]
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Your Aiken Heart
The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. maneuvered to have psychiatrists find “paranoid delusions” in a manager because he complained publicly about safety and other problems at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, the Department of Labor has concluded. For years, Neil Aiken complained about problems at the plant near San Luis Obispo, Calif. In April […]
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Greedy and Shellfish
Enviros are hailing a decision by Mexican environmental officials to reject a controversial proposal for a tourist resort on San Quintin Bay, a pristine inlet 185 miles south of the U.S. border. The federal National Ecology Institute, which reviews the environmental impact of projects proposed for undeveloped areas, gave a negative assessment to the $700 […]
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Oh Yeah, Canada
Canadian Environment Minister David Anderson today will introduce long-awaited endangered species legislation that calls for five-year jail terms for individuals who kill endangered species or destroy critical habitat. The measure would also allow for fines of up to $170,000 for individuals and $684,000 for corporations that violate the law. At present, Canada has no law […]
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Recovering From Gorilla Warfare
Several Rwandan and American institutions are teaming up to create a high-tech program to monitor Rwandan gorillas and their habitat, using remote sensing from satellites and aircraft as well as human trackers on the ground carrying Global Positioning System units. The Rwandan government is hoping to use the program as a way to train people […]
