Articles by Grist staff

The Texas Supply-chain Massacre

Federal agency says cost-cutting a factor in fatal BP refinery explosion Ooh, what a little belt-tightening can do: a new federal review says cost-cutting by BP contributed to the 2005 refinery explosion in Texas City, Texas, that killed 15 workers and injured 180 others. Carolyn Merritt, chair of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, says the […]

Spite of the Living Dead

Interior Department official disparages endangered-species recommendations If Julie MacDonald had a farm (e-i-e-i-o), all the animals would die. At least six times since 2004, MacDonald — deputy assistant secretary of the Interior Department — has rejected staff recommendations to protect susceptible flora and fauna under the Endangered Species Act, documents show. The Interior Department’s inspector […]

Hauntingly Familiar

Groundbreaking climate report inspires predictable political responses World reaction to yesterday’s U.K. report linking climate change with possible economic ruin has been swift — and painfully predictable. While British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his likely successor Gordon Brown hailed the findings, Kyoto-resisters Australia and the U.S. offered more lukewarm responses. Australian Prime Minister John […]

Let’s Talk About Rex, Baby

Senators ask ExxonMobil to stop funding climate-change deniers ExxonMobil should “end any further financial assistance” to climate-change-denying lobbyist groups, say Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) in a scathing letter sent to ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson on Friday. According to an upcoming report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, the oil behemoth funded […]