Articles by Grist staff

The Icky 500

New EPA Chief Calls for Cleaner Air in 500 Days Newly minted U.S. EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt gave his first major speech yesterday, promising to embark on the “most productive period of air-quality improvement in American history.” The former Utah governor spoke of a 500-day plan for cleaner air but offered no details on it. […]

Markey-Mark and the Nukey Bunch

GAO Finds Shortage of Money for Closing Atomic Reactors Nearly half of the nuclear-reactor owners in the U.S. are not setting aside sufficient money to decommission the plants when they are shuttered, according to a report by the General Accounting Office. As a result, 42 plants might not have enough money to be safely shut […]

Skiing Downhill

Global Climate Change Could Spell End of Winter Sports Industry Bad news for ski bums: As global climate change heats up the planet and pushes snow lines ever higher, many winter resorts in Europe might have to shut down. Less expensive, low-altitude destinations will be particularly hard hit, with some slopes in Italy, Austria, and […]

What, Exxon Unethical? You’re Kidding Me!

Academics Up in Arms Over Exxon-Funded Research When Exxon went to court in 1997 to appeal a $5.3 billion punitive damage verdict over the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, it cited articles from respected journals and law reviews that found that high punitive damages were bad for society or based on the unjust whims of […]