Articles by Grist staff

Spilling Over

The city of Los Angeles accepted legal responsibility yesterday for a decade’s worth of sewage spills, numbering 3,668 in all. The spills polluted streets and water bodies, in violation of both state and federal clean-water laws. After a four-year legal battle with government officials, environmental organizations, and community members, the city has finally owned up […]

John Connor, It Is Time

Australia is famous for its unusual animals (think koalas and kangaroos), but according to a new government report, thousands of the nation’s mammal, reptile, and bird species could go extinct if the pace of land-clearing continues unabated. The report, known as the “Biodiversity Audit” and leaked to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation yesterday, found that 2,891 […]

Kerry on

Massachusetts Democratic Senator and 2004 presidential contender John Kerry is honoring Earth Day today by calling on the federal government to protect the human and ecological health of poor and minority communities through strengthening its commitment to environmental justice. In a speech this afternoon, Kerry demanded the creation of a new environmental justice position at […]

May the Source Be With You

A newly released, two-year study of the federal Clean Air Act’s New Source Review rules criticizes the Bush administration for taking steps to weaken clean air protections and calls for tighter regulations for older coal-fired power plants. New Source Review requires owners of power plants and other polluting facilities to install state-of-the-art emissions-control devices when […]