Articles by Grist staff

Well, They Otter

Sea otters should be allowed to frolic freely along the Southern California coastline, according to a new recovery plan drawn up for the threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hailed by enviros, the plan, developed over 14 years, advocates the end of a federal program that relocates otters away from shellfish grounds […]

Something Smells Fishy

The Bush administration is proposing changes to its salmon-protection strategy that critics say would endanger salmon while boosting logging in the Pacific Northwest. As it now stands, federal rules prohibit timber sales and other activities on public lands unless officials can demonstrate that fish would not be harmed. Under revisions proposed this week, officials would […]

Research and Destroy

It’s been a bad news week for whales. First, Iceland announced that it would begin hunting minke, fin, and sei whales again after a 13-year hiatus. The nation says the whaling will be strictly for research purposes, but environmentalists say the plan is a smokescreen for commercial hunts. The World Conservation Union’s Red List ranks […]

Ceci N’est Pas Une Small Fine

The U.S. EPA has levied a $34 million fine against the Colonial Pipeline Company, the largest civil penalty the agency has doled out in its 32-year history. The company owns a 5,500-mile underground pipeline that snakes through 14 states on its way from Texas to New York; the fine is for violating the federal Clean […]