Articles by Grist staff

Chop Goes the Weasel

Timber companies will be given the chance to chop down many large, old trees on millions of acres in national forests if they also remove the undergrowth, brush, and small trees that fuel forest fires, thanks to a provision snuck into a massive spending bill that President Bush signed last month. Enviros are calling the […]

Shays Rebellion

In the Cool Bills That Will Never Fly Department, a bipartisan duo last week introduced legislation in the House that would designate as wilderness all roadless federal lands in Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and western Wyoming — a total of 26 million acres. The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, championed by Reps. Christopher […]

Storm Troopers

The Bush administration announced on Friday that oil and gas companies will not be bound by new regulations that require storm water runoff plans to be developed for small construction sites, a means of keeping dangerous chemicals and metals from contaminating waterways. Saying it needs more time to study the situation, the U.S. EPA has […]

Between Iraq and a Hard Place

The U.S. Coast Guard has stationed members of its Strike Force in the Persian Gulf to respond to possible intentional oil spills by Iraq in retaliation for U.S. military action. The Strike Force, which responds to chemical and environmental crises, has been called upon in the recent past to manage hazardous debris from the space […]