Articles by Grist staff

Death to Coughy

Almost 6,000 people will die prematurely from respiratory illness due to emissions from power plants owned by eight utility companies that the Clinton administration sued for violating the Clean Air Act, according to a private report released yesterday. In addition to the deaths, the report predicted that the pollution would lead to 140,000 asthma attacks […]

7.7 Degrees of Separation

Two new studies on global climate change, both appearing in the latest issue of Nature, predict that the Earth will get even hotter by the end of the century than previously estimated by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. One study, from Switzerland, sees a 7.7 degree Fahrenheit increase by 2100; the other, from […]

A breakdown of the Arctic Refuge vote in the Senate

The Senate today effectively voted down Amendment 3132, which would have allowed oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. “Effectively,” because the issue never actually came up for debate: The Democrats filibustered, and drilling advocates fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to break the blocking tactic and force passage of […]

Cheshire Fat Cat

Here’s a whole new meaning for the phrase “company town”: The village of Cheshire, in southeastern Ohio, will be purchased for $20 million by American Electric Power Company. Last year, the town was plagued by clouds of sulfuric acid drifting in from a nearby AEP power plant, Ohio’s largest coal-burner. Notwithstanding a recent $175 million […]