Articles by Grist staff

Whistle Stop

The ombudsman for the U.S. EPA, Robert Martin, is accusing the agency’s administrator, Christine Todd Whitman, of punishing him for opposing an agreement limiting the financial liability of Citigroup for a controversial Superfund cleanup. Martin alleges that Whitman had a conflict of interest in the case because Citigroup is a principal investor in her husband’s […]

Oil the Way

California Gov. Gray Davis (D) reiterated his opposition to offshore oil drilling in his state yesterday and vowed he would fight the Bush administration all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary to stop development of 36 drilling leases granted by the federal government. Because of a moratorium imposed by the first President […]

Fairy Fairy, Quite Contrary

The U.S. Supreme Court refused yesterday to hear a challenge to the protected status of the endangered fairy shrimp, a tiny crustacean that lives in rainwater ponds in California’s Central Valley. The decision was a boon to fans of the Endangered Species Act, but a blow to property-rights advocates, for whom the case was one […]

A Developer’s Wet Dream

The Bush administration weakened protection for wetlands, streams, and swamps across the U.S. yesterday by making changes to the Clean Water Act, despite the objections of the U.S. EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The changes, which were proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers and approved by the White House, make it […]