Articles by Grist staff

California lawmakers set to take lead on enviro policy

Monday’s Washington Post notes a fact that’s been on many a green activist’s mind in the past two months: California lawmakers are set to play key roles in setting the nation’s environmental policies. The two congressional committees with the biggest say in environmental legislation are chaired by Californians (Barbara Boxer in the Senate, Henry Waxman […]

Massive coal-ash spill in Tennessee threatens water supplies and public health

More than a billion gallons of coal ash have spilled from a coal-burning power plant in eastern Tennessee since Dec. 22, when a retention wall at the plant burst. That’s billion with a “B,” which means the amount of gunk spilled is about 100 times larger than the mess from the Exxon Valdez disaster. Gray […]

S.F. Chronicle says Bush admin. is racing to open up the state’s coasts

The Interior Department is rushing to open up California’s coasts to offshore drilling exploration, the San Francisco Chronicle reported today, a move that could lead to oil derricks being built within three miles to the state’s shoreline. Government estimates show there could be 10 billion barrels of oil off of California’s entire coastline, enough to […]

Sen. Cornyn offers up simplistic recipe for energy security

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas says tumbling gas prices have had the bad effect of making voters less interested in tackling the nation’s energy problems. True. But the Republican lawmaker from one of the reddest states in the union says the biggest stumbling block to energy security isn’t reliance on fossil fuels and an unwillingness […]