Articles by Grist staff

Old Man Winter declares war on renewable energy

Guess what. The sun doesn’t shine as much in winter, so your home solar system won’t generate much power in the cold months. Oh, and it might SNOW on your solar panels, so you’re gonna have to get out there and sweep them off. But relax solar fans. You’ve got it better than those wind […]

N.Y. Times is ready for regime change at the EPA

The Gray Lady’s editorial board offered up a big lump of coal to President Bush’s EPA chief in a Christmas Day editorial. The NYT notes that even former GOP-appointed EPA leaders are frustrated with Stephen Johnson’s tenure at the nation’s top environmental enforcer. Money quote: “It was Mr. Johnson who refused to grant California a […]

Giant pond of coal ash escapes, floods Tennessee homes

A giant flood of coal ash — the toxic sludge left over after coal burning — broke through an earthen retaining wall at a plant in Harriman, Tenn., Monday. Five hundred million gallons of nastiness flowed into tributaries of the Tennessee River and inundated a dozen nearby homes. Either Santa has it out for Harriman […]

What U.S. leaders could learn from a 13-year-old

Under the blunt title “Ethanol is Stupid,” a letter in the Concord Monitor makes a cogent case against corn-based ethanol: Most ethanol is made from corn. However, that corn must be supplied in enormous quantities, and corn is used in much food for humans and animals. If we use corn for fuel, more will need […]