Articles by Grist staff

Flying Fish

A proposal to create marine parks off the coast of California has led to shouting matches between environmentalists and scientists on the one side and the fishing industry and recreational anglers on the other. The proposal would prevent fishing and other human activities in as much as 20 percent of state waters — a 100-fold […]

Precedent of the United States

A federal judge dismissed an effort by the timber industry and users of off-road vehicles (ORVs) to overturn former President Clinton’s order to designate 328,000 acres of federal land in California’s Sierra Nevada as Giant Sequoia National Monument. The plaintiffs challenged the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives the president the authority to establish monuments. They […]

Benzene Wring

A five-year study by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission found that two chemical companies, Marathon Ashland Petroleum and BP Chemical, have been releasing unacceptable amounts of benzene into the air around Texas City, 60 miles southeast of Houston. The levels of benzene, which is a known carcinogen, were three to six times higher than […]

Hot Food

A sting operation by Cambodian wildlife officials uncovered 137 restaurants dishing up endangered species in the country’s capital city of Phnom Penh. The officials rescued more than 1,300 critters, including wild boars, rare turtles, scaly anteaters (called pangolins by those in the know), and a sun bear. Although no one was arrested as a result […]