Articles by Grist staff

Report finds widespread meddling with species decisions

Officials at the U.S. Interior Department improperly meddled in a number of decisions affecting imperiled species under the Endangered Species Act, a report [PDF] from the agency’s inspector general has found. The Bush administration agreed last year to reexamine a number of decisions made by Julie MacDonald, an ex-official accused of orchestrating much of the […]

Over 2 trillion tons of land ice melted in Arctic since 2003

Over 2 trillion tons of land ice melted in the Arctic in the past five years, according to the space agency NASA, together raising global sea levels by one-fifth of an inch. “The best estimates are that sea levels will rise about 18 to 36 inches by the end of the century, but because of […]

New energy chief’s enthusiasm for cellulosic ethanol makes me uncomfortable

"World demand for transportation fuels is growing fast, and biofuels have a major role to play in meeting that demand. That’s why BP is investing in a range of biofuels-related activities around the world, all aimed at bringing biofuels into the mainstream by making them more widely available to motorists." — From a BP press […]

Thoughts on Obama’s USDA pick

"Tom understands that the solution to our energy crisis will be found not in oil fields abroad but in our farm fields here at home," Barack Obama declared Wednesday, hailing his pick for USDA chief, former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack. "That’s the kind of leader I want in my Cabinet." Great. Rather than an advocate […]