Articles by Grist staff

Department of Offense

The Pentagon may ask the U.S. Congress to rewrite the Endangered Species Act to exempt military training exercises from restrictions to protect sea turtles, desert tortoises, and other rare critters. Defense Department documents leaked to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility propose that the secretary of defense be able to “grant exemptions for reasons of mission […]

Isn't It Good, We Need More Wood

Feel good that the world’s three biggest buyers of lumber — Home Depot, Lowe’s, and IKEA — have promised to give preference to wood that meets eco-friendly certification standards. But feel un-good that very little such wood exists. Only about 200 patches of certified forests now exist across the globe. Rod Taylor of the World […]

The Day the Earth Didn't Stand Still

Water-hungry Los Angeles is pumping so much groundwater that the area is rising and falling each year in tune with the seasons, according to a report published today in the journal Nature. Using global positioning system satellites, a research team from the U.S. Geological Survey calculated that some parts of the L.A. area have been […]

The Kratzer-Jammin' Kid

Two new U.S. government reports raise big concerns about a Bush administration plan to cut federal environmental enforcement staff by 8 percent and shift resources to the states. A report by the U.S. EPA’s inspector general found that states are doing a poor job of monitoring and punishing water polluters. A report by the General […]