Articles by Grist staff

Hitting Hard-rock Bottom

In a small victory for environmentalists, the Bush administration is expected today to endorse tougher environmental rules for hard-rock mining on federal land. The rules, which were finalized at the end of the Clinton administration, set new groundwater and surface-water standards, and allow the feds to turn down a mining permit if the mining would […]

Beyond the Call

Nokia, the world’s largest cell phone maker, said yesterday that it hoped to develop a phone with biodegradable parts within a few years. Nokia’s Salla Ahonen said that cell phone waste is increasing, with many people changing cell phones every two years and throwing out their old ones. The company has already tested biodegradable clip-on […]

A Mindo Their Own

The Ecuadorian government earlier this month approved the construction of a billion-dollar oil pipeline project that will go straight through the Mindo ecological reserve, a cloudforest 16 miles northwest of Quito that provides important habitat for more than 400 orchid species and 300 bird species. President Gustavo Noboa celebrated the decision as a great step […]

Send Us the Bill

Former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson was elected late last week to serve on the board of trustees of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Karen Golembeski, Richardson’s spokesperson, said he was drawn to the group “primarily for its work on global climate change.” Some folks in the know expect Richardson to run for governor of New […]