Articles by Grist staff

Driving That Train, High on Industrial Solvents

More than 600 railroad workers, from Maryland to Kentucky to Montana, have been diagnosed with brain damage over the last 15 years from handling toxic degreasing solvents, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal after a 10-month investigation. Thousands more may be ill, but not know why. Railroad companies, particularly CSX Transportation, have paid tens of millions of […]

To Form an Imperfect Union

President Bush is meeting today with labor leaders in hopes of getting them to endorse his energy plan, which will be released on Thursday. Environmental leaders say Bush is trying to use the plan to split two key Democratic constituencies, unions and environmental groups. Deb Callahan, president of the League of Conservation Voters, said, “If […]

He's All Business

President Bush is expected to nominate James Connaughton, a lawyer who has represented General Electric and Atlantic Richfield in suits against the U.S. EPA over Superfund cleanups, to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He wants Linda Fisher, who leads Monsanto’s government affairs office, to be second-in-command at the U.S. EPA. He has […]

No More Terra Yucky

Japan has just enacted the most comprehensive appliance recycling law in Asia. Three hundred million appliances are now in use in the country, and about 18 million appliances get tossed each year. Starting this month, consumers must pay to have, say, a refrigerator or a washing machine recycled. Previously, it cost nothing to send an […]