Articles by Grist staff

Feds Make No Dam Cents

A federal study of the economic impact of breaching four dams on the lower Snake River in Washington state overestimated potential negative effects and underestimated the positive, according to a new report by an economist working for environmental groups concerned about salmon restoration. The report found that a draft study by the U.S. Army Corps […]

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish — That's All

Tighter fishing limits are needed in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank fishing grounds in New England on everything from cod to winter flounder to meet new conservation goals set by Congress, according to a report released yesterday by a scientific panel that tracks the region’s stocks. Fishing stocks continue to decline despite efforts […]

U.S. Department of Frankenculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture frequently approves the use of new genetically engineered crops based on unsupported claims and shoddy studies by seed companies, say many scientists who have studied the approval process. The USDA, the primary agency responsible for assuring the ecological safety of such plants, has not rejected a single application for a […]

A Tarriffying Story

A new White House study argues that logging around the world would increase by no more than 0.5 percent if the World Trade Organization liberalized global trade in forest products, as the U.S. is advocating. The study admits that logging in Indonesia, Chile, Malaysia, and several other nations would increase sharply under a proposal to […]