Articles by Grist staff

California’s chinook salmon population near “unprecedented collapse”

The number of chinook salmon returning from the Pacific Ocean to California’s Sacramento River is near record lows and points to an “unprecedented collapse,” according to fisheries managers. In 2007, only about 90,000 adult chinook returned to the Sacramento River, down from about 277,000 in 2006 and a high of over 800,000 in 2002. Even […]

McCain wins Florida after endorsement from pro-climate governor

John McCain has won the Florida Republican primary, a race that pundits prophesy may decide the GOP nominee for president. Environmental issues may have played a part; McCain got a boost in the state when he was endorsed by popular and climate-conscious Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. In pre-race campaigning, McCain took heat from main rival […]

Department of Energy backs away from funding Future

The U.S. Department of Energy has told lawmakers that it plans to pull funding for FutureGen, its ambitious and crazily expensive “clean coal” demonstration plant. The feds had planned to cover some three-quarters of the $1.8 billion price tag, and cited ballooning costs as its reason for backing out. The announcement pissed off lawmakers from […]

FEMA said to ignore research on effects of toxic hurricane trailers

While housing Hurricane Katrina refugees in formaldehyde-tainted trailers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency “ignored, hid, and manipulated” government research on the long-term effects of formaldehyde on humans, according to an investigation by congressional Democrats.