Articles by Grist staff

Bush signs diluted energy bill into law

President Bush today signed an energy bill into law that the House passed yesterday and the Senate passed last week. The bill increases fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, mandates the use of at least 36 billion gallons of biofuels a year by 2022, raises efficiency standards […]

Germany’s Social Democrats call for climate sanctions on U.S. goods

Angered by what it sees as America’s climate inaction and obstructionism, the Social Democratic Party in Germany has called for sanctions on imports of energy-intensive products from the U.S. “The U.S. is a major part of the problem. Levying special taxes or sanctions on energy-intensive U.S. products, such as steel and aluminum, which are exported […]

Utility PG&E agrees to buy electricity from future wave-power farm

The utility Pacific Gas & Electric this week became the first power company in the United States to sign a deal agreeing to purchase electricity generated by wave power. The wave-power farm that would generate said electricity is still years from completion — not to mention government approval — but securing a power buyer is […]

Independent scientists will review federal spotted-owl recovery plan

Under fire for allowing politics to interfere with prudent decision-making about a recovery plan for the Northwest’s iconic spotted owl, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is undertaking a “good-faith effort” to have independent scientists review the plan, which in its current form would increase logging in owl habitat. A USFWS spokesperson adds that the […]