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  • Bummer

    Senate votes in favor of drilling in Arctic Refuge Oil companies are closing in on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In a crushing blow to those who have long fought to preserve the unspoiled Alaskan wildland, the Senate this afternoon voted 51-49 against an amendment by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) that would have stripped from […]

  • Dramatizing the “death” of environmentalism doesn’t help urban people of color, or anyone else

    “Death” is such a harsh term — can’t we say “transition to a happier place”? Adrienne Maree Brown. Photo: Sophia Wallace. Or, how else can I put this … You don’t have to fall out of the tree. Just climb down and join us on the ground. Let’s talk. If you work on environmental issues, […]

  • Herbicidal Tendencies

    War-crimes suit against Agent Orange manufacturers dismissed A potentially historic class-action lawsuit accusing manufacturers of the herbicide Agent Orange of committing war crimes isn’t looking so historic after all — it was dismissed yesterday by a federal judge in New York City. Dioxin-containing Agent Orange was sprayed extensively in Vietnam from 1962 to 1971 by […]

  • Our Life With the Drill Kill Kult

    House bill would end U.S. offshore drilling bans Legislation being drafted in the House Resources Committee would end 23-year-old bans on new offshore oil and gas drilling in the U.S. Still not formally introduced, the legislation, dubbed the State Enhanced Authority for Coastal and Offshore Resources Act, would expand state control over offshore drilling and […]

  • The Idiotarod

    Republicans are after the Arctic Refuge again Undeterred by consistent public opposition and bipartisan objections, a number of Republicans are once again attempting to get oil drillers into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Senate Budget Committee Chair Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) slipped ANWR into a budget resolution yesterday, which unlike standard legislation cannot be defeated by […]

  • Better Off Deadlocked

    Senate committee deadlock means Clear Skies unlikely to pass this year After a deadlocked 9-9 vote in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Bush administration’s long-sought Clear Skies legislation appears unlikely to pass — at least this year. The fourth time was not the charm for committee chair James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who had […]

  • EPA plan would spew under-treated sewage into U.S. waterways

    Like clean water? Then you’ll love Rep. Bart Stupak. Swimming in sewage just isn’t this fun. For the last year, Stupak has been fighting a U.S. EPA proposal that would allow inadequately treated sewage to be “blended” with fully treated waste during rain and snow events. The messy mix would then be released into the […]

  • We’ll Drink to That

    Americans prefer their water clean, poll shows “An overwhelming majority” — some 86 percent — of Americans believe clean, safe water is a national issue worthy of government spending, a new poll concludes. The two polling firms (one from each side of the partisan divide) conducting the opinion survey asked 900 adults a variety of […]

  • Bush EPA nominee Steve Johnson garners praise and sympathy

    Stephen Johnson. Photo: Energy Star. The next chief of the Bush EPA wasn’t expected to have more than a dewdrop’s chance in hell of widespread acceptance in the disgruntled environmental community. So it came as a surprise on Friday when the president tapped respected scientist and 24-year EPA veteran Stephen Johnson to captain the agency, […]

  • Everybody’s a Critic

    New voices join chorus pushing Bush to act on climate change At this point it’s getting hard to keep track, but a couple more notable folks have joined the ranks of those calling on the Bush administration, either implicitly or explicitly, to act on global warming. Perhaps most unexpected is James Baker, former secretary of […]