Climate Politics
All Stories
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Born to Be Wild
In a blow to property-rights advocates, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service said yesterday that wild salmon should continue to be protected under the Endangered Species Act even though hatchery-born salmon are thriving. Last year, in a lawsuit brought by opponents of salmon protection, a federal judge told the agency to go back to the […]
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Unsettling
The Bush administration is asking a federal judge to put the kibosh on a settlement that it reached 19 months ago with environmental groups to protect endangered manatees off the coast of Florida. The feds last year agreed to tighten procedures for issuing permits for waterfront development plans that might affect manatee habitat; they also […]
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Look for the Onion Label?
It’s not quite like a pie in the face or mashed potatoes on the cafeteria ceiling, but Oregonians can still expect a food fight come November. The state seems poised to be the first in the nation to vote on a labeling law for genetically modified foods, now that the backers of the initiative, Oregon […]
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Caterpillar Metamorphoses Into Beautiful Lobbyist
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and a coalition of Republican colleagues, manufacturers, and trucking industry reps are pressuring the Bush administration to postpone a strict new anti-pollution standard for diesel trucks. Why? Because Illinois-based Caterpillar, Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of 18-wheel diesel tractor-trailers and a significant Republican campaign contributor, could face millions […]
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Kenny Get Your Guinn
President Bush signed into law yesterday the measure approving Nevada’s Yucca Mountain as the nation’s nuclear-waste burial ground, which was approved two weeks ago by Congress. The signing, closed to journalists and attended by only a handful of allies who were instrumental in brokering the bill’s passage, marks the official end of Nevada’s legislative fight […]
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Flow-rida
The Bush administration yesterday revised its proposed rules for the $7.8 billion renovation of the Florida Everglades, with environmentalists greeting the changes as imperfect but undeniably better than the last draft. Under the new rules, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District would still lead the restoration effort, but […]
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Zealander
New Zealand is one of the last countries in the world to have a food-production system entirely free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). But that could change when nearly 4 million voters go to the polls this Saturday to decide whether to lift a moratorium on the use of GMOs next year. In fact, the […]
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Condom-nation
The Bush administration said yesterday that it would withdraw $34 million in international family planning funds from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), arguing that the organization supports programs in China that force women to have abortions, in direct violation of U.S. law. U.N. officials denied promoting abortions in China (or anywhere else, for that […]
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And other words from readers
Re: Alternative Energy Crisis Dear Editor: The author takes the position that the Bush Energy Plan is solely focused on “Big Oil” and “King Coal,” particularly with respect to tax breaks lavished on various forms of energy. Here are the facts: Value of the tax incentives for oil and gas proposed in the Bush […]
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Read the letter sent by 11 state attorneys general
On July 17, 2002, 11 state attorneys general (all of them Democrats) sent the following letter to President Bush, criticizing him for failing to impose strong federal measures to limit emissions of greenhouse gases and control global warming. (You may also download a PDF copy of the letter by clicking here.) The Honorable George W. […]
