Climate Politics
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Interviews with the 2004 Democratic presidential contenders
There are enough of them to field a baseball team or fill the Supreme Court bench. With nine candidates vying to win the Democratic nomination for president, sometimes it can be tough to remember which one drives the SUV and which one’s the vegan. To help you get a leg up on the environmental platforms […]
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Don’t let the Democrats frighten you away from voting your conscience
It’s that time of year again. Fall is in the air, kids are back in school, and frightened Democrats are warning the Green Party not to run a candidate for president next year. “The issues are too serious,” we’re told, “and the incumbent too awful. Just for this election, forget your progressive values, hold your […]
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Advice on channeling your eco-political anger
Dear Umbra, Now that this country has been lost to the Earth-ravaging Republicans, tell me: Which other country should I run to seeking environmentally aware salvation? MelAlbany, N.Y. Dearest Mel, America. Love it or leave it, pal. Are Republicans inherently Earth-ravaging? Do all Republicans believe the Clear Skies initiative is progress? Do they all buy […]
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Don’t gamble with your vote in 2004
Is Ralph ready to run? Photo: Nader 2000. Activists have plenty of good reasons to challenge the Democratic Party operatives who focus on election strategy while routinely betraying progressive ideals. Unfortunately, the national Green Party now shows appreciable signs of the reverse problem — focusing on admirable ideals without plausible strategy. If Ralph Nader runs […]
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Fun facts on voters’ environmental values and more
73 — percentage of Americans who think political candidates’ positions on the environment are “very important” or “somewhat important”1 61 — percentage who say they are either active participants in or sympathizers with the environmental movement2 30 — percentage who list the environment as an “extremely important” factor in deciding for whom to vote3 49 […]
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A special edition on elections and the environment
“Information is the currency of democracy,” said Thomas Jefferson, who, as the oft-cited father of democracy, presumably knew whereof he spoke. Alas, a couple of hundred years later, it seems more accurate to say that currency is the currency of democracy. Here at the height of the Information Age, information about the workings of our […]
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Dump Struck
Bush Lets Mining Companies Dump on More Public Land The Bush administration announced yet another environmental rollback on Friday, following a pattern of releasing such news right before a holiday weekend, presumably in hopes that it will slip past the public’s notice. This time the beneficiaries are mining companies, which, thanks to a reinterpretation of […]
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Creature Discomforts
Endangered Species May Soon Be Imported to U.S., Under Bush Proposal The Bush administration wants to radically alter conservation policies to allow hunters, circuses, the pet industry, and leather importers to bring endangered animals into the U.S. from other nations — dead or alive. Since its adoption in 1973, the Endangered Species Act has been […]
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No Heir Apparent Until Air’s Apparent
Documents Show Sharp Dispute Took Place Over 9/11 Air Quality Information Newly released government documents are finally providing Congressional Democrats with what they’ve been looking for: information about who was responsible for censoring data about Manhattan’s air quality following the destruction of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Those documents reveal “screaming telephone […]
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Holmstead Act
EPA Official Gave Misleading Testimony on Clean Air, Say Whistleblowers Meanwhile, all isn’t well inside the U.S. EPA, either. Last year, Assistant Administrator for Air Policy Jeffrey Holmstead testified before Congress that Bush administration efforts to ease clean air enforcement rules wouldn’t interfere with pending lawsuits against dirty power plants — but two former agency […]
