Mark Shelley, environmental film producer, answers questions

What work do you do? I produce films and other media about the environment. In the film world, I am...

Jonathan Adler says no.

A while back I mentioned an Atlantic Monthly essay claiming that the real danger of an (even more) conservative federal judiciary is to environmental regulation.

Jonathan H. Adler has a paper in the Iowa Law Review arguing that the danger is minimal, and mainly at the margins, and perhaps not such a bad thing. The abstract is reprinted on Commons, if you want a capsule summary. I can't say I read all 95 pages (!), but I believe the relevant stuff comes toward the end. Here's a long exerpt:

Poultry in Motion

Poultry-to-oil plant in Missouri struggling to survive Like many renewable-energy ventures, a high-profile processing plant in Carthage, Mo., built to...

Studies funded by chemical companies find chemicals aren’t harmful. Whew!

Magpie draws our attention to the relevant passage in this story by Marla Cone on the mounting evidence that Bisphenol A -- a chemical ubiquitous in plastics and food packaging -- may be harmful to humans at very low doses, which, wouldn't you know, virtually every human gets.

In their study, vom Saal and Hughes suggest an explanation for conflicting results of studies: 100 percent of the 11 funded by chemical companies found no risk, while 90 percent of the 104 government-funded, nonindustry studies reported harmful effects.

Shocking.

(Via Kevin Drum)

As Albania gears up to join the E.U., toxic troubles get in the way

It’s easy enough to find the dump in Tirana, the fast-growing capital of Albania: just follow the trail of noxious...

Sometimes political showmanship is just what the Dr. ordered

This comment from reader mmuller23 on the by-now-notorious CHEERS study raises an important point that is worth elevating here. On the Senate Dems' efforts to stall Johnson's nomination, he/she says:

Somehow it has more the feel of an easy media stunt than the rational approach to policy making we (liberals) like to take pride in.

My initial reaction to this is: Argh.

To flesh that out a bit:

The Ventilator

Washington state law calls for new public buildings to be green Washington state will be the first in the nation...

Do the Riot Thing

Chemical factory pollution sparks riot in eastern China Thousands of farmers rioted in a village in eastern China over the...

Two Paths Diverged in the Desert …

Battle between coal and renewables plays out in Nevada A drama in the small Nevada town of Gerlach is a...