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  • The Gray and the Blues

    Some environmentalists say California Gov. Gray Davis (D) has succumbed to campaign contributions from the timber industry and is failing to push for more protections for the state’s forestland. Clear-cutting has exploded in the state in recent years, largely because of one company, Sierra Pacific Industries, which owns 1.5 million forest acres in the state, […]

  • The Gall!

    America’s federal lands are increasingly threatened by thieves who make off with everything from mushrooms to cedar trees and sell the natural resources for profit. From 1991 to 1997, poachers stole 15,000 barrel cacti from federal lands in California, including the Mojave National Preserve, and sold them to makers of miznaga, a Mexican candy. Earlier […]

  • How Will the West Be Won?

    In our last column, we promised to put the presidential campaign on the back burner and take a look at some of the key House and Senate races likely to decide control of the 107th Congress, as well some of the competitive gubernatorial contests. Instead of attempting to cover the entire country in one column […]

  • But, Hey, the Home of Baywatch Can't Be All Bad

    Water and air pollution and increasing pesticide use are raising the rates of cancer, asthma, and other health problems in California, particularly among children, poor city dwellers, and farm workers, according to a report released yesterday by an environmental health advocates group. The Environmental Health Policy Alliance, formed last year to advise California Gov. Gray […]

  • Wind power is dividing enviros and spurring some odd alliances

    The National Audubon Society hosted a news conference in September 1999 to denounce Enron Wind Corp.’s plans to build a wind farm near the town of Gorman in Southern California, with enough capacity to power 40,000 homes. “It is hard to imagine a worse idea than putting a condor Cuisinart next door to critical condor […]

  • It's Miller Time in Cali

    Bill Bradley has not been particularly competitive with Vice Pres. Gore in the world of endorsements and establishment support within the Democratic Party. In fact, he’s been roundly trounced. Gore boasts scores of supporters in Congress and among various and sundry party potentates scattered across the country. Gore also leads in endorsements from labor unions […]

  • Fright of the Condor

    The National Audubon Society yesterday denounced plans for a new wind energy project north of Los Angeles in the historical habitat of the endangered California condor. As part of the California government’s plans to promote renewable energy, the state last year awarded $7 million to Enron to help construct the farm. But the U.S. Fish […]

  • Where the Sidewalk Ends

    Texas Gov. George W. Bush dodged one legal bullet this week when a judge ruled that he could not be subpoenaed in a whistle-blower lawsuit filed by the state’s former funeral commission director, who claims she was fired after attempting to investigate a funeral services company that has contributed large sums to Bush’s gubernatorial campaigns. […]

  • Endless Summer?

    It’s August, Washington is on vacation, and your faithful columnist has just returned from four blissful days soaking up sweet rays and digging his toes into the soggy, welcoming sand of Rehoboth Beach, Del. In fact, slathered in sunscreen and buffeted by crisp breezes rippling off the Atlantic, we couldn’t help but notice how much […]