Daily Grist
1.
COMPLICATING, CIRCULATING, NEW LIFE, NEW LIFE
GOP congress folk announce plan to revamp Endangered Species Act
House Resources Committee Chair Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) has expressed open hostility toward the Endangered Species Act numerous times, so some conservationist critics are questioning the sincerity of his recently announced effort to "breathe new life" into the law. Along with Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), as well as, to the dismay of ESA's backers, moderate Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), Pombo announced plans to introduce a single ESA reauthorization bill that would include a number of changes long sought by critics of the act, including increased incentives for private landowners, increased state involvement, and stricter (critics say prohibitive) scientific review for proposed listings. The talking point wielded by ESA's critics is that only 1 percent of the 1,800 species listed under the act have fully recovered and been removed from the list; the law's backers reply that the intent of the law is to prevent extinction, and only about 1 percent of the species have gone extinct, a rather striking success.
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Erica Werner, 10 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4297>
straight to the source: Bend.com, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4298>
2.
DROPPING THE HYBRIDS OFF AT THE POOL
Hybrid incentive bills introduced in Congress
Fuel-efficient hybrids, the cars of choice for greens of means, are a hot topic in Congress, with two bills introduced this month that could further fuel their popularity. One bill, unveiled in the House last Tuesday by California Reps. Darrell Issa (R) and Brad Sherman (D), would let states decide whether or not to allow hybrid vehicles to use highway carpool lanes when they're occupied by just one person. Right now, since some funding for carpool lanes comes from the federal government, the feds make the rules about which cars are allowed -- so far, that's meant only electric or other alternative-fuel vehicles (and, you know, old-fashioned carpools). A separate bill reintroduced in the House this week by Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and supported by President Bush would offer tax credits of between $600 and $4,000 to buyers of hybrids and other fuel-efficient cars.
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Associated Press, 03 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4294>
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4295>
3.
CLOUDY DAY, SWEEPING THE DOOM AWAY
Artificially enhanced clouds may ease global warming, scientists say
With gloomy scientific report after gloomy scientific report warning about our globally warmed future, finally one group of scientists is offering a ray of sunshine -- in the unlikely form of clouds. Low-altitude, lumpy gray clouds, called stratocumulus, have the desirable quality of being especially reflective at their tops, which the scientists hope to exploit. Since, as atmospheric scientist John Latham says, "clouds become more reflective if you increase the number of droplets in them," the eggheads propose spraying seawater high into the air near stratocumulus clouds, causing salt particles to be absorbed, extra droplets to form, and the clouds to become both more reflective and longer-lasting. Thus would more sunlight be bounced back into space before it can warm the planet. Latham says the group found that in climate models, "[m]odifying an area covering around 3 percent of the Earth's surface produced a cooling that more or less balances the warming from doubled carbon dioxide levels." However, he cautioned, it's no long-term solution. "Our endeavors are directed toward buying time."
straight to the source: The Guardian, Kate Ravilious, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4292>
4.
WHY DO FISH & WILDLIFE SCIENTISTS HATE AMERICA?
Fish & Wildlife Service scientists report political pressure, distortion
When two public-interest groups sent a survey on scientific integrity to 1,400 scientists at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, agency administrators warned the scientists not to respond -- not even in their personal time. Now that 414 of them have defied the warnings, it is clear why the bureaucrats were nervous. More than half of the respondents reported that agency officials had reversed or withdrawn scientific conclusions in response to industry pressure. One in five said that they had been directed to withhold or alter technical information from reports, and almost half claim they were pressured to avoid making findings that might lead to greater protections for endangered species. As to this political interference, an agency spokesflack responded, "There's nothing inappropriate about people higher up the chain of command supervising the work of people below them and reaching different scientific conclusions." Uh ... there isn't?
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Zachary Coile, 10 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4287>
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Julie Cart, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4288>
5.
DNA CHECK, AISLE SEVEN
Scientists begin project to catalog life with DNA barcodes
Of an estimated 10 million plant and animal species on Earth, less than a fifth have been identified and named. That might change, however, with a new bar-coding initiative launched today, which aims to use snippets of genetic material to characterize all living organisms in a standardized way, possibly allowing for faster discovery of new species. The information gathered during the cataloguing process will be collected in one large database, and some researchers hope the data will eventually be available via handheld devices, much like those used to scan barcodes at the supermarket, allowing for quick and easy identification of rare species. The bar-coding project may also aid in species conservation, says Paul Hebert of the University of Guelph in Ontario, especially in areas such as commercial fisheries: "DNA bar-coding could enable us to monitor quotas and bycatch and provide a more detailed understanding of fish and their ecological relationships."
straight to the source: BBC News, Jonathan Amos, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4282>
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Reuters, 09 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4283>
straight to the source: The Independent, Steve Connor, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4284>
6.
THE APPLE DUMPING GANG
Enviros say Apple's iPod isn't green
New legislation introduced in the House of Representatives last week would establish a consumer fee on computer and television purchases to fund a national electronics recycling program. But activists say the real answer to the "e-waste" problem is increased responsibility from manufacturers, and many are focusing their ire on Apple, maker of the absurdly popular and now culturally ubiquitous iPod music player. The 4.5 million iPods purchased in late 2004 may be little more than electronic junk by 2007, as their batteries last only two to three years and are hard to replace. Green activists who protested at the Macworld Conference & Expo last month say Apple's lack of attention to safe disposal of its products poses a big problem, namely hazardous waste dumped in landfills in the U.S. or, more frequently, in developing countries. "We know that when brand manufacturers have to deal with the end product they are going to make a cleaner product in the first place," says Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition's Gopal Dayaneni, who wants Apple to improve its take-back policies. "There's economic incentive for green design."
straight to the source: Christian Science Monitor, Samar Farah, 09 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4269>
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Birgitta Forsberg, 12 Jan 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4270>
7.
TITI TWISTER
Naming rights for monkey species being sold to raise conservation funds
A new species of titi monkey found in 2000 in Bolivia's Madidi National Park will not be named by the monkey's scientific discoverers, but by the highest bidder in an online auction. "To discover a new species of mammal is just incredibly exciting and we decided to use this opportunity to raise the profile of Madidi," said biologist Robert Wallace, who helped make the case that the monkey is a distinct species. Called "Luca, Luca" by locals for the sound it makes, the monkey -- described by Wallace as "quite sort of fluffy looking" -- is covered in gold, orange, and burgundy colored fur, stands about 15 inches high, and weighs about 2 pounds. The auction for naming rights will be hosted by Charityfolks.com from Feb. 24 to March 3, and proceeds will go toward conservation in the park. Wallace says the highest bidder can choose any name for the monkey as long as it conforms to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, which doesn't allow for offensive words. Guess that sends us back to the drawing board.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Henry Fountain, 08 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4265>
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, 09 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4264>
8.
COLLAPSE DANCE
Diamond's book says societies' fates tied to treatment of environment
It is said that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to re-elect, er, repeat it. In "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed," Jared Diamond digs deep into this truism, reviewing the history of societies ranging from Easter Islanders to the Inuit of Greenland to present-day Montana. His conclusion? It's best not to doo-doo where you eat -- or deforest, or deplete fisheries, or generally make a mess. But we knew that, didn't we? Right? People? Michael J. Kavanagh assesses Diamond's best-selling new work, in Books Unbound -- today on the Grist Magazine website.
today in Grist: Michael J. Kavanagh reviews "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" -- in Books Unbound
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4260>
9.
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GO KAYAKING
Greenpeace to give Americans a good paddling, pretty pictures
Greenpeace USA -- known for daring, in-your-face environmental protests -- is planning its big action for 2005: a kayak and trekking trip through the threatened, melting Arctic to ... take pictures. No big plans in the works to scale skyscrapers or face off with Exxon tankers on the high seas, just a mellow paddling trip up north -- a strategy that Greenpeace Executive Director John Passacantando believes could help win Americans' hearts and minds. Read about a kinder, gentler (but not softer! don't say softer!) Greenpeace -- in Muckraker, today on the Grist Magazine website.
today in Grist: Greenpeace mellows out -- in Muckraker
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4261>
sign up: Receive word by email each time a new Muckraker column hits the scene <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/signmeup.pl?source=daily>
10.
OLD MACDONALD HAD A CONNIPTION
Proposed Bush budget cuts environment spending and ag subsidies
Turns out tax cuts for the wealthy aren't cheap. President Bush's fiscal 2006 budget, sent to Congress today, would cut the U.S. EPA budget by about 6 percent and the National Park Service budget by nearly 3 percent, part of a broad range of cuts that will also affect Medicaid, home-heating aid for the poor, American Indian schools, and a number of other social programs. Though critics deplored the cuts, saying they would hit society's most vulnerable the hardest, many had guarded praise for another proposal in the budget: cutting federal agricultural subsidies, the country's oldest and largest corporate welfare program, by $5.74 billion over the next decade. The proposal would cap subsidies to individual farmers at $250,000, down from the current cap of $360,000, and tighten eligibility requirements to close loopholes that let some big farm businesses collect millions a year. "This proposal is a very big deal. I am stunned and impressed," said Kenneth Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Robert Pear, 06 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4228>
straight to the source: ABC News, Associated Press, Alan Fram, 06 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4229>
straight to the source: The Wall Street Journal, Scott Kilman, 07 Jan 2005 (access ain't free) <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4230>
11.
FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE
Religious leaders make the environment a "values issue"
More than 1,000 Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish religious leaders from some 35 states have signed and begun circulating a statement opposing President Bush's environmental policies. And evangelicals aren't far behind, having drawn up an "Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility" that emphasizes Christians' duty to care for the environment, potentially putting signatories -- including heavy-hitters like James Dobson of Focus on the Family -- at odds with the candidate many of them supported. "The environment is a values issue," said Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the 30 million member National Association of Evangelicals. Some evangelicals are lobbying against Bush's Clear Skies Act, arguing that it doesn't do enough to rein in mercury pollution, which harms fetuses. Many religious activists prefer to speak of "creation care" rather than "environmentalism," as the latter term, according to political scientist John C. Green of the University of Akron, brings to the evangelist mind "druids who worship trees." Welcome to the club, folks.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Blaine Harden, 06 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4225>
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Blaine Harden, 06 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4226>
straight to the source: The Boston Globe, Michael Paulson, 05 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4227>
COMPLICATING, CIRCULATING, NEW LIFE, NEW LIFE
GOP congress folk announce plan to revamp Endangered Species Act
House Resources Committee Chair Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) has expressed open hostility toward the Endangered Species Act numerous times, so some conservationist critics are questioning the sincerity of his recently announced effort to "breathe new life" into the law. Along with Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), as well as, to the dismay of ESA's backers, moderate Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), Pombo announced plans to introduce a single ESA reauthorization bill that would include a number of changes long sought by critics of the act, including increased incentives for private landowners, increased state involvement, and stricter (critics say prohibitive) scientific review for proposed listings. The talking point wielded by ESA's critics is that only 1 percent of the 1,800 species listed under the act have fully recovered and been removed from the list; the law's backers reply that the intent of the law is to prevent extinction, and only about 1 percent of the species have gone extinct, a rather striking success.
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Erica Werner, 10 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4297>
straight to the source: Bend.com, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4298>
2.
DROPPING THE HYBRIDS OFF AT THE POOL
Hybrid incentive bills introduced in Congress
Fuel-efficient hybrids, the cars of choice for greens of means, are a hot topic in Congress, with two bills introduced this month that could further fuel their popularity. One bill, unveiled in the House last Tuesday by California Reps. Darrell Issa (R) and Brad Sherman (D), would let states decide whether or not to allow hybrid vehicles to use highway carpool lanes when they're occupied by just one person. Right now, since some funding for carpool lanes comes from the federal government, the feds make the rules about which cars are allowed -- so far, that's meant only electric or other alternative-fuel vehicles (and, you know, old-fashioned carpools). A separate bill reintroduced in the House this week by Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and supported by President Bush would offer tax credits of between $600 and $4,000 to buyers of hybrids and other fuel-efficient cars.
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Associated Press, 03 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4294>
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4295>
3.
CLOUDY DAY, SWEEPING THE DOOM AWAY
Artificially enhanced clouds may ease global warming, scientists say
With gloomy scientific report after gloomy scientific report warning about our globally warmed future, finally one group of scientists is offering a ray of sunshine -- in the unlikely form of clouds. Low-altitude, lumpy gray clouds, called stratocumulus, have the desirable quality of being especially reflective at their tops, which the scientists hope to exploit. Since, as atmospheric scientist John Latham says, "clouds become more reflective if you increase the number of droplets in them," the eggheads propose spraying seawater high into the air near stratocumulus clouds, causing salt particles to be absorbed, extra droplets to form, and the clouds to become both more reflective and longer-lasting. Thus would more sunlight be bounced back into space before it can warm the planet. Latham says the group found that in climate models, "[m]odifying an area covering around 3 percent of the Earth's surface produced a cooling that more or less balances the warming from doubled carbon dioxide levels." However, he cautioned, it's no long-term solution. "Our endeavors are directed toward buying time."
straight to the source: The Guardian, Kate Ravilious, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4292>
4.
WHY DO FISH & WILDLIFE SCIENTISTS HATE AMERICA?
Fish & Wildlife Service scientists report political pressure, distortion
When two public-interest groups sent a survey on scientific integrity to 1,400 scientists at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, agency administrators warned the scientists not to respond -- not even in their personal time. Now that 414 of them have defied the warnings, it is clear why the bureaucrats were nervous. More than half of the respondents reported that agency officials had reversed or withdrawn scientific conclusions in response to industry pressure. One in five said that they had been directed to withhold or alter technical information from reports, and almost half claim they were pressured to avoid making findings that might lead to greater protections for endangered species. As to this political interference, an agency spokesflack responded, "There's nothing inappropriate about people higher up the chain of command supervising the work of people below them and reaching different scientific conclusions." Uh ... there isn't?
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Zachary Coile, 10 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4287>
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Julie Cart, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4288>
5.
DNA CHECK, AISLE SEVEN
Scientists begin project to catalog life with DNA barcodes
Of an estimated 10 million plant and animal species on Earth, less than a fifth have been identified and named. That might change, however, with a new bar-coding initiative launched today, which aims to use snippets of genetic material to characterize all living organisms in a standardized way, possibly allowing for faster discovery of new species. The information gathered during the cataloguing process will be collected in one large database, and some researchers hope the data will eventually be available via handheld devices, much like those used to scan barcodes at the supermarket, allowing for quick and easy identification of rare species. The bar-coding project may also aid in species conservation, says Paul Hebert of the University of Guelph in Ontario, especially in areas such as commercial fisheries: "DNA bar-coding could enable us to monitor quotas and bycatch and provide a more detailed understanding of fish and their ecological relationships."
straight to the source: BBC News, Jonathan Amos, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4282>
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Reuters, 09 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4283>
straight to the source: The Independent, Steve Connor, 10 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4284>
6.
THE APPLE DUMPING GANG
Enviros say Apple's iPod isn't green
New legislation introduced in the House of Representatives last week would establish a consumer fee on computer and television purchases to fund a national electronics recycling program. But activists say the real answer to the "e-waste" problem is increased responsibility from manufacturers, and many are focusing their ire on Apple, maker of the absurdly popular and now culturally ubiquitous iPod music player. The 4.5 million iPods purchased in late 2004 may be little more than electronic junk by 2007, as their batteries last only two to three years and are hard to replace. Green activists who protested at the Macworld Conference & Expo last month say Apple's lack of attention to safe disposal of its products poses a big problem, namely hazardous waste dumped in landfills in the U.S. or, more frequently, in developing countries. "We know that when brand manufacturers have to deal with the end product they are going to make a cleaner product in the first place," says Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition's Gopal Dayaneni, who wants Apple to improve its take-back policies. "There's economic incentive for green design."
straight to the source: Christian Science Monitor, Samar Farah, 09 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4269>
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Birgitta Forsberg, 12 Jan 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4270>
7.
TITI TWISTER
Naming rights for monkey species being sold to raise conservation funds
A new species of titi monkey found in 2000 in Bolivia's Madidi National Park will not be named by the monkey's scientific discoverers, but by the highest bidder in an online auction. "To discover a new species of mammal is just incredibly exciting and we decided to use this opportunity to raise the profile of Madidi," said biologist Robert Wallace, who helped make the case that the monkey is a distinct species. Called "Luca, Luca" by locals for the sound it makes, the monkey -- described by Wallace as "quite sort of fluffy looking" -- is covered in gold, orange, and burgundy colored fur, stands about 15 inches high, and weighs about 2 pounds. The auction for naming rights will be hosted by Charityfolks.com from Feb. 24 to March 3, and proceeds will go toward conservation in the park. Wallace says the highest bidder can choose any name for the monkey as long as it conforms to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, which doesn't allow for offensive words. Guess that sends us back to the drawing board.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Henry Fountain, 08 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4265>
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, 09 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4264>
8.
COLLAPSE DANCE
Diamond's book says societies' fates tied to treatment of environment
It is said that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to re-elect, er, repeat it. In "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed," Jared Diamond digs deep into this truism, reviewing the history of societies ranging from Easter Islanders to the Inuit of Greenland to present-day Montana. His conclusion? It's best not to doo-doo where you eat -- or deforest, or deplete fisheries, or generally make a mess. But we knew that, didn't we? Right? People? Michael J. Kavanagh assesses Diamond's best-selling new work, in Books Unbound -- today on the Grist Magazine website.
today in Grist: Michael J. Kavanagh reviews "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" -- in Books Unbound
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4260>
9.
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GO KAYAKING
Greenpeace to give Americans a good paddling, pretty pictures
Greenpeace USA -- known for daring, in-your-face environmental protests -- is planning its big action for 2005: a kayak and trekking trip through the threatened, melting Arctic to ... take pictures. No big plans in the works to scale skyscrapers or face off with Exxon tankers on the high seas, just a mellow paddling trip up north -- a strategy that Greenpeace Executive Director John Passacantando believes could help win Americans' hearts and minds. Read about a kinder, gentler (but not softer! don't say softer!) Greenpeace -- in Muckraker, today on the Grist Magazine website.
today in Grist: Greenpeace mellows out -- in Muckraker
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4261>
sign up: Receive word by email each time a new Muckraker column hits the scene <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/signmeup.pl?source=daily>
10.
OLD MACDONALD HAD A CONNIPTION
Proposed Bush budget cuts environment spending and ag subsidies
Turns out tax cuts for the wealthy aren't cheap. President Bush's fiscal 2006 budget, sent to Congress today, would cut the U.S. EPA budget by about 6 percent and the National Park Service budget by nearly 3 percent, part of a broad range of cuts that will also affect Medicaid, home-heating aid for the poor, American Indian schools, and a number of other social programs. Though critics deplored the cuts, saying they would hit society's most vulnerable the hardest, many had guarded praise for another proposal in the budget: cutting federal agricultural subsidies, the country's oldest and largest corporate welfare program, by $5.74 billion over the next decade. The proposal would cap subsidies to individual farmers at $250,000, down from the current cap of $360,000, and tighten eligibility requirements to close loopholes that let some big farm businesses collect millions a year. "This proposal is a very big deal. I am stunned and impressed," said Kenneth Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Robert Pear, 06 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4228>
straight to the source: ABC News, Associated Press, Alan Fram, 06 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4229>
straight to the source: The Wall Street Journal, Scott Kilman, 07 Jan 2005 (access ain't free) <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4230>
11.
FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE
Religious leaders make the environment a "values issue"
More than 1,000 Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish religious leaders from some 35 states have signed and begun circulating a statement opposing President Bush's environmental policies. And evangelicals aren't far behind, having drawn up an "Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility" that emphasizes Christians' duty to care for the environment, potentially putting signatories -- including heavy-hitters like James Dobson of Focus on the Family -- at odds with the candidate many of them supported. "The environment is a values issue," said Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the 30 million member National Association of Evangelicals. Some evangelicals are lobbying against Bush's Clear Skies Act, arguing that it doesn't do enough to rein in mercury pollution, which harms fetuses. Many religious activists prefer to speak of "creation care" rather than "environmentalism," as the latter term, according to political scientist John C. Green of the University of Akron, brings to the evangelist mind "druids who worship trees." Welcome to the club, folks.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Blaine Harden, 06 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4225>
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Blaine Harden, 06 Feb 2005 <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4226>
straight to the source: The Boston Globe, Michael Paulson, 05 Feb 2005
<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4227>
posted by T. Scott Brineman at 5:09 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home