DAILY GRIST WEEKLY COMPILATION 4-16-2005
1.
Smoking Frac
Hydraulic fracturing raises concerns over water in Western U.S.
Despite persistent concerns about its effects on groundwater, the practice of hydraulic fracturing (or "fracing") appears likely to receive an exemption from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act in legislation under consideration by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Fracing involves pumping highly pressurized fluids deep underground, forcing oil and natural gas to rise to the surface, where it can be slurped up and sold by companies like Halliburton, for which it generates about $1.5 billion a year. A recent EPA review judged the practice safe, but a whistleblower, 32-year agency veteran Weston Wilson, said the review did not use established procedures and relied on a panel composed largely of energy-industry personnel. Democrats tried to attach amendments to the legislation -- one would require a real scientific investigation of the practice -- but they were defeated on party-line votes. After all, as Halliburton argued in a legal brief, regulation "could h ave significant adverse effects on its business." Can't have that.
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Tom Hamburger, 14 Apr 2005
straight to the source: Casper Star-Tribune, Dustin Bleizeffer, 15 Apr 2005
2.
Buy Flow, Sell High
Water biz takes off
Only 2 percent of the world's water is fresh, and with the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century projecting a 50 percent increase in demand in the next 30 years, food and drinking-water shortages, droughts, devastated agriculture, disease, and even armed conflict over water may be on the horizon. We smell profits! And indeed, over the last five years, stocks in the water sector have leapt 113 percent (while the S&P 500 lost 17 percent), with a 24 percent jump just last year. Companies involved in the $400 billion-a-year global water biz -- delivery and storage of water, construction and maintenance of infrastructure like wastewater-treatment facilities and desalination plants -- have seen their portfolios boom in recent years. Huge corporations like General Electric are investing billions each year in their water holdings. "Water will emerge as the next growth commodity," says hedge-fund manager John Romero.
straight to the source: The Wall Street Journal, Gregory Zuckerman and Kathryn Kranhold, 15 Apr 2005 (access ain't free)
3.
The Gold Shoulder
Latin American activists have string of successes against gold mines
Even with mining laws, environmental laws, and international free-trade agreements heavily weighted against them, activists in Latin America have had a string of recent successes stopping open-pit and cyanide heap-leach mines from polluting their groundwater and decimating hillsides. In Peru last November, protestors blocked roads near the city of Cajamarca, forcing U.S.-based gold giant Newmont Mining Corp. to close an exploration site, marking the first time Newmont caved to pressure to close a mine. Last summer, officials in Honduras halted a Canadian company's strip mine, saying it intruded on a nature reserve. And the highest court in Costa Rica nixed a gold mine in December, ruling it would damage the environment. But with gold prices at over $430 an ounce, the number of U.S.- and Canadian-owned mines in the region is only expected to increase, even in the face of fierce resistance.
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Associated Press, Mark Stevenson, 15 Apr 2005
4.
Star Wars: The Celebs Strike Back
Hollywood lends star power to green movement
With Earth Day 2005 fast approaching and the environmental news at the national level uniformly depressing, Hollywood is turning its sunglassed sights on the green movement, determined to infuse it with some glitz and zing. Cameron Diaz is starring in a planet-positive show on MTV, Ed Norton and Matt Damon are hosting documentaries on PBS, and producer Laurie David is launching a high-profile online campaign and lining up Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and other big-name comedians for a TV special. As Muckraker reports, maybe some star power is just what the doctor ordered.
new in Muckraker: Star Wars: The Celebs Strike Back
5.
When Bisphenol Is Said and Done
Key ingredient in clear plastics called unsafe, except by industry
A chemical widely used in the making of clear plastic products, including baby bottles, food storage containers, and even dental fillings, is the subject of debate between those who say it is safe, namely plastic-industry flacks, and those who say it's not, namely most everyone else. Many scientists have found evidence that bisphenol A, or BPA, is harmful, even in the small doses leached from plastic during heating or exposure to acidic foods or strong detergents, because it can mimic sex hormones. A new paper in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives surveys 115 studies on BPA and reports that 94 of them show harmful effects. In a wacky coincidence, researchers Frederick vom Saal and Claude Hughes found that all 11 industry-funded studies conclude BPA is nothing to worry about, while 90 percent of the 104 government- or university-funded studies conclude otherwise. California's legislature is considering a ban on BPA in children's products; if successful, it would be the first ban on the chemical in the world.
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Marla Cone, 13 Apr 2005
straight to the source: USA Today, Elizabeth Weise, 14 Apr 2005
6.
It's an Honor Just to Be ... Oh, Screw That
Grist flogs Webby nod, shamelessly asks for reader votes
Grist is in contention for a Webby Award, like unto an "Internet Oscar." You know it's true, 'cause their site says so! We're nominated in the "magazine" category. Members of "The Academy," including folks from major news and media outlets, will decide the Webby winners May 3. But you, our adoring public -- the smartest, most committed, best-looking group of people on the planet -- can vote for your favorite magazine (us!) for the People's Voice Awards. So get thee hence and vote -- we'll thank you in our speech.
straight to the voting booth: Vote! Now! Really!
7.
Hey Joe, Where You Goin' With That Bill in Your Hand?
Joe Barton leading GOP charge to push energy bill through House
Undaunted by repeated defeats, House Republicans are having yet another go at crafting energy legislation that can make it through the Senate while still preserving massive energy-industry subsidies and tax breaks. This time around, they'll have a powerful ally in the new chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), one of the few politicians who can rival President Bush himself as a recipient of energy-industry largesse. Barton's carefully executed bid to take the reins of this powerful committee -- which oversees more than half of the legislation that moves through the House -- was backed by the oil, gas, electricity, nuclear, coal, and chemical industries, which have collectively given him $1.84 million since 1997, more than any other House member. Since then he's hired a battery of industry lobbyists to his staff, gearing up to, among other things, push his long-held priorities of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and indem nifying producers of the gas additive MTBE.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Thomas B. Edsall and Justin Blum, 14 Apr 2005
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Justin Blum, 13 Apr 2005
8.
Know When to Hold Him
More drama around Stephen Johnson's EPA confirmation
The political jousting around the confirmation of Stephen Johnson to head the U.S. EPA continues, as yet another senator has threatened to gum up the process. Just last week, Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and Bill Nelson (Fla.) held the confirmation hostage, forcing Johnson to cancel a controversial research program on household pesticides and children. Now, Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.) is, according to a spokesperson, "keeping his options open as far as blocking the nomination." The beef? Carper is steamed that the Bush administration has ignored his requests for studies on ways to cut power-plant pollution. "I think Stephen Johnson is qualified to head the EPA and would serve the agency well -- if the White House would let him," Carper said. "Unfortunately, I don't believe the White House has let past administrators do their jobs effectively, and I don't believe they're ready to do that now." A hold on the nomination can be imposed by any senator; it takes 60 vo tes to override it.
straight to the source: The New York Times, David Stout, 13 Apr 2005
9.
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 turn turkey waste into usable crude oil has been struggling to survive. Touted as a solution to foreign-oil addiction (but not to global warming), the plant cooks down 270 tons of bird leftovers into 300 barrels of oil a day. Turns out the technology works just fine, but due to financial troubles and, despite promises of odor-free operations, a smell so bad that area residents liken it to "something out of a horror movie," the plant's future is uncertain. Plant operators made the false assumptions that the facility would qualify for a $1-a-gallon tax credit (nope) and that poultry producers would pay to have their waste taken away (nope -- it's the other way around). The harsh outcome is that the resulting oil sells for half of what it costs to make. Now the company, Changing World Technologies, is considering starting a plant in Ireland, where they say the economic conditions a re more favorable and, presumably, residents won't care about the smell.
straight to the source: The Kansas City Star, Karen Dillon, 12 Apr 2005
10.
You Won't Find a Lower-Priced Greenwash -- We Guarantee!
Wal-Mart pledges to buy and preserve land to compensate for footprint
Retail leviathan Wal-Mart, stung by a spate of bad press accusing it of sprawling consumption of open spaces, excessive storm-water runoff at construction sites, discrimination against women, employment of illegal immigrants, ruthless price-cutting strategies that drive jobs abroad, and shabby treatment of employees ... er, "associates" (did we miss anything?), has launched a campaign it hopes will burnish its tainted image. The company pledged yesterday to buy and preserve enough land to compensate for the acreage lost to its stores, parking lots, and distribution centers for the next 10 years -- and trumpeted its pledge in full-page ads in at least 20 newspapers. The land will be purchased through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a nonprofit conservation organization created by Congress in 1984. Wal-Mart said it will spend $35 million on its "Acres for America" program -- roughly 0.014 percent of its quarter-trillion annual sales.
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Associated Press, 13 Apr 2005
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Beth DeFalco, 13 Apr 2005
11.
Getting Cross
Guatemalan Catholic church protests mining project
Catholic Church officials in Guatemala have become unlikely activists in a fight against a major open-pit gold mine being carved out in the mountains near San Miguel Ixtahuacan. Speaking from the pulpit, on a church-owned radio station, and during street demonstrations, church leaders have been educating parishioners, most of whom haven't finished primary school, on the potential environmental evils of the mining project, like contamination from arsenic and other nasties. Although aggressive protests like these were common in Latin American churches several decades ago, social activism declined during Pope John Paul II's tenure, as more conservative priests took to the pulpits. "Some are upset that the church is speaking out against the mine," says Rev. Eric Gruloos. "But we are doing what Jesus did. He came to wake people up to injustice." In February, the Guatemalan government announced it would freeze future mining permits and create a special commission of government and church officials to discuss the future of mining in the country.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Kevin Sullivan, 13 Apr 2005
12.
Quibbles and Bits
New strategies aim to limit drilling impact in Western U.S.
As pressure mounts from greens and the hook-and-bullet crowd to slow the pace of energy development in the American West, some companies are moving to support conservation research and employ strategies to lessen their impact. One such method, called "directional drilling," involves the use of high-tech equipment to operate up to 32 wells from one entry point above ground. Another being tested is "adaptive management," whereby regulatory and industry officials alter plans if drilling activities have harmful impacts on wildlife and habitat areas. Along with a proliferation of new drilling permits -- some 5,700 in five Western states in the past year -- comes another threat: sprawl. Small towns near energy developments, like Pinedale, Wyo., have seen population surges, which spur spikes in traffic and ugly cookie-cutter sub-developments. Says Pinedale city manager Ward Wise, "U.S. national energy policy is being played out on an epic scale in our backyard."
straight to the source: The Christian Science Monitor, Todd Wilkinson, 13 Apr 2005
straight to the source: The Christian Science Monitor, Todd Wilkinson, 11 Apr 2005
13.
A Prius With Mayo, Hold the Mayo
Fledgling California bill calls for new sales outlets for hybrids
Ever wished you could get a five-pound jar of mayonnaise and a Toyota Prius at the same convenient location? Uh, let us explain. California drivers are crazy for hybrids; dealerships in the state have months-long waiting lists, presumably because demand is greater than supply. But California Assembly member Mark Leno (D) thinks the problem is the dealerships themselves acting as bottlenecks and raising prices. So he's proposed a bill that would break their monopoly on new car sales, allowing hybrids to be sold through retail outlets like Costco or online through eBay or Amazon.com. According to a Consumer Federation of America study, the current sales and distribution system adds $2,000 to $3,000 to the price of a new car. Naturally, dealerships are opposed. And what Leno calls "a new idea, a new concept" (who can argue?) isn't exactly catching fire: "We have nobody backing the bill from the private sector," he said. "We wish there was."
straight to the source: The Mercury News, Matt Nauman, 13 Apr 2005
14.
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Missing Waste
Like absentminded professors, nuclear plants misplace their waste
A comprehensive new report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office reveals pervasive problems in the nuclear industry, abetted by lax federal regulation. You know all that waste nuclear plants produce, the stuff that stays radioactive for a kajillion years? Yeah, well, seems they keep losing track of it. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not issued clear guidelines for tracking waste, said the report, and the plants themselves have a variety of not-particularly-reliable methods. In many cases, the NRC was unable to confirm that spent fuel rods were where the plants said they were, and at least three plants may have lost some rods entirely. However, says NRC spokesflack Beth Hayden, just because radioactive waste is lying around unaccounted for is no reason to go rushing about fixing things: "When we are dealing with nuclear safety and security, we need to move in a very careful and deliberate way."
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Shankar Vedantam, 12 Apr 2005
14.
No Refuge Is an Island
Drilling in Arctic could set dangerous precedent for U.S. refuge system
The most troubling thing about the prospect of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge isn't the despoliation of a pristine tundra landscape, argues law professor Robert Fischman. It's that such drilling threatens to undermine protections for the whole national system of wildlife refuges, 95 million protected acres dotted from Florida to Hawaii, from Arizona to Alaska, providing habitat for more than 250 threatened and endangered species.
new in Soapbox: No Refuge Is an Island
15.
Do the Riot Thing
Chemical factory pollution sparks riot in eastern China
Thousands of farmers rioted in a village in eastern China over the weekend, taking a stand against encroachment of the country's fast-growing industries onto their land, and the pollution and health problems that result. Villagers had set up roadblocks to interfere with deliveries to and from the 13 chemical plants in the area that now sit on what used to be cropland. When some 3,000 police were sent to remove the roadblocks and restore production at the plants, villagers rioted, smashing buses, overturning cars, and attacking the police. Farmers and other locals say the factories -- which produce fertilizers, pesticides, and dyes -- damage their crops, foul their water, and periodically release clouds of stinging gas, causing birth defects and stillborn babies. Said one villager, "I'm afraid my children won't live to reach my age. I want my land back, I want my food back, and I want my water back."
straight to the source: The Times, Clifford Coonan, 12 Apr 2005
straight to the source: The Guardian, Jonathan Watts, 12 Apr 2005
16.
Platform Shoos
Abandoned oil rigs host thriving ecosystems, stir debate
Discovery of thriving ecosystems on some abandoned oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico is refueling a debate over what to do with old rigs once their oil-drilling life is over. Some conservationists have been advocating a "Rigs to Reefs" program whereby old platforms are tipped over, cut down below the water's surface, or towed away and sunk, creating artificial reefs for a variety of marine life below the surface. Others, like biologist Paul Sammarco, who's found abundant ecosystems on more than a dozen of the gulf's 4,000 still-standing rigs, are advocating for leaving platforms where they are so the unlikely communities of fish and rare corals found there can continue to flourish. Oil companies, of course, think that plan sounds just grand. Disposing of old platforms now costs them up to $400 million a year. And with 150 to 200 rigs projected to be abandoned annually in the next 10 to 15 years, an estimated $10 billion is at stake.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Cheryl Lyn Dybas, 11 Apr 2005
17.
The Ventilator
Washington state law calls for new public buildings to be green
Washington state will be the first in the nation to require new public buildings to meet green building standards, thanks to a bill signed last week by Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) at Washington Middle School in Olympia. Said school is due for a remodel that will meet the standards, set by the U.S. Green Building Council, by incorporating new fixtures and thoughtful design to reduce water usage, optimize natural ventilation, and cut down on the need for artificial lighting. State officials say green buildings could save public agencies some 20 percent in water costs and 25 percent in energy costs. They also estimate that green schools and offices could result in a 15 percent reduction in absenteeism and up to a 26 percent spike in test scores, in part because increased natural light and ventilation are thought to reduce sick days. Says Washington Middle School eighth-grader Ian Lindgren, "If somehow a building could raise test scores, that would be cool." Indeed.
straight to the source: The Olympian, Heather Woodward, 09 Apr 2005
straight to the source: KGW.com, Associated Press, 09 Apr 2005
18.
World War CO2
Feds, states, and interest groups face off in court over carbon dioxide
An epic environmental case got a day in court on Friday, as a coalition of 12 states, several cities, and 13 nonprofit organizations squared off against the federal government, 11 states, and 19 industry groups before a panel of three judges in a federal appeals court. At issue is the U.S. EPA's authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act. The Bush administration and its allies say the agency has no such authority. The plaintiffs say that's bunk, noting that the act calls on the EPA to regulate any pollutant that "may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare," and that it even specifically mentions "climate." Said the plaintiffs' lead lawyer, James R. Milkey, "You don't have to look far to find the authority that the EPA says is missing." The judges may take months to issue an opinion, and that opinion will surely be appealed.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Michael Janofsky, 09 Apr 2005
straight to the source: USA Today, Associated Press, 08 Apr 2005
19.
Oil and Peace Don't Mix
Oil strategists plan for geopolitical drama as demand increases
It's a small world after all -- with an even smaller oil supply. That's what U.S. energy experts, oil companies, and national-security planners are concluding as they try to project America's and the world's oil demand versus declining supplies in coming years. Military planners in particular, aware of the interconnectedness of, if not all things, at least oil markets, intend to spend millions on oil-price-stabilization projects in emerging oil regions like the Caspian Sea and West Africa. One project, to cost $100 million over the next decade, is the Caspian Guard -- a network of special-ops units and police intended to secure oil facilities in the region, though almost none of the Caspian oil will reach U.S. markets. Most worrisome to strategists is the role China and India will play in increasing oil demand worldwide. Already, government-owned oil companies in the two countries are forging production partnerships with Iran and Sudan.
straight to the source: The Wall Street Journal, John J. Fialka, 11 Apr 2005 (access ain't free)
20.
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 harbinger of things to come for communities around the U.S. On one side is Sempra Energy, which wants to build a coal-fired power plant that would generate enough energy for 1.5 million households and pipe it west to California and up to the Pacific Northwest. On the other side is a somewhat motley coalition of renewable-energy advocates with a proposal for a collection of wind, solar, and geothermal installations that would do the same for 1.2 million households. The transmission line that would carry the energy doesn't have room for both. Sempra already has funding and can guarantee results, but coal spews smog- and acid rain-forming emissions into the air. The renewable advocates don't quite have funding together, and their technology is less tested, but it runs clean. As ranch owner David Rumsey put it, "The difficult political decision in Nevada is: Do we take this old-fashioned coal plant, or do we wait?"
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Miguel Bustillo, 10 Apr 2005
Smoking Frac
Hydraulic fracturing raises concerns over water in Western U.S.
Despite persistent concerns about its effects on groundwater, the practice of hydraulic fracturing (or "fracing") appears likely to receive an exemption from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act in legislation under consideration by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Fracing involves pumping highly pressurized fluids deep underground, forcing oil and natural gas to rise to the surface, where it can be slurped up and sold by companies like Halliburton, for which it generates about $1.5 billion a year. A recent EPA review judged the practice safe, but a whistleblower, 32-year agency veteran Weston Wilson, said the review did not use established procedures and relied on a panel composed largely of energy-industry personnel. Democrats tried to attach amendments to the legislation -- one would require a real scientific investigation of the practice -- but they were defeated on party-line votes. After all, as Halliburton argued in a legal brief, regulation "could h ave significant adverse effects on its business." Can't have that.
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Tom Hamburger, 14 Apr 2005
straight to the source: Casper Star-Tribune, Dustin Bleizeffer, 15 Apr 2005
2.
Buy Flow, Sell High
Water biz takes off
Only 2 percent of the world's water is fresh, and with the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century projecting a 50 percent increase in demand in the next 30 years, food and drinking-water shortages, droughts, devastated agriculture, disease, and even armed conflict over water may be on the horizon. We smell profits! And indeed, over the last five years, stocks in the water sector have leapt 113 percent (while the S&P 500 lost 17 percent), with a 24 percent jump just last year. Companies involved in the $400 billion-a-year global water biz -- delivery and storage of water, construction and maintenance of infrastructure like wastewater-treatment facilities and desalination plants -- have seen their portfolios boom in recent years. Huge corporations like General Electric are investing billions each year in their water holdings. "Water will emerge as the next growth commodity," says hedge-fund manager John Romero.
straight to the source: The Wall Street Journal, Gregory Zuckerman and Kathryn Kranhold, 15 Apr 2005 (access ain't free)
3.
The Gold Shoulder
Latin American activists have string of successes against gold mines
Even with mining laws, environmental laws, and international free-trade agreements heavily weighted against them, activists in Latin America have had a string of recent successes stopping open-pit and cyanide heap-leach mines from polluting their groundwater and decimating hillsides. In Peru last November, protestors blocked roads near the city of Cajamarca, forcing U.S.-based gold giant Newmont Mining Corp. to close an exploration site, marking the first time Newmont caved to pressure to close a mine. Last summer, officials in Honduras halted a Canadian company's strip mine, saying it intruded on a nature reserve. And the highest court in Costa Rica nixed a gold mine in December, ruling it would damage the environment. But with gold prices at over $430 an ounce, the number of U.S.- and Canadian-owned mines in the region is only expected to increase, even in the face of fierce resistance.
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Associated Press, Mark Stevenson, 15 Apr 2005
4.
Star Wars: The Celebs Strike Back
Hollywood lends star power to green movement
With Earth Day 2005 fast approaching and the environmental news at the national level uniformly depressing, Hollywood is turning its sunglassed sights on the green movement, determined to infuse it with some glitz and zing. Cameron Diaz is starring in a planet-positive show on MTV, Ed Norton and Matt Damon are hosting documentaries on PBS, and producer Laurie David is launching a high-profile online campaign and lining up Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and other big-name comedians for a TV special. As Muckraker reports, maybe some star power is just what the doctor ordered.
new in Muckraker: Star Wars: The Celebs Strike Back
5.
When Bisphenol Is Said and Done
Key ingredient in clear plastics called unsafe, except by industry
A chemical widely used in the making of clear plastic products, including baby bottles, food storage containers, and even dental fillings, is the subject of debate between those who say it is safe, namely plastic-industry flacks, and those who say it's not, namely most everyone else. Many scientists have found evidence that bisphenol A, or BPA, is harmful, even in the small doses leached from plastic during heating or exposure to acidic foods or strong detergents, because it can mimic sex hormones. A new paper in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives surveys 115 studies on BPA and reports that 94 of them show harmful effects. In a wacky coincidence, researchers Frederick vom Saal and Claude Hughes found that all 11 industry-funded studies conclude BPA is nothing to worry about, while 90 percent of the 104 government- or university-funded studies conclude otherwise. California's legislature is considering a ban on BPA in children's products; if successful, it would be the first ban on the chemical in the world.
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Marla Cone, 13 Apr 2005
straight to the source: USA Today, Elizabeth Weise, 14 Apr 2005
6.
It's an Honor Just to Be ... Oh, Screw That
Grist flogs Webby nod, shamelessly asks for reader votes
Grist is in contention for a Webby Award, like unto an "Internet Oscar." You know it's true, 'cause their site says so! We're nominated in the "magazine" category. Members of "The Academy," including folks from major news and media outlets, will decide the Webby winners May 3. But you, our adoring public -- the smartest, most committed, best-looking group of people on the planet -- can vote for your favorite magazine (us!) for the People's Voice Awards. So get thee hence and vote -- we'll thank you in our speech.
straight to the voting booth: Vote! Now! Really!
7.
Hey Joe, Where You Goin' With That Bill in Your Hand?
Joe Barton leading GOP charge to push energy bill through House
Undaunted by repeated defeats, House Republicans are having yet another go at crafting energy legislation that can make it through the Senate while still preserving massive energy-industry subsidies and tax breaks. This time around, they'll have a powerful ally in the new chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), one of the few politicians who can rival President Bush himself as a recipient of energy-industry largesse. Barton's carefully executed bid to take the reins of this powerful committee -- which oversees more than half of the legislation that moves through the House -- was backed by the oil, gas, electricity, nuclear, coal, and chemical industries, which have collectively given him $1.84 million since 1997, more than any other House member. Since then he's hired a battery of industry lobbyists to his staff, gearing up to, among other things, push his long-held priorities of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and indem nifying producers of the gas additive MTBE.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Thomas B. Edsall and Justin Blum, 14 Apr 2005
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Justin Blum, 13 Apr 2005
8.
Know When to Hold Him
More drama around Stephen Johnson's EPA confirmation
The political jousting around the confirmation of Stephen Johnson to head the U.S. EPA continues, as yet another senator has threatened to gum up the process. Just last week, Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and Bill Nelson (Fla.) held the confirmation hostage, forcing Johnson to cancel a controversial research program on household pesticides and children. Now, Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.) is, according to a spokesperson, "keeping his options open as far as blocking the nomination." The beef? Carper is steamed that the Bush administration has ignored his requests for studies on ways to cut power-plant pollution. "I think Stephen Johnson is qualified to head the EPA and would serve the agency well -- if the White House would let him," Carper said. "Unfortunately, I don't believe the White House has let past administrators do their jobs effectively, and I don't believe they're ready to do that now." A hold on the nomination can be imposed by any senator; it takes 60 vo tes to override it.
straight to the source: The New York Times, David Stout, 13 Apr 2005
9.
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 turn turkey waste into usable crude oil has been struggling to survive. Touted as a solution to foreign-oil addiction (but not to global warming), the plant cooks down 270 tons of bird leftovers into 300 barrels of oil a day. Turns out the technology works just fine, but due to financial troubles and, despite promises of odor-free operations, a smell so bad that area residents liken it to "something out of a horror movie," the plant's future is uncertain. Plant operators made the false assumptions that the facility would qualify for a $1-a-gallon tax credit (nope) and that poultry producers would pay to have their waste taken away (nope -- it's the other way around). The harsh outcome is that the resulting oil sells for half of what it costs to make. Now the company, Changing World Technologies, is considering starting a plant in Ireland, where they say the economic conditions a re more favorable and, presumably, residents won't care about the smell.
straight to the source: The Kansas City Star, Karen Dillon, 12 Apr 2005
10.
You Won't Find a Lower-Priced Greenwash -- We Guarantee!
Wal-Mart pledges to buy and preserve land to compensate for footprint
Retail leviathan Wal-Mart, stung by a spate of bad press accusing it of sprawling consumption of open spaces, excessive storm-water runoff at construction sites, discrimination against women, employment of illegal immigrants, ruthless price-cutting strategies that drive jobs abroad, and shabby treatment of employees ... er, "associates" (did we miss anything?), has launched a campaign it hopes will burnish its tainted image. The company pledged yesterday to buy and preserve enough land to compensate for the acreage lost to its stores, parking lots, and distribution centers for the next 10 years -- and trumpeted its pledge in full-page ads in at least 20 newspapers. The land will be purchased through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a nonprofit conservation organization created by Congress in 1984. Wal-Mart said it will spend $35 million on its "Acres for America" program -- roughly 0.014 percent of its quarter-trillion annual sales.
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Associated Press, 13 Apr 2005
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Beth DeFalco, 13 Apr 2005
11.
Getting Cross
Guatemalan Catholic church protests mining project
Catholic Church officials in Guatemala have become unlikely activists in a fight against a major open-pit gold mine being carved out in the mountains near San Miguel Ixtahuacan. Speaking from the pulpit, on a church-owned radio station, and during street demonstrations, church leaders have been educating parishioners, most of whom haven't finished primary school, on the potential environmental evils of the mining project, like contamination from arsenic and other nasties. Although aggressive protests like these were common in Latin American churches several decades ago, social activism declined during Pope John Paul II's tenure, as more conservative priests took to the pulpits. "Some are upset that the church is speaking out against the mine," says Rev. Eric Gruloos. "But we are doing what Jesus did. He came to wake people up to injustice." In February, the Guatemalan government announced it would freeze future mining permits and create a special commission of government and church officials to discuss the future of mining in the country.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Kevin Sullivan, 13 Apr 2005
12.
Quibbles and Bits
New strategies aim to limit drilling impact in Western U.S.
As pressure mounts from greens and the hook-and-bullet crowd to slow the pace of energy development in the American West, some companies are moving to support conservation research and employ strategies to lessen their impact. One such method, called "directional drilling," involves the use of high-tech equipment to operate up to 32 wells from one entry point above ground. Another being tested is "adaptive management," whereby regulatory and industry officials alter plans if drilling activities have harmful impacts on wildlife and habitat areas. Along with a proliferation of new drilling permits -- some 5,700 in five Western states in the past year -- comes another threat: sprawl. Small towns near energy developments, like Pinedale, Wyo., have seen population surges, which spur spikes in traffic and ugly cookie-cutter sub-developments. Says Pinedale city manager Ward Wise, "U.S. national energy policy is being played out on an epic scale in our backyard."
straight to the source: The Christian Science Monitor, Todd Wilkinson, 13 Apr 2005
straight to the source: The Christian Science Monitor, Todd Wilkinson, 11 Apr 2005
13.
A Prius With Mayo, Hold the Mayo
Fledgling California bill calls for new sales outlets for hybrids
Ever wished you could get a five-pound jar of mayonnaise and a Toyota Prius at the same convenient location? Uh, let us explain. California drivers are crazy for hybrids; dealerships in the state have months-long waiting lists, presumably because demand is greater than supply. But California Assembly member Mark Leno (D) thinks the problem is the dealerships themselves acting as bottlenecks and raising prices. So he's proposed a bill that would break their monopoly on new car sales, allowing hybrids to be sold through retail outlets like Costco or online through eBay or Amazon.com. According to a Consumer Federation of America study, the current sales and distribution system adds $2,000 to $3,000 to the price of a new car. Naturally, dealerships are opposed. And what Leno calls "a new idea, a new concept" (who can argue?) isn't exactly catching fire: "We have nobody backing the bill from the private sector," he said. "We wish there was."
straight to the source: The Mercury News, Matt Nauman, 13 Apr 2005
14.
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Missing Waste
Like absentminded professors, nuclear plants misplace their waste
A comprehensive new report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office reveals pervasive problems in the nuclear industry, abetted by lax federal regulation. You know all that waste nuclear plants produce, the stuff that stays radioactive for a kajillion years? Yeah, well, seems they keep losing track of it. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not issued clear guidelines for tracking waste, said the report, and the plants themselves have a variety of not-particularly-reliable methods. In many cases, the NRC was unable to confirm that spent fuel rods were where the plants said they were, and at least three plants may have lost some rods entirely. However, says NRC spokesflack Beth Hayden, just because radioactive waste is lying around unaccounted for is no reason to go rushing about fixing things: "When we are dealing with nuclear safety and security, we need to move in a very careful and deliberate way."
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Shankar Vedantam, 12 Apr 2005
14.
No Refuge Is an Island
Drilling in Arctic could set dangerous precedent for U.S. refuge system
The most troubling thing about the prospect of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge isn't the despoliation of a pristine tundra landscape, argues law professor Robert Fischman. It's that such drilling threatens to undermine protections for the whole national system of wildlife refuges, 95 million protected acres dotted from Florida to Hawaii, from Arizona to Alaska, providing habitat for more than 250 threatened and endangered species.
new in Soapbox: No Refuge Is an Island
15.
Do the Riot Thing
Chemical factory pollution sparks riot in eastern China
Thousands of farmers rioted in a village in eastern China over the weekend, taking a stand against encroachment of the country's fast-growing industries onto their land, and the pollution and health problems that result. Villagers had set up roadblocks to interfere with deliveries to and from the 13 chemical plants in the area that now sit on what used to be cropland. When some 3,000 police were sent to remove the roadblocks and restore production at the plants, villagers rioted, smashing buses, overturning cars, and attacking the police. Farmers and other locals say the factories -- which produce fertilizers, pesticides, and dyes -- damage their crops, foul their water, and periodically release clouds of stinging gas, causing birth defects and stillborn babies. Said one villager, "I'm afraid my children won't live to reach my age. I want my land back, I want my food back, and I want my water back."
straight to the source: The Times, Clifford Coonan, 12 Apr 2005
straight to the source: The Guardian, Jonathan Watts, 12 Apr 2005
16.
Platform Shoos
Abandoned oil rigs host thriving ecosystems, stir debate
Discovery of thriving ecosystems on some abandoned oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico is refueling a debate over what to do with old rigs once their oil-drilling life is over. Some conservationists have been advocating a "Rigs to Reefs" program whereby old platforms are tipped over, cut down below the water's surface, or towed away and sunk, creating artificial reefs for a variety of marine life below the surface. Others, like biologist Paul Sammarco, who's found abundant ecosystems on more than a dozen of the gulf's 4,000 still-standing rigs, are advocating for leaving platforms where they are so the unlikely communities of fish and rare corals found there can continue to flourish. Oil companies, of course, think that plan sounds just grand. Disposing of old platforms now costs them up to $400 million a year. And with 150 to 200 rigs projected to be abandoned annually in the next 10 to 15 years, an estimated $10 billion is at stake.
straight to the source: The Washington Post, Cheryl Lyn Dybas, 11 Apr 2005
17.
The Ventilator
Washington state law calls for new public buildings to be green
Washington state will be the first in the nation to require new public buildings to meet green building standards, thanks to a bill signed last week by Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) at Washington Middle School in Olympia. Said school is due for a remodel that will meet the standards, set by the U.S. Green Building Council, by incorporating new fixtures and thoughtful design to reduce water usage, optimize natural ventilation, and cut down on the need for artificial lighting. State officials say green buildings could save public agencies some 20 percent in water costs and 25 percent in energy costs. They also estimate that green schools and offices could result in a 15 percent reduction in absenteeism and up to a 26 percent spike in test scores, in part because increased natural light and ventilation are thought to reduce sick days. Says Washington Middle School eighth-grader Ian Lindgren, "If somehow a building could raise test scores, that would be cool." Indeed.
straight to the source: The Olympian, Heather Woodward, 09 Apr 2005
straight to the source: KGW.com, Associated Press, 09 Apr 2005
18.
World War CO2
Feds, states, and interest groups face off in court over carbon dioxide
An epic environmental case got a day in court on Friday, as a coalition of 12 states, several cities, and 13 nonprofit organizations squared off against the federal government, 11 states, and 19 industry groups before a panel of three judges in a federal appeals court. At issue is the U.S. EPA's authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act. The Bush administration and its allies say the agency has no such authority. The plaintiffs say that's bunk, noting that the act calls on the EPA to regulate any pollutant that "may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare," and that it even specifically mentions "climate." Said the plaintiffs' lead lawyer, James R. Milkey, "You don't have to look far to find the authority that the EPA says is missing." The judges may take months to issue an opinion, and that opinion will surely be appealed.
straight to the source: The New York Times, Michael Janofsky, 09 Apr 2005
straight to the source: USA Today, Associated Press, 08 Apr 2005
19.
Oil and Peace Don't Mix
Oil strategists plan for geopolitical drama as demand increases
It's a small world after all -- with an even smaller oil supply. That's what U.S. energy experts, oil companies, and national-security planners are concluding as they try to project America's and the world's oil demand versus declining supplies in coming years. Military planners in particular, aware of the interconnectedness of, if not all things, at least oil markets, intend to spend millions on oil-price-stabilization projects in emerging oil regions like the Caspian Sea and West Africa. One project, to cost $100 million over the next decade, is the Caspian Guard -- a network of special-ops units and police intended to secure oil facilities in the region, though almost none of the Caspian oil will reach U.S. markets. Most worrisome to strategists is the role China and India will play in increasing oil demand worldwide. Already, government-owned oil companies in the two countries are forging production partnerships with Iran and Sudan.
straight to the source: The Wall Street Journal, John J. Fialka, 11 Apr 2005 (access ain't free)
20.
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 harbinger of things to come for communities around the U.S. On one side is Sempra Energy, which wants to build a coal-fired power plant that would generate enough energy for 1.5 million households and pipe it west to California and up to the Pacific Northwest. On the other side is a somewhat motley coalition of renewable-energy advocates with a proposal for a collection of wind, solar, and geothermal installations that would do the same for 1.2 million households. The transmission line that would carry the energy doesn't have room for both. Sempra already has funding and can guarantee results, but coal spews smog- and acid rain-forming emissions into the air. The renewable advocates don't quite have funding together, and their technology is less tested, but it runs clean. As ranch owner David Rumsey put it, "The difficult political decision in Nevada is: Do we take this old-fashioned coal plant, or do we wait?"
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Miguel Bustillo, 10 Apr 2005
posted by T. Scott Brineman at 9:49 PM
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