Liz Borkowski’s Posts

• When 'picking energy winners,' don't ignore past investment

  Marketplace commentary gives a misleading picture of government's role in energy use 12

  Posted 1 year, 3 months ago

  In a commentary on Thursday's Marketplace, the Cato Institute's Will Wilkinson critiqued T. Boone Pickens' new energy plan. In doing so, he painted a misleading picture of the government's role in our energy usage.

  Pickens wants wind energy to replace natural gas in electricity generation, and use the freed-up natural gas to fuel vehicles so we can use less foreign oil. There are problems with this energy plan, but Wilkerson is most concerned that the government might be "picking a winner" if it helps Pickens realize his scheme. (Wilkerson doesn't specify exactly what Pickens wants the government to do,… Read More

• The Department of Defense (of itself)

  DOD slows condemning research into its polluting behavior 1

  Posted 1 year, 4 months ago

  Back in April, a Government Accountability Office report explained how the White House Office of Management and Budget was holding up the EPA's Integrated Risk Information System assessments. According to GAO, the OMB started requiring an "interagency review" process allowing agencies that might be affected by the IRIS assessments to provide comments on the documents. As a result, some of these outside agencies can effectively block completion of IRIS assessments, which inform federal environmental standards and many environmental protection programs at local, state, and even international levels.

  The GAO explained that this interagency review process came about because the… Read More

• Leading to problems

  Implications of the study linking childhood lead exposure and adult criminality 0

  Posted 1 year, 5 months ago

  A study just published in the journal PLoS Medicine (and written up in the L.A. Times) suggests a link between childhood lead exposure and adult arrests for violent crimes. Studying 250 adults for whom they had prenatal and childhood blood lead level measurements, University of Cincinnati researchers found that each 5-microgram-per-deciliter increase in blood lead levels at age 6 was associated with a nearly 50 percent increased risk of arrest as a young adult (the risk ratio was 1.48).

  The good news is that overall, U.S. children's blood lead levels have dropped dramatically since manufacturers started phasing… Read More

• Nanotubes: the next asbestos?

  Lessons from the asbestos crisis should guide the response to nanotechnology, but will they? 6

  Posted 1 year, 5 months ago

  The story of asbestos in this country ought to serve as a cautionary tale: A seemingly miraculous fiber was widely introduced into common consumer products; only after it was already in millions of homes did the general public realize that it causes a particularly terrible form of cancer. Now, treating victims and cleaning up contaminated communities is costing billions of dollars, and thousands of people endure the toll of a debilitating and deadly disease.

  Nanotechnology is another innovation that promises to bring consumer products to a whole new level -- and, once again, it looks like nano products will become… Read More

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Liz Borkowski’s Recent Comments

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  And with your extra $2 ...

  ... you even have enough left over for vegetables.

  Honestly, the thing that bothers me most about the commercial is the idea that meat + starch = appropriate meal. Couldn't they at least sub peas for potatoes?On How I beat KFC's 'family meal' challenge posted 1 year ago 46 Responses

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  the cost of coal-mine safety

  If we get an administration that actually wants to enforce mine-safety laws - or even make some new regulations, say in response to the continuing problem of black lung - the coal mines that are currently cutting corners to save money might have to pass additional safety expenses on to customers, too.On Coal electricity prices: the new gas prices posted 1 year, 3 months ago 3 Responses

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  a dangerous industry

  Last year, Bloomberg reported that the rate of injury among Brazilian cane cutters was about eight times higher than that of workers in Brazil's citrus and grain industries. Exhaustion and back injuries are common -- and pulmonary fibrosis is apparently on the rise among these workers, too. An increased workload (the tons of cane workers are expected to cut each day has doubled from 30 years ago) is probably to blame.On Amnesty International: forced labor in Brazil's sugarcane fields posted 1 year, 5 months ago 3 Responses

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  on the plus side

  At the national level, at least, the program's been moving slowly in the right direction. USDA has finally reconfigured the WIC food package to include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (by reducing the amount of egg and dairy products). By August 2009, each participant will be getting $6-$10 a month for produce, out of a total of about $39. This may not sound like a lot, but it's a big step forward.

  The WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program has also been successful in helping participants get fresh, locally grown produce. Participants in the 46 participating states can get coupons good for $10 - 30 worth of farmers' market fruits and vegetables each season, on top of their regular WIC benefits. It would be better if the benefit amount were higher (the maximum was increased from $25 to $30 in 2004), especially now that food prices are increasing so quickly.

  WIC is far from ideal, and there are certainly ways the state governments can make bad choices about implementation. Overall, though, it's a great program. The more people realize this, the easier it will be to strengthen and improve it.On Evidently, women, infants, and children in need don't deserve organic posted 1 year, 5 months ago 8 Responses

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  Fair Trade isn't just about money

  The vendor seemed to be saying that "we pay the fair trade price, therefore it's fair trade" - but fair trade is about more than just the price that farmers get.

  Fair trade farmers are organized into democratically run cooperatives, which decide how to use their FT premiums (which fund community projects like health clinics and water systems); workers must enjoy freedom of associaiton and safe working conditions; and the farmers must use sustainable farming methods.

  As a consumer, I prefer to look for the Fair Trade Certified label, which I consider to be a good guarantee of all these factors, rather than try to figure out whether a particular company is ensuring that their coffee suppliers are meeting all of these standards.On If you support the standards but not the certifiers, then what? posted 1 year, 5 months ago 14 Responses