Tuesday, 13 Nov 2001

The Throng Song

Throngs of environmental activists are protesting a shipment of nuclear waste making its way by train from France to Germany, and at least 100 have been detained by the police. The six containers of radioactive waste originated at a reprocessing plant in La Hague, in northern France, and will be stored in Gorleben, Germany, 375 miles away. At least 5,000 protesters are staging actions along the length of the route, and between 15,000 and 20,000 German police have been deployed to protect the train. Greenpeace's Frederic Marillier said the shipment "represents a scandalous risk for the populations along the route."

Monkey Business

Illegal trafficking in wildlife has become Brazil's third-most profitable illegal activity after arms and drugs smuggling, generating up to $1 billion annually. An estimated 38 million wild animals are stolen from the country's forests every year, according to a new report by the National Network Against the Trafficking of Wild Animals (RENCTAS). Eighty-two percent of the illegal sales are birds, while 14 percent are mammals and 3 percent are snakes. The report found that only a tiny fraction of the animals -- about 0.45 percent -- are intercepted by the authorities. Many of the animals are shipped overseas to supply a lucrative international market (which is dominated by the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France), but RENCTAS estimates that only about 10 percent of the animals survive the journey.

Markey's Mark

Drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would mark a departure from more than three decades of government practice, according to a new report by the General Accounting Office, the congressional watchdog agency. The report shows that some type of energy extraction takes place in 13 percent of refuges, but that nearly all of the permits to drill were granted before the 1966 passage of the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), a drilling opponent who requested the report, said opening up the Arctic Refuge would set a precedent that could endanger the 297 other refuges identified by the U.S. Geological Survey as possibly having oil and gas reserves.

Patriot Games

When America entered World War II, the folks at home reduced, reused, and recycled in the name of patriotism. Now, as we enter a new war, it's time to do the same, says David Hochschild, coordinator of San Francisco's successful solar power initiative, in an op-ed co-authored by his mother, well-known writer Arlie Hochschild. Because our leaders won't wean us off our dangerous oil habit, the Hochschilds argue, we need to take the steps ourselves. Individuals could change their energy habits by replacing gas-guzzling vehicles, taking public transportation, and insulating homes, while schools, businesses, and state and local governments could promote renewable resource use. What a wonderful world this would be.

Nema-toads

A federal appeals court upheld a Vermont law last week requiring manufacturers to label items that contain mercury. The 1998 law, the first of its kind in the United States, was challenged by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association on behalf of companies that produce fluorescent light bulbs containing mercury. NEMA argued that labeling the products would be too expensive and that Vermont's share of the market was too small to merit special labeling practices. Happily, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York disagreed. Mercury is banned from state landfills and must be recycled, but many consumers are unaware that they are buying products containing the toxic metal.

In the Navy, You Can Soil the Seven Seas

Donald Schregardus, who was nominated by President Bush to head the U.S. EPA enforcement division but withdrew from consideration following public outcry and opposition in the Senate, has been appointed to an environmental post in the Navy. Schregardus spent 17 years with the federal EPA and was director of the Ohio EPA for eight years; environmental organizations say that in the latter capacity he consistently failed to enforce federal clean air and water standards. His responsibilities as a Navy environmental officer are unclear, although such officials usually oversee the cleanup of hazardous waste sites. Maria Weidner, a policy analyst with Earthjustice, said, "We are pleased that the White House is taking an interest in recycling."