Monday, 26 Nov 2001

Feet of Clay

The Ford Motor Company might have to eat its words if its fleet of sport utility vehicles continues to gobble gas. Last summer, company reps promised to improve SUV fuel efficiency 25 percent by 2005. Not willing to be outdone, the two other Big Three automakers -- General Motors and DaimlerChrysler -- said they'd keep pace with Ford. Now, though, they question whether the goal is attainable. New CEO William Clay Ford, Jr., is known for his unusually eco-friendly outlook, but his company's entire fleet of vehicles currently averages just 23.9 miles per gallon. (G.M. averages 24.2 mpg, while DaimlerChrysler averages 23.1 mpg.) The auto industry intends to use technological innovations such as hybrid electric-gas engines and other, more incremental improvements like lighter vehicles and better transmissions to improve fuel efficiency, but they caution that the changes won't be as swift as Ford predicted.

Brussels Sprouting

Environmental negotiations with 10 Eastern European countries hoping to join the European Union by 2004 will near completion by the end of the year, E.U. officials announced Thursday. Environmental protection is considered one of the biggest obstacles facing Eastern European nations interested in joining the E.U.; for the 10 countries -- Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia -- the total price tag for meeting E.U. environmental standards is expected to come to about $105.4 billion. European Commission Environment Directorate head Jean-Francois Verstrynge urged the candidate nations to see that money as an investment in public health. He and E.U. environmental protection ministers are meeting with their colleagues in applicant countries this week in Brussels.

I Wanna Be Like Myco

They're good in salads, lovely with pasta ... and great for the earth? The humble mushroom could help clean up everything from oil spills to pesticides, thanks to a new technology called mycoremediation. Mushroom expert Paul Stamets pioneered the technology against the bacteria E. coli and then partnered with scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Labs to try it against environmental toxins. The technology uses the natural ability of fungi to break down dead plants and animals to accelerate decomposition of petroleum products. In a field study, fungi appeared to be remarkably successful at cleansing soil contaminated with oil and other petroleum products, making them a potentially powerful ally in the battle to clean up the 24,000 oil spills that occur in the U.S. every year. The scientists behind mycoremediation are also optimistic that the process could help limit environmental damage caused by agricultural runoff.

Pressure Whitewash

In 1997, Randy Walli, a pipe fitter at the Hanford nuclear power plant in Washington state, was told to help build a pipeline using valves that would be subjected to more pressure than specified by the manufacturer. Concerned about the possible impact on himself, his fellow workers, and the environment, Walli blew the whistle. The result? Walli and four members of his crew were laid off. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the layoffs violated its rules protecting whistle-blowers from illegal firings. All five were rehired, then subjected to hostility from coworkers, made to perform more dangerous jobs than before, and fired again within a year. OSHA ruled in the workers' favor again, but the contractor running Hanford appealed, and this time the workers are taking their case to the courts. Meanwhile, instead of cracking down on the contractor for firing whistle-blowers, the Department of Energy is paying its legal fees -- using nearly $1 million in taxpayer money.

Rainforest Crunch Time ** Satire **

What, you haven't heard? The U.S. has taken the war against terrorism to the Amazon Rainforest. Thanks to a heavy -- if under-publicized -- bombing campaign, the Southern Front should trouble us no more. With sloths, tapirs, and other dangerous enemies neutralized, the next stop's the petting zoo. Writer Chris Colin takes you into the heart of the jungle and the minds of our fearless leaders, only on the Grist Magazine website.