Wednesday, 02 Jan 2002

Turning Over a New Leif

With a new, government-approved plan to become the world's first hydrogen-based society, Iceland is emerging as the protagonist of the clean energy revolution. The nation plans to end its dependence on fossil fuels (and hence on foreign energy sources) through the use of fuel cells, which combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce energy, yielding water as a harmless byproduct. With much of its power coming from hydroelectric and geothermal sources, Iceland already leads the world in renewable energy; now that same clean energy will be used to power fuel cells and create an entirely eco-friendly energy loop.

Business As Usual

The U.S. government will no longer consider a business's environmental track record when awarding federal contracts, following the Bush administration's decision to rescind 11th-hour Clinton-era "blacklisting" regulations. The regulations required a business to have a satisfactory record on ethical, environmental, tax, labor, antitrust, and consumer protection laws to win government contracts worth more than $100,000. Repeal of the regulations was a significant triumph for the private sector but a blow to environmental and labor organizations, which argue that the regulations are necessary to prevent the administration from doing business with companies that violate the government's own laws.

'Tis the Treason

It was a grim holiday season for Grigory Pasko, a Russian journalist who was sentenced on Dec. 25 to four years in prison on charges of high treason. A military reporter with an interest in environmental issues, Pasko documented the Russian Navy's practice of dumping old weapons and nuclear waste into the ocean. The treason charges stem from allegations that Pasko shared classified information about the Navy with colleagues in Japan. Russian civil liberties advocates say Pasko's case is an example of widespread state suppression of journalistic freedoms; the U.S. State Department has asked Russia to release Pasko pending his appeal and make sure he is given a prompt and fair trial. A Russian prosecutor, meanwhile, is also appealing the case, saying the four-year prison term is too lenient.

Minority Report

Officials in charge of reviving the Florida Everglades have created an outreach program to encourage minority involvement in the region's decades-long, multi-billion dollar restoration plan. The $11 million outreach program accords with 2000 legislation that granted federal funding for Everglades restoration and called on the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to involve minorities in the process. Coordinators of the outreach program hope black, Latino, Native American, poor, and rural Floridians will recognize the benefits of restoration and be given a fair share of related government contracts.

Oh, Baby

Pregnant women exposed to high levels of ozone and carbon monoxide are more likely to give birth to children with heart defects, according to a study published yesterday in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The study, which was conducted by the University of California at Los Angeles, looked at birth defect cases in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties, and found as much as a threefold incidence in serious infant heart problems where mothers were exposed to air pollution. The researchers hope to continue the study to determine how pregnant women are exposed to smog and how it affects prenatal development. The results could help shape a pending evaluation of California's carbon monoxide cleanup plan.