Thursday, 10 Jan 2002

My Sediments Exactly

Damage to the Missouri River "is clear and continuing" and could lead to "irreversible extinction of species," according to a comprehensive report released yesterday by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. The report called for "immediate and decisive action" and echoed demands by environmentalists to recreate an approximation of the river's natural ebb and flow. Perhaps most significantly, the report condemned the river management techniques of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps quickly rejected two of the report's most urgent recommendations: prompt remedies to improve the river's flow and a moratorium on revising the Corps' "master manual" for river management. Poor management of the river has separated it from its flood plain, shortened it by more than 200 miles, deprived it of sediment flow, and caused a decline in 51 of its 67 native fish species.

Gene De Florette

Use of genetically modified (GM) seeds is on the rise among U.S. farmers, according to an informal poll conducted at the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual meeting. The survey questioned 321 farmers without regard to farm size, state, or other criteria; the results suggest that GM corn plantings will soar this year, and that GM soybean plantings will also increase. Plantings of GM cotton will decline, but that is primarily due to a world cotton glut. The increase in the popularity of GM crops in the U.S. comes despite resistance from Asian and European agricultural organizations, farmers, and consumers, all of whom have thrown up obstacles to importing, planting, growing, or purchasing GM foods.

Blood Is Thicker Than Water

It was a family affair, but the significance was national: President Bush and his brother Jeb, the governor of Florida, signed an agreement yesterday to guarantee that water captured by a $7.8 billion Florida Everglades restoration effort will indeed go toward reviving the national park. Because the state and federal governments have potentially competing interests in the project -- the feds want to protect the park, the state wants water for business and agricultural interests as well -- Congress mandated that both parties sign a water-use agreement. Although environmentalists have frequently expressed concern about the regulations guiding the restoration project, many green groups said they were pleased with the Bush-Bush agreement.

A Pain in the Anniston

The number of plaintiffs in a lawsuit against pesticide and food giant Monsanto will dwindle following an Alabama county court ruling that only people who have actually become sick, allegedly from PCB poisoning, have standing in the trial. The plaintiffs contend that Monsanto and its spin-off company, Solutia Inc., were cognizant of the health hazards posed by PCBs but did nothing to stop them from leaking off a plant site in Anniston, Ala., for dozens of years. Lawyers for the plaintiffs are comparing the case to an earlier one against the tobacco industry, while Monsanto's reps argue that there is no evidence linking PCBs to problems in Anniston and that the company ceased production of the toxic compound before it was legally required to do so. More than 3,500 Anniston residents filed the suit; it is unclear how many will remain in light of the ruling.

Tank You Very Much

A technique invented to reduce corrosion of steel components on ships could also prevent exotic species from stowing away in the ballast water of cargo ships. The technique, which was designed by Mario Tamburri of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in collaboration with Japanese scientists, involves pumping nitrogen gas into ballast tanks, thereby virtually eliminating oxygen in the water and suffocating fish, crabs, mussels, clams, and other critters lurking in the tanks. Ballast tanks, which are used to maintain stability in ships, are a major conveyance of exotic species: A large cargo ship can have up to a dozen such tanks, each the size of a high school gymnasium. When the ship reaches its destination, the water -- and everything in it -- is released into the sea.