Friday, 15 Mar 2002

Mutts and Jeffords

We hate to be the bearer of still more bad tidings, but what can we say? It's been a rough week for the environment on Capitol Hill. One day after declining to support tougher fuel-efficiency standards, the Senate yesterday voted down a measure that would have required 20 percent of the nation's electricity to be produced from wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources by 2020. Currently, less than 2 percent of U.S. electricity comes from renewable resources. The measure that could have changed all that, which was sponsored by Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), was defeated by a disheartening 70 votes to 29. Opponents claimed it would have caused dramatic increases in the price of electricity. Advocates remain optimistic that the Senate will pass a less ambitious proposal for 10 percent of U.S. electricity to be generated by renewables. How did your senators vote on the Jeffords measure? Odds are, badly -- but see for yourself, only on the Grist Magazine website.

Military Unintelligence

The House Subcommittee on Military Readiness held a hearing yesterday to discuss whether environmental regulations are impeding the full functioning of the U.S. military. Subcommittee Chair Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) said his goal was to "find a balance between the need to protect national security and the environment." He then proceeded to criticize "ever-increasing limitations and restrictions on land and waters" as interfering with military training exercises. Among the examples he cited: Troops at some Army bases need environmental permission before digging trenches, and $2.4 million of the San Clemente Island Navy base budget goes toward protecting a nearby bird colony. Environmentalists counter that the Defense Department already enjoys partial exemptions from the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Superfund program.

Gross Out

Grist readers aren't exactly known for beating around the bush, so it's no surprise that the response to Matthew Gross's piece by the same name was, shall we say, candid. Gross argued that President Bush's abysmal environmental record proves that Al Gore would have been a far different -- and better -- president, notwithstanding the claims of Ralph Nader supporters. That charge clearly touched a nerve with our readers. From eulogies to Rush Limbaugh comparisons, Gross got it all; for a sampling, check out our letters to the editor, only on the Grist Magazine website.

Drug Bust

A federal survey that found trace levels of medications in rivers and streams throughout the U.S. could prompt the Food and Drug Administration to revitalize its environmental investigations into drug safety. The first-of-its-kind survey of more than 100 waterways found low levels of dozens of antibiotics, hormones, painkillers, cough suppressants, disinfectants, and other products excreted by humans and animals. Many of these substances fall through regulatory cracks, because they are not defined as pollution under clean water laws, and the FDA has not examined the environmental impact of most drugs since 1997. As a result, the long-term health effects of exposure to the contaminated water are unknown. The hydrology program of the U.S. Geological Survey is studying whether any contamination reaches drinking water, but the program is slated to be eliminated under proposed Bush administration budget cuts.