Wednesday, 24 Jul 2002

The Bycatcher in the Rye

"Save the whales!" "Save the dolphins!" Those were rallying cries of the environmental movement in the 1980s and '90s, and they culminated in a successful campaign for "dolphin-safe" tuna -- that is, tuna-fishing practices in the Pacific Ocean that wouldn't harm marine mammals. Unfortunately, scientists now say that commercial fishing in the Atlantic and elsewhere is still killing dolphins and whales, including the endangered Northern Atlantic right whale. In what is apparently the first worldwide assessment of the scope of the problem, scientists at Duke University concluded that 60,000 dolphins, porpoises, and whales die every year from encounters with fishing equipment, making bycatch the leading cause of death among those mammals. In response to the findings, the World Wildlife Fund announced the formation of a committee to reduce bycatch by helping to teach fisheries outside the U.S. how to keep marine mammals away from boats and nets.

Caterpillar Metamorphoses Into Beautiful Lobbyist

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and a coalition of Republican colleagues, manufacturers, and trucking industry reps are pressuring the Bush administration to postpone a strict new anti-pollution standard for diesel trucks. Why? Because Illinois-based Caterpillar, Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of 18-wheel diesel tractor-trailers and a significant Republican campaign contributor, could face millions of dollars in fines for failing to meet the upcoming Oct. 1 deadline to comply with the standard. The anti-pollution measure calls for dramatically reduced nitrogen oxide emissions, which cause acid rain and respiratory problems, but the industry contends that it hasn't been given enough time to test new engines and that the cost of developing them would be prohibitive. The U.S. EPA and the Justice Department have already turned down a request for postponement by Caterpillar and the American Trucking Associations. Officials at the agencies defend the rule as an important public health measure and say the industry is exaggerating the economic obstacles.

Look for the Onion Label?

It's not quite like a pie in the face or mashed potatoes on the cafeteria ceiling, but Oregonians can still expect a food fight come November. The state seems poised to be the first in the nation to vote on a labeling law for genetically modified foods, now that the backers of the initiative, Oregon Concerned Citizens for Safe Foods, have turned in enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot. If the measure is approved by voters, few food growers and makers would be left unaffected. The group says the initiative is a consumer-rights measure. Opponents, including the Grocery Manufacturers of America, the Oregon Grocery Industry Association, Associated Oregon Industries, and the farm lobby, say it is an anti-agriculture bill that would jack up prices, put Oregon at a competitive disadvantage, and hurt consumers and businesses alike.

Kenny Get Your Guinn

President Bush signed into law yesterday the measure approving Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear-waste burial ground, which was approved two weeks ago by Congress. The signing, closed to journalists and attended by only a handful of allies who were instrumental in brokering the bill's passage, marks the official end of Nevada's legislative fight to keep the highly radioactive waste out of the state. But in a statement issued after the signing, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn (R) said the battle would merely change venues, moving from Capitol Hill to the courts: "I have always believed that our best chance in defeating Yucca Mountain is in the federal courts, where impartial judges will hear the factual and scientific arguments as to why Yucca Mountain is not a safe place to store this nation's high-level nuclear waste."

Flow-rida

The Bush administration yesterday revised its proposed rules for the $7.8 billion renovation of the Florida Everglades, with environmentalists greeting the changes as imperfect but undeniably better than the last draft. Under the new rules, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District would still lead the restoration effort, but with more input from the Interior Department -- a key demand of environmentalists. The new draft also earned points from environmentalists by redefining restoration to include better water quality and a healthier ecosystem, not just restored water flow. Enviros had criticized the earlier draft as a water-supply and flood-control plan masquerading as a rescue mission for alligators, panthers, otters, birds, and other flora and fauna of the Everglades. April Gromnicki of Audubon of Florida, said the new draft is "much better," but added that, "It couldn't have gotten any worse."