Thursday, 16 Jan 2003

You're in the Army Now

Environmentalists and the Pentagon have never been the best of friends -- in fact, the folks at the Department of Defense are currently trying to wiggle out of complying with as many environmental regulations as possible in the name of national security -- but it would seem that military leaders can think green when it suits them. The U.S. Army and General Motors have rolled out a new, highly efficient hybrid-engine truck, designed for soldiers doing stealth work in the field. The truck, a militarized version of the Chevrolet Silverado, has a V8 engine coupled with a gas-electric system and a fuel-cell auxiliary power unit. If the vehicle is a hit, it could become the model for the Army's 30,000 other light trucks. Maj. Gen. N. Ross Thompson III said, "We have a vision that if we could be an all-electric army, particularly in our vehicles, we'd reduce significantly the impact on the logistics burden that we currently have." Not to mention the impact on the environment.

Dolorous Haze

Emissions that contribute to smog in the Los Angeles area are drastically worse than previously estimated, air-quality officials admitted yesterday. The announcement marked a reversal of the usual optimistic rhetoric about California air quality, which has been steadily improving since the late 1980s. Now it seems that progress in eliminating the two most common pollutants that lead to smog is not as advanced as previously thought. The miscalculation is due to underestimated emissions from cars, trucks, and consumer products ranging from deodorant and hairspray to household cleaners. California is under federal mandate to improve air quality by 2010; failure to do so will have significant political and human health consequences. On the former front, the state could lose federal funding; on the latter, half of the state's population would continue to be at risk of suffering the ill effects of dirty air, including headaches, asthma, heart attacks, and cancer.

Great Build

It's not clear if the problem is one of economics or one of spin, but either way, environmentally conscious building design is a concept that hasn't quite caught on. The technology and expertise to build "green" structures have been around for decades; now, a movement is underway to sell developers on the economic benefits of green building. In an effort to create brand-recognition among building styles, the U.S. Green Building Council, a private group, is certifying structures as sustainable if they meet a number of energy-efficient and eco-friendly criteria. Simultaneously, governments are beginning to encourage green building: In 2000, New York established a tax credit for sustainable development projects, and other states have since followed suit. But momentum is building slowly, at best. Only 2.3 percent of the 1.6 billion feet of nonresidential construction projects initiated last year applied for certification from the Green Building Council.

Range Bedfellows

Energy exploration has been part of Western landscape and culture for decades -- but it seems the thrill of the drill may finally be wearing off. As the Bush administration pushes for further exploitation of Western resources (such as coal-bed methane mining in Wyoming and Montana and oil and natural gas drilling in the Rocky Mountains), ranchers, farmers, and local governments are starting to push back. Delta County, Colo., has sued the state's oil and water commission over a proposed natural gas project that could harm local water supplies; officials in Gallatin County, Mont., are trying to prevent gas exploration near scenic Bozeman Pass; and a group of ranchers in northern New Mexico (including a former campaign coordinator for President Bush) locked gates on their property to prevent energy companies from entering. The region has traditionally welcomed the economic benefits of natural resource development. Now, such development is clashing with other values, ranging from the desire to preserve unspoiled vistas to the desire to preserve high property values. Industry officials blame the shift in attitude on national environmental groups.