Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003

Monroe Spin Doctorin'

Bush Defends His Environmental Proposals in a Key Swing State

When President Bush talked up his Clear Skies proposal on Monday, he chose as his backdrop a huge coal-fired power plant in Monroe, Mich. -- one of the filthiest power plants in the U.S. Why? Simple electoral politics, of course. In the 2000 election, Bush lost Michigan, a key industrial swing state, and he doesn't intend to repeat that failing in 2004, so he spun his latest environmental and energy plans as economy boosters before a crowd of blue-collar workers in the Wolverine State. Get the full story on Bush's Michigan maneuvering, plus the scoop on defunding Superfund and more -- only in Muckraker, on the Grist Magazine website.

A Real Page-turner

Small Recycled Paper Company Is Making Big Strides

New Leaf Paper, a small but fast-growing recycled paper company in San Francisco, aims to revolutionize the paper industry -- a revolution that's sorely needed. Ninety percent of printing and writing paper in the U.S. still has no recycled content at all, says Susan Kinsella, executive director of the nonprofit Conservatree. And the big pulp and paper companies (which, in 2001, produced 24.5 million tons of paper from about 450 million trees) cause a host of other environmental problems as well, from water pollution to habitat destruction to the release of high quantities of climate-altering greenhouse gases. New Leaf is doing things differently, peddling paper with high post-consumer recycled content and convincing printers that recycled paper is of high enough quality to meet their needs. The company's biggest coup: supplying eco-friendly paper for the printing of 950, 000 copies of the latest Harry Potter book in Canada.

The Ties That Blind

Ties to Polluters Could Compromise Leavitt at EPA, Say Critics

Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt (R), President Bush's nominee to head the U.S. EPA, has strong financial ties to polluters, which critics say cast doubt on his ability to do the job fairly and effectively. Nearly 10 percent of the campaign funds Leavitt raised over the last 10 years came from oil refineries, mining firms, landfill operators, and other companies that have unresolved EPA pollution violations. A coalition of Utah environmental groups yesterday released a white paper outlining weaknesses in Leavitt's environmental record in Utah, alleging, among other things, that polluters in the state were rarely sanctioned unless the federal government stepped in. The groups also pointed out that under Leavitt, Utah earned the dubious distinction of having the second-highest level of toxic releases in the nation and tied for last place in enforcement of the Clean Water Act.

Clan of the Cave

A New Book Plunges into the Dark and Delicate World of Caves

When you think of getting out into nature, you probably envision blue skies, rushing rivers, green trees, and wide open spaces. But some nature lovers prefer that their outdoor adventures take place inside -- in caves, that is. In a new collection of essays, Entering the Stone, Barbara Hurd delves into the strange word of spelunking, examining everything from the mental challenges of exploring in the dark to the conservation challenges of protecting these delicate places. Michelle Nijhuis reviews Hurd's book -- only on the Grist Magazine website.

Rocky Roadless

Bush Administration Refuses to Defend Roadless Rule

In what may be a final blow to the Clinton-era roadless policy, the Bush administration refused to appeal a federal court injunction against the rule by the deadline for doing so last Friday. Enviros are hopping mad that the administration didn't defend the policy, which aimed to prevent road-building, logging, and oil and gas development on 58.5 million acres of roadless national forest land. "At every turn this administration has sought cover for its intentions to gut the roadless rule, and now it is hiding behind an adverse district court decision, rather than defending the law of the land," said Robert Vandermark, codirector of the Heritage Forests Campaign. The roadless rule was highly popular with the public; the U.S. Forest Service received more than 2 million public comments in support of the policy before it was enacted, a record for comments on a federal environmental measure.