Tuesday, 04 Nov 2003

I'm on the Hunt, I'm After You

Bush Angers Hunters and Anglers by Promoting Resource Extraction

The Bush administration is ticking off many traditionally Republican hunters and anglers with its plans to encourage logging and oil and gas drilling in natural areas throughout the Western U.S. Last week, 450 U.S. gun clubs sent a petition to the U.S. Forest Service objecting to plans to remove protections from the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska, which contains prime habitat for big game and salmon. And many hunters in Montana are irate about administration plans to encourage gas drilling in the Rocky Mountain Front, which is home to bears, wolves, elk, bighorn sheep, bobcats, and many other large mammals. Carl Rappold, a Montana rancher and longtime Republican, says he won't vote for Bush again: "To me, it doesn't make sense. We got all these species clustered in a little bit of space. It is almost like a last stand. And now we are going to develop it for a handful of gas?"

What Sumatra With Logging?

Illegal Logging in Indonesia Played Role in Fatal Flooding

Heavy illegal logging on the Indonesian island of Sumatra likely contributed to a devastating flash flood on Sunday that killed at least 85 people and possibly dozens more in the town of Bahorok. In a nearby national park, logging scofflaws had cleared nearly 100,000 acres over the past decade, said local government official Syamsul Arifin, which left the area vulnerable when heavy rains hit. Along with the surging flood waters came hundreds of logs from the park, which smashed into homes and other buildings. "This is not a pure natural disaster," said Enda Hartanta Bangun, an engineer with a state plantation company who came to assess the damage. Longgena Ginting of the environmental group Walhi agreed: "Eighty-five percent of [natural] disasters in Indonesia are the result of environmental destruction."

It's Chemical (Let's Do It)

Europe Pushes for Chemical Testing, But U.S. Backs Voluntary Approach

While the European Commission voted last week to require new safety testing of chemicals (though not nearly as strict of testing as environmentalists would have liked), the U.S. is making no such strides. Rather, an average of two new chemicals are approved for use in the U.S. every day, most of which have undergone little or no lab testing to determine safety. A number of potentially dangerous chemicals are increasingly showing up in human blood and breast milk. "We're treating [people] worse than lab rats," said Karen Florini, a lawyer with Environmental Defense. "At least with lab rats, somebody bothers to collect the data." Chemical manufacturers in the U.S. aren't responsible for demonstrating that their products are safe; rather, the burden is on the U.S. EPA to demonstrate that a chemical poses a risk to human health or the environment -- a process so difficult and expensive that the agency rarely undertakes it. The Bush administration is siding with the chemical industry in supporting a voluntary system of chemical testing.

Flaming Out

Chemical Co. Will Stop Production of Controversial Flame Retardants

In a bit of positive news about nasty chemicals, the manufacturer of two flame retardants that have been found in increasing concentrations in the bodies of humans and wildlife announced yesterday that it would stop producing the chemicals next year. The company, Indianapolis-based Great Lakes Chemical Corp., had been under growing pressure from scientists and regulators over the past few months to phase out two varieties of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are commonly used in furniture and electronics; the chemicals accumulate in human breast milk and may interfere with the development of infants' brains. The flame retardants have already been banned in Europe, and this summer California passed a law to phase them out by 2008. Great Lakes denied that the chemicals pose any risks but said it had developed a replacement flame retardant. Enviros, though, warn that the new product has not been thoroughly tested for toxicity or bioaccumulation.

It's What's on the Outside That Counts

Cadbury to Use Biodegradable Packaging for Chocolates

Earth-loving chocoholics, take heart: British chocolate giant Cadbury Schweppes announced yesterday that it will begin using biodegradable candy trays that look like plastic but dissolve in water. At first, the new packaging will only be available in Australia, but the company is talking about using the technology more widely in the future. The biodegradable material, developed by Plantic Technologies Ltd. in Australia, is made of a water-soluble cornstarch polymer and is said to be comparable or superior to petrochemical plastic products.