Tuesday, 16 Dec 2003

Put the Pedal to the Mettle

Advice on Relatively Green Cars and Positively Green Bikes

The options for environmentally conscious car-buyers are finally beginning to expand. If you really need a car -- and please think twice about whether you do -- Jim Motavalli has a rundown of the hybrids and other low-emission vehicles currently in showrooms. He'll help you find your cup of automotive tea -- and then urge you to ride your bike instead. After all, lots of spiffy new around-town bicycles are hitting the market, designed for commuting and running errands in all types of weather. Read about your transportation options in Earthly Possessions, our green-buying column, only on the Grist Magazine website.

NPR: One Thing Considered

Pristine Petroleum Reserve in Alaska Opened to Oil Drilling

Try as it might, the Bush administration hasn't been able to get its hands on oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Perhaps to make itself feel better, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is forging ahead with plans to permit aggressive oil drilling in large swaths of the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska (NPR-A), the refuge's lesser-known neighbor. The NPR-A, which was set aside as an oil storehouse for the U.S. military, provides habitat for caribou, migratory birds, and other wildlife. Along with its drilling plans, the BLM is relaxing environmental restrictions on other leased areas in Alaska as part of the Bush administration's ambitious efforts to increase domestic petroleum production. Environmentalists claim the loosened restrictions will lead to desecration of wildlife areas. Industry representatives respond: But that's where the oil is.

You're Under Cardiac Arrest

Heart Disease, Not Respiratory Illness, Is Main Danger from Air Pollution

Air pollution may actually be worse for your heart than for your lungs, according to new research published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation. A 16-year study found that long-term exposure to particulate matter in polluted air is more likely to cause death from cardiovascular disease than from respiratory ailments. "It's very different from what we thought previously," said Brigham Young University professor and epidemiologist Arden Pope, the study's lead author. Small particle pollution -- emitted by automobiles, factories, and coal-fired power plants -- can contribute to a variety of cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks, the study found.

The Weak in Review

Bush's Mercury Plan Was Rejected by Clinton EPA as Too Weak

The Bush administration's new plan for regulating mercury emissions from power plants is virtually the same as one that the Clinton administration considered and dismissed because it appeared to violate the federal Clean Air Act, former U.S. EPA officials said yesterday. The Bush proposal caused an uproar among environmentalists and public-health advocates when it was leaked to the press last week. Yesterday, the administration formally introduced the plan, which would regulate mercury from power plants for the first time and mandate a nearly 70 percent drop in mercury emissions by 2018. The problem, enviros say, is that the proposal would let many plants wait up to 15 years before installing technology specifically designed to reduce mercury pollution -- far too long, they argue, considering that mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin. More troubling, perhaps, is that the plan wouldn't put any restrictions on individual power plants, but would let companies buy and sell the rights to emit mercury. That would be bad news for people living near a power plant that buys emissions credits instead of cleaning up its act.

Deck the Hauls

U.S. High Court Will Hear Mexican Truck Pollution Case

The U.S. Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will wade into a dispute over whether tens of thousands of highly polluting Mexican trucks should be allowed to cross the border and deliver goods throughout the U.S. The Bush administration, arguing the free-trade point of view, welcomes the trucks, but enviros and union members say they would dramatically worsen pollution in cities such as Los Angeles and Houston, which are already struggling with dirty air. In January, a federal court ruled that the administration should have conducted a comprehensive environmental impact study to determine what effect the Mexican trucks would have on U.S. air quality. The administration appealed that decision, arguing that it interfered with the president's power over foreign affairs. To the chagrin of enviros, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case next year.