Wednesday, 14 Jan 2004

The Green Elephant in the Room

Far Right's Environmental Commitment Weak; Whitman's Ampler

See how hard we had to work to get that "Whitman Sampler" pun? That's how hard our resident muckraker Amanda Griscom works to uncover the latest environmental shenanigans inside the Beltway. Today she discusses former EPA chief Christie Whitman's New York Times op-ed exposing the widely recognized but rarely discussed rift between the eco-unfriendly far right and increasingly green moderate wings of the Republican party. Tune in also for news about the latest judicial smack-down administered to the Bush administration -- this time on attempts to roll back Clinton-era standards on air-conditioner energy efficiency. Plus, the inside dirt on a plan that could let the White House Office of Management and Budget stymie environmental and public-health announcements. Check out Muckraker -- only on the Grist Magazine website.

They're Going to Pump You Up

Supreme Court to Review Two Important Environmental Cases

In what court-watchers are calling an unusually in-depth review of environmental issues, the Supreme Court is set to hear two cases today with potentially nationwide implications for clean air and water regulations. The first is an appeal by oil companies and diesel manufacturers (supported by the Bush administration) who are challenging a Los Angeles-area requirement that diesel-fueled buses, trash trucks, and airport shuttles be replaced with cleaner-burning models. The second is a suit brought by the Florida Everglades-based Miccosukee tribe against a water-pumping station that for years has been piping polluted runoff from lawns and golf courses into the Everglades. At issue is this question: Is the pump a source of pollution, and thus subject to the restrictions of the Clean Water Act, or merely a neutral conveyor of pollution from one waterway to another? The tribe is supported by a network of Eastern states interested in strict water quality; the water district is supported by the Bush administration and a number of Western states interested in moving large amounts of water around cheaply.

Hasta La Vista, Fishies

Schwarzenegger Cuts Moola for California Marine Reserves Plan

In a boon for headline-writers who still haven't exhausted their Terminator puns, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has put an indefinite hold on planning for a more than 1,000-mile-long necklace of no-fishing marine reserves along the California coast -- mandated by a 1999 state law designed to restore the coastal environment and fish populations. His administration claims that the estimated $1.7 million - $2.3 million required to complete planning by the Jan. 1, 2005, deadline simply cannot be found in the beleaguered state budget. To make matters worse, the state Department of Fish and Game's technical staff in the marine division has shrunk by a third due to the state's hiring freeze. A coalition of environmental groups say they have repeatedly offered to raise private funds to move the marine-reserve plan forward. The plan has long been opposed by fishing groups, who lauded Schwarzenegger 's decision.

Bad Seed

Despite European Objections, GM Agriculture Marches On

Worldwide use of genetically modified crops grew by 15 percent last year, according to a report by the industry-backed International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications. In 1996, the year GM crops were made commercially available, 4.3 million acres were used for biotech cultivated crops. By 2003, that number had risen to 167.2 million acres -- some 18 percent of all cultivated land. Despite stiff resistance across much of Europe and from several international environmental and scientific groups, the ISAAA predicts that GM will continue to grow at a fast clip. In related news, the U.K. government's scientific advisors gave provisional approval for the planting of GM corn in the country as soon as this spring, which would be the first commercial GM plantings in the nation. Resistance is futile.

Flu Dunnit

Enviro Disruptions Will Cause More Animal Diseases to Jump to Humans

In coming years, diseases -- primarily viruses -- passed from animals to human beings pose one of the principal threats to world health, warned a conference of scientists at the Royal Society in London yesterday. Environmental disruptions ranging from deforestation to population migration to global warming will bring human beings into increased contact with a range of animals, warned the conference, and as a result we can expect to see the emergence of at least 30 new diseases in the coming three decades. Said Professor Tony McMichael of Australia National University, "Diseases like SARS, HIV, and Avian flu have all probably jumped from animals to humans. We really shouldn't be surprised by this. We need to think ecologically. [Cue ominous music.] These viruses are trying to evolve."