Thursday, 29 Jan 2004

Shout, Trout, Let It All Out

Western Hunters and Anglers Oppose Energy Bill

A group of outdoor enthusiasts descended on Washington, D.C., Wednesday to lobby against attempts by Republicans to revive the omnibus energy bill, defeated in the Senate last year. They object to provisions in the bill that would drastically increase oil and gas development on prime hunting and fishing land in Western states. Many of the Stetson-sporting hunters and anglers, organized by the nonprofit fish-preservation group Trout Unlimited, are lifelong Republicans. However, many share sentiments about the land expressed by Ryan Busse, a Kalispell, Mont., resident and self-described hard-core conservative: "Anybody who wants to take that away and loosen the protections of such a pristine country is an enemy of me and every hunter and fisherman I know." Journalists raced to create a clever name for this new group of potential swing voters, in the tradition of "soccer moms" and "NASCAR dads." Grist suggests "outdoor uncles." We know, it needs work.

Oily Residue

Judge Imposes $4.5 Billion in Damages in Exxon Valdez Case

A federal judge in Alaska on Wednesday imposed $4.5 billion in punitive damages on ExxonMobil Corp. for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill in Prince William Sound. The judgment marks the third time the case has been through federal court; on two previous occasions, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals deemed the award excessive and sent it back for review. Exxon expects to appeal yet again. It's been almost 15 years since the tanker, piloted by a relapsed alcoholic who faced only misdemeanor charges, ran aground on a reef and dumped 11 million gallons of crude oil in Alaskan waters. The class action suit involving some 32,000 fishers and others affected by the spill has dragged on for more than a decade. In a strongly worded ruling (his third), Judge H. Russel Holland said, "We are dealing with reckless corporate officials." You think?

Vultural Phenomenon

Indian Vultures Near Extinction Due to Cattle Painkiller

Three vulture species in India are nearing extinction at an unprecedented rate due to a common painkiller used on cattle in the region. The drug, diclofenac, is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory in the same class as ibuprofen. It has been widely used on humans for decades; it was adopted for veterinary uses in India and Pakistan in the early 1990s. Turns out it causes acute kidney failure in vultures, which feed on the (commonly unburied) flesh of dead cows. The vultures have been disappearing at a rate greater than that of the now-extinct passenger pigeon or dodo -- 99 percent are already gone -- marking the first clear-cut case of a major pharmaceutical leading directly to ecological damage. Researchers and enviro groups plan to push for a ban on the drug. The finding highlights just how hard it is for human beings not to kill stuff.

Oversight Out of Mind

Bush Relaxes Safety at Nuke Facilities

The Bush administration has a new plan to waive some safety standards at federal nuclear facilities. The administration apparently didn't like being directed by Congress in 2002 to strictly enforce safety standards at the nuke sites -- though, in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, you might have thought such a step would be a no-brainer. In an effort to increase "flexibility" (gotta love that euphemism), the Department of Energy recently proposed to enforce only safety plans written by contractors. Protests were swiftly lodged by members of Congress from both parties, the head of a DOE advisory board on safety, and nuclear watchdog groups. In other news unlikely to help you sleep at night, a report released Monday by the DOE inspector general reveals that security guards at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn. -- the country's leading nuclear storehouse -- have been cheating on anti-terrorism drills, perhaps for as long as 20 years. Apparently the guards were given computer models of the drills before they took place. Peter Stockton, a senior investigator at the Project on Government Oversight, concluded, "It calls into question whether these sites can be protected or not."

Round and Round They Go

Florida's Top Environmental Regulator Takes Job With Company He Regulated

Florida's top environmental official, David Struhs, resigned Wednesday to take a job with International Paper, a company he did controversial favors for while in office. As head of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Struhs received mixed reviews from enviros, with some lauding his tough enforcement of environmental regulations (which may, ironically, have prevented him from being appointed as U.S. EPA administrator) and others pointing to his cozy relationship with industry and involvement in several highly contentious decisions. The most contentious was his support for legislation that delayed final deadlines for cleaning the Everglades, which led the Sierra Club and other enviro groups to call for his resignation. Struhs' move to industry highlights the "revolving door" between government regulatory agencies, industry, and lobbying firms, which creates insular, chummy relationships and often results in toothless enforcement -- nobody wants to tick off their golfing buddies.