Tuesday, 03 Feb 2004

Let's Get Fiscal

President Bush's $2.4 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2005, released today, gives the environment the shaft. The budget does propose funding increases for a handful of high-profile enviro projects (mostly in electoral swing states), including Superfund cleanups, conservation grants to private landowners, maintenance and construction in national parks, and salmon restoration. In many cases, however, those increases come at the expense of other environmental programs; funding for the U.S. EPA as a whole is cut by more than 7 percent, and funding for the U.S. Forest Service is cut by 7.6 percent. Two details particularly nettlesome to enviros: Money for endangered-species recovery efforts is reduced by $9.8 million, and the budget revenue projections for 2006 include $2.4 billion from oil-lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which Congress has repeatedly refused to approve. "This budget not only shortchanges our environment, it challenges our nation's role as a global environmental leader," said Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.).

And Now for Something Completely Different

In sharp contrast to the recently released Bush administration budget, Canada's Liberal Party government on Monday promised to double spending on contaminated-site cleanups, promote green technologies to increase energy efficiency, and go beyond the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol in curtailing emissions. Over 10 years, $4 billion will be devoted to cleaning up polluted military bases, abandoned mines, nuclear research labs, and other sites for which the federal government is responsible; an additional $500 million will go to partnerships with provincial governments for local cleanups. The speech surprised and pleased Canadian enviros, who had worried that the Liberal Party's new pro-business leader, Paul Martin, would scale back environmental commitments.

Going South

The search for Antarctic organisms that can be used for pharmaceutical and other commercial purposes -- called "extremophiles" for their ability to thrive in harshly cold, dry, and salty conditions -- is pushing international patent law to the breaking point and threatening the fragile Antarctic environment, concludes a United Nations study released on Sunday. The Antarctic Treaty System, the international agreement currently governing activity on the world's southernmost continent, does not regulate private development, but makes the region open to scientific research. "Bioprospecting" groups often contain a mix of government and private representatives, making it difficult to distinguish between research and commercial activities. "If bioprospecting is done properly, it can be useful and beneficial for all and can have a minimum impact on the environment, but you want it to be controlled to prevent companies from causing significant environmental damage or disrupting the scientific operations down there," said Sam Johnston, one of the study's authors.

Fake Is the New Real

In an effort to conserve water (and perhaps bolster Southern California's reputation as a showcase for all things fake), the city of Anaheim, Calif., and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California are pilot-testing faux lawns. If water savings meet expectations, residents who replace real grass with fake greenery could soon be eligible for rebates from the water district. An estimated 40 to 70 percent of water consumed by the average SoCal household goes to outdoor uses, mainly lawn watering. Faux lawns require no water and last for up to 15 years, although at $6-7 per square foot with installation, they don't come cheap. Fake-grass manufacturers hype the benefits of their products, which need no mowing or reseeding and leave no unsightly dirt or grass marks. "Roll around on your soft, supple, virtual lawn with your kids with no worry of dirt, cinch bugs, or grass stains," says the AstroLawn website. "We know you have better things to do than water and care for a grass lawn."