Friday, 06 Feb 2004

George W. Jetson

Bush's Hydrogen-Economy Pipe Dreams Bump Into Reality

The hydrogen-powered cars and "hydrogen economy" touted by President Bush in last year's State of the Union address are several decades from viability, says a report released Wednesday by the National Academy of Sciences. Until hydrogen lives up to its promise, "the government should keep a balanced portfolio of research and development efforts to enhance U.S. energy efficiency and develop alternative-energy sources," said Michael Ramage, chair of the panel that produced the report. The least-expensive methods of creating hydrogen use coal or natural gas, but those methods cause pollution, according to the report. In addition, hydrogen has a "chicken and egg" problem, in that there's no profit to be had creating hydrogen fuel cells until a hydrogen economy exists to consume them. Until hydrogen becomes viable, say enviros, the administration should concentrate on raising fuel-efficiency standards for SUVs and promoting gas-electric hybrid cars.

Built Ford? Tough.

Environmental Groups Target Bill Ford, Jr.

Ford Motor Co. CEO Bill Ford, Jr., once a darling of the eco-friendly set, has come under attack by a coalition of environmental groups led by California-based Bluewater Network. In full-page national newspaper ads that began appearing Wednesday, the group lambasted Ford, Jr., for reneging on his July 2000 pledge to increase the fuel economy of the company's SUVs by 25 percent over five years. Last year, Ford execs announced that the goal would not be met due to inclement business conditions and technological challenges. Since then, the company has refused to make any specific pledge to improve fuel economy, the Bluewater Network says. Ford, Jr., has accused environmentalists of attacking him to generate headlines; a company spokesperson said, "The Bluewater Network ad does not reflect the reality of Ford Motor Co.'s environmental commitments."

Letter Rip

Grist Readers Get Ornery -- And We Like It

Grist readers have weighed in on a plethora of touchy issues of late -- from disputes about tankless water heaters to disputes about mad cow to disputes about John Kerry to ... whoa. What's with all the disputing? What an ornery bunch! Read Grist readers' contentious yet well-considered opinions -- along with Vote Solar cofounder Adam Browning's response to solar skeptics -- in our Letters to the Editor section, only on the Grist Magazine website. (And keep those quarrelsome letters coming. It gets mighty boring around here if everybody is in agreement.)

The Otter Limits

DOI Proposes Adding Sea Otters to Endangered Species List

The U.S. Department of the Interior yesterday proposed adding southwest Alaska's sea otters to the government's threatened species list, which would offer them protections under the Endangered Species Act. The sea otter population in southwest Alaska was robust as late as 1980, but since then has dropped precipitously, a decline of almost 60 percent that scientists are at a loss to explain (oddly, Alaska's south-central and southeastern otter populations are thriving). The proposal follows a 2000 petition for such a listing by the Center for Biological Diversity and a lawsuit last December by two animal-welfare groups attempting to force the DOI's hand. Said newly concerned Interior Secretary Gale Norton, "listing this population as 'threatened' under the Endangered Species Act will be an important step in discovering the reasons and reversing the decline."

Linkin' Mercury

New Study Reveals More Babies at Risk From Mercury

Roughly 630,000 of the 4 million children born annually in the U.S. are at risk of impaired motor function, learning capacity, memory, and vision due to high levels of mercury in their bloodstreams, revealed a U.S. EPA analysis released yesterday, which doubles the previously estimated number. While researchers once assumed that maternal and fetal blood contained equal levels of mercury, new studies of umbilical blood show that babies' levels are approximately 70 percent higher than their mothers'. Much mercury pollution comes from coal-fired power plants; it contaminates water sources, works its way through the food chain, and ends up in seafood. This new analysis comes as the Food and Drug Administration is reviewing seafood-consumption guidelines for pregnant women, and as controversy continues to rage about the Bush administration's plan for reducing mercury emissions, which has been widely maligned as too weak.

Hank's a Lot

InterActivist Hank Dittmar Answers Your Questions

This week we debuted a new feature called InterActivist, wherein leaders of the environmental movement answer a whole boatload of questions. InterActivist guinea pig Hank Dittmar answered our questions on Monday; today he answers yours. Get thee to InterActivist, and learn something new -- only on the Grist Magazine website.