Friday, 04 Jun 2004

I Just Met a Girl Named Maria

Senate Backs Redefinition of Nuke Waste

The Senate voted narrowly yesterday to allow the Department of Energy to reclassify some high-level nuclear waste as "low-level" and leave it in place (albeit covered in concrete) rather than transport it to Nevada to be buried deep underground. The reclassification, contained in a provision inserted by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) into a defense authorization bill, technically applies only to the Savannah River nuclear complex in South Carolina. However, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) -- whose amendment blocking the provision was defeated in a 48-48 vote yesterday -- called it a "very, very, very dangerous precedent" and said it "leaves our state in jeopardy and it leaves all states with nuclear waste in jeopardy." Cantwell and many enviros fear that the DOE will use the precedent to reclassify nuclear waste in Idaho and at Washington's Hanford nuclear reservation -- something it has attempted before, only to be blocked last July by a federal judge. The defense bill is far from finished, however, and Cantwell vows to continue fighting.

Reading This Blurb Is Killing You

Researchers Find Toxic Dust on Computers

Dust on the computer in front of you right now contains toxic chemicals that can lead to long-term neurological and reproductive health problems, according to a new study. So really, you should stop reading this, back away from the keyboard, and go take a walk. But for you masochists, here are the details: The study took samples of dust from a variety of computers in a variety of locations and on every one it found brominated flame retardants, commonly used in electronic gadgets, televisions, carpets, and children's toys. According to a report on the study released by the Computer Take Back Campaign and the Clean Production Campaign -- a coalition of enviros, scientists, and unions -- "there is no safe dose associated with these chemicals." The European Union plans to ban some of the chemicals, which are widely distributed -- and when we say "widely," we're talking about the fact that they were recently found in Arctic polar bears -- but as yet the U.S. government has no comprehensive plan to ban any of them.

Once More Into the Drink

Spotlight on Water for World Environment Day

Got any exciting plans for World Environment Day on June 5? Bigwigs like Mikhail Gorbachev have been converging on Barcelona this week for the lead-up to the big day, gabbing and speechifying on this year's wet 'n' wild theme -- water. Freelance journalist Michael Levitin has been surveying the scene and reporting the highlights in Dispatches -- only on the Grist Magazine website.

Ranch Dressing Down

Andy Kerr Opines About Grazing, Nader, Hybrids, and More

Andy Kerr, longtime Northwest conservationist, clarifies that when he says there should be no logging or ranching on public lands, he means none. Zip. Zilch. And as you might guess, he doesn't see why the political "center" is such a great place to be. Read his provocative answers to readers' questions in InterActivist -- only on the Grist Magazine website.

Guns and Butterflies

Mexican Butterfly Forest Site of Battle Over Deforestation

Mexico's most famous national park, the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, is home to a 10,000-year-old evergreen forest where huge clouds of orange and gold Monarch butterflies migrate each year from the U.S. and Canada. The forest is also the site of rampant crime, deforestation, and armed battles among organized mafias, poor peasants, and police. Prompted by pleas from peasants in the region and international outrage among enviros, President Vicente Fox sent the Mexican army to protect the forest last month. In the past, poor locals have protested the creation of the park and logged in it illegally, accusing the government of stealing their land, but "what was once a problem of poverty and a necessity to survive has turned into a crime of greed," said former minister of the environment Victor Lichtinger, pointing out that the drug cartels and mafias have displaced and in some cases terrified local peasants.