Tuesday, 11 Jan 2005

Bloggy Style

Instead of yelling at us, yell at each other!

Here at Grist HQ, we receive lots of letters from readers, more than we can possibly print in our Letters to the Editor section. We love hearing from you -- but wouldn't you like other readers to hear you as well? If only there were some forum or venue where ... hey, wait a second, we've got one of those! If you sign up for a free account on our blog, Gristmill, you can share your reactions, rants, and follow-ups with the rest of the Grist readership. Heck, maybe you can even get a conversation started with them. So if you're worked up about wind power, right-wing tsunami loonies, DDT, or Nalgene bottles, head over to Gristmill and make your voice heard.

Oh You NAS-ty Boys

NAS report on safe perchlorate levels creating controversy

A National Academy of Sciences panel report on safe levels of perchlorate -- an ingredient in rocket fuel, firecrackers, and road flares -- in drinking water has some enviros up in arms. The report, released yesterday, suggests that levels of perchlorate about 20 times higher than the U.S. EPA's proposed guideline of 1 part per billion may be safe for ingestion. But the Natural Resources Defense Council claims the panel was strong-armed into producing results that would save the defense industry billions of dollars in cleanup costs at the 250-some areas in 35 states with affected water supplies. "We've never seen such a brazen campaign to pressure the National Academy of Sciences to downplay the hazards of a chemical, but it fits the pattern of this administration manipulating science at the expense of public health," NRDC said. Other enviros, including Bill Walker of the Environmental Working Group, say that they accept the findings and that the panel's numbers are much closer to the EPA's than the "absurdly high levels" the Pentagon has been saying are safe.

Water, Water Everywh ... Hey, Where'd the Water Go?

Agriculture needs to start conserving water, badly

A new study by David Pimentel in the journal BioScience backs its call for greater agricultural water conservation with some disturbing statistics. Worldwide, agriculture uses some 70 percent of the freshwater supply. The ginormous Ogallala aquifer, which supplies water to a fifth of all irrigated land in the U.S., has dropped by 33 percent since 1950. And despite the declining importance of agriculture to our economy -- agriculture represents 3 percent of California's economy but uses 85 percent of its freshwater -- the federal government continues to pump water subsidies into the ag industry, to the tune of $2.5 billion to $4.4 billion a year. By 2050, says Bob Stallman of the American Farm Bureau Federation, "water will be the most critical resource issue we face in the entire world." Pimentel suggests that governments subsidize wasteful water practices less and conservation strategies more.

Embargoing, Going ...

Discovery of Cuban oil deposits raises hopes for eased restrictions

With the recent hardening of U.S. trade policy toward Cuba, analysts are now speculating that one thing could help ease the restrictions: Oil, that is. Black gold. Texas tea. Two Canadian companies have discovered oil in Cuba's waters off the Gulf of Mexico, announced President Fidel Castro in a Dec. 25 speech to parliament deputies (Merry Christmas!). The deposit, estimated to contain some 100 million barrels of higher-grade oil than has historically been produced in Cuba, is raising the hopes of some Cubans for greater energy and economic independence: fewer oil imports, more oil exports, and some much-needed cash for the country. It's also raising the hopes of some American energy companies. "If Cuba is able to show that it has higher-quality crude at sufficient levels, the Bush administration would come under pressure to permit, at a minimum, purchases of Cuban-origin oil," said John Kavulich of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council.

How Stella Got Her Mangrove Back

Enviros push for green reconstruction in wake of tsunami

As tsunami relief efforts continue and plans for rebuilding begin, enviros hope sensible ecological practices will be taken into consideration. World Wildlife Fund on Monday called for careful coastal planning as reconstruction efforts get underway, as well as an end to over-logging in the region and protection for local fishers who may face competition from opportunistic outsiders. WWF emphasized the role of natural buffers such as coral reefs, marshes, and forests in limiting the impact of the tsunamis. "Healthy ecosystems can save lives," said Isabelle Louis, the group's Asia-Pacific director. V. Selvum, a project director of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, said that mangrove-restoration projects in the region, which have restored some 37,000 acres of the swampy groves along the coastline, saved hundreds of families in fishing villages from the tsunami's fury.