Friday, 29 Jul 2005

The Senate last night confirmed President Bush's pick for the No. 2 slot at EPA -- Marcus Peacock, most recently a number-cruncher at the Office of Management and Budget, responsible for determining whether the cost of environmental regulations is justified by their benefit to the U.S. economy. Some activists are queasy about him, recalling that Peacock played a role in freezing Clinton-era regulations on arsenic in drinking water and protections for roadless areas of national forests. And that's not the only personnel shuffling at EPA that's making enviros nervous. Muckraker examines the new crop of EPA higher-ups.

Stricken of the Sea

Fish diversity declines in the deep ocean

There are fewer and fewer species of big fish in the deep sea, putting overall ocean health in danger. Scientists have known for years that overfishing diminishes species diversity in coastal areas, but in a study published today in the journal Science, researchers report a drop in diversity of deep-ocean fish as well -- in many areas about 50 percent since the 1950s. For example, in places where the tuna catch used to include several different species, including bluefin and albacore, now mostly yellowjack and skipjack remain. If these two types of tuna cannot withstand environmental challenges like global warming, "we may have very little to fall back on," says study coauthor Boris Worm. "The oceans have been drained of species, basically." But there's a hopeful finding as well: The study has revealed a few key spots where sea life congregates. Worm hopes that like coral reefs or rainforests, these areas will capture the public's imagination and focus conservation efforts for maximum future impact.


Raphael Sperry of Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility says weather-stripping, installing double-paned windows, and adding insulation can be more important -- if less sexy -- than outfitting your home with cool new energy technologies. Answering reader questions this week, Sperry suggests resources for learning more about green building, offers advice on dealing with curmudgeonly building inspectors, chats about exploring green design careers, and more.

A Slip of the Tungsten

Supposedly eco-safe ammo may actually contaminate soil

"Green bullets" created to be environmentally safe -- though not safe, presumably, for their targets -- may not be so eco after all. At Camp Edwards in Bourne, Mass., the U.S. Army switched from lead ordnance to ammo made of tungsten and nylon, aiming (ahem) not to contaminate the aquifer below. But six years and about a million rounds later, turns out the Army never actually studied the nylon-tungsten bullet combo. Data have emerged suggesting that tungsten -- thought to be insoluble -- can leach into soil in certain conditions, and can enable lead to move through soil more speedily. So now Camp Edwards is hosting the Army's first-ever field tests of tungsten's solubility. The base has a history of environmental problems: The aquifer that lies beneath it, which supplies drinking water to upper Cape Cod, has been contaminated in the past with jet fuel and other pollutants.

Black and White and Studio Head All Over

Hollywood studios see greenbacks in them thar flightless waterfowl

The summer's big hit documentary isn't about the antics of political weasels, or children at spelling bees; it's a nature film about flightless Antarctic waterfowl. French-made March of the Penguins, a heartstring-yanking saga about emperor penguins, cost $7 million to make. It's already earned over $10 million in North America, after making over $12 million in France. This profit ratio thrills Hollywood execs, who have learned a lesson: not that audiences love films about the natural world, or documentaries, or just good movies -- no, that audiences love ... penguins. "They feel a lot like an adorable version of humans," says Mark Gill of Warner Bros., which plans to release an animated movie about a tap-dancing penguin in late 2006. Sony Pictures will come out with its own feature-length 'toon centering on "the high-octane world of competitive penguin surfing," while Disney has green-lighted a film described as "a Ben Affleck romantic comedy, except with penguins." Let's hope no penguins are harmed in the making.