Thursday, 08 Sep 2005

The first reaction to images of stranded hurricane victims in New Orleans came from the gut -- but it didn't take long for the brain to catch up. Reporters, bloggers, senators, and your old Aunt Mae all started asking the same question: Why are all the people left behind black and poor? Why indeed. Liza Featherstone talks to the experts to find out what went wrong in the bayou.

U Can't Touch This

EPA warns against skin contact with toxic New Orleans floodwaters

The floodwaters swamping New Orleans have become a filthy, toxic stew, testing at least 10 times over the U.S. EPA's limits for sewage-related contaminants like E. coli, viruses, and cholera-like bacteria. The EPA has warned that skin contact with floodwater could be almost as risky to human health as drinking it; searchers are giving the city's remaining holdouts the cruddy news, hoping it'll convince them to willingly evacuate. The agency has waived some Clean Water Act regulations so that floodwaters can be pumped out of New Orleans and into Lake Pontchartrain. With everything from battery acid to gasoline to household chemicals mixing with the organic pollutants, some worry that the lake and surrounding waterways may be damaged for years to come, but the area's power is still down, making it unfeasible to run filtration systems. And finally, as if things weren't bad enough, bacteria may have migrated beyond New Orleans: four people in Mississippi and one in Texas have reportedly died from wound infections most likely picked up while wading through contaminated floodwater.

Net Loss

Katrina has wiped out Louisiana's fishing industry

This should be the height of Louisiana's shrimp and oyster season, but the state's $2.7 billion-a-year commercial fishing industry may be another casualty of Hurricane Katrina. The region's fishers, shrimpers, and oyster harvesters typically supply the U.S. with about 30 percent of its seafood, and the industry employs about 27,000 people. But Katrina destroyed many boats, marinas, ice producers, and other vital infrastructure, and left waterways clogged with net-snarling storm debris. Coastal wetlands -- vital habitat for oysters and breeding grounds for fish and crustaceans -- have been contaminated with sewage and chemicals. Water quality may only worsen as the toxic floodwaters of New Orleans are pumped into waterways that drain into the delta. It may take a year and a half to clean up and restore the commercial fishery. "The wetlands is the clothing around our community," said Kerry St. Pé, director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary system. "Now we are naked."

Romancing the Stove

States sue DOE, press for energy-saving standards for appliances

New York City and 15 states have filed suit against the U.S. Department of Energy, saying the agency has failed to update energy-saving standards for nearly two dozen household appliances -- changes that would save gobs of energy. According to the suit, the DOE has violated mandates set by Congress 18 years ago to progressively strengthen energy standards for refrigerators, air conditioners, and other common appliances. The updated standards could save energy equivalent to the output of 13 to 42 large power plants over 25 years and reduce the use of oil and natural gas. "As oil and gas prices hit record levels and the impacts of global warming become more apparent, it is profoundly disappointing that the federal government has failed to adopt these crucial energy-saving standards," said New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D), who announced the suit on Wednesday.

Stuck in the Middle With Fruit

New "sustainable" label may compete with pricey organic label

Tired of paying a premium for organic fruits and veggies? A coalition of farmers, environmentalists, and public officials is promoting an alternative that they say will be less costly: a "sustainable" certification system and label. The system sets standards for water quality, soil management, and wildlife protection, but, in a notable departure from organic farming, it allows use of synthetic pesticides. Still, participating growers are rated on their pesticide practices, and supporters say that Wisconsin russet potato growers certified under the system used 54 percent less toxic chemicals than conventional growers. Folks in the organic farming industry are skeptical about the new label, saying it may confuse consumers. And some retailers have hesitated to add a new type of product to their shelves. But the sustainable scheme's supporters say the label will appeal to green-minded shoppers who can't afford to buy organic. "When you explain the concept to the consumer, it is very, very well received," says one Wisconsin farmer.