Tuesday, 14 Feb 2006

Dick, Get Yer Gun!

Bald eagle may soon leave the Endangered Species List

Remember when John Ashcroft sang that hymn he wrote, "Let the Eagle Soar"? That was something, wasn't it? Anyhoo! Speaking of the bald eagle, it may soon leave the Endangered Species List, thanks to its strong recovery in parts of the U.S. In an unusual joint news conference on Monday, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service chief H. Dale Hall and representatives of several prominent green groups united to hail the eagle's progress -- from 413 breeding pairs in the continental U.S. in 1963 to an estimated 7,000 to 9,100 today. FWS is effectively restarting a process begun in 1999 to delist the eagle, which some see as vindication of the Endangered Species Act. The enviros at the press conference didn't miss the chance to note that some act protections that proved vital to restoring the bald-eagle population would be weakened or lost under legislation passed last year by the House of Representatives. Let the eeeeeagle sooooooar ... now it's gonna be in your head all day!


As Grist spends the next few weeks tackling the connections between environmentalism and poverty in the U.S., our Full Disclosure columnists train their lens on the international situation. What kinds of development models are wealthy countries sharing with emerging economies? Do rich nations have unrealistic expectations for how their less-well-off neighbors will grow? And what does Wal-Mart have to do with it all?

Girl Juneau It's True

Alaska guv wants to hire PR firm to burnish state's freeloading image

Alaskans are widely perceived as freeloaders who suck tax money off the federal teat and plunder wild lands for profit, but that could all change if they hired the right PR person. Ha ha ... oh, wait, really? "Alaska does not just take. We give," said Gov. Frank Murkowski (R), a tad defensively. He wants to hire a public relations firm to help polish the state's image. Alaska received the most federal dollars per capita of any state in 2003; in 2005, nearly every Alaskan got a check for $845.76 from the state's Permanent Fund. In 2004, the feds paid nearly $49 million to clear the way for money-losing timber sales in the Tongass National Forest. Alaska politicos counter that the young state (born 1959) still lacks the infrastructure to pull itself up by its bootstraps. "Unfortunately, Alaska's leaders appear willing to sacrifice everything that makes the state unique in order to prop up a boom-and-bust extraction economy," writes David Jenkins of Republicans for Environmental Protection. Guess he's not part of the PR campaign.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Dependence on Foreign Energy Sources?

Austria embraces renewable energy

Austria is yodeling up a new tree: the biofuels tree (oh, what are you, the metaphor police?). Like other hip countries, Austria is giving renewable energy a big bear hug -- nearly 70 percent of its domestic power production came from renewables in 2003. Taking advantage of what is readily available right within its own borders, the half-forested nation utilizes forestry byproducts like wood chips and sawdust to make pellets for high-tech, smoke-free boilers; biomass accounts for about 21 percent of its heat production. Having banned nuclear power generation, Austria is using biofuels to wean itself off of energy imports, meet environmental goals, and spur job creation. The government funds research and development into renewables and heavily subsidizes them as well. That's the sound of music to our ears (what are you, the dated pop-culture reference police?).

But Kermit Said ...

Japan rules, U.S. drools in new list of greenest vehicles

An annual list of the world's greenest cars placed the top American car at an impressive, uh, No. 10, while Japanese cars took all of the top five spots. (But American cars dominated the Totally Un-Gay Testostero-Manly Mean Machine list!) The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy gave the two-door hybrid Honda Insight top marks, based on fuel economy and air-polluting emissions. The natural-gas-powered Honda Civic GX, Toyota's Prius hybrid, the Honda Civic hybrid, and Toyota's gasoline-powered Corolla rounded out the top five. The first U.S. car on the list was GM's Pontiac Vibe -- built with a Toyota emissions system and engine -- which tied for 10th place with its Toyota twin, the Matrix. The Dodge Ram SRT10 pickup truck was judged the un-greenest for the second year running (congrats!). But even the best car got only 57 points on the council's 100-point scale. Better luck next year.