Thursday, 23 Feb 2006

New England's woods are famous for many things, from glowing brilliantly in autumn to perplexing Robert Frost. But underlying the picturesque poetry of the region's forests is a long tradition of industry and hard work. With the downfall of big timber in recent decades, many towns have hit hard times. As Wayne Curtis explains, a new movement is helping communities reclaim their woods, for preservation and profit.

But Who's Responsible for Seafoam Green?

R.I. jury finds paint companies liable for billions in lead cleanup

A six-person jury in Rhode Island made history yesterday when it found Sherwin Williams Co., Millennium Holdings, and NL Industries liable for lead paint contamination in hundreds of thousands of homes -- and on the hook for potentially billions of dollars to clean it up. It's the first-ever decision against paint companies in such a case, and may pave the way for similar rulings in lawsuits being brought by cities and counties in several other states. Paint makers have claimed for years that they aren't responsible for abating contamination from lead-based paints, which were outlawed in the U.S. in 1978 after studies showed that exposure to flakes and dust from the paint could cause brain damage in children. It's estimated that as much as a quarter of the nation's housing stock has contained lead paint, and that millions of children have been poisoned.

Sludge Dread

Post-Katrina sludge puts kids at risk, says NRDC

Government officials have been downplaying the public-health risks posed by the post-Katrina sludge coating greater New Orleans, which is spiked with potentially dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, and petrochemicals. So says a new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council, based on U.S. EPA data. NRDC is urging the government to clean up the toxic sediment before allowing young children back into the city. An official from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality counters that reports like NRDC's misuse state screening standards to make things look much worse than they are. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Louisiana, an internal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report warns that the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge is threatened by huge spills of toxic liquids and gases caused by Hurricane Rita. Over 1,400 barrels of yuck are sinking into the low-lying marsh -- important habitat for migratory birds -- and the agency doesn't have enough money to clean it up.

Guess That Makes Us Punstitutes

BLM focuses on drilling at expense of wildlife, critics charge

Wildlife biologists at the Bureau of Land Management office in Pinedale, Wyo., are finding their talents put to unusual use: reviewing drilling-permit requests. Western Wyoming has been a natural-gas drilling mecca for the last five years, during which its populations of mule deer and breeding male sage grouse have declined by roughly half. "The BLM is pushing the biologists to be what I call 'biostitutes,' rather than allow them to be experts in the wildlife they are supposed to be managing," says Steve Belinda, who quit his BLM job in protest. An internal evaluation three years ago showed that the BLM spent about one-third of its allocated conservation money on other programs. The oil and gas industry was granted 13,070 permits by the BLM in the last two years, but drilled only 5,844 wells -- yet the BLM is charging ahead to issue more permits. Everything about this story is depressing except the word "biostitutes," which rules.

Old Dog Poop, New Tricks

San Francisco looks to harness the power of pet poop

Renewable energy is the sh*t. No, really. San Francisco Bay Area cities are aiming to generate no trash by 2020, and nearly 4 percent of San Francisco's residential waste is animal excrement. What to do with the doo? Turn it into methane and heat your home or cook your meals with it! (Um, ew.) In the next few months, a San Francisco sanitation company will be collecting feces at a busy dog park -- no doubt employees are jostling for the assignment -- and sending it to be digested by hungry bacteria. The resulting methane could theoretically be used in any natural-gas system. Some officials hope to see methane digesters in individual homes within a few years. While it's a relatively newfangled notion in the United States, some European countries already process poo into energy.