Monday, 01 May 2006

We'd Do Anything for Love (But We Won't Do That)

Republican gas-price pander disgusts even pander-lovin' American people

Hollywood producers like to say that no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people. Hollywood producers, meet Senate Republicans. Their latest gas-price gambit, coordinated by Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) -- a legislator who puts the "less" in "hapless" -- seems to have exceeded even the legendarily high pander threshold of the American people. What they proposed: Sending a $100 check to almost every American, in exchange for permission to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As soon as word got out, scornful feedback started pouring in. "Do you think we are prostitutes? Do you think you can buy us?" asked callers to one Republican Senate office. "What kind of insult is this?" asked Rush Limbaugh. "Silly," sniffed FOX anchor Brit Hume. "I don't think much about [it]," sneered Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott. "I don't think it's a real answer," said Alaskan Sen. Lisa Murkowski. And those were the Republicans.


Funny, this: we wait all winter for the growing season to return, and when it does, we struggle for months to make things stop growing. Some things, anyway. Today a curious reader wonders how exactly herbicides work, and advice maven Umbra Fisk puts on those little knee-saver pads so she can dig right in to the issue.

Solar Eclipsed

Solar providers can't keep up with growing demand

Solar power may not yet be ready for the big time: The current spike in oil prices is causing a surge of interest in home solar, but supply of polysilicon (the stuff solar panels are made of) is unable to keep up with demand. It used to be that only those in the semiconductor industry cared about polysilicon, but about half of this year's supply will go to the solar industry. The current shortage means higher prices and longer wait times. The delightfully named Barry Cinnamon of California's Akeena Solar admits that a 16-panel system now costs about $25,500, a jump of $3,500 from 2004. Residential clients in Jacksonville, Fla., are having to wait three months to solarize. The same wait applies in North Hollywood, Calif. -- though if they get desperate there, they always know where to find some spare silicone.


Imagine strolling along a walkway that weaves through the treetops of a lush Amazonian cloud forest in Peru. Construction on this canopy classroom will begin this summer, thanks to Roger Mustalish and the nonprofit he runs, the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research. As InterActivist this week, Mustalish chats about his work creating learning centers in the Amazon and his passion for the rainforest lands of Peru. (By the way, did we mention that Grist is giving away an eco-trip to Peru?) Send Mustalish a question of your own by noon PDT on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

The Songhua Remains the Same

Pollution from November spill in China still taints downstream waterways

Months after a factory explosion in China dumped benzene and other chemicals into the Songhua River, thawing ice is releasing a second wave of toxins into downstream waterways near Khabarovsk, Russia. More than half a million residents of the city have been advised not to drink their strongly chemical-smelling tap water. A similar warning has gone out to 40,000 villagers in Changqi in southern China, where wastewater from a chemical factory polluted a five-mile stretch of the Sancha River this weekend. According to China's chief environmental regulator, there have been 76 environmental accidents in the country since November, or an average of one every two days. Pollution from such accidents has strained relations with neighboring Russia and caused civil unrest at home. Responding to concerns, China passed a law on Saturday that bans discharge of sewage and chemical wastes into agricultural areas.

Who's on the Right Side of the Road Now?

Brits change habits to save gasoline; Americans don't

Starting in 2008, new drivers in Britain will be tested not only on the anxiety-producing three-point turn, but also on their ability to drive in a manner that conserves gasoline. The country hopes to produce a new generation of eco-aware motorists who accelerate and brake smoothly and change gears early to save fuel. Other countries have instituted similar initiatives, like the Netherlands, which estimates that savvy drivers can cut fuel use by nearly a third. It's almost like they take their effect on the environment seriously. Meanwhile, in the U.S., whining about gas prices is still on the rise, but so is demand for gas, as most Americans are still financially able to handle prices at the pump. Economists suggest gas prices would have to be high for several years for people to adjust their gas-guzzling habits -- especially without a drivers' ed teacher nagging them from the passenger seat.