Friday, 01 Sep 2006

Progressives around the country cheered when Ned Lamont knocked out Sen. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic primary last month, but some enviros held their applause. Lieberman, though reviled by many Dems for his staunch support of President Bush's Iraq war, has an impressive and long-standing environmental record. His decision to run against Lamont as an independent raises questions about how closely aligned enviros are -- or should be -- with the Democratic Party. Muckraker looks at all the angles.

Not Management Material

BLM slacks on environmental monitoring in Wyoming

For the past six years, the Bureau of Land Management has been slacking on its commitment to assess and limit the impact of natural-gas drilling on wilderness in western Wyoming, says, um, the Bureau of Land Management. A leaked internal assessment for the BLM's Pinedale, Wyo., field office declares that there is often "no evaluation, analysis, or compiling" of data concerning environmental harm to the area. Had it been doing its job, the BLM might have noticed that drilling activity has upped area nitrous oxide levels and reduced deer and sage grouse populations. According to a former Pinedale BLM employee, agency staffers have been spending their time and energy on drilling requests; under pressure from the White House, the BLM is issuing drilling permits faster than the energy industry can keep up. Says conservationist James D. Range, "While the leaked report shines light on the agency's failure in one specific place, we fear that it is emblematic of its handling of energy leasing and development throughout the West."

How Ultra-Low Can You Go?

California makes the jump to ultra-low sulfur diesel

Starting today, on-road and off-road diesel vehicles in California will fill up with ultra-low sulfur fuel. California is leading the pack on this issue (natch); the rest of the U.S. will require on-road diesel vehicles to go ultra-low starting Oct. 15, but won't require off-road vehicles to make the switch until 2010. The new diesel has a sulfur content of 15 parts per million; diesel currently on the market has a sulfur content of 150 ppm in California and 500 ppm in the rest of the U.S. Ultra-low sulfur diesel should be a big help in cleaning up the air. It will, however, cost 4 or 5 cents more per gallon in California, which has some transport groups worried. "Even a few pennies will make us go ballistic, and we'll have to pass those costs on," says Patty Senecal, vice president of Transport Express Inc. But cleaner air: priceless.


David Benton has seen a lot during his decades of work with Alaskan fishing communities -- including, bizarrely, a Brazilian shopping cart that turned up during a coastal cleanup. As this week's InterActivist, Benton, head of the nonprofit Marine Conservation Alliance, answers reader questions about ocean debris, bycatch, marine protected areas, and favorite seafood meals.

A Touch of Class

New York schools will clean green

Kids in New York will breathe easier this fall, thanks to a new law requiring schools in the state to purchase environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. "It's well documented that when you clean up the quality of the air we breathe indoors, students' attendance rates go up, attention spans in the classroom improve, and students perform better," says Laurie Rich, a school-district board president. A number of parents and groups have argued that the state's green-cleaning guidelines aren't strict enough; schools can use up old, more-toxic cleaners before making the switch, and products with added fragrances are not restricted. "If there is a single ingredient in any cleaning product that will cause an asthmatic attack, it would be the fragrance, and there are a lot of children with asthma in our schools," says Patti Wood of local nonprofit Grassroots Environmental Education. Still, the law is a step in the right direction. Next problem to tackle: homework-eating dogs.

Love of Labor

Grist takes Monday off to celebrate Labor Day

You know those bumper stickers and T-shirts that say "organized labor: the folks who brought you the weekend"? Clever stuff. Well, organized laborers are also the folks who brought you this weekend: Labor Day weekend. To celebrate all their hard work, we're taking Monday off. We suggest you do the same. But never fear -- we'll be back to the grindstone on Tuesday.