Wednesday, 20 Dec 2006

Rep. John Dingell could determine the fate of climate policy in the upcoming 110th Congress -- and yet the powerful Michigan Democrat, who will head the House Energy and Commerce Committee, isn't convinced that the scientific consensus on climate change is on the mark, nor is he yet impressed by any proposed solutions. Dingell, who represents a Detroit-area district, also isn't keen to make any dramatic increases to auto fuel-economy standards. And as he told Grist's Amanda Griscom Little in an interview, any changes to the nation's energy policy need to "be done without destituting American industry." Read what Dingell has to say about climate, fuel economy, "kiddie cars," and more.

This Rocks Our Sox Off

Boston will require new large buildings to meet green building standards

Hooray, Boston: The city is soon expected to require that all new construction projects of 50,000 square feet or more meet green building standards. Projects will be required to follow at least 26 of about 70 suggestions for green design and construction, similar to the U.S. Green Building Council's minimum LEED standards. Buildings will not be required to be LEED-certified -- "The LEED process can be lengthy, onerous in documentation, and costly," says James W. Hunt III, Boston's chief of environmental and energy services -- but the city will have its own certification process, and will revise its building code to adhere to the standards. "We'll be the first city to implement green building requirements," says Hunt. Um, not quite: Pasadena, Calif., requires much of its private construction to meet green standards, New Mexico requires compliance for all buildings over 15,000 square feet, and many other locales, including 18 states, have green standards for new public buildings. But a big pat on the back for Boston nonetheless.


Last month, just days before he was to assume a new role as head of the Christian Coalition of America, Joel Hunter abruptly stepped down. The coalition's board, he said, was not ready to accept his attempts to broaden the group's agenda to include issues like global warming, poverty, and AIDS. Hunter's ideological split with the group highlights a growing division inside the conservative evangelical movement, between the old guard and those increasingly disillusioned with a politicized and narrow focus on private moral issues. Hunter spoke with David Roberts about climate change, both atmospheric and theological.

Cease Fire

Coast Guard will cease target practice at Great Lakes

In a win for lovers of safety and the environment, the U.S. Coast Guard has withdrawn a plan to conduct machine-gun firing practice in the Great Lakes. After much complaining from boaters, Canadians, congressfolk, local mayors, and other sane people opposed to toxic lead bullets flying amok, a regional Coast Guard commander admitted the plan was "unsatisfactory." Originally described as an important post-9/11 defense against boat-wielding terrorists infiltrating from Canada, the plan would have periodically closed 2,500 square miles of water for firing practice. (We can't help but picture the Coast Guard trainees belting out the strains of "Blame Canada" as they go through their drills.) "If we introduced another proposal, we would do an outreach, look for public input, work with our stakeholders and elected officials, and see if we could come to a solution that works for all of us," said a Coast Guard spokesperson, failing to answer the question: Why didn't you just do that the first time?


A few weeks ago, advice maven Umbra Fisk tackled a question from a sushi-eater, advising him to research what he chews. Today an outraged fish fan tackles her in response, saying the only answer for concerned environmentalists is to Eat No Fish. But is it that simple? Our seasoned columnist uses her final column of 2006 to weigh in on how to make the tough choices in life, and explains where she draws the line.


What could Muhammad Yunus, founder the of the Grameen Bank and winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, teach corporations about sustainability? A lot. The Grameen Bank has rescued huge numbers of people from poverty by giving them loans as tiny as $30 with which to start their own small businesses. It's an elegant approach to a pervasive societal problem, a solution that's easy to replicate on a large scale. And it represents just the sort of creative thinking that responsible corporations should start employing as they address the world's most pressing environmental challenges, argue our business columnists John Elkington and Mark Lee.

Particulate Shot

EPA sued over particulate standards

The U.S. EPA has gotten itself sued once again this week, this time by 13 states and the District of Columbia that are pissed off about lenient soot-emission standards. The backstory: EPA analysis has found that reducing soot emissions by a relatively small amount could prevent 24,000 premature deaths a year. Nonetheless, this fall, the agency rejected the near-unanimous advice of its own scientific advisers and left unchanged the annual maximum amount of particulate matter Americans can be exposed to. The states join green groups and the American Lung Association in arguing that the soot standards are too weak; they hope a court will find the EPA has failed in its duty to protect the environment and public health. Meanwhile, a handful of industry groups have also sued, claiming the rules are too stringent.


What's green and pixelated and read all over? Why Grist, of course. But today, we're a little red -- no, we're not commies, we're blushing because our dear readers wrote in this week to point out a couple of factual errors in our news summaries. (Wait, should that have been "pixilated"? Dang. Did it again.) But they also waxed poetic about the ethics of fish-eating, bright holiday gift ideas, the need for a Grist Global edition, and more. Don't miss the latest missives.

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehn, Thank You

Grist winds down for a holiday break

Before we say toodle-oo for the holidays, we must extend a ginormous and heartfelt thank you to all of the readers who donated during our recent fundraising appeal. We raised more than $62,000, considered spending it all on organic eggnog, then wisely decided to invest in more -- much more! -- spunky green journalism. (Haven't donated yet? It's not too late -- you could still get that 2006 tax deduction.) And now, toodle-oo. Daily Grist will be settling down for a short winter's nap; catch us again on Jan. 2. But our blog Gristmill never nestles all snug in its bed -- stay tuned over the holidays for all the latest environmental news.