Wednesday, 21 Feb 2007

Perry and Thrust

Judge's ruling could buy Texas coal-plant permit objectors more time

They say everything's bigger in Texas, and that applies to coal battles too. A big ol' permit hearing on six of the power plants proposed by TXU Corp. was scheduled to kick off today, with opponents explaining why they're not keen to live in a "ring of fire." But the anti-coal crowd got a big ol' reprieve: a judge decided yesterday that the fast-track executive order issued for the permits by Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) isn't binding. The decision, expected to delay the hearing, led activists to breathe a big ol' sigh of relief -- and led the guv's office to do some big ol' blustering. "No one should be surprised that a single liberal Austin judge would rule against Governor Perry and his efforts to increase energy capacity in Texas," said a spokesperson. TXU, meanwhile, offered a big ol' sob story: "We're obviously disappointed in this decision. Every day of delay means that meeting the goal of providing newer, cleaner power generation is denied."


Is it a sin to fly to your vacation spot? The Bishop of London recently proclaimed it so. Plenty of others are increasingly critical of excessive air travel too, though not all are as strident as the Right Reverend. The trick is figuring out what's excessive. Is it OK to fly to developing countries for on-the-ground environmental and anti-poverty work? What about travel to important international negotiations and conferences? How does one decide which meetings are "important"? And then there's the question of occasional visits to far-flung family members and loved ones. Peter Madden sorts through the salty snack mix of this contentious issue.

Yearning to Breathe Free

Study finds air-quality inequality in San Francisco Bay area

According to a new study, people of color and poorer residents in the San Francisco Bay area breathe more than their share of polluted air. "We have a problem with the degree of environmental inequality ... even though we regard ourselves as a region that is very progressive," said Manuel Pastor, director of the Center for Justice, Tolerance, and Community at UC-Santa Cruz, which conducted the study. In the nine-county Bay Area, nearly two-thirds of those living within a mile of pollution sources regulated by the U.S. EPA are people of color, and one-third are white; 2.5 miles or more away, the percentages flip. Recent immigrants are almost twice as likely to live within a mile of such a source than 2.5 miles or farther from it. And living so close to industrial polluters puts all residents' health at risk. "There's been too much suffering for too many years," says activist Rubye Sherrod. "The people who can help haven't paid any attention to what's going on or simply don't care. I'm not sure."


A hardy mid-Atlantic bike commuter noticed on a recent cold morning that the car exhaust around her seemed stinkier than usual. Curious, she asked advice maven Umbra Fisk if there's any relation between air quality and temperature. Everyone knows about smog alerts in summer, but could winter be just as perilous? Umbra breathlessly analyzes the factors at play, from geography to weather to how people drive.

Anything You Can't Do I Can't Do Better

E.U. sets emissions goals, will raise bar if other countries join

Yesterday, European Union ministers agreed to a historic cut in greenhouse-gas emissions, and they're prepared to take things even further if other nations join them (ahem). The Continent will aim for a 20 percent cut from 1990 emissions levels by 2020; they'd strive for a 30 percent goal if, you know, others joined them (ahem). "The unilateral commitment to cut E.U. greenhouse-gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 -- the first of its kind -- shows we're willing to take concrete action on an issue that citizens care about," said U.K. Environment Secretary David Miliband. AHEM. The ministers proposed that E.U. countries formerly under communist rule backdate their base levels to the more industrious 1980s, giving them credit for "cutting" emissions that disappeared along with their political and economic system. Meanwhile, other E.U. countries are considering major cuts; Germany, for one, has a 40 percent goal in its sights. Which is remarkably similar to the U.S. goal of -- oh, no. Our bad.