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News archives

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Company Challenges U.S. for Safeguarding Environment
Inter Press Service | Stephen Leahy | June 17, 2004 A Canadian company will be nearly one billion dollars richer if it becomes the first firm to win a trade challenge against Washington under the investment section of North America's free trade deal, but experts say a victory would deal a serious... Continued...

Friday, June 18, 2004

Daschle To Cargill: RFS May Be Altered To Only U.S. Ethanol
National Corn Growers Association Explains Discrepancy from Earlier Statements- There has been more fallout regarding Cargill Inc.'s plans to possibly import ethanol from the Caribbean. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) sent a letter last week to the company, discussing his strong... Continued...

Friday, June 11, 2004

Bayer, Dow, Syngenta: Shareholders Criticise Agrochemical Corporations
CBGnetwork | June 11, 2004 The spring Annual General Meeting (AGM) season saw agrochemical corporations facing tough criticism from shareholders and public interest organizations over potential liability for environmental and other impacts of pesticides and genetically engineered (GE) crops. S... Continued...

Thursday, June 3, 2004

Bioscience Warfare Part 1
SF Weekly | By ALISON PIERCE | June 2004 UC professor Tyrone Hayes found that a highly profitable weed killer causes sexual abnormalities in frogs. Then he found out how nasty a biotech multinational can be. Professor Tyrone B. Hayes watches as one of his students leans over a table covere... Continued...

Bioscience Warfare Part 2
SF Weekly | June 2004 The argument over the merits of Hayes' research was and is being conducted in a situation rife with strong appearances of conflict of interest that, Hayes believes, are connected to attempts by Syngenta to discredit him. Shortly after starting work at Ecorisk, Hayes ran... Continued...

Thursday, May 27, 2004

France Suspends Use of Bayer´s Gaucho Insecticide
BBC News Online | By Alex Kirby | May 26, 2004 French Agriculture Minister Herve Gaymard on Tuesday announced it planned to stop use of the Gaucho pesticide to treat corn seeds until it is reviewed by the European Commission in 2006. In January last year, Gaymard had already extended for three ... Continued...

Monday, May 24, 2004

Some Of President Bush’s Appointees Have Looked Out For The Businesses That Previously Employed Them.
Denver Post |Linda Shapley | May 24, 2004 Washington - In a New York City ballroom days before Christmas, a powerful Bush administration lawyer made an unprecedented offer to drug companies, one likely to protect their profits and potentially hurt consumers. Daniel E. Troy, lead counsel for ... Continued...

Thursday, May 20, 2004

A Change In The Climate: Will Russia Help The Kyoto Protocol Come Into Force?:
Financial Times | By VANESSA HOULDER and ANDREW JACK | May 20, 2004 The bitter wrangling over the Kyoto Protocol on climate change is approaching its endgame. There is growing speculation that tomorrow's Russia-European Union summit could pave the way for Russia's ratification of the treaty, the... Continued...

Monday, May 17, 2004

Livestock Industry Finds Friends In EPA
Chicago Tribune | By Andrew Martin | May 16, 2004 WASHINGTON -- When Environmental Protection Agency officials addressed the National Pork Producers Council last year about a proposed farm-pollution monitoring program, they brought along a slide show to explain and promote the new rules. Altho... Continued...

Web Calculator Offers Fish consumption Guide
Associated Press | By Karren Mills | May 15, 2004 If Gov. Tim Pawlenty catches a 15-inch walleye from Lake of the Woods during this weekend's Governor's Fishing Opener, he could eat only about five ounces of it a week to stay within government regulations for mercury exposure. Anyone who wants ... Continued...

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

USDA Announces Availability of $4.7 Million in Funds for Organic Research, Education and Extension Projects
USDA | April 16, 2004 SANTA CRUZ, Calif., - In an historic development, the United States Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (USDA CSREES) has announced the availability of $4.7 million in fiscal year 2004 for the new Integrated Organic Program.... Continued...

Monday, April 26, 2004

Plan Near for Global Climate Monitoring
Associated Press Online | By KENJI HALL | April 26, 2004 Nations are near agreement on the blueprint of a global climate monitoring system that would help forecast environmental threats such as rising sea levels or drought, but negotiating the details won't be easy, U.S. officials said Friday. ... Continued...

Tuesday, April 6, 2004

One Nation, Underperforming
Grist | By Bill McKibben | April 5, 2004 California unveiled the design on its state quarter last week: a picture of John Muir, an image of Half Dome. It's an apt representation of American environmentalism at the moment -- rich in history, but not worth much at present. Modern environmentalis... Continued...

Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Trade Crucial To Local Farmers; Agriculture Secretary Speaks In Troy
Dayton Daily News (Ohio) | Ben Sutherly | March 7, 2004 TROY - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman on Saturday credited trade for spurring record net farm income of $63 billion last year, and said the Bush administration is "aggressively pursuing" overseas markets for U.S. agriculture. "Fa... Continued...

Monday, March 8, 2004

Raising The Quality Bar Of Environmental Reporting By Firms
New Straits Times (Malaysia) | March 7, 2004 NUMEROUS companies world-wide have jumped onto the corporate environmental reporting (CER) bandwagon. Although the growing numbers of reporters are encouraging, the overall standard of reporting leaves plenty to be desired. "Environmental reporting ... Continued...

Friday, March 5, 2004

Pesticide: Undue Corporate Influence?
Minnesota Public Radio | By Dan Gunderson, February 17, 2003 Attorney Cheryl Bergian contends human exposure is routinely overlooked by the Ag Department. "I've come to believe that ... the perspective of the department is to serve the growers. So they don't have the institutional will to deter... Continued...

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Leaked Pentagon Report Warns Climate Change May Bring Famine, War
Agence France Presse | Feb. 24, 2004 LONDON (AFP) - A secret report prepared by the Pentagon warns that climate change may lead to global catastrophe costing millions of lives and is a far greater threat than terrorism. The report was ordered by an influential US Pentagon advisor but was ... Continued...

Leaked Pentagon Report Warns Climate Change May Bring Famine, War
AFP | February 24, 2004 LONDON (AFP) - A secret report prepared by the Pentagon warns that climate change may lead to global catastrophe costing millions of lives and is a far greater threat than terrorism. The report was ordered by an influential US Pentagon advisor but was covered up by ... Continued...

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Bayer, Monsanto, Dow: Chemical Industry Given Private Access To EPA
Coalition against BAYER-dangers | January 2004 A lawsuit filed last week asserts that the Bush Administration is allowing a special task force from the chemical industry to lobby secretly and illegally inside the Environmental Protection Agency. The task force aims to circumvent current protectio... Continued...

Monday, February 2, 2004

Maker Warns of Scarcity Of Hormone for Dairy Cows
The New York Times | By ANDREW POLLACK | January 27, 2004 A genetically engineered growth hormone for cows that is widely used to increase milk production will be in severe short supply this year, its manufacturer, Monsanto, has told dairy farmers. In letters to farmers and a press release to... Continued...

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

GM Crops Linked to Rise in Pesticide Use
The Guardian (UK) | By JOHN VIDAL January 8, 2004 Eight years of planting genetically modified maize, cotton and soya beans in the US has significantly increased the amount of herbicides and pesticides used, according to a US report which could influence the British government over whether to let... Continued...

Friday, January 16, 2004

The Logs Of War
Le Monde Diplomatique | By ALICE BLONDEL | January 2004 We think of gold, diamonds and oil as the coveted precious resources traded illegally to generate revenue for corrupt governments and to buy weapons. But wrongfully logged timber funded the Khmer Rouge and many contemporary African conflicts... Continued...

Wednesday, January 14, 2004

Danger May Be in Production
Newsday (New York) | By Roni Rabin | January 14, 2004 When a study reported that farmed salmon contain high levels of PCBs and dioxins, just weeks after a cow tested positive for mad cow disease, fish wholesalers joked that the embattled beef industry was behind the salmon study. The beef and ... Continued...

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Dow Subsidiary To Pay $2 Million For Making False Safety Claims In Pesticide Ad
New York Department of Law | December 15, 2003 Largest Pesticide Enforcement Penalty in U.S. History Attorney General Eliot Spitzer today announced that Dow AgroSciences, LLC, a subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company, will pay a $2 million penalty for illegally advertising safety claims about its... Continued...

USDA Announces $4m In Grants For Renewables On Farms
Greenwire | By Allison A. Freeman | December 16, 2003 The Agriculture Department will grant $4.35 million for farm-based renewable energy projects as part of a package of USDA grants aimed at spurring new development in the agriculture sector, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced last wee... Continued...

BLM Proposes Rollbacks Of Clinton-Era Ranching Regulations
Land Letter | Dan Berman | December 11, 2003 The Bureau of Land Management is considering a series of proposed rollbacks to Clinton-era grazing regulations that would delay action to address harmful grazing practices, limit public input and allow ranchers to claim partial ownership of rangela... Continued...

Fields of Poison
The Nation | By Rebecca Clarren | December 29, 2003 Sunnyside, Washington Each summer as the grapes clinging to their vines turn the purple of a deep bruise, Juan Rios feels like he is being poisoned. His head aches, he feels dizzy and nauseous, and his nose won't stop running. A farmworker who m... Continued...

Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Organic Foods And Whether They""re Actually Better For The Environment And Worth The Cost
Today | Reporter: ROBERT HAGER | October 28, 2003 Organic foods and whether they're actually better for the environment and worth the cost; Katherine DiMatteo, executive director, Organic Trade Association, discusses the benefits of organic foods ANCHORS: KATIE COURIC REPORTERS: ROBERT... Continued...

Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Brazil President Faces Growing Criticism On Environment
Associated Press | October 21, 2003 RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AP World News via NewsEdge Corporation : A growing number of conservationists are accusing Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva of betraying them over environmental issues. On Monday, the leaders of over 20 environmental gro... Continued...

Monday, October 20, 2003

Nebraska Gets Foot In The Door In EU On Beef
The Associated Press | October 20, 2003LENGTH: 333 words Some Nebraska cattle producers are making inroads into European markets, despite a European Union ban on beef treated with growth hormones. The ban hasn't stopped some Nebraska cattlemen from producing non-hormone beef they can promote i... Continued...

Wednesday, October 15, 2003

The Forest And The Trees
The Tribune (Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce, FL) | October 15, 2003 In conservation _ as in politics _ inclusion, collaboration, balance and sound science are good things. Those buzzwords are often on the lips of Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, whom President George W. Bush has nominated to head the Envir... Continued...

Council""s Water Proposal Pits North Against South; Florida
The Bradenton Herald | By CURTIS MORGAN and LESLEY CLARK | October 15, 2003 An influential business group is suggesting one way to quench South Florida's thirst for water: allow the booming region to siphon water from the resource-rich rural north. The proposal by the Florida Council of 100, ... Continued...

Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Pawlenty Proposes To Set Aside 100,000 Acres To Protect Waters
The Associated Press | October 13, 2003 Farmers working land along three of the state's major rivers would be paid to set aside up to 100,000 acres to improve water quality by curbing runoff while restoring wildlife habitat, said Gov. Tim Pawlenty Monday in announcing a new program. "We have m... Continued...

Conrad To Introduce $50 Million Access Program
Grand Forks Herald | By Mikkel Pates | October 13, 2003 Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., announced Oct. 9 that he'll introduce a bill that would funnel $50 million into qualifying state programs that allow access to private land for hunting and other wildlife activities. The "Voluntary Public Access... Continued...

Environmental Coalition Putting Salmon-Protection Suit On Hold
Idaho Falls Post Register | By KATHLEEN O'NEIL | October 14, 2003 A coalition of environmental groups agreed Friday to continue holding off on a lawsuit against federal agencies for failing to protect endangered species of salmon, and are considering continuing talks with water users led by Sen.... Continued...

Monday, October 13, 2003

New Tool Helps Producers Assess Ethanol Plant Impact
Farm Foundation | September 17, 2003 OAK BROOK,IL A Web-based tool to help farmers and ranchers assess potential price impacts of a new ethanol production plant has been developed by two Montana State University professors, with funding support from Farm Foundation. The Ethanol Plant Analyzer al... Continued...

New Tool Helps Producers Assess Ethanol Plant Impact
Farm Foundation | September 17, 2003 OAK BROOK,IL A Web-based tool to help farmers and ranchers assess potential price impacts of a new ethanol production plant has been developed by two Montana State University professors, with funding support from Farm Foundation. The Ethanol Plant Analyzer al... Continued...

Lee Targets Irradiated School Foods
Alameda Times-Star | September 18, 2003 Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, Wednesday introduced a bill calling for labeling and alternatives to irradiated food served in the national school breakfast and lunch program. Under new U.S. Department of Agriculture rules, passed by Congress in the 2002 ... Continued...

Friday, October 10, 2003

Bush Administration Adopts New Policy To Thwart Farmers"" Ability To Sue Manufactures Of Ineffectual Chemical Poisons That Damage Crops
USA TODAY | By PETER EISLER | Ocotober 7, 2003 The Bush administration has adopted a new policy that aims to cut off farmers' ability to sue pesticide and herbicide makers when bug-and weedkillers don't work as promised on their labels and damage crops. The new position, not announced publicl... Continued...

New Smog Measures Are Ordered
Los Angeles Times | By Gary Polakovic | October 10, 2003 A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had erred in blaming Mexico for unhealthful air quality in the Imperial Valley and that the agency must impose more stringent control measures on the U.S.... Continued...

Clean Streams Lawmakers, Industry Should Support Policy To Protect State
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia) | By Jeremy P. Muller | October 9, 2003 ON Aug. 29, U.S. Judge Joseph R. Goodwin handed down his opinion on a lawsuit concerning West Virginia's river and stream protections. He found that crucial provisions of the state government's policy are illegal and do no... Continued...

Wednesday, October 8, 2003

Ala. Farmers Use Ancient Sea for Shrimp
Associated Press | October 7, 2003 MOSSES, Ala. - Alabama farmers are tapping into ancient seawater to harvest shrimp - an enterprise researchers say could be the key to future jobs in the depressed region. Lee Jackson Jr. and Bruce "B.T." Durham are using saltwater that was trapped undergrou... Continued...

Future Forest--a Marshall County Man Has Converted Much of His Grain Farm Into a Tree Farm
Peoria Journal Star | September 22, 2003 Farmer Bob Sloan has planted a crop that he won't harvest in his lifetime. The 77-year-old farmer has turned much of his 208-acre grain farm about 10 miles southeast of Lacon into a tree farm. Over the past 20 years, Sloan has planted countless numbers... Continued...

Monday, October 6, 2003

Fueling The Future The Demand For Ethanol Is Set To Double
Omaha World Herald (Nebraska) | October 4, 2003 The coming Nebraska legislative session may be a tough political year for adopting new economic development incentives. Budget cuts, while probably not as extensive as last year's, are still probable. Some citizens are calling for a repeal of one of... Continued...

Enviro-Corporate Politics
Monterey County Herald | October 3, 2003 Friday As he completed his presidency in 1961, Dwight Eisenhower -- who had commanded Allied forces in Europe during World War II -- delivered a farewell address in which he warned against allowing a "military-industrial complex" to acquire too much influe... Continued...

Thursday, October 2, 2003

One River, A Flood Of Issues Barges Play Only Minor Role For Nebraska, Iowa Farmers
Omaha World Herald (Nebraska) | By Henry Cordes | September 29, 2003 To suggest Missouri River navigation is a critical concern to Nebraska or Iowa would be a bit of an overstatement. Barge traffic on the Muddy Mo has never thrived, and that is especially true in Nebraska. It ranks 40th among ... Continued...

Reporting Plan Stalls
The Oregonian | By MICHELLE COLE | September 29, 2003 The Oregon Legislature passed a statewide pesticide-use reporting law in 1999, but it might be several years before the system actually delivers information about the type and amount of chemicals used by farmers, landscapers and others to kil... Continued...

States Stuck In The Middle Of Battle Over Muddy
Omaha World Herald (Nebraska)| By Henry J. Cordes | September 29, 2003 Duane Hovorka has a vision for a Missouri River that's "more than just a barge canal." It would be a river more the way it was a half century ago, before it was tamed by man, with more backwaters, side chutes and sandbars, ... Continued...

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Celebrities Protest Proposed Wind Farm
Associated Press | By Jennifer Peter | August 12, 2003 Boston -- The rich and famous have long flocked to the beaches of Cape Cod and the island seclusion of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket - a land of sailboats and quaint vacation homes. Now some of these celebrities want to make sure wind tu... Continued...

Dispute over Water Rights, Salmon Takes Political Turn
Environment News Service | By J.R. Pegg | Aug. 7, 2003 WASHINGTON, DC - Conservation groups demanded answers today from the White House about the role the president's top political advisor has taken to dictate federal management of the Klamath River Basin. The organizations are concerned Whit... Continued...

Tuesday, July 29, 2003

Hawaii Biopharming Tests Yield Lawsuit
HONOLULU, Hawaii, July 28, 2003 (ENS) - A national nonprofit organization filed suit last week to lift what it deems "a wall of secrecy" surrounding ongoing field tests in Hawaii of plants that have been genetically engineered to produce a range of industrial chemicals or drugs. The Center for Food ... Continued...

Rule blocking development in national forests could hit Supreme Court
29 July 2003 By Mathew Daly, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The roadless rule in national forests may be at a dead end. The often-challenged Clinton-era policy, which blocks development of nearly one-third of national forests, has been struck down again by a federal judge and could wind up... Continued...

UK fund pushes oil, mining firms to be more green
UK: July 29, 2003 LONDON - One of Britain's largest fund managers said yesterday that many energy and mining companies were risking their financial futures by failing to demonstrate commitments to the environment. Insight Investment, which manages 64.6 billion pounds ($104.9 billion) in a... Continued...

We Energies to purchase Wisconsin wind power
USA: July 29, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO - Wisconsin utility We Energies said yesterday it signed 20-year agreements to purchase electricity from three wind-power farms to be developed in the state. The Milwaukee-based utility, a unit of Wisconsin Energy Corp. WEC.N , said the projects, expected ... Continued...

FDA Mulls New Animal Feed Rules Due to Mad Cow
USA: July 29, 2003 WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday it may require U.S. animal feed manufacturers to adopt new food safety checkpoints as an extra measure to prevent the deadly mad cow disease. The FDA has taken a closer look at federal regulations governing th... Continued...

Thursday, July 24, 2003

Big Purchasers Can Spark Sustainability Shift
WASHINGTON, DC, July 24, 2003 (ENS) - Mega-consumers such as government agencies, corporations, international organizations, and universities are critical to the effort to shift the world toward an environmentally sustainable future, finds a new study from the Worldwatch Institute. Environmental... Continued...

Nebraska Judge Wades Out of Missouri River Controversy
OMAHA, Nebraska, July 23, 2003 (ENS) - U.S. District Court of Nebraska Judge Laurie Smith Camp today said she would not hold the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in contempt of a prior ruling if the agency moves to resolve the legal controversy that emerged from a higher court ruling. Camp's decision co... Continued...

Ex-tobacco farmers kick the habit and go organic
24 July 2003 By E/The Environmental Magazine From the outside, this looks like any other barn tucked into a sleepy mountain hollow of Stickleyville, Virginia in the Appalachians. Rows of tobacco plants skewered on wooden poles hang like dry-cleaning from the rafters while all around the hills... Continued...

Monsanto quietly readies gene-modified wheat
24 July 2003 By Reuters DURBIN, North Dakota — From the dusty country road, the secluded wheat field in this rural hamlet appears to be like any other, with slender stalks and ripening heads rustling in the breeze. But the grain growing here belongs to Monsanto Co. and is key to the compan... Continued...

Thursday, July 17, 2003

Snowe Bill Would Ban Some Antibiotics In Food
Portland Press Herald | By MEREDITH GOAD | July 17, 2003 First hormones, now antibiotics. There's been a lot of talk in recent weeks about the use of artificial growth hormones in the dairy industry, since the announcement that Monsanto Corp. is suing Oakhurst Dairy over the way it markets i... Continued...

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Record Temperatures Around Globe May Continue, World Meteorologists Say
International Environment Reporter | JUly 16, 2003 Temperatures across the globe are continually reaching record highs because of climate change, the World Meteorological Organization has reported. As a result of the temperature changes, the number and intensity of extreme meteorological events... Continued...

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

Gusty Britain Is Boosting Wind Power Use
Associated Press | July 14, 2003 DOUGLAS, Scotland - When the breeze blows the wrong way over the grassy hilltops above this quiet Scottish village, coal dust from the mines below can darken the air that powers rows of slim white wind turbines. The two coal pits, providing one of Britain's old... Continued...

Illinois Researchers Test Effect Of Climate Change On Crops
Associated Press | July 14, 2003 SAVOY, Ill. (AP) - The gadgets that rise above a central Illinois soybean field are helping scientists predict what changes in Earth's atmosphere are likely to do to crop yields. Rings of tubes emit ozone and carbon dioxide, both of which are expected to increa... Continued...

Agricultural Lands May Store More Carbon Dioxide Than Rivers
HealthNewsDigest.com | JUly 14, 2003 New Haven, Conn. ­ A new study demonstrates a decades-long increase in the export of dissolved alkalinity from the Mississippi River ­ a process that removes the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere ­ and also suggests that agricultural lands may ... Continued...

Monday, July 7, 2003

NEC Unveils Methanol-Fueled Laptop
Associated Press | June 30, 2003 TOKYO - Japanese computer giant NEC Corp. Monday revealed a prototype of a laptop computer that runs on a methanol fuel cell instead of a rechargeable battery, and said it will start selling it next year. A number of other companies are developing similar fuel... Continued...

Republican Enviros Blast Bush for Withholding Information
Environment News Service | July 3, 2003 ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - Withholding of vital environmental information is getting to be a bad habit with the Bush administration, REP America, the national grassroots organization of Republicans for environmental protection, said today. REP America re... Continued...

Extreme Weather on the Rise
CNN | July 3, 2003 Anecdotal evidence that the world's weather is getting wilder now has a solid scientific basis in fact following a dramatic global assessment from the World Meteorological Organization. A study released Wednesday by the WMO -- a specialized climate science agency of the Uni... Continued...

Monday, June 30, 2003

Wind Energy Opportunities, Issues And Challenges Facing Farmers And Rural America In 2003
American Corn Growers | By Dan McGuire | June 29, 2003 It's great to be here with all of you renewable energy champions today. I want to first thank the Colorado Renewable Energy Society for asking me to be on your program on behalf of the American Corn Growers Wealth From The Wind program. "R... Continued...

Friday, June 20, 2003

To save water in the West, government looks to eradicate a thirsty plant
20 June 2003 By Seth Hettena, Associated Press ESCONDIDO, Calif. — Past a winery and down a dirt road, jackrabbits and squirrels scamper into the brush near where Mike Kelly grabs hold of a shrub with billowy, pale pink flowers near a small creek bed. His mission: to yank the shrub out and ki... Continued...

Activist Group Warns of Unsafe Mercury in Tuna
USA: June 20, 2003 WASHINGTON - One of every 20 cans of white or albacore tuna sold in the United States may contain unsafe levels of mercury, which can hurt the nervous system of fetuses and young children, a consumer activist group said yesterday. Mercury in tuna and other kinds of fish... Continued...

Shell opens hydrogen station for Tokyo motorists
UK: June 20, 2003 LONDON - Showa Shell Sekiyu KK has opened the first hydrogen station in Tokyo, part of a worldwide push to supply fuel cell powered vehicles. Showa Shell, 50 percent owned by Royal Dutch/Shell, opened the station in the central Tokyo Odaiba district, the energy giant's S... Continued...

Energy Groups Excluded From Natural Gas Summit
WASHINGTON, DC, June 19, 2003 (ENS) - In a letter delivered today to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, 15 renewable energy business, environmental, and energy policy organizations criticized the agency for failing to include sufficient representation of sustainable energy interests in the Energy Dep... Continued...

McDonald’s Tells Suppliers to Cut Antibiotics in Meat
OAK BROOK, Illinois, June 19, 2003 (ENS) – With environmental groups offering support, McDonald's Corporation today announced plans that will require its suppliers worldwide to phase out animal growth promotion antibiotics used in human medicine. The Global Policy on Antibiotics creates a set of st... Continued...

Loan patterns linked to sprawl
Small businesses may have a tougher time getting federal loans to build on suburban farmland and open space, as a result of a March 27 agreement settling a lawsuit against the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The lawsuit, brought by the environmental groups Friends of the Earth and the ... Continued...

Clown fish farms create thousands of Nemos away from coral reefs
20 June 2003 By Jill Barton, Associated Press FORT PIERCE, Florida — Before a diver scooped Nemo from his ocean home in a Disney animated movie, researchers here devised a way to grow the clown fish in tanks thousands of miles from the Pacific. The "Nemo" grown by Oceans Reefs & Aquariums ... Continued...

Cities are recognizing the right to go whitewater rafting
20 June 2003 By Jon Sarche, Associated Press DENVER — The growing popularity of kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and other sports is helping the recreation industry gain political clout in the battle over one of the most precious commodities in the West: water. For generations, the lion's shar... Continued...

McDonald""s Will Tell Meat Suppliers to Cut Antibiotics Use
Washington Post | By Marc Kaufman | June 19, 2003 In response to increasingly dire warnings that widespread use of antibiotics on U.S. farms is making the drugs less effective for treating people, the fast-food chain McDonald's is directing some meat suppliers to stop using antibiotic growth prom... Continued...

U.S. to Review Status of Endangered Fish
Los Angeles Times | June 19, 2003 The federal government has agreed to review the endangered species status of the delta smelt, a tiny fish that San Joaquin Valley farmers believe is no longer threatened by extinction. Under settlement of a lawsuit brought by the California Farm Bureau, the U... Continued...

Thursday, June 19, 2003

Report by the E.P.A. Leaves Out Data on Climate Change
The New York Times | By Andrew C. Revkin with Katharine Q. Seelye | June 19, 2003 The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to publish a draft report next week on the state of the environment, but after editing by the White House, a long section describing risks from rising global temperat... Continued...

Monday, June 9, 2003

Norton Calls for Local Solutions to Water Crises
DENVER, Colorado, June 6, 2003 (ENS) - Preventing conflict over chronic water shortages must be addressed by local communities in long range, cooperative planning efforts with state and federal agencies, Interior Department Secretary Gale Norton told Western officials today. Speaking at a conferenc... Continued...

Senate approves measure to double use of ethanol in gasoline
06 June 2003 By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Virtually every driver in the country could be pumping gasoline containing corn-produced ethanol by 2012 under a plan approved Thursday by the Senate. The proposal, incorporated into a broader energy bill, would dramatically ch... Continued...

“No data, no market” for chemicals in EU
A draft proposal overhauling chemical regulation in the European Union (EU) goes far beyond requirements elsewhere, shifting the burden from government to industry to prove that individual chemicals can be used safely before they are marketed. Additionally, the legislation, which was released in May... Continued...

Pest resistance to Bt cotton
Researchers have identified mutations in field populations of a major pest—the pink bollworm—that confer resistance to genetically modified (GM) cotton. The findings may spur the development of DNA-based resistance screening tests that are 1000-fold more sensitive than current bioassays. Such screen... Continued...

USDA teaming with farmers to fight global warming
USA: June 9, 2003 BONNER SPRINGS, Kan. - The U.S. Department of Agriculture is setting up incentives for farmers to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the battle against global warming, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said. Veneman said the USDA will provide an unspecified amo... Continued...

"Dying for water", world marks environment day
LEBANON: June 9, 2003 BEIRUT - Seeking to ease a water crisis threatening a third of humanity, the United Nations marked world environment day with calls for governments to double aid to poor countries and for ordinary people to fix leaky taps. Under the slogan "Water - two billion people... Continued...

Thursday, June 5, 2003

Waste Recycling Bill Passes California Senate
SACRAMENTO, California, June 4, 2003 (ENS) - Legislation requiring electronics manufacturers to establish a "free and convenient" recycling system for old computers, televisions and other electronic devices is working its way through the California legislature. It was passed by the California State ... Continued...

In a bid to reduce traffic, Sweden makes motorists pay
05 June 2003 By Associated Press STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Motorists hoping to get into the Swedish capital Stockholm will have pay between 10 kronor to 20 kronor (US$1.30 to $2.60), in part to alleviate growing congestion and stem pollution. Earlier this year, London adopted a similar plan, cha... Continued...

World""s water supplies under threat from irrigation, says United Nations
05 June 2003 By Ed Johnson, Associated Press LONDON — Many of the world's natural underground reservoirs are diminishing rapidly, threatening the drinking water of millions of people and compounding the ravaging effects of drought and famine, the United Nations warned Wednesday. Across Afr... Continued...

Three U.S. states sue EPA over carbon dioxide
05 June 2003 By Reuters BOSTON — Three states filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday, arguing the agency is failing to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, which they say is required by the Clean Air Act. Several states are taking steps to reduce the emissions of... Continued...

Wednesday, June 4, 2003

Tribes Harness South Dakota Wind Energy
ROSEBUD, South Dakota, June 2, 2003 (ENS) - The Rosebud Sioux turbine sits atop a 170 foot tubular tower with three blades that have a diameter of 150 feet. Tribal leaders hope it will be the first phase of an intertribal wind development project that will help give communities a source of power and... Continued...

US court lifts ban on human tests of pesticides
USA: June 5, 2003 WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court this week overturned a U.S. ban that prohibited testing pesticides on humans, opening the door for renewed debate on the practice. The D.C. District Court of Appeals said that a directive by the Environmental Protection Administration... Continued...

Short Term Exposure to Estrogen Cuts Fish Fertility
RICHLAND, Washington, June 3, 2003 (ENS) - When adult male fish are exposed to short term and low concentrations of a synthetic estrogen, their fertility can drop by as much as 50 percent, according to a study by scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNL). ... Continued...

EPA Allows Court to Weaken Toxics Release Inventory
WASHINGTON, DC, June 3, 2003 (ENS) - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today decided not to appeal a court decision that allows mining companies to stop reporting significant quantities of toxic chemicals they discharge into the environment. The decision represents the first time a popular ... Continued...

Tuesday, June 3, 2003

Environmentalists = Terrorists : The New Math
www.tompaine.com | By Karen Charman | June 2, 2003 Have you ever signed a petition in support of an environmental or animal-rights issue? Do you belong to the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, or Greenpeace? Have you publicly protested some environmental or animal rights outrag... Continued...

Friday, May 30, 2003

USDA Ignores Wide-Spread Opposition Approves Irradiated Food For School Lunch Program
PUBLIC CITIZEN CRITICAL MASS ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM | May 30, 2003 Despite thousands of comments to the federal government from parents, teachers and children nationwide opposing irradiated meat in the National School Lunch Program (91% of those commenting were against it), the government... Continued...

Pennsylvania Develops Wind Power Capability
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, May 29, 2003 (ENS) - Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Secretary Kathleen McGinty, who headed the White House Office of Environmental Quality in the Clinton administration, today offered the support of her office to a wind energy engineering f... Continued...

U.S. must cut auto greenhouse gases, says research group
30 May 2003 By Chris Baltimore, Reuters WASHINGTON — U.S. automakers could nearly halve output of heat-trapping greenhouse gases by 2030 with new technology and more fuel-efficient models, a needed step to reverse growing emissions from the world's No. 1 transportation sector, an environmenta... Continued...

Canadian farmers brace for costly new feed rules
CANADA: May 30, 2003 WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Canadians consumers can expect higher food prices if regulators and politicians decide to ban the feeding of all animal byproducts to livestock, farmers and industry officials said. Farmers said they are bracing for stricter rules about what they ... Continued...

Monsanto GMO wheat far from winning market okay
USA: May 30, 2003 KANSAS CITY, Mo - A genetically modified wheat strain under development by Monsanto Co. (MON.N) remains a significant threat to the worldwide grain industry, and appears to be gaining little acceptance in the market, U.S. industry players said. On Tuesday Canada dealt a ... Continued...

Minnesota governor to sign Xcel nuclear storage bill
USA: May 30, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will sign a bill yesterday giving Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL.N) more nuclear waste storage at its Prairie Island atomic power plant, the governor's office said. Pawlenty will sign the bill, approved by the Minnesota Legislature last... Continued...

Thursday, May 29, 2003

Nationwide Survey Reveals Most Americans Are Unaware They Consume Beef And Poultry Raised on Antibiotics
Whole Foods Market Press Release | May 28, 2003 AUSTIN, Texas -- A nationwide survey released today shows that when Americans -- regardless of age, education, income level, and region -- shop for beef and poultry, almost three-quarters (74 percent) are concerned about the presence of antibiotics ... Continued...

Massachusetts Mercury Cuts of 90 Percent Called Possible
MONTPELIER, Vermont, May 28, 2003 (ENS) - Saying that Massachusetts can meet the challenge of regulating mercury pollution from power plants, a coalition of environmental groups released a report today that asks the state's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to insist on 90 percent reducti... Continued...

Californians asked to renew energy-saving efforts
USA: May 29, 2003 LOS ANGELES - California's energy leaders beseeched consumers this week to wield their mightiest weapon - the off-switch - to hold power outages at bay, though the likelihood of blackouts this summer is dim. David Freeman, chairman of the California Power Authority, told... Continued...

MGEX passes biotech wheat rule, KCBT mulls one too
USA: May 29, 2003 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With the world's first biotech wheat making its way through the regulatory approval process, the Minneapolis Grain Exchange this week approved a rule that allow companies to avoid biotech wheat deliveries. With a vote of 126 to 53, MGE members approved... Continued...

Environmentally friendly odor removal
The smell of rotten eggs generated by more than 50,000 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) around the world is a major problem. The odor is primarily due to hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S), but a complex blend of reduced sulfur compounds, amines, and low molecular weight carboxylic acids are also to blam... Continued...

Tuesday, May 27, 2003

Chicken Farmers Reintroduce Growth Drugs Despite Public Fear
The Guardian | By James Meikle | May 27, 2003 One in five poultry companies that abandoned the use of antibiotics to make chickens grow faster are now using them again. Producers and retailers have quietly reintroduced growth promoters despite previously dropping them in response to public unease... Continued...

Color-Coded Choices for New EPA Nominee
New York Times | By Katharine Q. Seelye | May 26, 2003 "And Christie Todd Whitman, who's head of the E.P.A., has announced she's resigning next month. She's stepping down. President Bush was shocked. He didn't know he had an Environmental Protection Agency." — Jay Leno, May 21. WASHINGTON, May... Continued...

Ottawa Blasted by Newfoundland over Lost Fishery
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) | By Kevin Cox | May 27, 2003 HALIFAX -- Federal mismanagement of the historic Newfoundland and Labrador fishery has nearly wiped out several major fish stocks and threatens some still healthy species that support many coastal communities, the province says. In a d... Continued...

U.S. Report Faults Efforts to Track Water Pollution
New York Times | By Katharine Q. Seelye | May 27, 2003 WASHINGTON, May 26 — The computer system used by the Environmental Protection Agency to track and control water pollution is obsolete, full of faulty data and does not take into account thousands of significant pollution sources, according to... Continued...

Wednesday, May 21, 2003

EPA Administrator Christie Whitman Resigns
Associated Press | 21 May 2003 WASHINGTON -- Christie Whitman, often at odds with the Bush White House over environmental issues and a lightning rod for the administration's critics, resigned Wednesday as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Whitman said in a letter to President Bush ... Continued...

Minnesota House approves Xcel plan for nuclear waste
USA: May 21, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO - Minnesota lawmakers reversed an earlier vote and passed a bill to allow Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL.N) to store more nuclear waste at its Prairie Island atomic power plant. The 81-to-51 vote in the House would give Xcel more dry cask storage so the twin-reactor... Continued...

Organic Supermarket Lured By Sustainable Fishing
AUSTIN, Texas, May 20, 2003 (ENS) - Alarmed by recent evidence that overfishing is a more serious problem than once thought, Whole Foods Market has announced it will fund the Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) new initiative aimed at increasing the number of certified sustainable fisheries in the Un... Continued...

FedEx Delivery Trucks Go Green
By JENNIFER 8. LEE WASHINGTON, May 20 — The FedEx Corporation announced today that it planned to replace 30,000 of its delivery trucks with energy-saving, environmentally friendly hybrid-powered vehicles. The company said that it had already purchased 20 such trucks to begin building what wou... Continued...

US wind power, with tax help, could grow faster
USA: May 21, 2003 NEW YORK - Wind power in the United States could grow at levels closer to global rates if the government approved a smoother tax credit first enacted in 1994, industry executives said. "There are billions of dollars of investment waiting to pour into this industry if the... Continued...

“Safe” lead levels harmful to children
Lead can be harmful to children even at levels typically thought to be safe, according to two new studies. In the first, scientists found that lead causes intellectual impairment in children at levels below the current acceptable blood-lead level of 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL), and in a seco... Continued...

Another POP found in foods
In addition to dioxins (PCDDs), furans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides, there is another group of persistent organic pollutants (POPs)—polychlorinated napthalenes (PCNs)—harboring in many commonly consumed foods, according to new research to be published in the June 1 issue... Continued...

G8 members don""t practise what they preach - report
FRANCE: May 21, 2003 PARIS - The Group of Eight world economic summits have become discredited because members preach to other countries while failing to put their own houses in order, according to a "Shadow G8" report by former top world officials. This growing "crisis of legitimacy" und... Continued...

Canadian mad cow case triggers economic shock wave
21 May 2003 By Jeffrey Jones, Reuters CALGARY, Alberta — Canada reported its first case of mad cow disease in a decade Tuesday, sending shock waves through the North American food industry just weeks after the country's economy was damaged by the SARS threat. A cow in Alberta, Canada's to... Continued...

Florida Gov. Bush signs contentious Everglades bill
21 May 2003 By Michael Peltier, Reuters TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed into law Tuesday a sugar-industry-backed bill relaxing requirements to clean up the Everglades, which critics say threatens the health of the massive Florida wetland. The bill has come under fire from U.... Continued...

Tuesday, May 20, 2003

N.D. County Making Room for Hogs
Associated Press | May 20, 2003 CANDO, N.D. - Hog farmers with huge, smelly operations don't mind that a depressed agricultural economy is forcing farmers out of the region. Producers say the declining population of Towner County in north-central North Dakota makes it easier to establish hog f... Continued...

Hog Farm Fears Intensify
Charlotte Observer | May 18, 2003 As concern grows over the potential for industrial hog farms to make people sick, regulators lack basic information about the chemicals wafting from North Carolina's 2,300 farms. Hog farm odor, a signature of the nation's second-largest hog state, has been lin... Continued...

Friday, May 16, 2003

G8 Drops Plans For Business Standards, Fails Developing Nations
FRIENDS OF THE EARTH | May 16, 2003 Paris, France - Leaders of the G8 group of countries have abandoned plans to announce a Charter of Principles for a Responsible Market Economy', Friends of the Earth International revealed today. The news emerges as G8 Finance Ministers meet today in Deauville,... Continued...

Thursday, May 15, 2003

Drinking Water Associations Oppose Product Liability Immunity
WASHINGTON, DC, May 14, 2003 (ENS) - Two national drinking water associations highlighted their opposition to provisions in House and Senate energy legislation, which the groups say provide product liability immunity to producers of the fuel additives methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and ethanol. ... Continued...

Study shows 90 percent decline in stocks of big oceangoing fish
15 May 2003 By John Heilprin, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Scientists reported a 90 percent decline in large predatory fish in the world's oceans since a half-century ago, a dire assessment that drew immediate skepticism from commercial fishers. Analyzing nearly 50 years of data, two mar... Continued...

Brazil lower house clears genetically modified soy decree
BRAZIL: May 16, 2003 BRASILIA - Brazil's lower house of Congress approved a government decree authorising the sale of genetically modified soy until March 31, 2004, instead of Jan. 31 as originally envisaged. Provisional measure 113 published on March 26, which must still be approved by S... Continued...

Wednesday, May 14, 2003

Neighbors of Vast Hog Farms Say Foul Air Endangers Their Health
The New York Times | By JENNIFER LEE | May 11, 2003 PAULDING, Ohio, - Robert Thornell says that five years ago an invisible swirling poison invaded his family farm and the house he had built with his hands. It robbed him of his memory, his balance and his ability to work. It left him with mood sw... Continued...

Study: Only 10 Percent of Big Ocean Fish Remain
CNN | 14 May 2003 A new global study concludes that 90 percent of all large fishes have disappeared from the world's oceans in the past half century, the devastating result of industrial fishing. The study, which took 10 years to complete and was published in the international journal Nature ... Continued...

Monday, May 12, 2003

Ottawa Stands Firm in Fisheries Fight with Nfld.
CBC | 9 May 2003 OTTAWA - Several premiers joined the federal government Friday in rejecting Newfoundland's proposal to open constitutional talks and expand provincial powers. Manitoba Premier Gary Doer said he's more concerned about dealing with other priorities, such as the economy. And Nov... Continued...

Friday, May 9, 2003

North America Trading Songbirds for Junk Mail
OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, May 6, 2003 (ENS) - One in every three of North America's songbirds is born in Canada's northern boreal forest, according to new research released to mark International Migratory Bird Day on May 10. The boreal forest is the breeding grounds of up to five billion land bir... Continued...

California pesticide drifts routinely exceed acceptable levels, says study
09 May 2003 By Brian Skoloff, Associated Press FRESNO, Calif. — Airborne pesticide levels in California routinely exceed acceptable health standards miles from where they are used, according to a study released by several environmental watchdog groups. More than 90 percent of pesticides u... Continued...

Brazil soy sector ignores gov""t decree on GM soy
BRAZIL: May 9, 2003 SAO PAULO, Brazil - Over one month after the government decreed that all genetically modified soy must carry consumer warning labels, Brazil's soy industry is going about business as usual without labeling, sector leaders said. Provisional measure 113 published on Marc... Continued...

Clear-cutting increases mercury in runoff
Researchers have found significant increases in total and methyl mercury in runoff from a forested watershed following clear-cutting of the trees and subsequent soil treatment. The findings, which will be published in the June 1, 2003 issue of ES&T (available now as an ASAP Article: 10.1021/es034017... Continued...

Thursday, May 8, 2003

Judge Rules Plan is Insufficient to Save Salmon
Washington Post | By Blaine Harden | 8 May 2003 SEATTLE, May 7 -- The Bush administration must rethink what it is doing to save salmon from extinction in the heavily dammed Columbia and Snake River system, a federal judge in Portland, Ore., ruled today. The ruling marked the second time in a d... Continued...

Wednesday, May 7, 2003

Alaskan Oil Battle May Shift Offshore
Christian Science Monitor | By Todd Wilkinson | 6 May 2003 From the moment he came into office, President Bush had put drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) at the top of his agenda to increase domestic oil and gas production. But now, having to concede defeat amid opposition... Continued...

CEC Receives Submission Aimed At Ontario Power Plants
CEC | 7 May 2003 Montreal — The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has received a citizen submission asserting that Canada is failing to effectively enforce the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the federal Fisheries Act against Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) coal-fired powe... Continued...

Monday, May 5, 2003

Grocery Chains Agree to Label Farm-Raised Salmon
Seattle Post-Intelligencer | By Candace Heckman | 1 May 2003 Reacting quickly to a consumer complaint, grocery giants Albertsons, Kroger and Safeway have begun labeling farm-raised salmon in their stores across the country as artificially colored. One week ago, several Seattle consumers filed ... Continued...

Secretariat Provides Council With Final Aquanova Factual Record
Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) | 5 May 2003 Montreal, — The Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) today submitted the final factual record for the Aquanova submission (SEM-98-006) to the CEC Council. The submission by Grupo Ecológico "Manglar" cont... Continued...

Friday, May 2, 2003

Groups Challenge Toxic Spray for Crickets across Idaho
BOISE, Idaho, May 1, 2003 (ENS) - Four conservation groups have asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho to intervene in a federal government program that calls for toxic insecticides to be sprayed on 20 million acres of public lands in southern Idaho. The Animal and Plant Health Ins... Continued...

Florida lawmakers vote to delay Everglades cleanup
02 May 2003 By Michael Peltier, Reuters TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers approved a bill this week that relaxes a measure to clean up the Everglades and sent it to Gov. Jeb Bush over the objections of environmentalists. By a 96-18 vote, the Florida House passed a measure that scraps a 20... Continued...

California mulls testing humans for pollution
USA: May 2, 2003 SACRAMENTO, California - California, land of cutting-edge environmental measures, is considering a new plan to test humans for minute traces of pollution and toxins, officials said. Under legislation debated this week, the state could become the first in the nation to fun... Continued...

Wednesday, April 30, 2003

Canada Puts End to Atlantic Cod Fishery
Reuters | 24 April 2003 OTTAWA - Canada put an end on Thursday to its once-proud Atlantic cod fishing industry, which collapsed 10 years ago after decades of over-fishing. Fisheries Minister Robert Thibault said cod fishing will be banned in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and in the Atlantic Ocean... Continued...

Museum""s Shift Of Arctic Refuge Exhibit Gets Cold Reception
Washington Post | By Jacqueline Trescott | 29 April 2003 The Smithsonian's decision to shift an exhibition of photos of wildlife in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to a less prominent location has prompted a senator and the photographer to question the museum's motives. The work of the pho... Continued...

E.P.A. Is Said to Be Concentrating on Terror
New York Times | By Jennifer Lee | 28 April 2003 WASHINGTON, April 28 — Criminal investigators at the Environmental Protection Agency are referring fewer cases and working more on counterterrorism efforts and guarding Christie Whitman, the agency's administrator, according to interviews with seni... Continued...

Monday, April 28, 2003

Free-Range Hog Farmers Say Taste Sets Their Pork Apart
Associated Press | April 28, 2003 NEWTON GROVE, N.C. (AP) - Unlike the future hams sandwiched together in industrial-style swine factories, the hogs that roam and root their way through Wade Cole's farm seem a contented lot. They trot out to meet Cole at the fence and gather around, grunting ... Continued...

Lawmakers Move To Block Limits On Air Pollution
The Associated Press | April 25, 2003 Des Moiones -- State lawmakers want to block new rules on air pollution from livestock confinements, saying the limits on hydrogen sulfide and ammonia emissions send an unwelcome message to Iowa businesses. Critics said the last-minute move sends an unfort... Continued...

U.S. Not Prepared To Monitor Approved Biotech
WASHINGTON, DC, April 25, 2003 (ENS) - The U.S. government's oversight of biotech crops once they have been approved is inadequate and has potential vulnerabilities, according to a new report from the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, a non profit research organization. The post market o... Continued...

Federal Agencies Release Missouri River Water Management Plan
WASHINGTON, DC, April 25, 2003 (ENS) - Competing federal agencies said Wednesday that they have come to agreement on a water management plan for the Missouri River reservoirs for the late spring and summer of 2003. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said their a... Continued...

Manitoba to make ethanol-blend gasoline mandatory
CANADA: April 28, 2003 WINNIPEG, Manitoba - The Canadian Prairie province of Manitoba will make it mandatory for gasoline sold there to be blended with ethanol by September 2005, the provincial government said. The government introduced a proposed law to require that 85 percent of gas be ... Continued...

Friday, April 25, 2003

Minnesota Warns of Mercury in Fish
ST. PAUL, Minnesota, April 24, 2003 (ENS) - Minnesota state officials have issued their annual advisory guidelines for how much fish people can safely consume while minimizing risks from mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Individuals keen to eat the fish they catch from the state's lakes... Continued...

Lawsuits seek labeling of farmed salmon as artificially dyed
25 April 2003 By Linda Ashton, Associated Press YAKIMA, Wash. — A law firm is suing the country's three largest grocery chains, contending they should tell shoppers that the farm-raised salmon they sell has been dyed pink. The three lawsuits, proposed as class actions, were filed this wee... Continued...

Pioneer pays fine in biotech corn mix-up; USDA begins new investigation
25 April 2003 By Emily Gersema, Associated Press WASHINGTON — A biotechnology company has paid a $72,000 fine for failing to promptly tell the government that it found a genetically engineered corn mixed with another crop. Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. was fined for its delay in tell... Continued...

FPL Energy to add 135 MW U.S. wind energy capacity
USA: April 25, 2003 NEW YORK - FPL Energy said this week it plans to build three wind energy projects across the U.S. to add 135 megawatts of power, or enough to supply roughly 135,000 average homes, by the end of 2003. The company, a subsidiary of FPL Group Inc (FPL.N), said it plans to ... Continued...

Perchlorate regulation faces further delay
A controversial U.S. toxicological review of perchlorate has taken an unexpected twist: The final review, which was due out early this year, is being delayed because the EPA, the Department of Defense (DoD), and several other U.S. agencies have decided that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) sho... Continued...

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Factory Farms Grow New Roots in Developing World
WASHINGTON, DC, April 22, 2003 (ENS) - Factory farms are expanding into developing countries, bringing these nations a wealth of environmental and public health concerns, finds a new paper by the Worldwatch Institute. And the environmental and health hazards of factory farms are only part of a globa... Continued...

Office Depot commits to developing comprehensive environmental policy
23 April 2003 By GreenBiz.com DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Office Depot Inc., the world's largest seller of recycled paper products, has announced additional efforts to bolster its leadership position on key environmental issues related to the office supplies industry. These measures include the deve... Continued...

Congress urged to tighten rules on coal plants
USA: April 23, 2003 WASHINGTON - Congress should give the dirtiest U.S. coal-fired power plants a 10-year deadline to install pollution controls or shut down to protect public health, according to a report prepared for lawmakers and issued. In a shot across the bow of the Bush administrat... Continued...

Corporations co-opt Earth Day
By DINA CAPPIELLO Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Environment Writer RESOURCES Earth Day, which began 33 years ago today as a nationwide rally to clean up the planet, has become the latest victim of the corporate takeover. From Houston to Hong Kong, companies are seeking to polish their gre... Continued...

Monday, April 21, 2003

Tribal Council Requests End To 2 Hog Farms
Associated Press | 4/19/2003 The Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council has asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to shut down two large hog farms on tribal trust land in south-central South Dakota. The 15-4 decision came last month, according to a copyright article on the tribe's Web site. Each farm... Continued...

National Survey Shows Corn Producers Overwhelmingly Support Wind Energy
AMERICAN CORN GROWERS FOUNDATION | Dan McGuire | 4-21-03 WASHINGTON, DC, April 21, 2003---In their just completed national survey of corn producers, the American Corn Growers Foundation (ACGF) found a strong majority level of support among farmers on a range of important wind energy issues. Th... Continued...

As Irradiated Meat Heads To Schools, Parents Remain Fearful Of The Technology
Associated Press | April 20, 2003 WASHINGTON (AP) - Every day, 27 million children sit down in school cafeterias to eat a plateful of government-supplied food. The meals consist of typical lunch fare - burgers, green beans, pizza, apples, lasagna. Schools soon may add a helping of controversy:... Continued...

Pink Bollworms Could Adapt to Biotech Cotton
TUCSON, Arizona, April 21, 2003 (ENS) - Researchers have found the pink bollworm has three genetic mutations that confer resistance to genetically modified, or biotech, cotton. According to a new report from a team of scientists with the University of Arizona, the breakthrough could allow DNA based... Continued...

Pollution from small industry up in Canada, U.S.
18 April 2003 By Robert Melnbardis, Reuters MONTREAL — Industrial pollution in the United States and Canada dropped 4 percent from 1998 to 2000, but a 32 percent surge in toxic emissions from smaller facilities has researchers worried, according to a new study published Thursday. In its annu... Continued...

EU readies first ideas on hydrogen fuel dream
BELGIUM: April 22, 2003 BRUSSELS - The European Union's dream of weaning people off dependency on oil and getting them hooked on hydrogen-fuelled transport may be closer to reality but critics say it disguises an emphasis on coal and nuclear power. European car and energy firms have joine... Continued...

Everglades in Peril
The most ambitious environmental rescue operation ever tried in this country — a $7.8 billion plan to restore the Everglades — is suddenly at risk. The reason is that one of the major players in the enterprise, Florida's politically connected sugar cane industry, wants to postpone into the distant f... Continued...

Friday, April 18, 2003

Atmospheric Pressure
The Economist | April 19, 2003 WHY did the Montreal Protocol succeed and the Kyoto Protocol fail? Both were environmental treaties negotiated over perceived threats to the atmosphere. In Montreal, the threat came mainly from the harm that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) do to the ozone layer; in Kyot... Continued...

EU/Russia: France Sets Out Ideas For Boosting Relations
European Report | April 18, 2003 France has come up with a range of suggestions for enhancing relations between the EU and Russia as a contribution to a debate that is intensifying in the run-up to the May 31 EU-Russia Summit in St Petersburg. It circulated what is described as a "non-paper" to E... Continued...

Rejecting The World
The New York Times | By PAUL KRUGMAN | April 18, 2003 The Bush administration did the right thing on diesel emissions this week, curbing an important source of air pollution. Yet George Bush has, in general, reneged on the environmental promises of his 2000 campaign. Most notably, he broke his ca... Continued...

Pesticide Use Permit Revoked For State Farm Bureau Leader
Western Farm Press | April 19, 2003 California Farm Bureau president Bill Pauli, a Mendocino County wine grape and pear grower, has joined an elite group of farmers. He is only the sixth farmer in the past decade to have his pesticide use permit revoked. Pauli has accepted the findings of the ... Continued...

Open-Space Bills Lack Key Support
News Observer (Raleigh, NC) | April 18, 2003 Environmentalists hope the General Assembly will protect wildlife and flood plains by expanding a program aimed at saving family farms, but they have yet to win support from two key groups: farmers and county officials. Two bills i... Continued...

Thursday, April 17, 2003

Irrigation Blamed for Warming San Joaquin
Associated Press Online | By BRIAN SKOLOFF | April 15, 2003 Global warming from carbon dioxide emissions may not be to blame for rising nighttime temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley, according to a study funded by the National Science Foundation. John Christy, director of the Earth System ... Continued...

Co-ops May Have A Role
Omaha World Herald (Nebraska) | By Bill Hord | April 15, 2003, Farmers who yearn to sell carbon credits will apparently have to go through a middleman, and that could someday be the local cooperative. "They already have a relationship with farmers, so it seems like a natural fit," said Gary C... Continued...

Calif. Court Rejects Farmers"" Legal Challenge To CALFED
Land Letter | By Damon Franz | April 10, 2003 In the first of what will likely be a series of court decisions on the legality of the massive California Bay-Delta Program (CALFED), a California Superior Court upheld the general environmental report spelling out the goals and objectives of the... Continued...

Monday, April 14, 2003

U.S. Organic Farming In 2000-2001: Adoption Of Certified Systems
USDA ­ ERS Press Release | April 11, 2003 U.S. farmland managed under organic systems expanded rapidly throughout the 1990s, and that pace has continued as farmers strive to meet consumer demand in both local and national markets. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented national ... Continued...

Wind Farm Debates In Court
Wichita Eagle | April 11, 2003 Butler County residents are taking the county to court today in three separate lawsuits over how the County Commission handled two requests to build wind farms. One suit seeks permission to build a wind farm near Leon that was denied. The other two suits seek to ... Continued...

Thursday, April 10, 2003

Powerful Antibiotic Approved For Beef
The Sydney Morning Herald | By Mark Metherell | April 9, 2003 Australia's food ministers have, according to this story, approved residue levels of a powerful antibiotic in beef products despite concerns about its effect on consumers. The ministers were cited as saying expert groups - including th... Continued...

Wednesday, April 9, 2003

Conservationists Seek Endangered Status For Pygmy Rabbits
The Associated Press | April 9, 2003 PORTLAND, Ore. -- Conservationists are seeking endangered species protection for the palm-sized pygmy rabbit, a listing that could limit cattle grazing, mining and other activities on 8 million acres of federal land. The rabbit once ranged across 100 millio... Continued...

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

Soybean Growers Need Biodiesel Subsidy - Oil Usage Could Stabilize Prices for Crops And Fuels
The Commercial Appeal Memphis | April 8, 2003 Soybean growers are optimistic that Congress this year will approve a subsidy to promote the use of biodiesel as a blend with or alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel. The Senate Energy Committee this week is expected to adopt an alternative f... Continued...

Iowa Farmers Lease Land to Wind Turbines
The Kiplinger Agriculture Letter | Apr 4, 2003 Some farmers in Iowa have a chance to make some easy money: Leasing space for wind turbines. MidAmerican Energy Co. aims to build the worlds biggest wind farm in certain parts of Iowa, placing 180 to 200 wind turbines by 2006. The firm will pay fa... Continued...

Fabric Group Makes Green Energy Pledge
GUILFORD, Maine, April 7, 2003 (ENS) - Interface Fabrics Group has announced it will offset 10 percent of the electrical energy used annually at its Maine and Massachusetts operations with renewable wind energy. The fabrics company, which manufactures the Guilford of Maine and Terratex brands, plans... Continued...

Full US House, Senate panel to weigh energy bills
08 April 2003 By Tom Doggett, Reuters WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives may vote this week on a broad energy bill that would allow for Arctic oil drilling in Alaska, while the Senate Energy Committee begins debating a version of a bill that excludes the drilling measure opposed b... Continued...

EU carbon trade market seen worth billions of euros
UK: April 7, 2003 LONDON - The European Union carbon emissions trading market could be worth as much as 1.8 billion euros a year by 2012 as countries drive to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, a report said. The EU will launch the world's first international greenhouse gas trading schem... Continued...

Nitrate eyed as endocrine disrupter
The nitrate in manure and fertilizer runoff is now under suspicion as a potential endocrine disrupter, according to new research from developmental endocrinologist Lou Guillette of the University of Florida. Although more work needs to be done to demonstrate cause and effect, scientists say the find... Continued...

How charcoal fires heat the world
The greenhouse gas emissions from charcoal burning and production are significantly higher than previously believed, according to research posted to ES&T’s Web site this week. The findings have important implications for the developing world. Up to 2 billion people worldwide prepare their food a... Continued...

UK Food industry cuts emissions
08/04/03 - As environmental issues gain ground in the European food and drink industry, the UK Food and Drink Federation (FDF) reports this week that food and drink companies appear to be making steady progress in reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions. Since 2001 companies have cut CO2 emissions... Continued...

State Officials Sue To Shut Down Hog Farm
Greenwire | April 7, 2003 The Indiana Department of Environmental Management filed suit last week against the state's largest hog farm, marking the state's first attempt to shut down a confined feeding operation. Saying it was their last resort after the farm's long-line of pollution violation... Continued...

Friday, April 4, 2003

Organic Practices Result In Equal Net Returns On Corn, Soybeans
University of Minnesota Extension Service | April 4, 2003 Corn and soybean yields were only minimally reduced when organic production practices were utilized in a University of Minnesota research project. The organic practices were compared with conventional production practice... Continued...

Wednesday, April 2, 2003

European Union Expansion May Impact U.S. Hormone-Free Beef Producers
University Wire | By Hillary Silver April 1, 2003 Special niche cattle producers are already working to comply with stiff beef regulations to sell their products in European Union countries, and soon more countries will be regulated under E.U. policies. The E.U. regulations call for hormone-fr... Continued...

Tuesday, April 1, 2003

USDA’s Powers To Enforce Food Safety Laws
The Kiplinger Agriculture Letter | March 21, 2003 Congress will increase USDAs powers to enforce food safety laws. The USDA will be given new authority to punish and close plants that repeatedly fail to comply with federal food safety standards. The agency will make notification by meat proces... Continued...

Thursday, March 27, 2003

Government Researchers Use Catnip Oil to Repel Termites
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, March 26, 2003 (ENS) - Catnip oil may have a future in termite control, according to researchers with the U.S. Forest Service. The researchers presented their findings at the ongoing national meeting of the American Chemical Society, which concludes Thursday in New Orleans. ... Continued...

Organic Lobby Fears Loophole For Body Care Products
WASHINGTON, DC, March 26, 2003 (ENS) -The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is warning that a loophole in the current organic food standards could allow body care companies to promote nonorganic products as organic. The OCA said the loophole consists of counting the water of "organic hydrosol" as... Continued...

Study Shows Urban Impact on Rainfall
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas, March 26, 2003 (ENS) - Large urban areas can influence their own weather and areas downwind, finds a new study supported by the U.S. National Aeronautics Space Administration. University of Arkansas civil engineering professor Steve Burian conducted the study, which used spa... Continued...

Lawmaker criticizes attempt to shift Army Corps dollars
27 March 2003 By Libby Quaid, Associated Press WASHINGTON — A Bush administration plan to shift dollars away from upgrading locks and dams on the nation's rivers could leave waterways vulnerable to terrorist attacks, a GOP lawmaker says. House members quizzed top officials of the U.S. Arm... Continued...

USDA to accept ""green payment"" comments to April 3
USA: March 27, 2003 WASHINGTON - Public comment will now be accepted until April 3 on the Conservation Security Program, which would send "green" payments to farmers and ranchers, the U.S. Agriculture Department said. USDA officials hope to put CSP into operation this fall, possibly in Se... Continued...

Buffett firm plans largest land wind farm, in Iowa
USA: March 27, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO - A power company controlled by billionaire investor Warren Buffett said this week it plans to build, somewhere in Iowa, the largest land-based wind farm in the world. The $323 million, 310-megawatt project, to be built by MidAmerican Energy Co. in northw... Continued...

CDC pegs human exposures to chemicals
Signifying “a quantum leap forward” on understanding environmental chemicals and how much is being absorbed by humans, officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released their Second National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. It contains good news ab... Continued...

Congressman considers tax breaks for cyclists
By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press WASHINGTON (March 22, 7:10 p.m. AST) - It's a paradox that has long puzzled cyclists. Commuters who burn a precious resource - oil - to drive to work get a tax break. Those who use their own muscle power to pedal bikes to the office do not. With the war in Ira... Continued...

EU Proposal Harmonizes All Pesticide Maximum Residue Levels 2003
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service | 3/24/2003 Report Highlights: A new EU proposal was released that will harmonize all pesticide maximum residue levels and import tolerances at EU level. It will remove the trade problems stemming from the current situation whereby Member States can set their o... Continued...

Monday, March 24, 2003

U.S., Canada Say Toxics in Great Lakes Have Decreased
WASHINGTON, DC, March 21, 2003 (ENS) - The environmental agencies of the United States and Canada announced Friday that the levels of the most critical persistent pollutants around the Great Lakes continued to decrease in 2002. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Environment Canad... Continued...

Pentagon chiefs told to prepare national security exemptions to environmental laws
21 March 2003 By John Heilprin, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Pentagon's No. 2 official has ordered military service chiefs to provide examples in which President Bush could cite national security and exempt defense facilities from certain environmental laws. The move follows the Bush... Continued...

Kill a watt and save the planet - and your money
UK: March 25, 2003 LONDON - It is 10 in the evening at Liverpool Street in the heart of London's financial district. The work day is over and office blocks are deserted but every window in row upon row of office buildings is ablaze with light. A peep through a ground floor window reveals ... Continued...

Oxygen deficiency disrupts fish reproduction
A seminal study conducted at the City University of Hong Kong shows that altered sex hormone levels in fish exposed to low dissolved oxygen concentrations lead to impaired reproduction (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2003, 37, 1137–1141). Endocrine disruption by hypoxic stress may now have to be considered ... Continued...

Thursday, March 20, 2003

Study: Greenhouse Gas May Alter Pressure
Associated Press | March 19, 2003 Greenhouse gas increases already blamed for global warming also may be shifting wind and rainfall patterns in the Northern Hemisphere by changing the atmospheric pressure, according to a new study. The research suggests that pressure changes account for increa... Continued...

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

EU allocates 30 million EUR to Support Sustainable Fisheries Management on Lake Victoria
Global Agriculture Information Network | 3/14/2003 The European Commission recently approved a 30 million EUR program designed to assist Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania implement fisheries’ management measures on Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the second largest lake in the world and is shared ... Continued...

EU Seeks New Eco-Partnership with Eastern Neighbors
BRUSSELS, Belgium, February 19, 2003 (ENS) - The European Commission has adopted a strategy for pan-European environmental cooperation in the political landscape emerging through enlargement of the European Union by 10 countries next year. The 10 countries are: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hunga... Continued...

Ski resorts get creative to battle global warming
19 March 2003 By GreenBiz.com LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Ski resorts across the country are launching a new campaign to highlight the impact of global warming on winter recreation and the opportunities both resort operators and their guests have to start solving the problem. The "Keep Winter Cool"... Continued...

Michigan bars corn farmers from using herbicide that critics say is linked to water pollution
19 March 2003 By Associated Press LANSING, Mich. — Michigan barred use on corn fields this year of a herbicide that has been blamed for contaminated water in other states. The Michigan Department of Agriculture rejected a request to allow Balance Pro use on the state's 2.2 million acres o... Continued...

World Forum Views Water as a Life and Death Issue
By Alexandru R. Savulescu KYOTO, Japan, March 17, 2003 (ENS) - With the world poised for war in Iraq, thousands of participants gathered in Kyoto for the 3rd World Water Forum are expressing their concern over another potential source of conflict - water. "Our discussions will have far more ... Continued...

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

Republicans Resigned to Defeat on Alaska Wildlife Refuge Drilling Plan
New York Times | By David Firestone | 17 March 2003 WASHINGTON, March 17 — Senate Republican officials said today that they had been unable to muster enough votes to begin oil drilling in the Alaska wildlife refuge, probably dooming the signature energy plan of the Bush administration. A vote ... Continued...

Monday, March 17, 2003

National Parks in Jeopardy: Watch List Issued
WASHINGTON, DC, March 14, 2003 (ENS) - The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) released a list today that details upcoming decisions by the federal government that could harm the health, integrity, and future of the U.S. National Park System. NPCA's "National Parks Watch List for 2003" w... Continued...

United States, Argentina consult on WTO biotech case versus E.U.
14 March 2003 By Reuters WASHINGTON — Top U.S. and Argentine trade officials said Thursday they held talks on the possibility of taking joint legal action against the European Union for blocking imports of genetically modified food. Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier and Argenti... Continued...

Norway upholds new wind park concession
NORWAY: March 17, 2003 OSLO - Norway's energy authorities upheld a decision to grant a concession to a regional utility to build a windmill park with yearly production of up to 160 gigawatt hours (GWh), officials said. Production of that size would roughly quadruple the amount of wind pow... Continued...

Friday, March 14, 2003

Netherlands Approves 18 Climate Friendly Projects
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, March 13, 2003 (ENS) - The Dutch Environment Ministry today announced approval of 18 projects to cut greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries under the UN Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The Netherlands buys those reductions and uses them to me... Continued...

Study shows salmon farms lead to smaller eggs, adding to concerns about hatcheries
14 March 2003 By Jeff Barnard, Associated Press GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Salmon raised at a Canadian fish farm rapidly evolved to produce smaller eggs, according to a study that heightens doubts about whether hatchery-bred fish can be successfully released into the wild to rebuild endangered speci... Continued...

Chinese wind farm makes Kyoto profits from Dutch
CHINA: March 14, 2003 BEIJING - A wind farm in Inner Mongolia yesterday became the first Chinese renewable energy project to be selected by the Dutch government to help reduce the world's air pollution under the 1997 United Nations Kyoto Protocol. By producing electricity without emitting... Continued...

Italy gene corn ban may be legal - EU court adviser
LUXEMBOURG: March 14, 2003 LUXEMBOURG - A top EU court official said yesterday states were entitled to ban gene-modified (GM) foods if they had reason to fear possible health or environmental risks. Many European Union governments are resisting the introduction of GM products, dubbed Fran... Continued...

Germans experiment with emissions trading, prices
GERMANY: March 13, 2003 WIESBADEN, Germany - German companies are experimenting with emissions certificate trading ahead of the launch of a Europe-wide scheme in 2005, organisers of a pilot project said. "A credit for one tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction achieved 6.58 euros in a re... Continued...

Pollution prevention pays
Industrial pollution prevention programs protect the environment, but they’re even more effective at saving money, according to the first national study of “P2” in the United States. Produced by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, the study documented that between 1998 and 2000, every doll... Continued...

Wednesday, March 12, 2003

Fish Farm Crisis Could Hinder Breakthroughs
Times Colonist (Victoria) | Carla Wilson | March 7, 2003 Continuing controversy over B.C.'s fish farms discourages the type of technological advances that environmentalists are calling for, says the head of a Nanaimo company. "The scary thing for us is the more the industry is hammered, the l... Continued...

There""s More Than One Way to Protect Wetlands
The New York Times | By Gale Norton and Ann Veneman | March 12, 2003 Every year, the federal government and Americans across the country preserve, restore and enhance thousands of acres of wetlands through cooperative conservation efforts, partnerships and voluntary programs. Unfortunately, that'... Continued...

Environmentalists, Industry Groups Sue Government Over Factory Farm Rules
The Associated Press | By AMY LORENTZEN | March 11, 2003 Environmental groups and industry groups are suing the Bush administration over new federal rules intended to protect the nation's waters from the manure pollution of large-scale farms. The Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council ... Continued...

Pentagon Asks For Exemption From Environmental Laws In Preparation For War
The Bulletin's Frontrunner | March 6, 2003 The Washington Post reports, "With war looming in Iraq, the Bush administration this week asked Congress to exempt the Defense Department from a broad array of environmental laws governing air pollution, toxic waste dumps, endangered species and marine ... Continued...

Monday, March 10, 2003

Compost Controls Erosion on Iowa Road Embankments
DES MOINES, Iowa, March 7, 2003 (ENS) - Using compost at road construction sites can reduce runoff and erosion, a new Iowa State University study has found. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has begun work to promote the use of compost for this purpose. The three year study, funded by ... Continued...

Companies working to use wind""s power
2003-03-09 By Adam Wilmoth The Oklahoman Eager to harness the potential from Oklahoma’s legendary winds, three of the state’s four largest electric companies are working to add wind-generated electricity to their energy portfolios. Western Farmers Electric Cooperative is the farthest along, wit... Continued...

Trading in greenhouse gases
The first voluntary cap-and-trade program for reducing and trading greenhouse gas emissions in the United States should see its first trade this spring. The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) announced in January that 14 of the country’s largest companies had signed up, with a second round due to be ann... Continued...

Friday, March 7, 2003

Oregon Sets Stricter Rules for Underground Storage Tanks
PORTLAND, Oregon, March 6, 2003 (ENS) - The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission has approved compliance rule revisions for a state program that regulates and monitors underground storage tanks throughout Oregon. The rules, which officially went into effect February 14, are designed to increase c... Continued...

Study finds hybrid cars greener than hydrogen cars
Friday, March 07, 2003 By Reuters NEW YORK — Hybrid cars, which combine electric motors with small petroleum engines, will outpace the environmental benefits of hydrogen fuel cell cars until at least 2020, according to a university study. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles have low emissions and en... Continued...

End farm subsidies to help feed Africa, says Annan
Friday, March 07, 2003 By Irwin Arieff, Reuters UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the world's wealthiest nations Wednesday to stop subsidizing their farmers as a first step toward dealing with famine in Africa. The plea came during a meeting at United Nations headquart... Continued...

Thursday, March 6, 2003

Tackling World""s Water Crises Would Cost Up To US$100 Billion A Year, Says U.N. Official
Associated Press | By Kenji Hall | March 06, 2003 TOKYO — Most of the world's water crises can be resolved but would require political will and spending from US$50 billion to $100 billion a year, the United Nations' top envoy on water issues said Wednesday. Gordon Young, coordinator of the Par... Continued...

Wednesday, March 5, 2003

National Family Farm Coalition Responds to Call for Farmers to Grow More Corn
NFFC | 03-05-03 Response to ag economist, Robert Hauser, professor in University of Illinois Extension by President of the National Family Farm Coalition, George Naylor. (Hauser article below.) Dear Dr. Hauser, I read in an article from the Peoria Journal Star (11-19-2002 below) where you... Continued...

Tuesday, March 4, 2003

Organically Grown Foods Higher In Cancer-fighting Chemicals Than Conventionally Grown Foods
Eurekalert | By Allison Byrum | March 3, 2003 Fruits and veggies grown organically show significantly higher levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown foods, according to a new study of corn, strawberries and marionberries. The research suggests that pesticides and herbi... Continued...

Monday, March 3, 2003

Knapweed May Be Key to Natural Herbicide
Associated Press | 03/01/03 DENVER (AP) - An invasive weed that has taken over vast swaths of grazing land in the West may hold the key to creating an effective, natural herbicide. A Colorado State University study found that a chemical compound secreted from the roots of spotted knapweed is ... Continued...

Friday, February 28, 2003

Senators, Organic Industry, Resist New Biotech Corn
WASHINGTON, DC, February 27, 2003 (ENS) - As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves a new genetically engineered corn for sale, members of Congress and the organic farm industry are working to keep that corn from ending up as feed for animals raised on organic farms. On Tuesday,... Continued...

Silk Soy Milk to Be Made with Wind Power
PORTLAND, Oregon, February 27, 2003 (ENS) - Portland's non-profit Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) announced today its largest sale to date of Tradable Renewable Energy Credits to White Wave, Inc., the country's largest soy products manufacturer. At the contract minimum of 55,000 megawatt-h... Continued...

Activists say Bush administration failing to protect salmon
Friday, February 28, 2003 By Matthew Daly, Associated Press WASHINGTON — For the second year in a row, the Bush administration has failed to meet federal goals to save endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest, activists said this week. In a report card, conservation and fishing groups ag... Continued...

Wednesday, February 26, 2003

U.S.D.A. Enters Debate On Organic Label Law
The New York Times | By Marian Burros | February 26, 2003 AFTER infuriating organic-food advocates this month by failing to take a stand against a law weakening federal standards on organic food, the secretary of agriculture yesterday criticized the legislation and called for maintaining the stand... Continued...

Rural Education Can Cut Pesticide Deaths -Report
Reuters | 26 Feb 2003 LONDON (Reuters) - Agrochemical giants must make amends for pesticide-caused deaths by funding rural education in the developing world and phasing out their most dangerous chemicals, an environmental group said Wednesday. The Environmental Justice Foundation, a no... Continued...

Virginia approves plan to put 1 million Asian oysters in Chesapeake Bay
Wednesday, February 26, 2003 By Sonja Barisic, Associated Press NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Virginia officials Tuesday approved putting a million Asian oysters into the Chesapeake Bay, despite concerns that the experiment to save the beleaguered seafood industry could go awry. Harvests of the bay'... Continued...

Italy decides to ban ageing single hull tankers
ITALY: February 26, 2003 ROME - Italy has decided to ban single-hulled tankers older than 15 years of age and above 5,000 tonnes Dwt from access to all Italian ports, platforms and anchorages, officials said yesterday. Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi said last month Italy wanted to ban ... Continued...

Tuesday, February 25, 2003

In The Northwest: Opponents Are Raising A Stink Over B.C. Fish Farms
Seattle Post-Intelligencer As we traveled up Bedwell Sound on Vancouver Island in a buddy's Zodiac boat, one rule of British Columbia fish farms was quickly learned: You smell the pens before you see them. It's the sweet smell of success to the B.C. and Canadian governments, which have pushed ... Continued...

Smithfield To Build Biodiesel Facility At Utah Hog Farm
www.meatingplace.com | By Dan Murphy | 2/25/03 Smithfield Foods will invest about $20 million in development of a facility that converts hog waste into biodiesel fuel that can be burned in trucks and other vehicles, the company said last week. Smithfield will partner with BEST BioFuel L... Continued...

California Grocers Warn of Mercury in Fish
SAN FRANCISCO, California, February 24, 2003 (ENS) - Five of California's largest grocery retailers have begun displaying signs cautioning consumers about the dangers of mercury in fish. The signs mark the first time that any retailers in California - and perhaps the nation - have issued such a stro... Continued...

Indiana Schools Must Clean Out All Mercury
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, February 25, 2003 (ENS) - By July 1, every school in Indiana must get rid of any instructional equipment or materials containing mercury. A law passed in 2001, House Enrolled Act 1901, stipulates that on July 1, 2003, "no public or nonpublic Indiana school may use or purchase... Continued...

Smaller households can leave bigger footprints
Tuesday, February 25, 2003 By David Suzuki Human population has an obvious impact on the health of our environment. Generally, more people consume more resources and leave less habitat for other creatures. But the relationship isn't simply more people = greater impact. The way we live is a... Continued...

Blair unveils global warming plan, says U.S. must do more
Tuesday, February 25, 2003 By Beth Gardiner, Associated Press LONDON — Prime Minister Tony Blair announced ambitious plans Monday to combat global warming, saying the Kyoto treaty to reduce greenhouse gases did not go far enough and criticizing the United States for failing to back it. Bla... Continued...

Monday, February 24, 2003

Coral Reef Damage Will Cost Billions: WWF
CBC News | 23 Feb 2003 GENEVA - Rapid destruction of the planet's coral reef system will cost the global economy billions of dollars and hit poorest countries hardest, according to a new environmental report. The independent study, The Economics of Worldwide Coral Reef Degradation, was commis... Continued...

Thursday, February 20, 2003

A Toxic Legacy on the Mexican Border
Washington Post | By Kevin Sullivan | February 16, 2003 TIJUANA, Mexico -- Andrea's monster lives up here. It breathes lead dust that coats her windows and her baby toys. It sweats rivers of arsenic and cadmium and antimony that seep into her water and the soil where her children play. It squa... Continued...

Utility Customers Help Fund Salmon Projects
PORTLAND, Oregon, February 19, 2003 (ENS) - Oregon utility customers who opted for salmon friendly renewable power have helped to pay for seven new salmon habitat restoration projects in Oregon. Customers of Pacific Power and Portland General Electric can opt to purchase renewable power under the u... Continued...

Recyclers turn construction debris into needed products and services
Thursday, February 20, 2003 By GreenBiz.com LISLE, Ill. — Throughout the nation, construction crews are building new offices, shopping centers, warehouses, condominiums, and subdivisions. And at every construction site, debris like concrete blocks, lumber, plastics, paper, and dirt must be re... Continued...

Oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2
Most ocean general circulation models overestimate how much anthropogenic CO2 oceans have accumulated over the past two decades, according to new estimates based on the global chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) data set. The findings suggest that the oceans may not be as large of a sink for CO2 as previously ... Continued...

Wednesday, February 19, 2003

Potency of Antibiotic Cipro Is Waning From Overuse
Associated Press | February 19, 2003 CHICAGO -- Cipro, the antibiotic that became a household word during the 2001 anthrax scare, is becoming increasingly ineffective against other dangerous germs because of overuse, a study found. The researchers examined data on infections in hospitalized p... Continued...

Animal Manure Could Mop Up Pollutants
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, February 18, 2003 (ENS) - Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service may have found a way to convert some types of manure into a material that can be used to help keep the environment clean. Animal waste is now valued at between $3 and $10 per ton, and most of it is s... Continued...

Fish farms threaten stocks of wild species, says WWF
Wednesday, February 19, 2003 By Reuters OSLO — Fish farms are a mounting threat to depleted world stocks because more and more wild fish are being fed to their caged cousins, the WWF conservation group said on Tuesday. "Four kilos (8.8 pounds) of wild-caught fish are needed to produce one ki... Continued...

Bad economy causes drop in greenhouse gases, for one year anyway
Wednesday, February 19, 2003 By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press WASHINGTON — A poor economy and high electricity costs in the West have produced an unusual environmental bonus, the government says: In 2001, emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases declined for the first time in a decade.... Continued...

Colorado court ruling could decide fate of nearly 1,500 farmers
Wednesday, February 19, 2003 By Jon Sarche, Associated Press PLATTEVILLE, Colo. — An irrigation ditch running through Gary Herman's back yard will carry some water from the drought-slowed South Platte River to irrigate his corn and hay this spring. But Herman will have to let some of his l... Continued...

Potholes on the road to ""green"" US farm program
USA: February 20, 2003 WASHINGTON - U.S. farmers will earn more and more money for land, water and wildlife stewardship in coming years despite Congress' decision to raid conservation funding to pay for disaster aid, according to analysts. Last week's vote to halve the innovative Conserva... Continued...

Tuesday, February 18, 2003

UK consumers worry less about BSE, GM foods
LONDON - UK shoppers are worrying less about food safety, including mad cow disease and genetically modified foods, but people are getting more concerned about hygiene at fast food outlets, a survey showed yesterday. The Food Standards Agency's (FSA) Consumer Attitudes Survey showed that the n... Continued...

Monday, February 17, 2003

Army Corps Faces Missouri River Lawsuit
Associated Press | By Heather Hollingsworth | 14 Feb 2003 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Conservationists asked a judge Thursday to prevent the agency that regulates the Missouri River from increasing summer water flows, a procedure they say threatens endangered species. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers b... Continued...

Voluntary Pacts Reached to Curb Greenhouse Gases
New York Times | By Jennifer Lee | 12 Feb 2003 WASHINGTON -- Administration officials announced several modest agreements with a number of industries today for voluntary controls on emissions of gases linked to global warming. The agreements, a result of aggressive meetings with industry executiv... Continued...

Global Temperatures Stay High in 2002, Report Says
Reuters | 11 Feb 2003 LONDON (Reuters) - Global temperatures have kept rising and 2002 was one of the warmest years on record while many greenhouse gases reached their highest ever levels in 2001, a British government report said Tuesday. Data analyzed by the UK Meteorological Office's Hadley... Continued...

Sunday, February 16, 2003

Mississippi River Upgrade Could Backfire On Growers
Associater Press/Star Tribune Mpls-St. Paul | Feb. 16, 2003 WASHINGTON - Some farm economists are warning that a plan to upgrade dams and locks on the upper Mississippi River, which Midwestern farmers view as the key to improving exports, could backfire by luring more imports into the region.... Continued...

Thursday, February 13, 2003

Drugging Our Water: We Flush It, Then We Drink It
E Magazine | By Melissa Knopper | 1 Jan 2003 Birth control pills, estrogen replacement drugs, ibuprofen, bug spray, sunscreen, mouthwash and antibacterial soap: all of these products could turn up in your next glass of tap water, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Last summe... Continued...

Wednesday, February 12, 2003

French Bass Fishing Blamed for Increase in Dolphin Deaths
Independent (UK) | By Michael McCarthy | 11 Feb 2003 The number of dead dolphins washed ashore on Britain's south-west coast is soaring, leading to new calls for action against French sea bass trawlers that are strongly suspected of killing them. In January alone, 115 animals were found dead ... Continued...

Wetlands Protection Fades
New York Times | By Douglas Jehl | 11 Feb 2003 SEABROOK, Tex. — The first time the Army Corps of Engineers counted how much federally protected wetlands would be lost to a colossal new container port being planned here, it came up with more than 100 acres. The next time, the agency revised that c... Continued...

Climate Mitigators Must Consider All Gases
WASHINGTON, DC, February 12, 2003 (ENS) - To effectively limit climate change, and to do so in a cost effective manner, climate policies must address emissions of both carbon dioxide (CO2) and the other greenhouse gases, according to a new report from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Althou... Continued...

California Refinery Phasing Out Toxic Chemical
LOS ANGELES, California, February 12, 2003 (ENS) - The Valero oil refinery in Wilmington, California has agreed to phase out the facility's use of the toxic chemical hydrogen fluoride by 2006. The enforceable agreement was reached by the Valero facility, also known as the Ultramar refinery, and the... Continued...

U.S. Democrats blast Bush plan to cut land purchases
Wednesday, February 12, 2003 By Christopher Doering, Reuters WASHINGTON -- Democratic senators Tuesday blasted a Bush administration plan to cut spending on land preservation by the Interior Department in 2004 even while the department's proposed budget overall would soar to a record $10.7 bi... Continued...

Britain weighs liability regime for gene crops
UK: February 13, 2003 LONDON - Britain may implement new measures to protect organic farmers in the event of their crops being contaminated by genetically modified (GM) varieties, Environment Minister Michael Meacher said. Britain will decide later this year on commercial use of gene-spli... Continued...

Tuesday, February 11, 2003

World "Needs Green Geneva Convention"
BBC News | By Alex Kirby | 10 Feb 2003 The world needs safeguards to protect the environment that match the Geneva Conventions, a senior United Nations official says. The environment is often neglected as "the long-term casualty of war", he argues. Similarly, struggles over natural resour... Continued...

Monday, February 10, 2003

American Corn Growers Foundation Launches Wind Power Education Project with W.K. Kellogg Foundation Grant
6 Feb 2003 WASHINGTON, DC - The American Corn Growers Foundation (ACGF), through its Wealth From The Wind program, has begun a project aimed at developing the economic and environmental potential of wind power generation to benefit small and mid-sized farmers, the people living in rural communiti... Continued...

B.C. Salmon Farms Spawn Passionate Debate About Future Of Wild Fish
Canadian Press | February 8, 2003 SONORA ISLAND, B.C. (CP) - Before setting foot on the salmon farm on this remote island on the fjord-like east coast of Vancouver Island, there's a brief but necessary safety ritual to complete. Every employee, inspector or visitor must step into a tiny tub fi... Continued...

Research Piglets Sold as Food Hard to Find, FDA Accused of Lax Biotech Regulation
USA TODAY | 02/07/03 As many as 386 offspring of genetically modified pigs may already be in the nation's food supply. Critics charge this proves the Food and Drug Administration is not adequately regulating the potentially dangerous new realm of biotechnology. The FDA is investigating the un... Continued...

Wednesday, February 5, 2003

Countries Phase Out Leaded Gasoline
NAIROBI, Kenya, January 27, 2003 (ENS) - African countries are phasing out lead gasoline in increasing numbers because of the hazards it poses to human health and the environment. Around 90 percent of the world's petrol supplies are now unleaded, but the 10 percent that is still leaded is concentrat... Continued...

Groups Appeal Flawed California Air Program
SAN FRANCISCO, California, February 4, 2003 (ENS) - A coalition of medical, community and environmental groups has filed a petition asking an appeals court to review federal approval of regulations governing dust pollution in California's San Joaquin Valley. The groups asked the Ninth Circuit Court... Continued...

Defending the internal water empire
Wednesday, February 05, 2003 By the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists PARIS — While peddling the benefits of free-market privatization abroad, France carefully guards its own borders against foreign companies, claiming water is too important to be controlled by outsiders. ... Continued...

LA utility plans to build 120 MW wind facility
USA: February 5, 2003 LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation's largest municipal utility, is planning to build a 120 megawatt wind power facility, the city's mayor Jim Hahn said. The Pine Tree Wind project, to be constructed in the Mojave Desert about 100 ... Continued...

White House wants to cap USDA ""green"" payment plan
USA: February 5, 2003 WASHINGTON - The new federal Conservation Security Program, created to reward farmers for soil, water and wildlife stewardship, would be limited to $2 billion over the next decade under a Bush administration proposal released this week. Budget documents issued by the... Continued...

Lettuce may sequester high levels of perchlorate
Four leafy vegetable samples analyzed in 1998 averaged 4490 micrograms per kilogram (mg/kg) of perchlorate with a maximum of 6900 mg/kg, according to an Environmental Working Group (EWG) report. Consuming even an ounce of lettuce with such concentrations would yield a dose of 280 mg/kg, which is mor... Continued...

EPA announces funding increase to improve Great Lakes water quality
WASHINGTON (02/04/03) -- U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman has announced that the President's FY 2004 budget request will include nearly $34 million to improve Great Lakes water quality. Of the nearly $34 million, $15 million will support the Great Lakes Legacy Act and the cleanup of contamina... Continued...

Monday, February 3, 2003

6 GOP senators oppose Bush Alaska drilling plan
New York Times | By Katharine Q. Seelye | 31 Jan 2003 WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 — Six moderate Republican senators may have sounded the death knell today for President Bush's proposal to drill for oil in Alaska. In a letter to Republican leaders, the senators said they opposed inserting into the pen... Continued...

Wednesday, January 29, 2003

Radioactive needle in a prairie-wide haystack
CBC | 24 Jan 2003 CALGARY-- A dangerous radioactive device smaller than an AA battery is missing somewhere in the Canadian Prairies. A company working in Saskatchewan lost the device, which is part of a system used in petroleum exploration and normally kept in a shielded container. Workers ... Continued...

Take a look at the latest research developments in agriculture
Kiplinger Agriculture Letter | 24 Jan 2003 Take a look at the latest research developments in agriculture: A new machine that protects chickens against various diseases, such as mycoplasmosis, infectious bronchitis and Newcastle disease. The CPJ vaccinator. Its quieter than machines now being ... Continued...

Tuesday, January 28, 2003

Lawsuit Warns of Methylmercury in Fish
SAN FRANCISCO, California, January 27, 2003 (ENS) - California's attorney general has filed a lawsuit against five grocery store chains, aiming to require the stores to post warnings about the dangers of methylmercury in fish. In a complaint filed in San Francisco Superior Court, the attorney gener... Continued...

Producers address issues related to treatment of chickens
Tuesday, January 28, 2003 By Louise Chu, Associated Press ATLANTA — In the debate over poultry processing in the United States, producers and animal rights activists can agree on one thing: Consumers don't want to know the gruesome details. As millions of Americans sit down for dinner eac... Continued...

Nearly 19,000 gallons of crude oil spills into tributary of Lake Superior
Tuesday, January 28, 2003 By Associated Press SUPERIOR, Wis. -- A pipeline carrying crude oil ruptured, dumping nearly 19,000 gallons (71,900 liters) onto the frozen Nemadji River, a tributary of Lake Superior. At least 100,000 gallons (378,500 liters) spilled at Enbridge Energy Terminal,... Continued...

Senator seeks US decision on EU biotech complaint
USA: January 29, 2003 WASHINGTON - The Bush administration should end weeks of speculation and announce it is filing a complaint against the European Union for prohibiting the import of new genetically modified goods, a key Senate Republican said this week. Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, ... Continued...

US wheat industry wrestles with GMO wheat issues
USA: January 29, 2003 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - U.S. wheat industry meetings this week will be dominated by fierce debate over genetically modified wheat produced by Monsanto Co., a biotech crop pioneer. The annual gathering of industry groups, including the National Association of Wheat Grower... Continued...

Pesticide mixture enhances frog abnormalities
Developmental endocrinologist Tyrone Hayes of the University of California, Berkeley, has set amphibian studies hopping with his findings that tadpoles exposed to low doses of atrazine can grow up to be hermaphrodites (see “More evidence that herbicides feminize amphibians” and Environ. Sci. Technol... Continued...

Monday, January 27, 2003

Spending Bill Includes Water Damaging Provisions
WASHINGTON, DC, January 24, 2003 (ENS) - The omnibus spending bill passed by the Senate late Thursday includes two provisions that could damage wetlands and waterways. The Senate voted to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to enter into contracts for a $181 million project to build a project t... Continued...

Regulations.gov Website Offers Improved Access
WASHINGTON, DC, January 24, 2003 (ENS) - A new website launched Thursday will provide ready access to proposed new federal regulations that are open for public comment. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the creation of Regulations... Continued...

Unknowing farmers poisoning Cambodia""s farmlands, eco-systems
Friday, January 24, 2003 By Denis D. Gray, Associated Press KHNACHAS, Cambodia — Barefoot and without a protective mask or gloves, Seuon Siap pads through her small cauliflower patch, dousing it with a deadly cocktail of pesticides. Her daughter sits among the sprayed, reeking leaves, and two co... Continued...

Farm group says USDA put bad corn into feed chain
Friday, January 24, 2003 By Reuters DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa farmers and an environmental group have charged the U.S. government with selling a problem supply of genetically engineered corn to a feed company despite complaints that the corn had caused hormonal problems in pigs. The Iowa Farmers ... Continued...

China gives long-awaited nod to Brazil soy imports
CHINA: January 28, 2003 SHANGHAI - China said yesterday it has given long-awaited approval to Brazilian soybean imports, throwing open a market worth more than $1 billion annually to the South American country. The Brazilian embassy welcomed the news cautiously but said it was waiting to ... Continued...

Friday, January 24, 2003

Dead Heat: Global Justice and Global Warming
Dead Heat: Global Justice and Global Warming By Tom Athanasiou and Paul Baer "Extreme weather events" are already normal items of daily news, but global warming has only begun, and today's record droughts and floods foreshadow a murderous future. The Bush Administration, meanwhile, has chosen to ... Continued...

Thursday, January 23, 2003

Feds: Some Labs Fake Environmental Tests
Associated Press | By Larry Margasak | 22 Jan 2003 WASHINGTON - Federal investigators say there's a disturbing trend of fake tests of water supplies, part of a wider problem of false environmental tests by private companies on petroleum products, underground storage tanks and soil. Envi... Continued...

Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Time gets ripe to tap the wind
Grand Forks Herald | By Michael Noble | 18 Jan 2003 ST. PAUL - A recent legislative proposal in the North Dakota Senate endorsed the Farm Bureau's vision of 10,000 megawatts of wind energy in the state by 2020. If realized, that would inject a whopping $10 billion of private investment into the n... Continued...

New EU States Need to Spend Big on Environment
Reuters | By Robin Pomeroy | 21 Jan 2003 BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The 10 countries set to join the European Union next year must spend between 80 billion and 110 billion euros ($85-117 billion) to meet EU environmental norms, the bloc's top environment official said on Tuesday. The mostly impove... Continued...

California Sues Five Grocers Over Mercury Warnings
Reuters | 17 Jan 2003 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California's attorney general on Friday filed suit against five grocery chains including supermarket giants Kroger Co. and Albertson's Inc. for failing to properly warn consumers about the risk of mercury in fish. Attorney General Bill Loc... Continued...

Alaska Oil-Leasing Proposals Disclosed
Associated Press | By H. Josef Hebert | 17 Jan 2003 WASHINGTON - The Bush administration announced new proposals Friday to open as many as 9 million acres of Alaska's North Slope to oil and gas development, including some areas considered environmentally sensitive. The Interior Departm... Continued...

Tuesday, January 21, 2003

School dinners may go organic
Thousands of Norfolk children may soon have school meals using locally-produced organic food, following a farmers' co-operative initiative. Organics East, which already provides produce for two Norfolk schools, is in discussion with the county council about the possibility of supplying most of t... Continued...

Friday, January 17, 2003

GOP may try to foil drilling foes
Los Angeles Times | By Richard Simon | 16 Jan 2003 WASHINGTON -- Moving quickly to flex their new political muscle, Senate Republican leaders are considering using a parliamentary device to sidestep threats of a Democratic filibuster and win approval of one of President Bush's favorite energy in... Continued...

Renewable Energy Production: Our Best Path Forward
Iowa Farmer Today | By Mark Muller, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy | 11 Jan 2003 The US has spent billions of dollars over the past 20 years subsidizing agricultural exports and international market development. And what has been the result? Grain and oilseed exports have been flat ... Continued...

Monday, January 13, 2003

Thaw in Greenland Threatens New Ice Age
The Guardian (London) | By Paul Brown | 11 Jan 2003 The snowfalls of the past week may be just a taster of what is to come, if the latest predictions from scientists are correct. The amount of ice melting from the surface of the Greenland ice sheet broke all known records last year, threatening a... Continued...

Court Ruling May Change Wetlands Laws
Associated Press | By John Heilprin | 11 Jan 2003 WASHINGTON - The Bush administration issued guidelines that could result in the loss of federal protection for up to 20 million acres of swamps and bogs, a move officials said is necessary to comply with a Supreme Court ruling two years ago. A... Continued...

Bush Administration Weakens Wetlands Protections
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, January 10, 2003 (ENS) - The Bush administration issued new, and immediately controversial, guidance today regarding federal authority over the nation's wetlands. While the administration claims the guidance reaffirms federal authority "over the vast majority of A... Continued...

Loyola Marymount Will Install Giant Solar Roof
LOS ANGELES, California, January 10, 2003 (ENS) - The largest solar electric rooftop system at any university in the world and the largest system in Southern California will be installed at Loyola Marymount University early this year. Due to an innovative partnership between Los Angeles' Loyola Mar... Continued...

Activists say U.S. computer makers pollute
Friday, January 10, 2003 By Rachel Konrad, The Associated Press SAN JOSE, California — U.S. technology companies lag foreign rivals in reducing hazardous materials in electronics and encouraging recycling, while American workers involved in recycling are exposed to too many toxins, an advocacy gr... Continued...

US corn shipment stirs GM debate in Australia
AUSTRALIA: January 13, 2003 SYDNEY - Opponents to genetically modified (GM) foods called on Australia to reject a shipment of U.S. corn, but a growers group said the corn was needed as feedstock amid a severe drought. The first vessel bringing foreign grain to Australia, loaded with 48,00... Continued...

EPA unveils program to cut US truck, train emissions
USA: January 13, 2003 WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled last week a voluntary program with leading multi-national corporations to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they spew into the air that are linked to global warming. The program aims to cut by 2012... Continued...

Polish biofuel bill riles industry,consumer groups
POLAND: January 13, 2003 WARSAW - Poland's car industry and consumer groups appealed on Thursday to President Aleksander Kwasniewski to veto a controversial bio-fuels bill passed by parliament late last year. The measure would from July impose a minimum level of so-called bio-components i... Continued...

Friday, January 10, 2003

The Sky is Slowly Rising, Scientists Say
San Francisco Chronicle | By Keay Davidson | 7 Jan 2003 Contrary to Chicken Little's warning, the sky isn't falling -- it's rising. An important part of it, anyway -- the "tropopause," the roof of Earth's lower atmosphere. Its rise -- by an average of about 650 feet globally over the last 22 ... Continued...

Two Scientists Contend U.S. Suppressed Dolphin Studies
New York Times | By Christopher Marquis | 8 Jan 2003 WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 — Two former government scientists who spent years investigating stress in dolphin populations charged this week that superiors at their federally financed laboratory shut down their research because it clashed with policy go... Continued...

Thursday, January 9, 2003

Lynx Wins, Norton Loses Court Case
WASHINGTON, DC, January 6, 2003 (ENS) - A summary court judgment spells victory for the lynx and the conservation group that went to court to protect the threatened animal. United States District Judge Gladys Kessler ruled late last month that Interior Secretary Gale Norton and her department viola... Continued...

Scavenger Hunt Targets Clean, Green Cars
DETROIT, Michigan, January 6, 2003 (ENS) - Kids attending the North American International Auto Show can participate in a scavenger hunt for clean cars, created by a coalition of environmental groups. The game created by the Sierra Club and the Michigan Environmental Council deputizes kids in the f... Continued...

Federal judge halts sonar testing on gray whales
Thursday, January 09, 2003 By David Kravets, Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has blocked scientists from testing newly developed sonar on migrating gray whales. Three weeks of testing by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scientific Solutions Inc. had been set to begin... Continued...

Current aviation trends unsustainable, U.K. experts find
Aircraft emissions will become one of the biggest sources of anthropogenic climate change by 2050 if growth in air travel continues as projected, finds a report by the U.K. Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP). Shorter flights—such as those within the United Kingdom and from the United... Continued...

Wednesday, January 8, 2003

Interior Dept. Eases Curbs On Federal Rights of Way
Washington Post | By Eric Pianin | 7 Jan 2003 The Interior Department yesterday issued rules to make it easier for western states and local governments to claim rights of way on hundreds of millions of acres of federal lands, including areas now off-limits to roads, mining and other commercial ac... Continued...

Bizarre Weather Ravages Africans"" Crops; Some See Link To Worldwide Warming Trend
Washington Post | By Michael Grunwald | 7 Jan 2003 THABA-TSEKA, Lesotho -- The crops here in the rugged mountains of Lesotho are failing because the rain came much too early. And much too late. There were hailstorms and tornadoes, too. Then an early frost killed most of the maize sprouts that... Continued...

Nuke Agency""s Safety Efforts Questioned
Associated Press | By H. Josef Hebert | 7 Jan 2003 WASHINGTON - A third of the workers at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission question the agency's commitment to public safety and nearly half believe it's not "safe to speak up" about their concerns, an internal survey concludes. The report by a ... Continued...

Biologists: Klamath Irrigation Kills Fish
Associated Press | 8 Jan 2003 PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Diversion of Klamath River water to farmers in Oregon and northern California was to blame for much of a massive die-off of fish in September, California state biologists say. The assertion - the first official identification of the cause of ... Continued...

Monday, January 6, 2003

Florida Buys Longest U.S. Underwater Cave System
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, January 2, 2003 (ENS) - Florida has purchased land in Wakulla County that covers the longest underwater cave system in the United States, and the fourth longest in the world. The underground river winds 19 miles through narrow and wide caves, including a huge room called the B... Continued...

Conservationists return forested area of Scotland to massive bog
Tuesday, December 31, 2002 By Jane Wardell, Associated Press FORSINARD, Scotland — Working in the shadow of some of Scotland's highest mountain peaks, conservationists are ripping out thousands of trees — planted mostly as a tax break for wealthy investors — to preserve the habitat of some of the... Continued...

Australia considers one-km tall power tower
AUSTRALIA: January 6, 2003 MELBOURNE - The world's tallest man-made structure could soon be towering over the Australian outback as part of a plan to capitalise on the global push for greater use of renewable energy. By 2006, Australian power company EnviroMission Ltd hopes to build a 1,0... Continued...

Home Depot adopts new wood purchasing policy
USA: January 6, 2003 ATLANTA - Home improvement retailer Home Depot Inc. (HD.N) said it will only buy wood products from suppliers committed to environmentally friendly logging and lumber practices. The move expands a policy adopted by the largest U.S. lumber retailer in 1999 to quit sell... Continued...

Warm-Up for Climate Debate
Monday, January 6, 2003; Page A14 TO ALL APPEARANCES, the debate on climate change -- or rather the debate about how to react to it -- has ground to an unproductive halt. After walking away from the Kyoto Protocol, the Bush administration promised new initiatives. To date, these mostly consist ... Continued...

Rocket Fuel Toxic Found in Lettuce
OAKLAND, California, January 2, 2003 (ENS) - Perchlorate, an ingredient in rocket fuel which impairs the thyroid's ability to take up iodide and produce hormones, has contaminated almost 300 drinking water sources and farm wells in California and sources in at least 15 other states. This new informa... Continued...

Thursday, January 2, 2003

Cork Forests Could be Displaced by Plastic Corks
LISBON, Portugal, December 24, 2002 (ENS) - You might not give a second thought to what kind of stopper you pull out of a bottle of wine, but sustainable development advocates wish that you would. Conservation groups like the WWF are concerned that the wine industry is moving away from natural cork,... Continued...

Three Gorges Reservoir Will Change Local Weather
BEIJING, China, December 19, 2002 (ENS) - People living near the Three Gorges Reservoir, soon to fill up behind the world's largest dam, will find winters a little warmer and summers a little cooler after water storage begins in June next year, according to the official state news agency Xinhua. The... Continued...

Aseptic packages are convenient, but hard to recycle
Tuesday, December 31, 2002 By Starre Vartan and Orna Izakson If there's juice in your child's school backpack, it's more than likely that it's stored in a paper-and-foil aseptic package, complete with a colorful cartoon logo. Although aseptic packaging was invented to ship foods safely witho... Continued...

U.S. drafting new rules for diesel emissions
Tuesday, December 31, 2002 By Reuters WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is drafting new rules to reduce dangerous emissions from off-road diesel-powered vehicles and machinery, The Washington Post has reported. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Management and Budget are p... Continued...

Nine states sue Bush administration on clean-air rules
USA: January 2, 2003 WASHINGTON - Nine Northeastern U.S. states sued the Bush administration over its decision to relax clean-air rules to help coal-fired power plants and other industrial facilities avoid costly pollution controls. The consortium of states - Connecticut, Maine, Maryland,... Continued...

Tuesday, December 17, 2002

Coalition Plans Suit Over Missouri River Transportation
ST. LOUIS, Missouri, December 17, 2002 (ENS) - A coalition of Missouri River stakeholders has filed a notice of intent to sue state and federal agencies over actions aimed at protecting threatened and endangered species on the river. The coalition is comprised of farmers, navigators, municipalities... Continued...

San Francisco Salt Marshes To Be Restored
SAN FRANCISCO, California, December 17, 2002 (ENS) - Federal and state officials have completed a deal with Cargill Inc. to buy 16,500 acres of salt ponds around San Francisco Bay, a first step toward restoring some of the region's tidal marshes and wetlands. The agreement was reached Monday follow... Continued...

Canada ratifies Kyoto Protocol following months of debate
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 By Tom Cohen, Associated Press TORONTO — Prime Minister Jean Chretien ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Monday, securing his environmental legacy and possibly changing forever how Canadians use energy. The formal ratification followed months of rancorous debate that divid... Continued...

New U.S. manure curbs don""t go far enough, say critics
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 By Charles Abbott, Reuters WASHINGTON — New U.S. pollution rules announced Monday will do little to control "factory farm" manure runoff fouling the nation's waters, environmental groups said. Farm groups say complying with the rules will cost livestock producers $1 b... Continued...

Thousands march in Spanish oil slick protest
SPAIN: December 17, 2002 MADRID - Thousands of people streamed through the northeastern city of Barcelona on Sunday to protest against the Spanish government's handling of the Prestige oil spill, Spain's worst ecological disaster. Police estimated that about 12,000 people took part in t... Continued...

U.S. Sets New Farm-Animal Pollution Curbs
By ELIZABETH BECKER WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 — The Bush administration announced new standards today for the largest animal feedlots that call for a reduction in water pollution by these operations but allow each farm to write its own plans and to keep them secret from the public. Christie Whitman... Continued...

Tie Affirms Clean Water Act""s Reach
By LINDA GREENHOUSE WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 — A 4-to-4 tie at the Supreme Court today resulted in a victory, although quite likely only a temporary one, for federal regulators and environmental groups seeking to preserve the Clean Water Act as a tool against an increasingly common method of filling ... Continued...

Corporate environmental reporting drops
Corporate sustainability reports have increased by 45% in average length over the past two years without an increase in overall quality, according to Trust Us, the second report in the Global Reporters Series prepared by SustainAbility, a business think tank, for the United Nations Environment Progr... Continued...

GM and Ford Shareholders File Climate Resolutions
By J.R. Pegg WASHINGTON, DC, December 12, 2002 (ENS) - Shareholders of Ford and General Motors (GM) have filed resolutions to pressure both automakers into more aggressive action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their plants and vehicles. The resolutions, filed by religious groups t... Continued...

Whitman said ready to leave EPA
By John Stanton, CongressDaily Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman has told the White House and close friends and colleagues that she is ready to leave the agency but would like another high-level appointment, the Newark Star-Ledger reported Friday. Already, rumors a... Continued...

Monday, December 16, 2002

The Three Mile Island of Biotech?
The Nation | By John Nichols | December 12, 2002 Hamilton County, Nebraska, is where food comes from. You can visit the Plainsman Museum on Highway 14 to learn about "farm life from the 1880s to the 1950s," or you can just drive on up the highway and learn about farm life in 2002 at any of the do... Continued...

Court Orders Consideration of Dredging Alternatives
SEATTLE, Washington, December 13, 2002 (ENS) - The non-profit public interest law firm law firm Earthjustice is hailing it as "a victory for clean water, wildlife, and taxpayers." A coalition of conservation and fishing organizations won a court ruling Thursday that halts the U.S. Army Corps of Engi... Continued...

Former maid could be new savior for Amazon
BRAZIL: December 16, 2002 BRASILIA, Brazil - Knowing the riches of the Amazon jungle from childhood, diminutive Sen. Marina Silva may be uniquely suited to save Brazil's rain forest as the country's next environment minister. Born in a rubber tapping area in the Amazon state of Acre, 44... Continued...

Shareholders pressure US carmakers to come clean
USA: December 16, 2002 BOSTON - A group of shareholders at car makers General Motors (GM.N) and Ford Motor Co (F.N) are exerting new pressure on management to try and force the firms to cut vehicle gas emissions in the next 10 years. The shareholders who represent religious orders in Ne... Continued...

California plan to move water north-to-south hits snag
USA: December 16, 2002 SAN FRANCISCO - An Alaskan businessman at the center of a controversial $100 million plan aimed at easing California's growing water problems said on Saturday he is looking for other ways to move excess water from Northern California to the arid southern end of the state.... Continued...

Friday, December 13, 2002

TYSON FOODS CHAIRMAN OPPOSES MANDATORY U.S COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN LABELING AS AN EXPENSIVE TRADE BARRIER
Mandatory U.S. country-of-origin labeling for food is nothing more than a trade barrier that is too expensive to administer and ought to be repealed, Tyson Foods Corp.Chairman John Tyson said on Wednesday. The U.S. farm law enacted this year established a voluntary labeling program that becomes ... Continued...

$209 Million Pledged for Nebraska Program
WASHINGTON, DC, December 12, 2002 (ENS) - Nebraska and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are launching a $209 million program to address water quality and wildlife habitats in all or a portion of 37 counties in Nebraska. "The Conservation Research Enhancement Program (CREP) encourages farme... Continued...

Sustainable Seafood Found to Be Cost Effective
BOSTON, Massachusetts, December 12, 2002 (ENS) - Corporate seafood buyers can make money and protect ocean resources by selecting sustainably caught seafood, a new report suggests. The report issued by Environmental Defense's Alliance for Environmental Innovation argues that environmental sustainab... Continued...

Smart Windows, Ethanol Technique Among Grantees
GOLDEN, Colorado, December 12, 2002 (ENS) - The Department of Energy has awarded grants totaling $4.4 million to advance energy efficient, environmentally clean production and building technologies. "Twenty-five percent of the energy used to heat and cool buildings goes right out the window," said ... Continued...

Court clears way for Clinton ban on forest roads
Friday, December 13, 2002 By Christopher Doering, Reuters WASHINGTON — Environmental groups claimed victory Thursday after a federal appeals court effectively reinstated a Clinton-era ban on road construction on nearly 60 million acres of U.S. forest land, overturning a preliminary injunction ob... Continued...

Parents protest U.S. schools irradiated meat plan
Friday, December 13, 2002 By Randy Fabi, Reuters WASHINGTON — The Bush administration's plan to allow irradiated meat to be served to millions of U.S. school children is raising the ire of some concerned parents. Irradiation, which has been endorsed by the World Health Organization, exposes foo... Continued...

New water index highlights haves and have nots
UK: December 13, 2002 LONDON - A new Water Poverty Index developed to highlight the differences between water-rich and water-poor nations will be the cornerstone of the Third Water Forum in the Japanese city of Kyoto next March. The Index, developed by a team of researchers at Britain's C... Continued...

Wednesday, December 11, 2002

High Bacteria in Poultry Raises Alarm
USA TODAY | By Elizabeth Weise | December 11, 2002LENGTH: 509 words HEADLINE: BYLINE: BODY: In two studies of chickens sold in food markets nationwide, almost half of those tested were contaminated with bacteria that can pose serious health risks to humans. And the studies, released... Continued...

""A great day"" for Chrétien as Kyoto approved
By STEVEN CHASE Wednesday, December 11, 2002 – Print Edition, Page A1 OTTAWA -- The House of Commons voted overwhelmingly in favour of committing Canada to the Kyoto Protocol yesterday, kicking off a process that could have a profound impact on the lives of Canadians, starting in the ... Continued...

California air quality district phases out use of perchloroethylene by dry cleaners
DIAMOND BAR, CA (12/11/02) -- California's South Coast Air Quality Management District has adopted a rule to phase-out the use of the chemical perchloroethylene, commonly known as "perc", by dry cleaners in their jurisdiction. Under the rule the use of "perc" would be gradually phased out by 2020. ... Continued...

U.S., Canada Groups Sue Over Toxic Wood Preservers
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, December 11, 2002 (ENS) - Environmental and labor groups from the U.S. and Canada have teamed up in a lawsuit challenging the continued U.S. use of wood preservatives containing arsenic and other harmful substances. The groups say the U.S. Environmental Protection... Continued...

Tuesday, December 10, 2002

ProdiGene Fined for Biotechnology Blunders
WASHINGTON, DC, December 9, 2002 (ENS) - ProdiGene Inc., the company that allowed genetically engineered corn to contaminated about 500,000 bushels of soybeans, will pay a $250,000 fine - the first such penalty levied by the federal government. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) a... Continued...

Wildfires Add Carbon to the Atmosphere
SAN FRANCISCO, California, December 9, 2002 (ENS) - Wildfires contribute tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, increasing global warming as part of an accelerating cycle, U.S. researchers said this weekend. The fires take carbon out of storage in vegetation and soils, and feed it into the atmos... Continued...

Climate Change Could Come Fast and Furious
SAN FRANCISCO, California, December 9, 2002 (ENS) - The effects of global climate change could be more abrupt and more catastrophic than many scientists have predicted, warns a Penn State climatologist. Debate in the U.S. over climate change often focuses on whether things will be as bad as some sc... Continued...

Plant-derived drugs contaminate food crops
Tuesday, December 10, 2002 By Carey Gillam, Reuters KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In Kentucky, tobacco plants are turning into cancer-fighting drug factories. In Virginia, corn is being harvested to treat cystic fibrosis, and in Nebraska, researchers are hoping that fertile farm fields will yield part of a... Continued...

U.S. study links chemical to sperm damage
Tuesday, December 10, 2002 By Laura MacInnis, Reuters WASHINGTON — Everyday exposure to a chemical ingredient used to preserve many cosmetics and fragrances may contribute to sperm damage in adult men, according to a study published Monday. In one of the first studies of the effects of substanc... Continued...

Air pollution damages across generations
Tuesday, December 10, 2002 By Maggie Fox, Reuters WASHINGTON — Air pollution from steel mills causes genetic damage that fathers can pass to the next generation, researchers in Canada reported Monday. It is not clear if the genetic damage could harm anyone's health, but tests on mice showed tha... Continued...

The Green Seal of Approval
Tuesday, December 10, 2002 By Jim Motavalli and Josh Harkinson, E/The Environmental Magazine "Typically, we bring the concept of lifecycle pricing to the table," says Mark Petruzzi of Green Seal, which offers environmental certification for a range of products. "Looking only at the first cos... Continued...

Is a weakening of U.S. environmental policy ahead?
The resounding success of the U.S. Republicans (GOP) in last November’s elections puts the party in a good position to change environmental policies, congressional staffers and lobbyists say. Although the 108th Congress, which begins this month, is not likely to repeat the rush to rewrite major envi... Continued...

Environmental taxes questioned
A host of countries are experimenting with taxes that discourage environmentally damaging practices, yet the level of the taxes may not always correspond to the environmental costs, suggests new research reported in the December 15 issue of ES&T (2002, 36, 5289–5295). The study shows that Swedish ta... Continued...

Ex-GM CEO makes "green" auto industry comeback
USA: December 3, 2002 ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - Nearly 10 years to the day after he was pushed out as chief of General Motors Corp. (GM.N), Bob Stempel shoveled a handful of dirt to break ground for a new plant in Ohio that could make him a key player in a more environmentally-friendly automotiv... Continued...

EU agrees greenhouse gas trading scheme
EU: December 10, 2002 BRUSSELS - European Union environment ministers agreed yesterday to create the world's first international greenhouse gas emissions trading system, a key part of efforts to fight global warming. Subject to final approval by the European Parliament, the scheme will fr... Continued...

Thursday, December 5, 2002

$573 Million Will Halve Developing Country CFCs
ROME, Italy, December 2, 2002 (ENS) - Negotiators from 140 governments have adopted a $573 million funding package to halve the consumption and production in developing countries of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the leading destroyer of the stratospheric ozone layer, by the year 2005. The CFCs will b... Continued...

Conservation Groups Sue EPA Over Global Warming
WASHINGTON, DC, December 5, 2002 (ENS0 - A coalition of environmental organizations announced today it is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its failure to take action on global warming. Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is required to limit all air pollution from automobiles t... Continued...

Hawaii Community Challenges New Cruise Visits
KAUNAKAKAI, MOLOKA'I, Hawaii, December 5, 2002 (ENS) - A Hawaiian community group has filed a lawsuit seeking to halt cruise ship visits to Kaunakakai, Moloka'i, which are scheduled to begin on December 28, 2002. The suit challenges the decisions of the state Department of Transportation (DOT) and ... Continued...

Green Mountain, lung group team up for wind power
Thursday, December 05, 2002 By Reuters NEW YORK — Texas-based power generator Green Mountain Energy Co. and the American Lung Association of Texas said Wednesday they had joined forces to educate Texans about renewable, wind-generated power. Green Mountain Energy said in a joint statement it wi... Continued...

Tiny chips have big environmental impact
Far more energy and chemicals than previously suspected are required to produce semiconductors, according to the first comprehensive life cycle analysis of the tiny silicon chips. The analysis, which was published by an international team of researchers and recently posted to ES&T’s Research ASAP si... Continued...

Blowing with the wind
Total installed wind energy capacity in Europe reached the 20,447 megawatt (MW) mark by October, making up 74% of the total global capacity, according to a new survey by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). By comparison, current installed U.S. capacity stands at 4329 MW, according to the Am... Continued...

Environmental costs of air travel
Passenger airline tickets could cost 20–30% more on average for shorter flights and 5% more for longer flights if costs such as emissions and noise were accounted for in the price, finds a study by the Dutch Centre for Energy Conservation and Environmental Technology. The study was commissioned by t... Continued...

Fuel-cell vehicles arrive
Two big automakers—Honda and Toyota—began leasing the world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles on December 2. Honda delivered five of its compact, four-seater FCX fuel-cell vehicles to the city of Los Angeles and plans to lease about 30 of the vehicles over the next 2–3 years in Japan and the Unite... Continued...

Report raises fears about British pet shops
UK: December 6, 2002 LONDON - Vets and animal charities said rules governing British pet shops needed to be tightened after a report released yesterday found almost a quarter kept animals in overcrowded or dirty conditions. An undercover investigation by vets into 42 stores found that in ... Continued...

"Green" credits to boost farm income-USDA official
USA: December 6, 2002 WASHINGTON - "Green" credits for combating greenhouse gases or water pollution may provide a welcome boost to U.S. farm income in the future, the Agriculture Department's conservation chief said. Congress took a step toward that vision in the new farm subsidy law ado... Continued...

Monday, November 25, 2002

100 Canadian Municipalities Take Protective Climate Action
OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, November 18, 2002 (ENS) - Canada’s Ministers of the Environment and Natural Resources congratulated the city of Iqaluit and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Friday as the capital city of the Nunavut Territory became the 100th Canadian municipal government to partici... Continued...

Hatchery Salmon May Endanger Wild Cousins
SEATTLE, Washington, November 22, 2002 (ENS) - A new study suggests that hatchery reared steelhead pose a threat to wild chinook in the Snake River. Twenty-six populations of wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest are now listed as threatened or endangered, and many conservationists fear that hatcher... Continued...

Exotic Earthworms Devouring Forest Floor
HOUGHTON, Michigan, November 22, 2002 (ENS) - New research suggests that non-native earthworms are changing the forest floor in the northern U.S., threatening the goblin fern and other rare plants in the process. This is "the first research to show that exotic earthworms are harmful to rare native ... Continued...

Bush administration to release new pollution rules
Friday, November 22, 2002 By Reuters WASHINGTON — The Bush administration will release new rules Friday to give older coal-fired power plants more leeway to avoid costly maintenance to reduce emissions, congressional sources said Thursday. The Environmental Protection Agency will release its lo... Continued...

Bush auto fuel efficiency plan criticized
Friday, November 22, 2002 By Reuters WASHINGTON — Auto makers and environmentalists this week criticized a draft Bush administration plan to raise fuel economy standards for sport utility vehicles and other light trucks. An administration source said the proposal under development would boost f... Continued...

Canadian pine beetle epidemic now "catastrophic"
CANADA: November 25, 2002 VANCOUVER, British Columbia - An epidemic of tree-killing beetles is spreading rapidly through the forests in Canada's largest lumber exporting province, with the deadly insects now found in a area nearly three-quarters the size of Sweden, officials said. The tin... Continued...

Friday, November 15, 2002

Defense Bill Includes Exemption for Military
WASHINGTON, DC, November 14, 2002 (ENS) - The 2003 Defense Authorization Bill sent to President Bush late Wednesday includes a provision to exempt the military from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The bill authorizes $393 billion for defense programs - almost the same amount requested by the White H... Continued...

Biotech Contamination Riles Activists
WASHINGTON, DC, November 14, 2002 (ENS) - Activist groups say the contamination of 500,000 bushels of Nebraska soybeans with genetically engineered corn points to a wider problem with experimental biotech plantings. Prodigene Inc. also had problems in Iowa that led to the destruction of 155 acres o... Continued...

The slow food movement takes on fast food culture
Friday, November 15, 2002 By Benjamin Chadwick, E/The Environmental Magazine The sun was setting for the Delaware Bay oyster. Once a prominent staple cash crop for harvesters along New Jersey's southern shores, mismanagement, parasites, and pollution starting in the early 1950s depleted the... Continued...

U.S. states acting on their own to fight global warming
Friday, November 15, 2002 By Reuters WASHINGTON — While the Bush administration has pulled the United States out of an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, individual U.S. states have taken steps on their own to fight global warming, an environmental report said on Thursday. ... Continued...

EU e-waste rules driving change in United States
Two controversial European Union (EU) directives calling for extended producer responsibility in the electrical and electronic appliance arena are likely to have a dramatic impact on U.S. companies. EU officials are expected to sign the legislation into law in January. Under the new rules, manufa... Continued...

Staples Plans Move to Recycled Paper
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, November 12, 2002 (ENS) - In what could mark the beginning of a shift in how the paper industry does business, office supply giant Staples, Inc. today committed to bold steps aimed at reducing its consumption of paper products made from endangered forests. The com... Continued...

Ontario to give incentives for clean, green energy
CANADA: November 15, 2002 TORONTO - Ontario's government said this week it would offer tax credits to firms investing in energy saving equipment and consumers buying solar panels to boost energy supply in a province where a struggling competitive market has sent electricity prices soaring. ... Continued...

Europe wind energy sector grows 40 pct yr/yr-study
UK: November 15, 2002 LONDON - Europe's wind energy industry grew by 40 percent over the last year mainly as a result of new wind farms in Germany and Spain, a European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) study showed. Installed capacity rose 40 percent to 20,447 megawatts (MW) from 14,652 MW ... Continued...

Wednesday, November 13, 2002

Toxic Areas, Poor Neighborhoods Coincide in Phoenix
PHOENIX, Arizona, November 12, 2002 (ENS) - Some of the Phoenix area's poorest neighborhoods also have the region's highest concentration of toxic hazards, conclude two new studies by researchers at Arizona State University (ASU). Bob Bolin and Edward Hackett, sociology professors working with the ... Continued...

Trees Save San Antonio Millions Each Year
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, November 12, 2002 (ENS) - Tree cover around San Antonio is saving the city about $70 million a year in ecological services, shows a study released today by conservation group American Forests. American Forests conducted an Urban Ecosystem Analysis (UEA) of 788,000 acres of the g... Continued...

UN food agency and rights envoy at odds over GM
SWITZERLAND: November 14, 2002 GENEVA - The World Food Programme (WFP) sharply criticised a U.N. human rights investigator this week who has repeatedly questioned the safety of genetically modified (GM) food donated to starving Africans. Jean Ziegler, a left-wing former member of the Swis... Continued...

US "energy lite" bill omits wind, renewable fuels
USA: November 14, 2002 WASHINGTON - A Republican proposal for a last-ditch U.S. energy bill is limited to interstate pipeline safety and nuclear power plant insurance and does not include incentives for wind power and other renewable fuels. Danish wind turbine manufacturers such as Vestas... Continued...

Monday, November 11, 2002

UN Food Agency Adopts Stronger Pesticide Code
ROME, Italy, November 8, 2002 (ENS) - The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has adopted a revised set of global standards for the distribution and use of pesticides. The previous code, which raised awareness of pesticide hazards, was adopted in 1985. "Pesticide use will contin... Continued...

Groups Challenge Missouri River Dam Operations
WASHINGTON, DC, November 8, 2002 (ENS) - A coalition of conservation groups is planning a lawsuit to secure new operations for six dams that the coalition says are causing the Missouri Rivers' continued ecological decline and imposing economic hardships on some riverfront communities. In a letter t... Continued...

Harnessing the procurement power of governments, hospitals, colleges, and corporations to protect the environment
It's right there in President Clinton's 1998 Executive Order 13101. "Agencies," it says, "are encouraged to use all of the options available to them to determine the environmentally preferable attributes of products and services…" Unfortunately, the key word is "encouraged," rather than "required,"... Continued...

Hoteliers Introduce Paperless Ordering for Energy-Efficient Lighting
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 11, 2002 - In the hotel business, re-ordering energy-efficient lighting can be time-consuming and error prone. Out-dated paper forms and missing product specifications and drawings, and pricing and quantities needed, make it difficult for those in purchasing, accounting, management, ... Continued...

Nicaragua growers open sustainable coffee conference
NICARAGUA: November 11, 2002 MANAGUA - Nicaragua coffee producers began two days of meetings with global experts on sustainable development as they seek ways to market their coffees and survive the third year of a world coffee crisis. Some 400 producers from Nicaragua, Latin America's poo... Continued...

Friday, November 8, 2002

Europe Experiments with Product Ecodesign
BRUSSELS, Belgium, November 7, 2002 (ENS) - The European Commission has circulated a new draft legislative proposal merging two previously separate initiatives to set ecodesign requirements and minimum energy efficiency standards for consumer appliances. The legislation is aimed at curbing Europe's ... Continued...

Viagra Swells Scarce Animal Count
By Stewart Taggart SYDNEY, Australia, November 7, 2002 (ENS) - Men definitely get a lift from the anti-impotence drug Viagra. Now there is evidence that threatened animal species may also benefit, say two researchers. Since the blockbuster treatment went on sale in 1998, there has been a mar... Continued...

Global Warming Affects Coastal Marine Species
DAVIS, California, November 7, 2002 (ENS) - Warmer winter temperatures may allow invasive species to become established and even dominate marine communities, according to new research by a marine biologist from the University of California at Davis. A second study by researchers from the University... Continued...

Arctic town to get offbeat tidal energy
OSLO, Norway — In a novel use of clean energy, the world's most northerly town will soon be the first to get electricity from a sub-sea power station run on tidal currents tugged by the moon. Gigantic forces in the oceans — waves, currents, and tides — have often proved too costly or awkward to har... Continued...

Singer Moby takes Butterball to task over turkeys
LOS ANGELES — When it comes to animal rights, electronica-pop star Moby is talking turkey. In a recorded telephone message, the 37-year-old singer, a vegan, is urging people to call Butterball turkey's recipe hotline and tell the company, "There is no proper way to kill and cook these beautiful bir... Continued...

Scientists warn of environmental danger of wildfires
LONDON — Wildfires like those that ravaged Indonesia five years ago fuel global warming by increasing emissions of greenhouse gases, scientists said Wednesday. The catastrophic fires in Asia destroyed forests and caused losses estimated at more than $20 million. They also released about 2.6 bil... Continued...

Altered landscapes contribute to amphibian decline
Forest fragmentation is likely to make it difficult for juvenile amphibians to move to new habitats, according to a new study reported by Betsie Rothermel and Raymond Semlitsch of the University of Missouri–Columbia. Because such movement is crucial to maintaining gene flow and survivability of decl... Continued...

Carbon trading projected to triple
By the end of this year, the traded volume of CO2 credits is expected to reach 68 million metric tons, according to the World Bank. The market already produced twice the volume of 2001 trades in the first six months of 2002. The Kyoto Protocol’s ratification is driving this trading, which is thus fa... Continued...

Computer microchip weighs heavily on environment
TOKYO - Microchips may be valuable parts of personal computers but their environmental burden is greater than thought, researchers said. Scientists have estimated it takes at least 1.6 kilograms of fossil fuels and chemical inputs to produce a single two-gram memory chip for personal computers. ... Continued...

Smelliest trucks in US begin to belch cleaner
USA: November 8, 2002 NEW YORK - They rumble through the neighborhood at dawn, smell bad and are hard to drive past. But U.S. garbage trucks are becoming friendlier as the clouds of black diesel smoke they belch are slowly becoming a thing of the past, a green group said this week. The 17... Continued...

Monday, November 4, 2002

Pacific Salmon Benefit from New Organic Eco-Label
PORTLAND, Oregon, November 1, 2002 (ENS) - Organic farmers who take steps to protect and enhance habitat for Pacific salmon can earn a special eco-label for their produce. Salmon-Safe, a regional eco-label, has joined with Oregon Tilth, the West Coast organic certifier, to integrate sustainable food... Continued...

Urban agriculture: Feeding the body, feeding the soul
Early Girl and Celebrity tomatoes hang ripe and ready in heavy clusters. Swollen pods of beans cover lima plants. The deep orange shoulders of carrots poke up out of the ground in long rows. Collards, black-eyed peas, and okra stand up in their fullness against the din of this urban world. "Do you ... Continued...

Health Care Purchasing Groups Announce Plans to Buy Green
CHICAGO, Ill., Nov. 1, 2002 - Four top group purchasing organizations (GPOs) that buy supplies for more than 70% of the health care facilities in the United States announced significant environmental commitments at CleanMed 2002, an international health care conference on environmentally preferable ... Continued...

World War Two wrecks haunt Pacific with oil spills
AUSTRALIA: November 4, 2002 SYDNEY - A thousand World War Two warships crumbling away in watery graves from the Great Barrier Reef to palm-fringed atolls have come back to haunt the South Pacific as they begin to leak their toxic cargoes. Loaded with oil, chemicals and ordnance, the sunke... Continued...

Friday, November 1, 2002

New Wave of Bleaching Hits Coral Reefs Worldwide
WASHINGTON, DC, October 29, 2002 - Scientists are linking to climate change over 430 cases of coral bleaching documented by a researchers so far this year. The majority of bleaching records have come from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia with others from reefs in countries including the Philippin... Continued...

China Ventures into Organics, Renewables, Clean Technology
SHANGHAI, China, October 29, 2002 (ENS) - The Washington, DC based environmental think tank World Resources Institute is promoting investments in China's sustainable business enterprises - organic agriculture, renewable energy, and clean technology. "Growth in production that is both profitable and... Continued...

Rising Nitrogen in Soils May Signal Global Changes
BOULDER, Colorado, October 31, 2002 (ENS) - More nitrogen in Earth's soils could lead to an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, a new study suggests. The rapid increase of nitrogen falling from the sky as a result of fossil fuel combustion and crop fertilization, combined with carbo... Continued...

Atrazine Exposure Alters Frog Sex
WASHINGTON, DC, October 31, 2002 (ENS) - Throughout the midwest, male leopard frogs are being feminized by exposure to the herbicide atrazine, a new study shows. Atrazine is used to kill weeds on the country's leading export crops, corn and soybeans. Biologists from the University of California at ... Continued...

West Nile Virus Blamed for Vanishing Chickadees
CHICAGO, Illinois, October 31, 2002 (ENS) - The West Nile virus has decimated populations of chickadees around Chicago, Illinois, a new study shows. A team of 74 trained monitors throughout the six county Chicago region found that the black-capped chickadee, a once common bird, appears to have been... Continued...

Changing Rain Patterns Could Ruin Crops
WASHINGTON, DC, October 31, 2002 (ENS) - Increased flooding, an expected outcome of climate change, may cause a doubling in losses of agricultural production over the next 30 years, a new report warns. An increased frequency of extreme precipitation events has been observed over the last 100 years ... Continued...

Wood stove pollution is a burning issue
Friday, November 01, 2002 By Diane M. Marty, E/The Environmental Magazine Before tossing those aromatic wood chips on the barbecue, using the fireplace to celebrate that first brisk fall day, or lighting a campfire in the great outdoors, you might want to consider this: Wood smoke can literally t... Continued...

U.S. scientists say fossil fuel alternatives lacking
Friday, November 01, 2002 By Reuters WASHINGTON — U.S. scientists Thursday called for a major investment into research and development of alternative energy sources, saying no current technology provides an adequate replacement for the the fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. The sci... Continued...

Monsanto posts wider loss as Roundup sales slump
USA: November 1, 2002 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Agrochemical giant Monsanto Co. this week posted a wider quarterly loss because of slumping sales of its Roundup herbicide and economic woes in South America. An increasingly competitive herbicide market, which has served as Monsanto's bread and bu... Continued...

Companies plan Canada""s biggest wind farm
CANADA: November 1, 2002 CALGARY, Alberta - Enmax Corp. and Vision Quest Windelectric Inc. said this week they plan to build Canada's biggest wind farm in breezy southern Alberta, a C$100 million ($64 million) project aimed at spinning out enough renewable power to supply more than 32,500 homes... Continued...

Monday, October 28, 2002

Rancher Will Aid Southern Idaho Ground Squirrels
BOISE, Idaho, October 25, 2002 (ENS) - An Idaho livestock company is working with federal and state agencies to help protect the southern Idaho ground squirrel, a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has entered into a Candidate Conserva... Continued...

California wine sector to go green to avert regulation
Friday, October 25, 2002 By Jim Christie, Reuters SAN FRANCISCO — Under fire from environmentalists, California's 150-year-old wine industry will announce a green code of conduct next week in a bid to head off potentially costly state regulation, major trade groups said. The Wine Institute and ... Continued...

Pennsylvania car inspection standards don""t satisfy Clean Air Act, says judge
Friday, October 25, 2002 By David B. Caruso, Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge ruled that Pennsylvania violated the Clean Air Act when it decided not to enforce strict new auto-emissions standards intended to reduce the smoggy ozone haze over metropolitan Philadelphia. U.S. Distric... Continued...

Negotiators prepare for implementation of global warming accord
Friday, October 25, 2002 By Nirmala George, Associated Press NEW DELHI, India — Negotiators from nearly 185 countries worked Thursday to hammer out the details of implementing a landmark treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gases that lead to global warming. Behind closed doors, delegates from in... Continued...

Toyota will put hybrid engines in all vehicles by 2012
DETROIT (Bloomberg) - Toyota Motor Corp., the world's third-largest automaker, plans to use gasoline-electric hybrid engines in all vehicles by 2012 to increase fuel efficiency and reduce tailpipe emissions, an executive said. The gasoline-electric system emits as much as 40 percent less carbon dio... Continued...

Britain says addressing green power industry woes
UK: October 28, 2002 LONDON - Britain's energy minister said last week a government White Paper on energy policy, due early next year, will address problems faced by green energy firms since last year's power market reforms. "We realise that New Electricity Trading Arrangements (NETA) hav... Continued...

Thursday, October 24, 2002

Oil spills may linger indefinitely, say scientists
Thursday, October 24, 2002 By Reuters LONDON — Oil pockets have been found just below the sea bed off the coast in Massachusetts more than 30 years after a tanker ran ashore there, raising fears that spills could continue to pollute the environment indefinitely. Scientists thought the ecosystem... Continued...

Two studies say new rules will increase some air pollution
Thursday, October 24, 2002 By John Heilprin, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Air pollution from oil refineries and factories would increase under new rules the Bush administration is preparing, according to two new studies by a consultant used by the Environmental Protection Agency. The studies we... Continued...

Great lakes cleanup too little too late
Despite decades of talk, the United States and Canada have failed to provide sufficient funding and regulation to clean up the Great Lakes, charges a report released September 12 by the International Joint Commission (IJC), a binational watchdog for the Great Lakes restoration effort. The IJC’s Elev... Continued...

Restaurateurs find doing right thing feeds bottom line
When Jesse Cool opened Late for the Train restaurant in Menlo Park in 1975, her commitment to organic produce put her on the lunatic fringe. Almost 30 years later, organic fruits and vegetables are a supermarket staple, and such food behemoths as Dole have a stake in the niche. For Cool and a ha... Continued...

California smog agency seeks ban on dry clean chemical
USA: October 24, 2002 LOS ANGELES - Southern California's clean air agency has proposed the nation's first ban on a toxic chemical used in dry cleaning that officials say makes the cleaners a greater cancer risk than oil refineries or power plants. The South Coast Air Quality Management D... Continued...

Wednesday, October 23, 2002

Beyond the Kyoto Protocol: Talks Open in India
By J.R. Pegg WASHINGTON, DC, October 23, 2002 (ENS) - World leaders have gathered in New Delhi, India to discuss climate change initiatives that move beyond the Kyoto Protocol, despite continued U.S. opposition to the agreement. The meeting, which began today and continues through November 1, co... Continued...

Human Footprint Covers Most of the Earth
NEW YORK, New York, October 23, 2002 (ENS) - More than three quarters of the earth's landmass is now subject to human influence, according to a newly produced map of the world. A team of scientists from the New York based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Columbia University's Center for Inte... Continued...

Toxic Fertilizers Challenged by Lawsuit
WASHINGTON, DC, October 23, 2002 (ENS) - Farm, consumer and environmental health groups have filed a lawsuit to overturn a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule allowing hazardous wastes to be used in fertilizers. Under the rule, toxic heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, mercury, and c... Continued...

Irradiation Approved for Imported Produce
WASHINGTON, DC, October 23, 2002 (ENS) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved the use of irradiation on fruits and vegetable imports. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued new regulations, effective today, providing for the use of irradiation to cont... Continued...

Angered by pollution, villagers damage a factory in Vietnam
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 By Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam — Nearly 1,000 Vietnamese villagers stormed a factory, destroying machines and looting equipment. They were angry over pollution and the stabbing of two villagers by factory staff, an official said Tuesday. Five policemen were injure... Continued...

Wisconsin pulls out ahead on mercury controls
In the next few months, Wisconsin regulators plan to propose a comprehensive rule that calls for a reduction in mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. The proposal would put Wisconsin ahead of the U.S. EPA’s schedule for controlling mercury from these plants and marks the first state rule o... Continued...

Major healthcare supplier commits to waste reductions
Medical supplies are a major source of hospital waste, acknowledges Baxter Healthcare Corp., a leading U.S. medical supplier. Baxter is the first health care supplier to become a “champion for change” in the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment program, which aims to cut the total volume of waste gen... Continued...

US biotech industry holds off on planting some crops
USA: October 23, 2002 WASHINGTON - The U.S. biotech industry said yesterday it would voluntarily stop growing some gene-spliced crops in the Midwest and Plains states to ease fears of accidental contamination of food or animal feed. The self-imposed directive, which goes beyond any curren... Continued...

FPL plans 600 MW of new wind power across US
USA: October 23, 2002 NEW YORK - FPL Group Inc , the largest producer of wind energy in the United States, said it is in the process of adding about 600 megawatts of wind-powered generation at sites across the country. FPL said in a statement the planned projects are as follows: - The New... Continued...

Thursday, October 17, 2002

Looming Water Crisis Threatens Food Supplies
WASHINGTON, DC, October 16, 2002 (ENS) - Water scarcity could leave millions of people without access to clean water or adequate food, warns a new report released in conjunction with World Food Day 2002. The study by two international agricultural research centers calls for changes in water policies... Continued...

Complaint Filed Over New Organic Standards
WASHINGTON, DC, October 16, 2002 (ENS) - The Center for Food Safety (CFS) and others filed a formal legal petition today arguing that a lack of peer review threatens to undermine the integrity of new organic labels. The petition demands that the agency establish a peer review panel to oversee the a... Continued...

Sustainable Farm Practices Profiled
OAKLAND, California, October 16, 2002 (ENS) - A new report profiles farmers who are using sustainable agriculture practices to benefit themselves and their communities. The report from the nonprofit California public policy group Redefining Progress details practices that help protect natural resou... Continued...

France says not ready to end ban on new gene crops
FRANCE: October 17, 2002 PARIS - France this week repeated it would oppose any removal of an effective European Union ban on developing new genetically modified crop strains until precise labelling rules for GM products come into effect, which could take several months. "France will not c... Continued...

Wednesday, October 16, 2002

Invasive Species Overrun U.S. Wildlife Refuges
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, October 15, 2002 (ENS) - Invasive species are wreaking havoc on wildlife refuges across the country, warns a new report released in conjunction with National Wildlife Refuge week. Members of Congress joined the report's sponsors at the National Wildlife Refuge Asso... Continued...

Ohio Savings Bank Will Buy Hybrid Vehicles
CLEVELAND, Ohio, October 15, 2002 (ENS) - Ohio Savings Bank has committed to replacing company vehicles with environmentally friendly hybrid electric vehicles wherever feasible. The bank, one of the top ten mortgage lenders in the U.S., estimates that it will purchase 24 hybrid electric vehicles in... Continued...

Closely Linked Ecosystems Vulnerable to Change
SAN FRANCISCO, California, October 15, 2002 (ENS) - Ecological systems are more closely related than once believed, a new study suggests, making them more vulnerable to change. A team of scientists led by researchers at San Francisco State University's (SFSU) Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmenta... Continued...

Organic Roses Headed for Store Shelves
NOVATO, California, October 15, 2002 (ENS) - Organic Bouquet, Inc. is introducing what the company says is the world's first commercial crop of certified organic roses. Initial shipments of the roses, which aim to provide an environmental choice to concerned consumers, are slated to be in selected ... Continued...

Coffee company delivers using 100 percent biodiesel
Wednesday, October 16, 2002 By GreenBiz.com FT. BRAGG, Calif. — Motorists will soon notice an aroma of french fries on northern California's highways. It won't be coming from a roadside fast food chain but from Thanksgiving Coffee Company's delivery trucks. The fleet will be running on biod... Continued...

White House, EPA clash on lower vehicle emissions
Wednesday, October 16, 2002 By Tom Doggett, Reuters WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is again at odds with the White House on clean air policies, with the EPA proposing Tuesday to approve a vehicle low-emission program for Massachusetts that Justice Department lawyers oppose for ... Continued...

Traditional farming methods will help to preserve Stonehenge, says government
Wednesday, October 16, 2002 By Associated Press LONDON — Farmers near the Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles are being subsidized to return to more traditional farming methods in an attempt to help preserve the prehistoric sites, the government said Tuesday. Environment Minister Michael Meache... Continued...

Farmers unprepared for methyl bromide ban
The lack of alternatives to methyl bromide, a pesticide that depletes the stratospheric ozone layer, is driving companies in the United States and Canada to apply for exemptions from the 2005 phaseout date, which was mandated in 1998 under the Montreal Protocol. The effort to replace methyl bromide ... Continued...

Antibacterial agents in sludge quantified
Researchers investigating the fate and transport of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments have previously reported surprisingly low levels of antibiotics in rivers and streams, despite their widespread usage. Because most antibiotics are hydrophobic, many researchers have speculated that the drugs... Continued...

Market prices ignore ecological costs
Although technologies exist to build an economy that is compatible with the earth’s ecosystems, market prices must reflect ecological costs before such an economy can be realized, advocates Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute in his new book, The Earth Policy Reader. Overplowing, overfishing,... Continued...

Electronics Producers Must Pay for European Wastes
BRUSSELS, Belgium, October 14, 2002 (ENS) - EU governments and the European Parliament have concluded a conciliation deal finalizing texts of two key laws dealing with recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment, and restricting hazardous substances in their manufacture. The agreement en... Continued...

Business Warms Up to Carbon Branding
The business case for taking action in response to climate change has traditionally been made in negative or precautionary terms. Advocates cite the possible negative consequences of climate change for companies. They emphasize companies’ potential liabilities if limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emiss... Continued...

Mexico closes firms sending sand to US beaches
MEXICO: October 16, 2002 MEXICO CITY - Mexican authorities this week suspended activities of 70 Baja California companies shipping tonnes of sand used to restore eroded U.S. beaches. The Baja California companies have shipped some 450,000 tonnes of sand so far this year to help restore we... Continued...

The high price of low-cost airlines
Cheap flights could be about to get cheaper still, thanks to Easyjet's bargain deal for 120 new aeroplanes. But not everyone's happy - cut-price air travel is costing the Earth dear. Booking a low-cost flight is seldom as cheap as the headline figure, with taxes, handling fees and surcharges. But... Continued...

Friday, October 11, 2002

Electromagnetic Technique Stamps Metal Cleanly
COLUMBUS, Ohio, October 10, 2002 (ENS) - A process developed at Ohio State University (OSU) for shaping metal parts using magnetism may cut manufacturing costs and help preserve the environment. The process could also expand manufacturers' choice of available metals, and enable the use of aluminum ... Continued...

Regaining connections between farmers and consumers
Friday, October 11, 2002 By Rebecca Spector With our food traveling on average 1,300 miles from farm to table and the consolidation of distribution systems, consumers continue to get farther away from their food source, and farmers continue to receive lower prices for their products. A fully int... Continued...

EPA to allow pesticides without permits against West-Nile-virus-carrying mosquitoes
Friday, October 11, 2002 By John Heilprin, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency, hoping to help stem the rapid spread of West Nile virus, said Thursday it will let some people spray pesticides on water to kill mosquitoes without having to first get permits under the C... Continued...

U.S. urged to wake up to "coffee with a conscience"
Friday, October 11, 2002 By Ros Davidson, Reuters BERKELEY, Calif. — Americans are being urged to wake up to "coffee with a conscience" as labor rights activists push java that addresses the bitter realities of the world coffee trade. The Fair Trade movement — which seeks to pay Third World cof... Continued...

Japan plans tighter rules on GMO imports for feed
JAPAN: October 11, 2002 TOKYO - Japan, one of the world's biggest grain importers, is set to tighten regulations on genetically modified organisms (GMO), with plans to ban the import and sale of unapproved biotech crops for use in livestock feed. Currently Japan's Agriculture Ministry, re... Continued...

Thursday, October 10, 2002

Euthanized Animals Can Kill Wildlife
WASHINGTON, DC, October 10, 2002 (ENS) - A dead bald eagle found this summer at a Florida landfill highlights a continuing threat to the nation's birds of prey and other native species - accidental poisoning after feeding on the carcasses of pets or livestock. Animals euthanized at veterinary clinic... Continued...

Forest Thinning Bill Passes House Committee
WASHINGTON, DC, October 9, 2002 (ENS) - Spurred by a year of fierce wildfires across the Western states, the House Resources Committee has passed a controversial bill that would exempt many logging projects from environmental review and court challenge in the name of fire prevention. The Committee ... Continued...

Judge Allows Tower Construction off Cape Cod
BOSTON, Massachusetts, October 9, 2002 (ENS) - A federal judge in Boston has denied a motion to block construction of a 197 foot high data collection tower, the first step in building a controversial wind farm in the waters off Cape Cod. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro rejected the req... Continued...

Study Examines Link Between Beef Hormones, Cancer
COLUMBUS, Ohio, October 9, 2002 (ENS) - A suspected link between growth hormone used on U.S. beef cattle in increased breast cancer risk has prompted a new study by researchers at several universities across the nation. The first of its kind study will compare beef consumption with elevated levels ... Continued...

Cut Methane to Combat Pollution, Climate Change
WASHINGTON, DC, October 9, 2002 (ENS) - Both air pollution and global warming could be reduced by controlling emissions of methane gas, according to a new study. Scientists at Harvard University, the Argonne National Laboratory, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) say that methane is... Continued...

Energy bill may fall apart over electricity disagreements
Thursday, October 10, 2002 By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Lawmakers' inability to resolve a few issues important to the electric power industry — rather than a dispute over new oil drilling in the Arctic wild — is thwarting a deal in Congress to overhaul the nation's energy age... Continued...

Bush administration is against California""s zero emissions requirement for cars
Thursday, October 10, 2002 By Pete Yost, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Bush administration sided Wednesday with auto manufacturers in opposing a California requirement that a percentage of passenger vehicles sold in the state achieve zero emissions, meaning reliance on all-electric cars. The... Continued...

U.S. feels safe from any trade threats over Kyoto
Thursday, October 10, 2002 By Robin Pomeroy, Reuters BRUSSELS, Belgium — The top U.S. negotiator on climate change said Wednesday the United States may face future trade disputes because of its rejection of the Kyoto pact, but such challenges were unlikely to succeed. The United States has been... Continued...

Sinking carbon plays important role in POPs distribution
A lot of attention has focused on the accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in cold regions like the Arctic, but the oceans may actually be a bigger and more permanent sink because of the vast areas they cover and the completeness of their removal processes, suggest new modeling resul... Continued...

GM crops harm farmers
Six years of growing genetically modified (GM) food crops in North America have been a “practical and economic disaster”, claims a report by the Soil Association, a U.K. campaigning and certification organization for organic food and farming. Seeds of Doubt finds that North American farmers have mad... Continued...

Wood-Door Maker Gains SmartWood Certification
RICHMOND, Vt., Oct. 8, 2002 - Iowa-based VT Industries, manufacturer of architectural wood doors, has qualified as a provider of SmartWood-certified wood doors, the Forest Stewardship Council recently announced. The chain-of-custody certification was awarded by the Rainforest Alliance, an FSC-accred... Continued...

FDA mulls alternative ways to say "irradiated" food
USA: October 10, 2002 WASHINGTON - U.S. food companies can seek federal approval to avoid using the word "irradiation" on labels of foods treated with the disease-killing process, and instead use language such as "cold pasteurization," the Food and Drug Administration said. Irradiation, w... Continued...

US Energy Dept sets greenhouse gas meetings
USA: October 10, 2002 WASHINGTON - The U.S. Energy Department said it would hold a series of meetings beginning in November on its voluntary program for companies to report how they are trying to cut emissions of greenhouse gases linked to climate change. The Energy Department aims to iss... Continued...

Monday, October 7, 2002

World""s Seas Awash with Sewage
NAIROBI, Kenya, October 4, 2002 (ENS) - All governments should back wastewater emission targets as a key step towards cleaning up the world's seas and reducing the number of people at risk of disease due to lack of basic sanitation services, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) urged Thur... Continued...

Peasants and Scientists Challenge Malaysian Biotech
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, October 4, 2002 (ENS) - Three new national biotechnology institutes dedicated to genomics and molecular biology, agricultural biotechnology, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical to be built by 2005 were introduced to the world at this week's BioMalaysia 2002 conference in Kuala L... Continued...

Strict EU Limits Could Kill GM-Free Animal Feed
BRUSSELS, Belgium, October 4, 2002 (ENS) - If the European Union imposes strict segregation and purity requirements on suppliers of animal feed to sift out genetically modified (GM) ingredients, this could force production costs of GM-free feed so high as to eliminate the option from the market, it ... Continued...

Indiana Fish Kill Settlement Funds Enforcement
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, October 4, 2002 (ENS) - A $1.5 million payment by a polluter will help the state of Indiana meet a multimillion dollar deficit in its funding for environmental enforcement. On September 25, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) received a check for $1.5 million fr... Continued...

Virginia""s Farmland is Disappearing Faster
CULPEPER, Virginia, October 4, 2002 (ENS) - The rate of loss of prime agricultural land in Virginia has increased by 76 percent in the last five years, finds a new study by the American Farmland Trust (AFT). The study, "Farming on the Edge," finds that Virginia developed 105,000 acres of its highes... Continued...

Massachusetts Voters Divided Over Wind Farm
YARMOUTH PORT, Massachusetts, October 4, 2002 (ENS) - An opinion poll sponsored by the Cape Wind company shows that Massachusetts voters favor the proposed Cape Wind offshore wind farm near Cape Cod by a margin of almost three to one. The Cape Wind project on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound woul... Continued...

Scottish wind power boosted by new planning rules
UK: October 7, 2002 BRIGHTON, "Scotland is a success story," Rob Forrest, head of Scottish-based renewable energy company Green Power told the British Wind Energy Association's (BWEA) annual conference. In Scotland, 160 megwatts of wind power has already been built and another 200 MW is u... Continued...

Friday, October 4, 2002

12 Ethanol Plants to Install Emissions Controls
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2002 (ENS) - Twelve ethanol plants in Minnesota have agreed to install new pollution control equipment to slash their emissions of volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide. The settlements between the plants, the state and the federal government ar... Continued...

Land Donation Expands Alaska Wildlife Refuge
ARLINGTON, Virginia, October 3, 2002 (ENS) - The Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge is almost 34,000 acres larger today, thanks to a land donation from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. The gift - the largest conservation contribution in Alaska's history - will protect 40 miles of Pacific c... Continued...

Organic Foods to Get New Seal of Approval
WASHINGTON, DC, October 2, 2002 (ENS) - The onset of national standards for organic foods is just around the corner, and both industry advocates and the United States Department of Agriculture are hoping it will strengthen one of the fastest growing sectors of American agriculture. As of October... Continued...

Indonesian Fires, Loggers Threaten Orangutans
PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia, September 27, 2002 (ENS) - Thick haze has covered many parts of Kalimantan, Sumatra, and North Maluku this week, prompting schools to close down and people to stay at home. The haze is created by fires smouldering across these islands due to drought, lightning and fires set... Continued...

Air Pollution Raises Cancer Risk
WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2002 (ENS) - Americans face a one in 2,100 risk of developing cancer in their lifetimes from breathing pollutants in the outdoor air, a new report warns. Outdoor air pollution is almost 500 times greater than the health protective standard established in the Clean Air Act... Continued...

More Carbon Dioxide Could Reduce Crop Value
COLUMBUS, Ohio, October 3, 2002 (ENS) - Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels may increase agricultural productivity, but reduce the nutritional quality of some crops, a new study suggests. Carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas linked to global warming, could help crop plants grow and reproduce... Continued...

Missouri River Conservationists Consider Legal Remedies
WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2002 (ENS) - A coalition of environmental groups concerned with the Missouri River is considering legal action that would force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release water down the river next spring to build sandbars and provide a reproductive trigger for fish and ha... Continued...

Biodiversity Hotspots Detailed in New Website
WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2002 (ENS) - The Center for Applied Biodiversity Science (CABS) at Conservation International (CI) has launched a new website, "Biodiversity Hotspots." The site - http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org - is intended to provide comprehensive, up to date information on the wor... Continued...

Scramble for Green Gold Kills Asian Biodiversity
By Kalyani NEW DELHI, India, October 2, 2002 (ENS) - The quest to commercialize plant genes by transnational companies and national governments is destroying a wealth of genetic resources and livelihoods across the Asia-Pacific region, says a report released Tuesday. "Plants are vanishing so ... Continued...

School Children Inhale Toxics Daily, Senate Told
By J.J. Smith WASHINGTON, DC, October 1, 2002 (ENS) - A prominent U.S. senator supports establishing a federal regulation setting standards for the indoor air quality of schools, while a activist who has been leading environmental causes for more than two decades wants increased funding so schoo... Continued...

Land Use Rivals Greenhouse Gases in Changing Climate
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, October 2, 2002 (ENS) - Changes in land use may rival greenhouse gases in their contributions to global warming, suggests a new international study. The report details the effects of urban sprawl, deforestation and agricultural practices on regional surface tempera... Continued...

Lawmakers act to preserve coastal access
Friday, October 04, 2002 By John Krist Monterey Bay Movies, music, and television have created a global image of California as the land of sunshine and surf. Like many caricatures, the beach mystique has a nugget of truth at its core: Californians do love their beaches. Eighty percent of th... Continued...

Canada to create 10 enormous new national parks
Friday, October 04, 2002 By David Ljunggren, Reuters OTTAWA — Canada said Thursday it planned to create 10 huge new national parks and five marine conservation areas over the next five years to protect unique landscapes and animals in the world's second-largest country. The total area covered b... Continued...

U.S. consumers challenge spread of biotech food
Friday, October 04, 2002 By Carey Gillam, Reuters KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tomato genes crossed with fish. Vegetables that glow in the dark. Much of the modern-day lore surrounding genetic modifications to food has the ring of science fiction. But with real-life genetic alterations now embedded in a ... Continued...

High PCB levels reported in Alaska islanders
Friday, October 04, 2002 By Yereth Rosen, Reuters ANCHORAGE, Alaska — High levels of cancer-linked contaminants have been found in the blood of residents of a remote Alaskan island in the Bering Strait, partly because of lingering pollution from two mothballed Cold War military stations, said a ... Continued...

Kyoto sparks fear, loathing in Canada oil heartland
Friday, October 04, 2002 By Jeffrey Jones, Reuters CALGARY, Alberta — It is a classic Canadian battle, with one region threatening separation from the country, accusations of federal betrayal, and fears that a culture hangs in the balance. But the arguments, over the Kyoto protocol on greenhous... Continued...

First U.S. ecosystems analysis reveals data gaps
The extensive gaps in our scientific understanding of U.S. ecosystems compromise any attempt to evaluate the overall health of the country’s environment, according to the first comprehensive examination of the country’s ecological systems. It reveals adequate national data for only little more than ... Continued...

Outlook highlights greenhouse gas reduction challenge
Even if the developed nations that are part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) adopt all of the energy efficiency and climate-friendly policy measures now under discussion, meeting the Kyoto Protocol’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be difficult,... Continued...

Green power purchasers recognized
The city of Chicago’s commitment to purchase 20% of its energy from renewable wind and solar power sources by 2007 earned it a green power leadership award this week. Presented by the U.S. EPA, U.S. Department of Energy, and the Center for Resource Solutions, a nonprofit organization, the awards rec... Continued...

EU Banks Come Up Short on Environmental Issues
LONDON, Oct. 1, 2002 - European banks have much room for improvement with regard to their assessment of the environmental credit risk of projects for which potential clients are seeking funding, says a leading investment company. The study of 10 Western European banks by investment company ISIS ... Continued...

Groups debate US plan on antibiotics for animals
USA: October 4, 2002 WASHINGTON - U.S. proposals aimed at protecting people from antibiotic resistance may limit options for livestock producers trying to keep animals healthy for the food supply, industry groups said. Consumer groups, meanwhile, said they were encouraged that the Food an... Continued...

Tuesday, October 1, 2002

Food Industry Is Campaigning Against Oregon GMO Proposal
Food Industry Is Campaigning Against Oregon GMO Proposal Buried among six other ballot measures in Oregon this November is an initiative that could upend the way the U.S. food industry operates. Measure 27, the first of its kind to go before U.S. voters, would do what Congress and the U.S. Foo... Continued...

Thursday, September 26, 2002

State of the Nation""s Ecosystems: Data Missing
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, September 26, 2002 (ENS) - There are major gaps in what is known about the nation's lands, waters and living resources, a new environmental study concludes. The report, based on five years of intensive research, proposes periodic reporting on a list of key ecologic... Continued...

UK Protected Sites Last Refuges for Wild Flowers
PETERBOROUGH, UK, September 20, 2002 (ENS) - Populations of some of the rarest species of British plants - the pennyroyal, fen orchid, water germander and sharp-leaved pondweed - are now almost entirely restricted to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), areas protected by government order. ... Continued...

B.C. Spotted Owl Logged into Extinction
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada, September 20, 2002 (ENS) - The northern spotted owl, an indicator species that has been at the center of some of the fiercest forest fights in the Pacific Northwest, is being logged into extinction, according to three British Columbia conservation groups. They ha... Continued...

Europe Could Lose U.S. Computer Ecolabel
BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 20, 2002 (ENS) - A European Union agreement to join an American government ecolabel scheme for computers should be annulled because it was adopted on the wrong legal basis, according to an advisor to the European Court of Justice. Considering a case brought to it by the... Continued...

Energy Exploration Approved in Colorado Monument
LAKEWOOD, Colorado, September 25, 2002 (ENS) - A settlement reached in a lawsuit over the seismic exploration of oil and gas resources proposed for more than 9,600 acres of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) will allow some exploration while protecting cultural and natural resource... Continued...

Bush Administration Issues Climate Research Report
WASHINGTON, DC, September 25, 2002 (ENS) - A new report from the Departments of Commerce and Energy details progress made on federal climate change research. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans and Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham submitted the progress update on federal climate change science and t... Continued...

Portland Saves Water by Replacing Toilets
PORTLAND, Oregon, September 25, 2002 (ENS) - The Portland City Council has authorized funds to replace toilets at 5,000 apartment complexes with low flow models. The pilot project has the potential to save more than 30 million gallons of water and hundreds of thousand dollars in water and sewer bil... Continued...

Officials warn against degrading environment along Mekong Basin
Thursday, September 26, 2002 By Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Senior officials from six Asian nations were warned Wednesday against pursuing prosperity at the expense of the environment. New approaches are needed to protect the environment in the countries through which the Mekong Rive... Continued...

Marine source of odd nitrogen
Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that surface waters near the equator are a large natural source of alkyl nitrates. Because such compounds were previously thought to be exclusively of anthropogenic origin, the findings raise questions about the formation of nitrogen compounds in remote m... Continued...

Researchers find new POP
Triphenyltin (TPT) appears to be a persistent organic pollutant (POP), according to scientists at Spain’s Institute of Chemical and Environmental Research (IIQAB-CSIC). In research recently posted to ES&T’s Research ASAP site, they report finding unexpectedly high levels of TPT, a compound used in f... Continued...

Renewable sources of hydrogen
Hydrogen can be produced efficiently from renewable biomass products like sugars and alcohols with the help of a platinum-based catalyst, report James Dumesic and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Although such catalysts are currently too expensive for the process to be economically... Continued...

Close Colorado Senate race targeted by Sierra Club
WASHINGTON - Tight U.S. Senate races in South Dakota, Colorado, Georgia, New Hampshire and Minnesota were targeted by the Sierra Club this week for television ads highlighting Democratic candidates' voting records on clean air and water. Democrats, who generally favor more environmental protec... Continued...

EU parliament backs right to reject GM organisms
EU: September 26, 2002 BRUSSELS - Countries must have the right to reject genetically modified (GM) organisms, members of the European Parliament said. The European Union assembly voted to support legislation that will bring EU laws into line with the Cartagena Protocol, a global treaty o... Continued...

Argentine organic goods exports grew 60 pct in 2001
ARGENTINA: September 26, 2002 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Argentine organic goods exports grew 60 percent in 2001 compared with the prior year as the popularity of the production method increased and farmers expanded markets, the national food and animal health inspection service said. Arge... Continued...

Wednesday, September 25, 2002

Federal Commission Describes Troubled Oceans
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, September 24, 2002 (ENS) - The world's oceans are in trouble, concludes a new, interim report from a federal commission on ocean policies. The midterm report from the congressionally mandated U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy raises more questions than it answers, bu... Continued...

Fossil Fuel Burning Blamed for Parks Air Pollution
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, September 23, 2002 (ENS) - The air above five of America's most famous national parks is often more polluted than that of many urban areas, finds a new report released today by three conservation groups. The National Park Service countered with its own report, find... Continued...

Modern bacteria are resisting treatment by antibiotics
When penicillin was first discovered to cure diseases in the 1930s, it seemed a miracle. Some people thought you couldn't get too much of a good thing. One Asian brothel routinely fed penicillin prophylactically to its workers, hoping to prevent infections. But Neisseriea gonorrheoeae, the bacteriu... Continued...

Panel finds serious threats from coastal population growth, pollution, overfishing
Tuesday, September 24, 2002 By John Heilprin, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Six months before the first man landed on the moon, a presidential commission urged Congress to use more "fully and wisely" a different sort of vastness, one teeming with life but just as mysterious and far closer to home... Continued...

GAO finds one in three former defense sites erroneously declared environmentally clean
Tuesday, September 24, 2002 By John Heilprin, Associated Press WASHINGTON — More than one in three of the nation's former defense sites declared environmentally clean by the Army Corps of Engineers still contain unexploded ordnance, hazardous and explosive waste, congressional auditors said Monda... Continued...

U.S. Postal Service begins using electric vehicles in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (Sept. 19) -- The U.S. Postal Service rolled out the nation´s largest fleet of electric vehicles Sept. 19. The Postal Service will use nearly 400 electric vehicles to distribute mail in the Los Angeles area. "Through the use of these zero-emission delivery vehicles, we can help contri... Continued...

Chefs shun fish with altered DNA
From Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley to Michael Schenk at Oceana off Park Avenue in New York, celebrity chefs nationwide are joining grocery stores and seafood distributors to boycott biotech fish. About 200 restaurants and other businesses in 40 states have signed a pledge not to buy, ... Continued...

New EPA Tool Rates, Compares Hotels’ Eco-Performance
UPLAND, Calif., Sept. 24, 2002 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed an ENERGY STAR performance rating tool specifically for lodging properties of all types and sizes. For the first time, hotels can benchmark their energy performance against others nationwide. Established in 1... Continued...

Volkswagen And BP Initiate Solar Roof Project In Germany
WOLFSBURG, Germany, Sept. 23, 2002 - Volkswagen AG has signed a cooperation agreement with BP Solar to equip both new and existing VW car dealerships with solar roofs. By demonstrating a practical application of solar power, the project may promote broader interest in photovoltaic technology, the co... Continued...

West Nile virus takes toll on US birds
CHICAGO - Every morning Jill Anderson puts out a handful of peanuts for the birds in her backyard in River Forest, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. "The crows usually are there and get the first dibs on the peanuts," she said. In early August, the crows disappeared. Then Anderson noticed the blu... Continued...

Car industry struggles to ween drivers off oil
FRANCE: September 25, 2002 PARIS - Camera flashes will illuminate sleek new sheetmetal at the Paris auto show this week, but for most of the vehicles to be unveiled, the novelty will be only skin deep. Underneath the bold shapes, multiple air bags and satellite navigation aids, the car's ... Continued...

Thursday, September 19, 2002

Bush Orders Streamlined Transportation Project Reviews
WASHINGTON, DC, September 19, 2002 (ENS) - President George W. Bush issued an executive order Wednesday that would speed up federal environmental studies of major transportation projects throughout the nation. The order was denounced by environmental groups, who said it represents a Bush administrat... Continued...

Restaurants, Grocers Boycott GE Fish
SEATTLE, Washington, September 19, 2002 (ENS) - More than 200 grocers, restaurants and seafood distributors across the nation have pledged not to purchase or sell genetically engineered fish. The latest business to join the boycott is Ray's Boathouse and Madison Market in Seattle, which announced i... Continued...

Bills Would Help Combat Marine Invasive Species
WASHINGTON, DC, September 19, 2002 (ENS) - Several members of Congress introduced legislation Wednesday that would create a comprehensive strategy to combat invasive aquatic species in U.S. waterways. The bipartisan National Aquatic Invasive Species Act and the Aquatic Invasive Research Species Act... Continued...

Signing up for renewable energy offers both rewards and pitfalls
Thursday, September 19, 2002 By Arvin Donner, E/The Environmental Magazine The California energy disaster has left the once-vigorous electricity deregulation process in shambles. Some states, seeing the Golden State get absolutely soaked by deregulated energy suppliers, have suspended the pr... Continued...

Norton wants energy bill veto if no ANWR drilling
Thursday, September 19, 2002 By Tom Doggett, Reuters WASHINGTON — U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton said Wednesday she would recommend the White House veto a broad energy bill if Senate and House negotiators failed to include opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. The Bu... Continued...

Brazil seeks to woo back ethanol car drivers
BRAZIL: September 19, 2002 SERTAOZINHO, Brazil - The time is ripe for Brazil to relaunch its fuel alcohol program but consumers must be assured of regular supplies at competitive prices, government and industry leaders told a renewable energy forum. "We now have a great opportunity to rea... Continued...

Greater Water Flow Is Ordered to Aid Fish
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LBUQUERQUE, Sept. 18 — A federal judge ordered government regulators today to release water from a northern New Mexico reservoir to prevent the Rio Grande from going dry in an area where the endangered silvery minnow lives. The judge, James A. Parker of Federal Distric... Continued...

Wednesday, September 18, 2002

Energy Efficiency Reaches Subsidized Housing
WASHINGTON, DC, September 18, 2002 (ENS) - A new partnership will help to make federally subsidized housing projects more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) s... Continued...

Making accurate water-quality determinations
Two recent studies are raising questions about the sampling techniques currently used for monitoring beach water quality, the results of which provide the basis for decisions on whether to close a public beach. Concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria can literally vary minute to minute, accord... Continued...

Diesel hazard confirmed
Diesel engine exhaust is a likely human lung cancer hazard if inhalation exposure is long-term and chronic, according to a 10-year assessment developed by the U.S. EPA. In this review, EPA staff evaluated the health effects literature on diesel exhaust, identified the most important exposure hazards... Continued...

Innovative commercial hydrogen fueling station planned
The first U.S. commercial hydrogen fueling station will be sited in an unlikely place, announced AltFuel Solutions, the company that is planning to build it near Cleveland, Ohio. Although the Midwestern state is not widely known for its alternative vehicles, it launched a $100 million initiative thi... Continued...

Hydro-Quebec seeks to build 800 MW gas-fired plant
USA: September 18, 2002 NEW YORK - Energy giant Hydro-Quebec wants to build an 800 megawatt combined-cycle gas-fired Suroit power plant in Quebec for C$550 million by 2006. The company said in a statement the plant, designed to run year-round, would help meet the growing demand for energy... Continued...

Tuesday, September 17, 2002

New Air Pollution Rules Target Off Road Vehicles
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, September 17, 2002 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued new emission standards for the engines of off road vehicles including snowmobiles, motorcycles, all terrain vehicles and recreational diesel powered boats. Environmental groups say the n... Continued...

Vulnerable Ozone Layer in Slow Recovery
PARIS, France, September 16, 2002 (ENS) - The Earth's stratospheric ozone layer is recovering from the effect of chemical emissions, but it will remain vulnerable during the next decade, even if countries comply with international agreements to protect it, predicts a new scientific report released t... Continued...

Wildlife Corridors Prove Their Worth
GAINESVILLE, Florida, September 17, 2002 (ENS) - An extensive, University of Florida led study shows that wildlife that corridors encourage the movement of plants and animals across fragmented landscapes. Fragmented habitats can isolate species, reducing their chances to reproduce and survive. Many... Continued...

Invasive Hemlock Pest Spreading Westward
ROCHESTER, New York, September 17, 2002 (ENS) - Invasive insects known as woolly adelgids are infesting hemlocks in western New York, marking a westward expansion by the nonnative pests. Residents of Monroe County have been asked to watch for the exotic tree pests, which sucks sap and nutrients fro... Continued...

L.A. babies get lifetime""s toxic air in 2 weeks, says study
Tuesday, September 17, 2002 By Reuters LOS ANGELES — A two-week-old baby in the Los Angeles area has already been exposed to more toxic air pollution than the U.S. government deems acceptable as a cancer risk over a lifetime, according to a report Monday by an environmental campaign group. The ... Continued...

Monday, September 16, 2002

Experts: Global Treaty to Limit Mercury Needed
GENEVA, Switzerland, September 13, 2002 (ENS) - World governments should launch talks for a legally binding treaty to limit mercury damage to human and ecosystem health, an international group of 150 scientists advised today. The Global Mercury Assessment Working Group of the United Nations Envi... Continued...

U.S. Rejoins UNESCO After 18 Year Absence
NEW YORK, New York, September 13, 2002 (ENS) - The United States will rejoin the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), President George W. Bush announced Thursday. Bush made the announcement during a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York City. "The U... Continued...

Study Warns of Health Risks From Fuels, Solvents
PORTLAND, Oregon, September 13, 2002 (ENS) - Certain chemical ingredients of gasoline, jet fuel and other solvents may pose a greater health hazard than first thought, say researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). Scientists at the OHSU Center for Research on Occupational and Enviro... Continued...

Watchdog says Great Lakes cleanup going too slow
Friday, September 13, 2002 By Robert Melnbardis, Reuters MONTREAL — Canada and the United States are moving too slowly to clean up the five Great Lakes to ensure that the vast freshwater system remains safe for drinking, swimming, and fishing, an international watchdog agency said Thursday. In ... Continued...

Confusion, conflict stall spread of alternative fuel vehicles
Friday, September 13, 2002 By Andrew Bridges, Associated Press WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In the parking lot of a building squeezed between Interstate 80 and the Sacramento River, Kota Manabe did something at once as elemental as it was revolutionary: he topped off the tank of a sport utility vehi... Continued...

Brazil meat exporter to ban transgenic exports
BRAZIL: September 16, 2002 RIO DE JANEIRO - A leading meat exporter in Brazil, one of the world's largest poultry and pork exporters, said last week that it will ban the export of food products containing genetically engineered (GE) ingredients. "We are doing everything to ensure that the... Continued...

Friday, September 13, 2002

EU eyes sustainable agriculture
In an effort to separate farm subsidies from food production, the European Commission (EC) in July proposed a series of far-reaching measures for overhauling Europe’s agricultural policy. The new proposals would make payments to farmers conditional on higher environmental, food safety, animal welfar... Continued...

Thursday, September 12, 2002

Wyoming River Protected from Old Texaco Refinery
SHERIDAN, Wyoming, September 11, 2002 (ENS) - After a seven year legal battle with Texaco to clean up the North Platte River below an old refinery site near Casper, Wyoming, compliance with the Clean Water Act has been achieved, the Sierra Club announced today. The Sierra Club first sued Texaco ... Continued...

Opinion: Bush Energy Policy Fuels Terrorists
WASHINGTON, DC, September 11, 2002 (ENS) - The Bush Administration must rethink its energy policy if it is to succeed in the war on terrorism, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director James Woolsey said today. Woolsey served from 1993 to 1995 as President Bill Clinton's first CIA director, ... Continued...

Electric motor efficiency means big energy savings
Thursday, September 12, 2002 By William McCall, Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. — Almost one-fourth of the electricity in the United States is consumed by electric motor systems that hum along in buildings and factories with little notice by the top executives who sign off on their purchase or re... Continued...

Wednesday, September 11, 2002

Southern Appalachians Want Forests Protected
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina, September 10, 2002 (ENS) - People who live in the Southern Appalachians want their national forests protected, show recent surveys by the Southern Research Station (SRS) of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The surveys by the SRS Recreation, Wilderness and Demographic Trend... Continued...

USGS Maps Aquatic Life in the Great Lakes
WASHINGTON, DC, September 10, 2002 (ENS) - A five year study in the Great Lakes basin aims to map unprotected areas that contain a wealth of biodiversity, and determine how free those habitats are from human disturbance. By locating the places that support a wide range of aquatic species, scientist... Continued...

California""s Native Grasses Can Be Restored
SANTA BARBARA, California, September 10, 2002 (ENS) - Native grasslands in California may be able to be restored without first eradicating invasive plants from Europe, show preliminary results from a new study. The study by researchers from the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) and t... Continued...

California""s efficient washing machine law puts manufacturers in spin cycle
Wednesday, September 11, 2002 By Louise Chu, Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is changing the way it handles its dirty laundry. A law signed by Gov. Gray Davis on Sunday requires all residential clothes washers to be at least as water efficient as commercial washers starting in J... Continued...

Golden, Colo., faces mandatory water restrictions after losing appeal in Water Court
Wednesday, September 11, 2002 By Associated Press GOLDEN, Colo. — The city of Golden has banned all outdoor water use after it lost an appeal of a state order saying it must shut off nearly half its water supply and allow the water to flow to drought-stricken neighbors downstream. The city, one ... Continued...

Everglades restoration may not repair water quality
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers $7.8 billion plan to restore southern Florida’s Everglades may cause further problems or not meet its goals. Replenishing freshwater flows to the Everglades could further destabilize the receiving waters of Florida Bay with elevated levels of nitrogen, according to a... Continued...

Australia struggles to launch ethanol industry
AUSTRALIA: September 11, 2002 BRISBANE - Efforts to kickstart an ethanol industry in Australia to try and rescue the country's troubled sugar producers have stalled amid claims the oil companies are reluctant to commit to using the renewable fuel. The Australian government is considering ... Continued...

EU water directive could revolutionise farming
LEICESTER - Governments across Europe may be forced to revolutionise farming in their countries in the face of a new European Union directive to dramatically raise the quality of river water, scientists said. The Water Framework Directive, which must be transposed into national law across the ... Continued...

Tuesday, September 10, 2002

Environmentalists Hail the Ranchers: Howdy, Pardners!
By JON CHRISTENSEN NIMAS, N.M. — Ever since the great cattle drives of the Old West, ranching has been suspected of chewing up Western ecosystems. For decades, environmentalists have tried to limit grazing from public lands, where ranchers lease pastures from the government. But some scientists ... Continued...

ICC Unlikely to Touch Military Environmental Crime
WASHINGTON, DC, September 9, 2002 (ENS) - The International Criminal Court is not likely to prosecute environmental crimes due to military actions, a new report prepared for the U.S. Army Environmental Policy Institute concludes. It examines the possibilities of environmental damage during military ... Continued...

Virginia Malaria Cases Prompt Pesticide Spraying
LEESBURG, Virginia, September 9, 2002 (ENS) -Two Virginia teenagers were diagnosed last week with malaria, prompting health officials to spray area neighborhoods tonight to kill disease carrying mosquitoes. The spraying began at dusk today in the Cascades and Sugarland Run area of Loudoun County. T... Continued...

Jetski Agreement Extends Park Closures
WASHINGTON, DC, September 9, 2002 (ENS) - The National Park Service (NPS) and Bluewater Network have reached a settlement extending the date when personal watercraft (PWC) use would be banned from eight units of the national park system. The agreement, filed Friday with the U.S. District Court for ... Continued...

Long Island Farm Hosts Wind Turbines
ALBANY, New York, September 9, 2002 (ENS) - A new wind project on Long Island will generate 100,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity for New York state every year. The first of five wind turbines, to be located on a working farm in Suffolk County, was dedicated on August 31 by New York Governor ... Continued...

Environmentalists see possible risks in nanotechnology""s marvelous potential
Tuesday, September 10, 2002 By Jim Krane, Associated Press NEW YORK — It's supposed to make computers small enough to implant into a wrist and supply materials that strengthen and lighten bridges and airplanes. It might even cure cancer. But some environmentalists fear that nanotechnology, the f... Continued...

Exotic Antarctic species face climate wipeout
Tuesday, September 10, 2002 By Jeremy Lovell, Reuters LEICESTER, England — Thousands of the world's most exotic species of sea animals from spiders the size of dinner plates to giant woodlice face extinction if Antarctic sea temperatures rise as predicted, a scientist said on Monday. "If the mo... Continued...

Experts start talks on reducing mercury emissions
Tuesday, September 10, 2002 By Naomi Koppel, Associated Press GENEVA — Experts from around the globe gathered here Monday to look at ways of reducing the health problems and environmental damage caused by mercury. "We need to make mercury poisoning a thing of the past," said Klaus Toepfer, head ... Continued...

Synthesizing the next decade of ecological research
To improve scientific understanding of complex environmental problems, the National Science Foundation’s long-term ecological research (LTER) program should begin “a decade of synthesis,” according to a report reviewing the program’s first 20 years. Over the years, the LTER program has evolved from ... Continued...

INTERVIEW - Insurer calls for tough rules on pollution
UK: September 6, 2002 LONDON - A senior insurance figure said the industry had been frozen out of the Earth Summit in Johannesburg and called for tougher measures against climate changes which risk costing insurers billions of dollars. Carlos Joly, head of the insurance industry's environ... Continued...

Web Tool Shows Print Media Impact on World’s Forests
Source: GreenBiz.com San Francisco, Sept 5, 2002 - The Magazine PAPER Project has launched a new web-based calculator that offers magazine publishers and readers the opportunity to calculate the number of trees that are logged as a result of printing any particular U.S. magazine on non-recycled p... Continued...

Experts mull global pact to cut mercury use
SWITZERLAND: September 10, 2002 GENEVA - Scientists from around the globe began a week-long conference yesterday aimed at shaping a programme to cut back the use of mercury - a toxic substance which poisons and cripples hundreds of people annually. The meeting, organised by the United Nat... Continued...

USDA provides $323 mln for conservation programs
USA: September 9, 2002 WASHINGTON - The U.S. Agriculture Department last week announced the availability of $323 million to protect environmentally fragile land. As mandated by the new U.S. farm law, $48 million will be offered through the Farmland Protection Program. The program allows U... Continued...

Wednesday, September 4, 2002

Lawsuit Charges Government with Climate Crimes
WASHINGTON, DC, September 3, 2002 (ENS) - Conservation groups filed a first of its kind lawsuit last week charging two U.S. government agencies with illegally funding projects that contribute to global warming. Friends of the Earth (FoE), Greenpeace and the city of Boulder, Colorado filed the suit ... Continued...

Federal Grants Benefit Native Fish and Water Users
WASHINGTON, DC, September 3, 2002 (ENS) - The Pacific Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded more than $1.5 million in grants to help water users in the Pacific Northwest make improvements that will benefit native fish such as salmon and bull trout. The grants, awarded last month,... Continued...

Homeowners Encouraged to Control Invasive Species
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, September 3, 2002 (ENS) - Homeowners and tourists can use some simple strategies to help control the exotic species invading America's ecosystems, says one Virginia professor. Jim Parkhurst, associate professor of fisheries and wildlife in the College of Natural Resources at V... Continued...

Earth Summit won""t save planet, but might help
Wednesday, September 04, 2002 By Alister Doyle JOHANNESBURG. South Africa — They flew around the world in pollution-spewing jets, ate expensive food in Africa where many go hungry, and worked out a plan to "save the planet." But experts say a blueprint close to agreement by the widely maligned ... Continued...

Keeping drugs out of drinking water
The first systematic investigation of how effectively drinking water treatment technologies remove pharmaceutical products has found that the technologies being used in Germany appear to do a good job, according to new ES&T research (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36, 3855-3863). However, the paper’s ... Continued...

Brighton Companies Balancing Their Carbon Footprint
Source: Edie News BRIGHTON, England, September 3, 2002 - A group of 16 companies and organisations from Brighton and Hove are making strides towards balancing their emissions so that they leave no carbon footprint. Companies such as The Body Shop International, BBC Southern Counties Radio, Ze... Continued...

Tuesday, September 3, 2002

People Demand Progress, Mbeki Tells World
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 2, 2002 (ENS) - Agreements made over the past week should enable world leaders gathering in South Africa to emerge from the World Summit on Sustainable Development with a concrete plan of action that will give meaning to the summit's theme - People, Planet and P... Continued...

Toledo, Ohio Agrees to Improve Sewage System
TOLEDO, Ohio, August 30, 2002 (ENS) - The city of Toledo must stop dumping raw sewage into nearby waterways, under a Clean Water Act settlement with federal and state officials. The Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Ohio filed a settlement Wednesday in... Continued...

Business group pushes green guidelines at Summit
SOUTH AFRICA: September 2, 2002 JOHANNESBURG - A group that includes some of the world's biggest businesses proposed a set of guidelines on the weekend to improve corporate responsibility on social and environmental issues. Campaigners at the U.N. Earth Summit in Johannesburg want world l... Continued...

Rothschild, E3 launch carbon credit investment fund
SYDNEY - Rothschild Australia and Australia-based environmental group E3 International launched yesterday a new fund to allow highly polluting companies to offset their emissions by buying carbon credits from cleaner firms. Billed as the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region and soon to... Continued...

Kyoto climate goals are not enough, Blair says
MAPUTO - British Prime Minister Tony Blair called on the weekend for more ambitious goals to curb climate change, saying sceptics like the United States could be won over by a global drive to develop clean fuel technology. Trying to bridge one of the bitterest disputes at the Earth Summit in S... Continued...

Thursday, August 29, 2002

City Sprawl Worsens Water Shortages
By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, August 28, 2002 (ENS) - Sprawling development slows the replenishment of underground aquifers, making it harder for communities to cope with drought, warns a report released today by three environmental groups. The first of its kind study details the impacts of pav... Continued...

Rural areas lack resources to curb sprawl
Rural areas that are on the forefront of future sprawl lack the funding and organization that smart-growth planning requires, according to a report released in late July by the Northeast-Midwest Institute, a Washington, DC-based, nonprofit research organization. The report provides examples of rural... Continued...

Brokers blaze trail for new greenhouse gas market
US: August 29, 2002 NEW YORK - Big business brokers in trading rooms at staid Wall Street addresses may be doing more to cut pollution than protesters at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Take Benedikt von Butler, a broker at Evolution Markets LLC in Manhattan, who is one of... Continued...

Wednesday, August 28, 2002

Energy bill bodes well for farmers
A USDA study says increased demand for ethanol would boost national farm income. By PHILIP BRASHER Register Washington Bureau 08/27/2002 ------------------------------------------------------------ Washington, D.C. - Farmers could see the price of corn rise about 3 percent a year if Congress pass... Continued...

Earth Summit delegates clash over renewable energy
Wednesday, August 28, 2002 By Robin Pomeroy, Reuters JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Negotiators at the Johannesburg Earth Summit have clashed over the future of green energy, an issue at the heart of sustainable development, delegates said Tuesday. Renewable energies like wind and solar are being ... Continued...

Tuesday, August 27, 2002

Bayer in GM Crop Contamination Scandals
On 15th August it emerged that Bayer's new agricultural wing, Bayer CropScience (1), was responsible for the illegal planting of genetically modified (GM) oil seed rape (OSR) contaminated with an unauthorised GM crop line in field trials across the UK. GM seed, planted at more than 20 farm scale tri... Continued...

Bt cotton -- bitter harvest
The Bt cotton bubble is beginning to burst. Reports reaching from Khargone distrct in Madhya Pradesh, in the heart of the cotton-growing belt in India, indicate 100 per cent crop failure. Farmers are naturally demanding compensation from the company. In the northern regions of the country, Bt cotton... Continued...

Greens say rich nations hamper Earth Summit
JOHANNESBURG - Environmentalists denounced a proposal to bridge a North-South rift on the eve of the Earth Summit in Johannesburg on the weekend as a sell-out to rich nations seeking freer trade and corporate globalisation. "It's making a farce of the Earth Summit," Greenpeace political direct... Continued...

Monday, August 26, 2002

Altered animals a threat to environment
Genetic manipulation of animals poses serious risks to the environment and potentially to human health, and federal efforts to manage those risks are disorganized and probably inadequate, a panel of the National Academy of Sciences said Tuesday. In a long-awaited report, the nation's premier scienti... Continued...

Controversial animal feed builds concrete career in construction
Walls have ears, and soon they could have the burnt remains of snouts, bones and skin as well. No longer able to feed meat-and-bone meal (MBM) to farm animals, British researchers are assessing its potential as a construction material. The Meat and Livestock Commission has asked engineers at the Bui... Continued...

Thursday, August 22, 2002

EPA urged to inspect all biotech field trials
The Environmental Protection Agency has been urged to inspect all field trials of bioengineered crops in the wake of allegations that two companies failed to provide adequate protection against “gene pollution.” The Center for Science in the Public Interest wrote EPA Administrator Christie Whitm... Continued...

Deputy appointments at WTO, Monsanto lawyer, career diplomats
Dr Supachai, who takes up his official duties as Director-General on 1 September 2002, hoped that his new deputies would be able to start familiarizing themselves with their work in September alongside the current Deputy Directors-General, in order to ensure continuity during the transitional pe... Continued...

FOOD MULTINATIONALS NEED MORE REGULATION
The operations of large food multinationals should be more actively regulated by developing nations heavily reliant on agriculture, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Monday. An FAO study, released Tuesday, warns that globalization "has led to the rise of multinat... Continued...

State""s GMOs stance: We are poor, but with dignity
FOR one whole week of heightened national debate on suitability or non-suitability of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), I have held my breadth of fear that our Government may accept those foods because of the desperate cereal deficit at hand. But in that late Friday night national address o... Continued...

Scientists unveil new cloned pig breakthrough
Researchers in the US have made a major breakthrough in their efforts to create animals that can act as human organ donors. Scientists working for PPL Therapeutics, a UK biotechnology company, have removed the genes that cause organ rejection from cloned pigs. PPL said four healthy piglets, gene... Continued...

WHO urges countries to accept modified food
The World Health Organisation has summoned African governments to a crisis meeting in Zimbabwe to try to allay fears over genetically modified food as emergency relief. The meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, is an attempt by the international agency to overcome the refusal of several famine-... Continued...

NY, gives $17 mln to develop five wind farms
NEW YORK - New York will give more than $17 million to develop five wind farms that will add 315 megawatts of electric capacity to the power grid, according to a statement released by the office of New York Governor George Pataki. "New York State can potentially develop thousands of megawatts ... Continued...

US, Mexico to fund water conservation projects
SAN ANTONIO - The U.S. and Mexico agreed this week to jointly fund $80 million in water conservation projects in what a U.S. Treasury Department official said was a sign of the Bush administration's commitment to Latin America. The projects were approved by the North American Development Bank,... Continued...

Raising the Bar on Eco-Friendly Winery Design
Alongside the industry trend toward sustainable viticultural practices, environmentally responsible winery design is picking up a momentum of its own. For both audacity of concept and attention to detail, the new Sanford Winery in Santa Barbara’s Santa Ynez Valley has raised the standard for “green... Continued...

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

EPA faults Pioneer crop tests
Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. failed to follow conditions required to conduct open-air field tests of corn genetically engineered to produce its own pesticide, federal regulators claim. In an Aug. 5 letter to the Des Moines-based seed company, the Environmental Protection Agency alleged Pioneer... Continued...

Pacific Seeds incinerates 30 tonnes of maize due to GM
Australian seed giant Pacific Seeds has been forced to incinerate 30 tonnes of maize in Auckland, New Zealand, after it emerged that the seed was contaminated with genetically modified material. The GM material, designed to ensure insect and weed resistance, was discovered after routine post har... Continued...

"FAIR TASTES BETTER": 10 YEARS OF TRANSFAIR
TransFair e.V. based in Cologne will be 10 years old in autumn 2002. Goods to the value of 50 million EUR a year are meanwhile sold in Germany. The non-profit-making association is supported by 38 organizations, including the major churches, and provides its logo for use by the cooperating busin... Continued...

INTERNET CONFERENCE ON ORGANIC BEEF PRODUCTION
The Brazilian organization EMBRAPA Pantanal in cooperation with the University of Contestado (Concórdia) is organizing what is probably the first virtual conference in the world on "Organic Beef Production". There are various organic beef projects in Pantanal. One of them, the Organic Veal Proje... Continued...

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

Who Really Benefits from the Farm Gravy Money
Journalism practically hemorrhaged with reports about the billions of dollars in subsidies that grain farmers were raking in from the Department of Gravy, formerly known as the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But I still haven't seen the whole story reported. And I'm not talking about the fact t... Continued...

Genomic Tools Will Always be a Must-Have for Big Pharma
NEW YORK, Aug. 19 - As big pharma's product pipeline continues to wither, the role of genomics-tool and -data providers becomes increasingly uncertain. Will the pressure on pharma firms to develop new products at all costs mean that genomic companies can expect an increase in new-technology orde... Continued...

Are Trade Agreements A Forum For Aboriginal Rights?
A May 17-19 symposium at New York University School of Law considered the manner in which multilateral trade regimes might provide new opportunities for advocacy of aboriginal rights. Professor Russel Barsh of NYU, widely recognized as one of the leading experts on aboriginal rights/tenure, chaired ... Continued...

STUDY FINDS OVERWHELMING ECONOMIC BENEFITS IN LAND PRESERVATION
A group of scientists and economists have calculated that forests, wetlands and other natural ecosystems are worth far more to human economies than the same land developed. The study, published in the August 9 edition of Science, found that every year, conversion of wildlands via logging, farming, o... Continued...

Is U.S Farm Policy All Wrong? A Chorus of Critics Thinks So
CHICAGO -- A growing number of economists think Washington's agricultural policy, slated to cost taxpayers a near-record $20 billion annually starting this fall, is dumb. They contend the policy will fuel crop gluts while rewarding a fairly well-off bunch: Farmers. On the issue of subsidies in gener... Continued...

Canada bans U.S. potato imports
CHARLOTTETOWN - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is restricting imports of American seed potatoes because of an outbreak of the mop top virus. The restriction comes after the discovery of the virus, also known as PMTV, in potatoes from nine American states. The virus is not a threat to humans, bu... Continued...

The drought in the US
Again and again with each passing day we see actions from the Oval Office, Congress, and the nation's corporate boardrooms that one might justifiably think would evoke widespread citizen outrage to a degree not seen in this country in decades. Yet the public's torpor seems to be all pervasive so it ... Continued...

Hog farmers eye feed costs
There's an old saying in the hog business: "Cheap corn makes for cheap hogs." Here's the logic behind the old saw: The price of corn makes up as much as 60 percent of the cost of producing market-ready hogs, so when the price of corn gets low, farmers feed the cheap corn to more hogs. That increases... Continued...

Biotechs on edge as money evaporates
Seattle's biotech industry is working on some of the most complicated medical science in the world, but it relies on a simple mantra its executives know by heart: "Cash is king." That fundamental principle is causing many biotech companies some serious grief. For more than a year, as stocks have fal... Continued...

Financial Times editorial: "Monsanto enters a time of transition"
The chief technology officer of Monsanto, the leading agricultural biotechnology group, has a framed cartoon in his office. Under the caption: "We're giving genetically engineered food two thumbs up," it depicts a fat professor, hair awry, displaying two prominent thumbs on his left hand. While the ... Continued...

Declaration on the crisis affecting primary commodities and coffee
Present trends indicate that commodity prices have been spiraling down for the past twenty years and have fallen to historical lows. In 2001, real commodity prices for agriculture, raw materials and minerals have fallen to 60 percent of their price levels in 1980. Prices for tropical beverages i... Continued...

Monday, August 19, 2002

N.C. to use tobacco money for biotech jobs
RALEIGH - The N.C. foundation created by the national tobacco settlement announced Wednesday it will invest $85 million into an economic stimulus package devoted to bringing as many as 25,000 new biotechnology jobs to the state. State leaders hope the Golden LEAF Foundation investment, which coul... Continued...

Genetically altered sunflowers may pose environmental risk
Genetically altered sunflowers may pose environmental risk A new study funded by Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Mycogen Seeds could stir up concerns about genetically modified plants. The study found that when GM and wild sunflowers cross-breed they produce more seeds than the wild version and pl... Continued...

World Food Prize goes to Dr. Pedro Sanchez
The World Food Prize Foundation has selected Dr. Pedro Sanchez as winner of the 2002 World Food Prize. The Foundation said it is honoring Sanchez for his groundbreaking work throughout the developing world that helped transform depleted tropical soils into productive agricultural lands. Sanchez, who... Continued...

Drought Prompts USDA to Slash Crop Estimates
Drought Prompts USDA to Slash Crop Estimates; Agriculture: The turnaround is the most dramatic for corn and soybeans; bumper crops had been expected. Futures prices jump. By CHARLES ABBOTT, REUTERS Brutal drought in the American Grain Belt, part of a downturn in crops worldwide, will bring the small... Continued...

Preventable water-related illnesses could kill as many as 76 million
Preventable water-related illnesses could kill as many as 76 million people by the year 2020 unless nations take action to improve their water-delivery systems, according to a report by a California environmental research institute. Most of the affected people would likely be children in developing ... Continued...

African Biotech to Benefit from WSSD
Following a series of sensitization meetings organized by the African Biotechnology Stakeholders' Forum (ABSF) in collaboration with ISAAA Africentre, the media in Kenya has highlighted the role of the forthcoming World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, in shap... Continued...

GM CROPS AS SAFE AS CONVENTIONAL CROPS
Dr. Bruce Chassy of the University of Illinois, states that "crops produced through biotechnology have proven to be as safe as or safer than crops produced by conventional breeding". He further elaborates that these crops could even be safer using Bt corn as an example. It needs less pesticides thus... Continued...

Pope warns of moral dangers of genetic engineering
KRAKOW, POLAND - Pope John Paul celebrated a lavish, outdoor mass Sunday before more than two million people in Poland. The crowd cheered and chanted, "You are home! Stay with us." Tiring near the end of the three-hour mass, the 82-year-old Pope warned of the dangers of scientific advances su... Continued...

Monsanto scales down hopes on GM foods
Monsanto has dealt a blow to the biotech industry by accepting that it could take at least until 2005 to gain regulatory approval in either Europe or Brazil for its genetically modified products In an interview with the Financial Times, Hendrik Verfaillie, chief executive, said Monsanto needed to be... Continued...

""The Death of Frankenfoods""
Contrary to the claims of a literal army of public relations flacks, indentured politicians, and scientists, the first wave of genetically engineered (GE) foods and crops have apparently suffered a fatal hemorrhage. Future historians will likely record Tuesday, July 30, 2002 as the beginning of the ... Continued...

The Free-Trade Fix I
Globalization is a phenomenon that has remade the economy of virtually every nation, reshaped almost every industry and touched billions of lives, often in surprising and ambiguous ways. The stories filling the front pages in recent weeks -- about economic crisis and contagion in Argentina, Uruguay ... Continued...

The Free-trade Fix II
But today if I were to picket globalization, I would protest other inequities. In a way, the chicken worker, who came to the factory when driving a taxi ceased to be profitable, is a beneficiary of globalization. So are the millions of young women who have left rural villages to be exploited gluing ... Continued...

Bush to skip Earth Summit, Powell to lead US team
WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush will not attend the Johannesburg Earth Summit this month but will send Secretary of State Colin Powell to lead the U.S. delegation, officials said last week. An official said Bush, spending August at his Texas ranch, was not going partly because he wa... Continued...

Zambia to refuse GM food aid, says diplomat
LONDON - Zambia will refuse to accept food aid that has been genetically modified even though it faces an acute hunger crisis, its top diplomat in Britain said last week. Zambia is struggling with a huge maize shortfall, brought on by drought and floods over the last two growing seasons. The ... Continued...

Friday, August 16, 2002

Australian firm develops biopesticide for cotton
BRISBANE - An Australian company has developed a biopesticide that uses a virus from farmed infected insects to destroy the main enemy of the cotton plant, the boll weevil. The biopesticide, named Vivus and Australia's first, is based on a naturally occurring live virus that kills only boll weev... Continued...

India to raise ethanol content in blended petrol
NEW DELHI - India plans to double the ratio of ethanol in petrol after introducing the blended fuel with five percent alcohol content all over the country, Petroleum Minister Ram Naik said this week. From January, it will be compulsory for petrol stations in nine Indian states to sell petrol with... Continued...

Extreme weather conditions revive debate on climate change
With 12 days to go before the start of the Johannesburg summit, the flooding of Prague and other Central European areas has restarted the debate on the effects of climate change. Although meteorologists are divided in their explanations of the current extreme bad weather situations, some politicians... Continued...

UNEP sounds alarm over global implications of Asian pollution cloud
A group of scientists, working for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), published a report "The Asian Brown Cloud: Climate and other Environmental Impacts". The report indicates that a huge brown cloud consisting of ash, soot, acids, aerosol gases and other particles is creating serious environm... Continued...

GM trials ruined by rogue antibiotic gene strain
Seed sown in GM trials over the past three years has been contaminated with controversial antibiotic genes which went undetected by government inspectors. Embarrassed officials admitted yesterday that there had been a "serious breach" of regulations and that the seed company, Aventis, was under inve... Continued...

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

Australia sets sights on first Solar Tower
MELBOURNE - Australia is set to become home to the world's first Solar Tower, a one kilometre high structure with the potential to generate enough electricity to supply a city of more than 200,000 people. Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said yesterday the project had been granted "Maj... Continued...

Rainforest loss slower than thought
BRUSSELS - A European study has found that the world's tropical rainforests are disappearing more slowly than previously thought, though the rate of destruction is still alarming, a magazine reported. The study by a team at the European Union's Joint Research Centre found the area of rainfores... Continued...

Farmers to expand soy use with edible crayons
ISTANBUL - Your toddlers have just munched and swallowed their crayons. But don't panic, say "bon appetit"! The colouring sticks are made from healthy soybeans. U.S. farming groups are counting on new products such as edible crayons to eat up a bigger proportion of soybean production and boost... Continued...

Toyota""s Prius first to get $2,000 tax deduction OK
WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Corp.'s gas-electric Prius hybrid car this week became the first vehicle to qualify for a $2,000 clean-burning fuel tax break. The Internal Revenue Service said purchasers of the Prius sedan for model years 2001, 2002 and 2003 may claim a one-time income tax deduction... Continued...

Bush set to skip Earth Summit
WASHINGTON - When the United States' delegation heads to the Johannesburg Earth Summit this month President George W. Bush will probably still be on holiday at his Texas ranch. The U.S. delegation faces international anger over Bush's rejection of the Kyoto treaty to combat global warming and ... Continued...

Aid and GE crops
There is clearly some misunderstanding on the real reasons behind Zimbabwean, Mozambican and Zambian reluctance to accept Genetically Engineered (GE) food-aid, sourced from the USA. This was evident by both Grogan's cartoon of Presidents Mugabe and Mwanawasa feasting whilst their people starve, and ... Continued...

North American Success Comes at Global Expense
WASHINGTON, DC, August 13, 2002 (ENS) - The United States and Canada have had some success in improving local environments where their citizens can enjoy clean air and water and green space, but these improvements have come at the expense of global natural resources and climate, according to a Unite... Continued...

Wildlife Studies Suggest Chemical Threat to Humans
WASHINGTON, DC, August 13, 2002 (ENS) - Exposure to certain endocrine disrupting environmental contaminants is harming wildlife, concludes a new report from the International Program on Chemical Safety. However, the report, which assesses what science already knows about the effects of these compoun... Continued...

Polychloronaphthalenes turn up in unexpected places
Research in the August 15 issue of ES&T (pp. 3490–3496) documents for the first time the presence of polychloronaphthalenes (PCNs) in animals from the Antarctic. Although these chemicals are no longer being manufactured in most countries, the findings suggest that their distribution in the environme... Continued...

Refining toxicity determinations
A new, more sensitive method for assessing toxicity thresholds developed by a graduate student at Canada’s University of Guelph may hold promise for examining the risks that exposures to chemicals pose to rare species or highly vulnerable ecosystems. However, ecotoxicologists disagree as to the vali... Continued...

Automakers’ carbon burdens mount
Increasing consumer demand for minivans, light trucks, and sport utility vehicles caused a dramatic increase in CO2 emissions from 1990 to 2000, claims a report by Environmental Defense, a nonprofit environmental organization. The report calculates the automakers’ “carbon burden”—their annual emissi... Continued...

CO/NOx ratio shifts downward
The U.S. EPA estimates that from 1988 to 1998 total U.S. on-road vehicle emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) decreased 29%, while nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions increased 1.4%, corresponding to an annual average decrease in the CO/NOx ratio of 3.5%. Those estimates, however, are now in question, based... Continued...

Mopping up the Baltic region
An environmental fund supported by northern European countries, the European Commission, and Russia was launched in July to help clean up water and air pollution in northwestern Russia that has spilled into the entire Baltic Sea region. The fund is the first step in dealing with an enormous legac... Continued...

EU plan for GMOs
The European Parliament has tightened stringent new rules on the tracing and labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food. If approved later next year, the rules would replace the current moratorium on GMO approvals in the European Union (EU). Parliament agreed that labeling should ... Continued...

Tuesday, August 13, 2002

Developers of genetically modified crops forge on
ISTANBUL - Researchers and seed companies are hard at work developing new genetically modified (GM) crops despite the storm of opposition they face from consumers, especially in Europe, scientists told a conference yesterday. The new varieties range from a new soybean that yields healthier veg... Continued...

Labels for genetically altered food put to vote
Oregon voters could make their state the first to require the labeling of genetically engineered foods, and the food industry is mounting a major effort to defeat the measure. The initiative measure, which will be on Oregon's November ballot, would require labeling of food and food additives that... Continued...

Friday, August 9, 2002

Solar power to challenge dominance of fossil fuels
MELBOURNE - Solar power is one of the world's fastest growing renewable energy sources, offering a potentially endless supply of power generation capable of meeting the electricity demands of the whole planet. Yet two billion people in developing countries lack access to modern energy services... Continued...

Ford says SUV fuel economy goal getting tougher
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan - Ford Motor Co.'s goal of increasing the fuel efficiency of its sport utility vehicles by 25 percent in five years has become tougher because some new fuel-saving techniques have failed to live up to expectations, Ford's environmental chief said on Thursday. "When you ... Continued...

Thursday, August 8, 2002

Italian court probes 10 seed companies over GMOs
ROME - An Italian court is investigating 10 seed companies for allegedly using maize containing genetic material in violation of Italian law, a judicial official said. The court in Turin launched the probe late on Tuesday after state seed agency Ense tested samples from seed companies for geneticall... Continued...

Sharp to charge up solar battery business in US
NARA, Japan - Japanese electronics giant Sharp Corp will start making solar batteries in the United States from next April to help expand the small but growing part of its business, a company official said. Sharp expects its sales of solar batteries to surge to 49 billion yen ($405.1 million) ... Continued...

The Earth Summit, officially the United Nations"" World Summit
The Earth Summit, officially the United Nations' World Summit on Sustainable Development, opens in Johannesburg on August 26. The five official themes for the meeting, billed as the largest U.N. gathering in history, are water and sanitation, energy, agricultural productivity & food security, ... Continued...

Water security key issue at UN summit
JOHANNESBURG - Water security will be a key issue at the U.N.'s World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg from August 26 to September 4. A follow-up to the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, it aims to map out a concrete set of action plans to reduce global poverty and the Nort... Continued...

South Africa""s Nedbank launches green unit trust
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's Nedbank said on Wednesday it was launching the country's first sustainable development vehicle to mark the advent of the global Earth Summit taking place in Johannesburg later this month. "The Fund is a Domestic General Equity Fund and aims to provide investors with lon... Continued...

Don""t tap farm funds for disaster aid - US growers
WASHINGTON - Farmers and ranchers feeling the sting of extreme weather need a comprehensive disaster aid package and the new farm subsidy law should not be pared back to pay for it, the head of the largest U.S. farm group said on Wednesday. Drought has dried rangeland in the Plains and cut into the ... Continued...

US may set guidelines for biotech-free crops
WASHINGTON - Amid growing global demand for biotech-free food, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Tuesday it may create a voluntary system to verify if shipments of U.S. corn, soybeans and other crops were genetically altered. The move comes as the United States begins market-opening talks with... Continued...

New Poll Finds Little Support for Bush""s Global Warming Policy
More than three-quarters of voters surveyed in a new national poll conducted by Zogby International said that the federal government should set standards to reduce the emissions of heat-trapping gases that cause global warming. The poll also found that voters overwhelmingly believe that the U.S. mus... Continued...

Wednesday, August 7, 2002

Deregulation, globalisation blamed for farm fall off in Australia
Deregulation and globalisation are said to be the main reasons for a massive fall in the number of farms in Australia in the past 25 years. The Centre of Rural and Social Research has released figures showing an average of 15 farms go out of business each week. The director of the centre at ... Continued...

If Russia Joins WTO, One Third of Her Citizens Will Lose Their Livelihoods
MOSCOW, August 5. As Alexander Stepanov, the Deputy Director of the Informational Service of the Russian Union of Producers, said while speaking at a press conference today, 'The issue of Russia's joining the World Trade Organisation is an issue of national security'. Mr. Stepanov believes Russia is... Continued...

Tokyo turns to rooftop gardens to beat the heat
TOKYO - At a run-down three-storey office block in downtown Tokyo, government clerks and secretaries cool off amongst azaleas, hydrangeas and even blueberry bushes during coffee breaks, seemingly far away from the sweltering urban heat. The garden is not a perk for bureaucrats or reckless use of tax... Continued...

Fair trade coffee buzz gaining momentum
LIMA, Peru - Sales of fair trade coffee, which guarantees socially minded consumers that the farmers behind their cappuccinos are well paid, may still make up only a fraction of the total market, but they are climbing despite a rut in world prices, industry officials said on Tuesday. "There's ... Continued...

From stalk to fuel tank, ethanol a net energy gain
WASHINGTON - Measured from cornfield to the fuel tank, ethanol provides more energy than is consumed in producing it, researchers said in a new report that could figure in congressional debate over U.S. energy policy. House and Senate negotiators hope to agree by mid-September on a compromise ... Continued...

World Bank approves $202 million Mexico loan
WASHINGTON - The World Bank said on Tuesday it has approved a $202 million loan backing efforts to improving environmental efforts in Mexico. The bank said in a statement the cash will be used to better balance sustainable development with sound environmental management in key areas such as water, e... Continued...

Iowa farmer appointed to USDA job despite opposition
WASHINGTON - The White House on Tuesday appointed an Iowa farmer to a senior job at the U.S. Agriculture Department after his nomination came under fire from farm activitists, environmentalists and civil rights groups. Thomas Dorr will serve as USDA undersecretary for rural development in a so... Continued...

Minnesota Power unit cancels power plant joint venture
SAN FRANCISCO - Utility Minnesota Power and a Finnish-owned paper company said on Tuesday they had canceled plans to build a power plant in Minnesota because the joint venture project was not cost effective. Minnesota Power, a subsidiary of Duluth, Minnesota-based Allete Inc. , and Blandin Pap... Continued...

Earth-friendly food served at national parks, resorts
DENVER, August 2, 2002 ­ Xanterra Parks & Resorts has expanded its line-up of food-related environmental initiatives. The programs include the use of organically grown, bird-friendly coffee; use of natural beef raised on sustainable lands; and a ban on serving certain kinds of seafood because of thr... Continued...

Tuesday, August 6, 2002

UNICEF Coalition Calls On U.N. Agency To Cut Ties With
An international coalition of academics and health officials called Wednesday for UNICEF to end its partnership with McDonald's, accusing the corporation of undermining U.N. efforts to promote healthy diets, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports. "McDonald's is the global leader in the marketing of junk f... Continued...

Groundbreaking Report Challenges Conventional Wisdom on Role
First large-scale study of evidence from developing countries proves that emerging market companies gain financially from sustainability ­ The greatest evidence of benefits were from cost saving and productivity, revenue growth and market access ­ Sustainability is not a "one size fits all" endeavor... Continued...

Bug-Eating Bugs Scratch Out A New, Growing Retail Niche
VENTURA, Calif. -- Jan Dietrich got the call in April: Fox TV needed 5,000 maggots, ASAP, for a pilot of its reality show, "Truth or Consequences." "But they had to be clean maggots," says Ms. Dietrick, general manager of Rincon-Vitova Insectaries Inc. "They said, 'Are they sterile? The contestan... Continued...

Zimbabwe reconsiders GM grain
The original marketing of GM crops without any public consultation, their release into the food supply without adequate testing, the failure to routinely segregate or label, are leading to a horrific dilemma for the nations of Southern Africa now faced with rapidly dwindling food stocks but anxious ... Continued...

US to force GE food onto the WSSD agenda
Ten years ago at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Genetically Engineered (GE) food was not even on the radar screen. At the Johannesburg Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), it remains off the agenda, yet it will be one of the hottest topics in town. This summit takes place in the shadow of... Continued...

World Bank/IMF forces a famine on Malawi
The Great Bengal Famine of 1943, in which some estimated 1.5 to 3 million people perished, was caused because the then colonial masters thought it prudent to export food rather than to feed the poor and hungry. We all know this. We all know the sordid politics of food that forces some people to beha... Continued...

USDA creates new biotechnology unit
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has created a new unit within the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) called Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) to focus on USDA's key role in regulating and facilitating biotechnology. The creation of BRS provides APHIS and its cadre of biotechno... Continued...

Brazil may earn pollution credits from forestry
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - A pilot forestry project, which could earn Brazil tradeable pollution credits under the Kyoto protocol, is one of the main innovations in the 2002/03 (July/June) agriculture and livestock investment plan. Agriculture Minister Marcus Vinicius Pratini de Moraes said the ... Continued...

Fish killer microbe may not be toxic, after all
WASHINGTON - A tiny organism blamed for killing billions of fish off the U.S. East Coast and for making some fishermen sick may not be toxic, but may simply weaken fish by nibbling holes in their skin, researchers said on Monday. The scientists said they found no evidence that Pfiesteria, bl... Continued...

Monday, August 5, 2002

Hungry for Justice
It isn't every day we hear that doing right means also doing well in politics. But the Alliance to End World Hunger has brought us just such a message in the form of a poll showing that Americans care deeply that some of their countrymen are hungry and that others around the world are starving, and ... Continued...

Antibiotics May Be Useful Against "Mad Cow" Disease
A common antibiotic may be a useful weapon against the abnormal proteins that cause "mad cow" and other brain-wasting diseases, researchers in Italy report. Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) as it is officially called, is an incurable brain-wasting disease in cows. More t... Continued...

Half Europe""s seals to die due to virus
TJORN, Sweden - Some 20,000 seals, around half the seal population of Western Europe, are expected to die from a virus raging in the seas between southern Sweden and the Dutch coast, a Swedish scientist said on Friday. The epidemic, which is currently taking most of its toll among harbour seal... Continued...

EPA, Enviros Disagree on Pesticide Reassessment
WASHINGTON, DC, August 5, 2002 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency claimed on Friday that it has met a Congressionally mandated deadline to reassess the safety of pesticides. But the Natural Resources Defense Council, which sued the agency over its pesticide reviews and won a settlement... Continued...

EPA Refuses to Delay Diesel Rule
WASHINGTON, DC, August 2, 2002 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has denied requests by manufacturers to delay strict new standards for emissions from diesel engines. On Thursday, the agency finalized a rule establishing monetary penalties for any manufacturers unable to meet the new ... Continued...

Celebrate the Harvest – But Be Aware of the Pain
Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess The dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, She whose body encircles the universe: I am the beauty of the green earth And the white moon among the stars And the mystery of the waters And the desire of human hearts. Call unto your soul: Arise and come... Continued...

11 African Countries Unite to Curb Beach Erosion
PARIS, France, August 1, 2002 (ENS) - Large parts of the African coastline are receding rapidly, according to newly issued reports by 11 African nations. The seafront of Grand-Bassam, the colonial capital of Côte d'Ivoire, is in danger of crumbling into the Atlantic Ocean. Sections of the Nigerian c... Continued...

UN Atlas of Biodiversity Maps Human Impact
CAMBRIDGE, England, August 1, 2002 (ENS) - Plants are vanishing so quickly that the Earth is losing one major drug to extinction every two years, according to a new atlas of biodiversity released today by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The "World Atlas of Biodiversity: Earth's Li... Continued...

World Summit Attracts 106 Leaders, Not USA
NEW YORK, New York, July 30, 2002 (ENS) - Leaders of 106 countries have officially indicated that they will attend the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development set for Johannesburg, South Africa from August 26 to September 4, the UN announced today. Delegations from 174 countries w... Continued...

Restructuring Taxes to Shelter the Earth
WASHINGTON, DC, July 30, 2002 (ENS) - Many countries have implemented taxes on environmentally destructive products and activities while simultaneously reducing taxes on income. The scale of tax shifting has been relatively small so far, accounting for only three percent of tax revenues worldwid... Continued...

Zambia to Accept U.S. Transgenic Food Aid
LUSAKA, Zambia, July 29, 2002 (ENS) - Zambia is expected to import genetically modified maize (corn) from the United States to feed its 2.3 million starving citizens, according to the Biotechnology Trust of Africa, a regional charitable trust. Zambia has decided not to follow in the footsteps of hun... Continued...

Friday, August 2, 2002

As a lead up for Johannesburg, Nature""s August 8th issue will
As a lead up for Johannesburg, Nature's August 8th issue will contain a special section devoted to sustainability as it relates to food security. Daniel Pauly, and his colleagues at the UBC Fisheries Center, wrote a major synthesis entitled: Towards Sustainability in World Fisheries. Below is a ... Continued...

New Report Finds Genetically Engineered “Biopharming” Poses New Threats
A new report prepared by the Genetically Engineered Food Alert coalition details the threats that biopharmaceutical and biochemical crops pose, the extent to which they have been planted across the U.S., the failure of regulatory agencies to serve the public, and a set of recommendations. The report... Continued...

Masters of Wine reject GE vine
GM-wine ban leaves tipplers with a headache The drink traditionally linked with headaches the morning after could now offer a built-in pick-me-up to those who have over-indulged. Professor Sakkie Pretorius, a world expert on genetically modified (GM) wines, claims the days of wine with a hango... Continued...

Food, technology and health not in sync
It is said that the only constant is change. Even in a time when the ideology of progress is an American fundamentalism asserting that things change over time for the better, some things are not getting better. The latest announcement is that foods, even basic foods such as potatoes, have been losin... Continued...

Fast food scraps threaten rat plague
LONDON - Britain is facing a sharp rise in its rat population as growing numbers of people leave fast food scraps in the street, an environment group warned yesterday. Keep Britain Tidy said the rodents were abandoning their traditional haunts underground and were roaming the streets, enticed by dis... Continued...

World heading for warmest year yet
LONDON - The first six months of the year have been the second warmest ever and average global temperatures in 2002 could be the highest ever recorded, British weather experts said yesterday. "Globally 2002 is likely to be warmer than 2001, and may even break the record set in 1998," said Br... Continued...

US says Zimbabwe prepared for possible GM maize
HARARE - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's government will accept 20,000 tonnes of United States food aid, which might include genetically modified maize, to feed hungry Zimbabweans, a U.S. embassy spokeswoman said yesterday. In June, Zimbabwe, stricken by a food shortage, rejected a U.S. mai... Continued...

Germany and France agree to come to common position on CAP by December
German Chancellor Gerhard Schröeder and French President Jacques Chirac agreed on the following items: ·to come to a common position on agriculture before the Copenhagen summit in December; ·to speak with a "common voice" on the Convention on the future of the EU; ·the great importance of a comm... Continued...

Legal action seeks to block genetically engineered lawn grass
BIOTECH GRASS POSES WIDESPREAD ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION RISKS MONSANTO AND SCOTTS PREPARED TO MARKET GENE ALTERED LAWN GRASS TO VAST HOME AND COMMERCIAL RETAIL MARKETS Today the International Center for Technology Assessment (CTA), a non-profit public interest group, filed a formal legal petit... Continued...

Zambia shouldn""t be pushed into accepting GMOs
ZAMBIA should not be pushed into accepting Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) crops without examining their overall impact over the agricultural sector, Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) economic and social development research project co-ordinator Muweme Muweme has said. Muw... Continued...

White House Plans Biotech Crop Rules
The White House today will propose stricter regulations for companies wanting to market new varieties of genetically modified crops. However, environmentalists and consumer groups said the plan could threaten U.S. farm exports overseas and reduce the liability of biotechnology firms. The proposal by... Continued...

Thursday, August 1, 2002

Clean air projects seen as growth market in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazil, Latin America's largest country, may generate clean air energy projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the fight to reduce global warming, Brazilian and international energy experts say. The Kyoto pact, inspired by the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Jane... Continued...

UK gives go-ahead for major offshore wind farm
LONDON - Britain approved the single largest offshore wind farm project in the UK, North Hoyle in Wales, yesterday as part of a scheme to boost its renewable energy industry. The project, led by National Wind Power, owned by UK utility Innogy , will consist of 30 wind turbines with a capacity ... Continued...

Sierra Club rates best US transportation projects
SAN FRANCISCO - Hoping to step up the fight against sprawling communities that gobble up open space and fuel pollution, a leading environmental group this week unveiled a report highlighting the best and worst transportation projects in the United States. The Sierra Club said the list looked at how ... Continued...

Veneman outlines ambitious WTO proposal
Ag Secretary Ann Veneman has outlined an ambitious US proposal for reforming the rules of global agricultural trade. In Nara, Japan, participating in the Fifth Quint Ministerial, she noted the meeting comes at an important time in the ongoing agricultural trade talks and allows an opportunity to bui... Continued...

Italian police probe GM soy food labelling
ROME - Italian police have launched an investigation into alleged fraud in the labelling of genetically modified (GM) soy-based foods, a spokesman said. "Samples will be analysed for the presence of undeclared genetically modified organisms (GMOs)," the police spokesman, who asked not to be iden... Continued...

The Risks of GM Food, Prof. David Schubert
As a cell biologist I am very much discouraged by the content of the ongoing debate about introducing genetically modified (GM) plants into the marketplace. While the voiced concerns usually center around irrational emotional arguments on the one hand, and the erroneous concept that genetic engineer... Continued...

Starved for Food, Zimbabwe Rejects U.S. Biotech
Thousands of tons of U.S. emergency food aid destined for crisis-stricken Zimbabwe has been diverted to other countries, and a new shipload may be diverted within days, because the donations include genetically modified corn that the Zimbabwean government does not want to accept. The image of a nati... Continued...

Corporate farming accentuates desertfication
The US National Commission on Small Farms (1998, US Department of Agriculture) has in its report entitled 'A Time to Act' called for policies that turn away from corporate agriculture and focus on environmentally sustainable and socially beneficial farming. And still, developing countries in Asia ar... Continued...

Market Slump Boosts Socially Responsible Mutual Funds
Socially and environmentally responsible mutual funds experienced positive asset growth in the first half of 2002, according to data released today by the nonprofit Social Investment Forum. The data show that socially responsible mutual funds had their assets increase by 3% from January to June 2002... Continued...

Sustainability and the Bottom Line
After an extended economic downturn, keeping the bottom line black is a challenge that more facilities executives are confronting. What can be done? A growing number of companies are discovering the advantage of greening facilities with sustainable products. Going green today makes excellent economi... Continued...

3,000 Mile Trek Showcases American Lands
WASHINGTON, DC, August 1, 2002 (ENS) - Two teams set out this week on separate journeys across America's public lands to highlight the importance of the nation's natural places. The teams, which include a firefighter, two teachers, outdoor enthusiasts, a reporter, registered nurse, and a retired Mar... Continued...

World Summit Attracts 106 Leaders, Not USA
Leaders of 106 countries have officially indicated that they will attend the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development set for Johannesburg, South Africa from August 26 to September 4, the UN announced today. Leaders from Europe, Russia, China, Australia, Canada, and Japan will be there... Continued...

Hazards and ecological risks of transgenics
Introducing genetically modified organisms into the environment may put wild populations at a greater risk of extinction than previously thought, according to new computer models developed by two Purdue University scientists. Although the models specifically address the risks and hazards of transgen... Continued...

Deficit living
Humans are currently running a huge deficit with the earth, using 20% more natural resources each year than can be regenerated, and we go more and more into the red each year, according to the WWF International, a nonprofit environmental group. The group’s Living Planet Report 2002 calculates that h... Continued...

Sustainability: Not just for the rich
It pays for businesses in developing countries and emerging markets to improve their environmental performance, according to Sustainability, international business consultants specializing in sustainable development. In Developing Value: The Business Case for Sustainability in Emerging Markets, the ... Continued...

Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Monsanto""s new GM wheat strategy
On Monday, at a board of directors meeting of the U.S. Wheat Associates held in Oklahoma City, Monsanto announced they are changing their strategy on introducing genetically engineered wheat. Monsanto's game plan has been to introduce herbicide-resistant Roundup Ready wheat by 2005. Now they have de... Continued...

Brazil exports organic cocoa to Switzerland
SALVADOR, Brazil - Brazilian farmers exported organic cocoa to Switzerland at a 40 percent premium to New York futures prices, the World Wide Fund for Nature-Brazil (WWF) said yesterday. The export on Saturday of 15 tonnes of organic cocoa from the northeastern state of Bahia is the result of ... Continued...

Italian police probe GM soy food labelling
ROME - Italian police have launched an investigation into alleged fraud in the labelling of genetically modified (GM) soy-based foods, a spokesman said. "Samples will be analysed for the presence of undeclared genetically modified organisms (GMOs)," the police spokesman, who asked not to be id... Continued...

Monsanto says its shifting strategy on GM wheat
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Leading biotech agricultural concern Monsanto Co. said this week it was shifting its strategy for introducing the world's first biotech wheat to include an emphasis on developing enhanced health, taste and texture traits to appeal to food companies and consumers and hopefully ... Continued...

Tuesday, July 30, 2002

US Farm Bill means six more years of low prices, warns George Morris Centre
Canadian producers can expect at least six more years of chronically low feedgrain and oilseed prices because of provisions in the 2002 US Farm Bill, says a new report from the George Morris Centre.The report says the Farm Bill guarantees enough subsidy to more than cover direct costs for producers ... Continued...

British organic farmers profits at risk
LONDON - A rising number of British organic farmers are losing money on the sustainable regime seen as key to Britain's agricultural future, a survey from the National Farmers Union (NFU) said yesterday. The survey showed that a third of organic farmers were making losses. It was released just... Continued...

Monday, July 29, 2002

New Research Institute Will Turn Agricultural Wastes Into Energy And Useful Products
RICHLAND, Wash. - Four major Northwest research organizations are bringing together industry, processors, growers, universities and federal laboratories to develop new methods for converting agricultural and food processing residue and wastes into commercially valuable "bio-based" energy and industr... Continued...

British Brands Aim to Create a Better World
LONDON, July 22, 2002 - British business has embraced the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), with nine in ten companies (88 percent) "actively and voluntarily seeking to contribute to a better society and a cleaner environment," according to a study released today by brand consultancy... Continued...

The Prickly Underbelly of Industrial Ecology
The term "industrial ecology" has long been recognized as an evocative analogy, suggesting the benefits of designing industrial systems to more closely resemble "natural" biological systems in their cycling of materials, energy, and waste. In some cases, there has been a failure to appreciate that t... Continued...

US Farmers Union President Urges Global Cooperation On Farm Issues
TOKYO (July 26, 2002) - The president of the U.S. National Farmers Union invited a group of Japanese farm leaders and their colleagues from other Asian countries to work together with farmers around the world on common problems such as corporate agricultural concentration. NFU President Dave Frederi... Continued...

Genetically Modified Food Debate Hampers
World Food Program eastern and southern Africa head Judith Lewis said yesterday that debate among southern African countries receiving food aid over the use of genetically modified products is posing a dilemma for relief operations there. Some recipient nations refuse to accept genetically modified ... Continued...

Organic Diet for a Small Planet
I have just returned from my first visit to Canada. As I'm sure many Americans do, I kept an internal tally: This is like the United States, this is not. I was pleasantly surprised by all the ways Montreal differed from cities to the south: the open-air markets, the jazz festival, the street festiva... Continued...

Eat GM or starve, America tells Africa
Food stocks are running out across Southern Africa: by March 2003 the numbers of people facing starvation will be: 6 million in Zimbabwe/3.2 m. in Malawi/2.4 m. in Zambia/over .5 m. in Mozambique According to ActionAid, Southern Africa's worst maize shortage in living memory means that over 14 mi... Continued...

ConAgra resold rejected meat---Firm ignored claims it contained listeria
Rather than destroy the frozen meat or cook it to kill pathogens, executives at one of the world's largest food conglomerates sold it to other countries with lower standards than South Korea's - including the United States, according to corporate e-mails between Con-Agra and executives at its Monfor... Continued...

"Eco-tourists" attracted by Argentina""s weak economy
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Alfredo and Zamia, tourists from Ecuador, snap photos of the shiny, black tomb that holds the body of Argentina's best-known native daughter, first lady Eva Peron. Decorated with ribbons in the light blue and white stripes of the Argentine flag, the grave site is a fa... Continued...

Canada giving tax breaks to boost renewable energy
OTTAWA - Canada, under fire for dragging its feet on whether to ratify the Kyoto climate-change accord, said it would use tax breaks to encourage investment in renewable energy and energy conservation projects. Deputy Prime Minister John Manley announced two proposed changes to income tax rule... Continued...

Toyota to double hybrid vehicle lineup by 03
NEW YORK - Toyota Motor Corp plans to double the number of its eco-friendly hybrid models to six by the end of 2003 to cement its lead in the growing field of low emission vehicles, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun's online Saturday edition said. Toyota, Japan's largest automaker, will release in the ... Continued...

US senate bill would protect 60 mln forest acres
WASHINGTON - U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation that would protect millions of acres of forest land from development-a move that could further divide environmental groups and big businesses who have hotly debated the future of this land. The bill, introduced by a bipartisan group in the Sen... Continued...

Pregnant women should limit tuna intake
BELTSVILLE, Md. - Pregnant women should limit consumption of tuna fish, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel recommended last week in a bid to balance concerns about mercury poisoning with the need for a healthy diet. The FDA's food advisory panel stopped short of calling for pregnant wom... Continued...

Bush admin backs bill for offshore energy projects
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration last week urged Congress to pass legislation giving the Interior Department authority to permit wind, solar and other alternative energy projects in federal offshore waters. The administration said the bill would help increase alternative energy supplies, a... Continued...

Republicans back sham trade ban in US energy bill
WASHINGTON - Republican negotiators agreed to add to a broad energy bill a ban on sham electricity trades that have shaken investor confidence in U.S. energy companies and triggered several federal investigations. A prohibition on so-called wash or round-trip trades will become part of a wide-... Continued...

Science panel urges review of Army Corps projects
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should have costly and controversial projects reviewed by an independent panel to help restore credibility to the embattled agency, the National Research Council said. The Corps, the federal agency responsible for building dams and designating floo... Continued...

Senator blocks US ""triple subsidy"" for ethanol
WASHINGTON - Ethanol does not need a "triple subsidy," California Sen. Dianne Feinstein argued in staving off a proposal to give Archer Daniels Midland Co. and other distillers up to $150 million a year to expand output of the alternative fuel made from corn. Feinstein, a Democrat, was joined ... Continued...

Should Organic Produce Have Pesticide Residue?
Consumers Union released a study indicating that pesticide residue was discovered on 23 percent of examined organic produce, and on 75 percent of conventional produce. The findings stirred something of a controversy, as some people believed that any pesticide residue on organic produce was too mu... Continued...

U.S. Agriculture Disaster Legislation Introduced
National Farmers Union applauds recent congressional efforts to address agricultural losses due to natural disasters. "Drought, floods, pests and disease continue to sweep across the country, leaving farmers and ranchers in a desperate situation," said NFU President Dave Frederickson. "Agricultur... Continued...

Grim Reaping , The industrialization of agriculture is killing the land
Even when city folks notice the dwindling population of rural areas and express concern for the dying small communities scattered across the continent, they remain blind to the real causes and the best solutions. They are blind because they have bought the lie that the industrialization of food prod... Continued...

Friday, July 26, 2002

Seed banks to the rescue
At a time when the entire forcus is on private control and takeover of traditional resources and the crop seeds, traditionally marginalised dalit women in Andhra Pradesh, India, have set up community grain and seed banks to gain control over their land as well as their lives. Facilitated by the Decc... Continued...

USDA warned about possible CONAGRA E-coli contaminated beef
The government was warned in February about possible E. coli contamination at a Colorado meat processing plant, and even though two U.S. inspectors recommended an investigation, none occurred, documents released Monday showed. About 19 million pounds of meat from ConAgra Beef Co's plant in Greeley, ... Continued...

EU vets back EU steps to halt food hormone crisis
BRUSSELS - European Union veterinary experts decided this week that existing safety measures were adequate to protect public health from food feared to have been tainted with a widely banned growth hormone. Animal feed and pigs containing traces of medroxyprogestrone-acetate, MPA, used in horm... Continued...

Honda likely to sell fuel-cell cars this year
GOTEMBA, Japan - Honda Motor Co, Japan's second-largest automaker, said yesterday it will likely put its first fuel-cell vehicle on the market by the end of the year, matching rival Toyota Motor Corp. "It will probably happen, though I can't say how many we will sell as we don't know how many ... Continued...

Dutch farm sector hit as more tainted pig feed found
AMSTERDAM - Dutch farmers awoke to more misery this week after authorities halted slaughtering and exports from 2,000 more pig farms that may have received animal feed tainted with the banned MPA hormone. Last month, contaminated feed was discovered on three Dutch pig farms. But now a large ma... Continued...

EU could miss its green energy goals
LONDON - The European Union (EU) will miss its target to boost electricity output from green energy unless it makes it easier for companies to enter the growing market, a report said yesterday. "Research for this report finds that European Commission production targets will not be met unless o... Continued...

TXU, Cielo to build 240 MW Texas wind power plant
NEW YORK - TXU Energy and Cielo Wind Power said they will be build a 240-megawatt wind farm in West Texas, providing enough energy for more than 50,000 homes. In a statement, TXU Energy, a unit of Dallas-based TXU Corp. , said it will buy all the energy produced at the Noelke Hill Wind Ranch f... Continued...

U.S. Proposes Global Cut in Farm Subsidies, Tariffs
Under fire from abroad for a huge boost in payments to American farmers, the Bush administration yesterday sought to regain the high ground in the global trade debate with a sweeping proposal that would slash U.S. farm subsidies and tariffs, and calls on the European Union and Japan to do the same. ... Continued...

Calculate Farm Bill Crop payments
www.afpc.tamu.edu/models/base/ www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/farmbill/ www.fapri.missouri.edu... Continued...

Thursday, July 25, 2002

USDA on biotech
Alan P. Larson, secretary for economic, business and agricultural affairs with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, made these remarks at USDA's Agricultural Outlook Forum 2002 in Arlington, Va., in February. ... A few years ago, a leading critic of biotechnology, at the end of a long debate in which... Continued...

Africans leery of GM food
In what looks like an attempt by the USA to force African nations to accept GM crops in preparation for the World Sustainable Development Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, they are now offering protesting nations in southern Africa an ultimatum: GM food or no food.... 1. Zimbabwe Turns Down Gene... Continued...

US Will Urge WTO to Cut Farm Tariffs
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration Friday will seek to cut world-wide tariffs and end export subsidies for farm products despite congressional passage of massive new farm subsidies at home. The proposal to the World Trade Organization represents the Bush administration's opening bid in the global... Continued...

Australia farmers want postponement of GM canola
SYDNEY - Australia's largest farmers body called yesterday for the postonement of the introduction of commercial genetically modified (GM) canola crops until identity preservation issues were resolved. The New South Wales Farmers Association's annual conference passed a motion calling for the ... Continued...

EU Commission only green in patches
BRUSSELS - The European Commission got a mixed report on its green policies this week and environmental groups urged it to do more. In a review by the Green G8, a group of eight environmental bodies modelled on the Group of Eight industrial nations, the Commission, the EU executive, was praise... Continued...

Italy maintains Dutch pork ban ahead of meeting
THE HAGUE - Italy maintained a ban of pork imports from the Netherlands this week ahead of a meeting of European Union veterinary experts, the Dutch government said. Italy, the second largest pork export market for the Dutch, on Monday halted pork imports from the Netherlands due to fears over... Continued...

Bush clears way for Nevada nuclear waste dump
WASHINGTON - Risking a backlash by Nevada's voters and a drawn-out court fight, U.S. President George W. Bush this week formally designated Yucca Mountain the burial ground for the nation's deadly nuclear waste. The resolution, which Bush signed behind closed-doors, overrides Nevada's veto of ... Continued...

Green issues could hurt energy firm stocks
WASHINGTON - If the stock slump wasn't bad enough, shareholder value at some top oil and natural gas companies could fall by another 6 percent because of environmental costs and risks in the coming decade, according to yesterday's report by an environmental think tank. The World Resources Inst... Continued...

Wednesday, July 24, 2002

Australia wasting A$1bln on greenhouse efforts
MELBOURNE - Australia's Mandated Renewable Energy Target program aimed at encouraging new investment in renewable energy could be wasting more than A$1 billion on established projects, a industry association report has found. The Australian EcoGeneration Association's report, released yesterda... Continued...

EU demands proof states are protecting ozone layer
BRUSSELS - Not a single European Union country has shown it is doing enough to protect the ozone layer from damage by man-made chemicals, EU authorities said. The European Commission said none of the 15 member states had shown how they intended to ensure ozone-depleting chemicals in scrapped f... Continued...

Britain falls behind green energy targets
LONDON - Britain is falling behind its targets to replace polluting fossil fuel with clean renewable energy, threatening goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions to curb global warming, a parliamentary report said. "On the present rate of progress, we are likely to fall well below even the modest... Continued...

Californian governor signs landmark auto emissions law
LOS ANGELES - California Gov. Gray Davis signed a landmark law This week making his state the first in the nation to regulate vehicle greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to curb global warming. "This is the first law in America to substantively address the greatest environmental challenge of... Continued...

Australia government rules out buying cotton farm for water
CANBERRA - The Australian government flatly rejected a proposal yesterday to buy and close the nation's largest cotton farm in Queensland state to divert water into the stressed Murray Darling basin and fight rising salinity. Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has called on the national governme... Continued...

NZ""s Genesis says gets okay to expand wind farm
WELLINGTON - State-owned New Zealand energy company Genesis Power has won local government approval to expand its small seven-turbine wind farm in the lower North Island. With approval from the South Wairarapa District Council, Genesis said it will add up to 16 wind turbines to the existing 3.... Continued...

Colorado county rejects coalbed methane test wells
DENVER - A county in western Colorado this week rejected four of five test wells to explore for methane gas in underground coal seams, the prelude to an expected court battle on the highly charged environmental issue pitting the county against state regulators. The Delta County on the Western ... Continued...

How consumers process information is at heart of debate over labeling GM
CHICAGO, ILL., and WASHINGTON, D.C. -- One of the most controversial public policy issues surrounding genetically modified (GM) foods is whether food products containing ingredients from GM crops should be labeled so consumers can make informed purchasing decisions, as consumer groups assert, or whe... Continued...

""Locally grown"" more important than ""organic"" for consumers
Consumers choose locally grown food for product freshness and to help support local small farmers. And they're also more willing to pay a higher premium for "locally grown" than for "organic," according to a new University of Minnesota analysis by economist Luanne Lohr. Lohr held an Endowed Chair... Continued...

How Consumers Process Information At Heart of Debate Over Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods
Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology policy dialogue explores consumer education, international and economic issues around biotech crops One of the most controversial public policy issues surrounding genetically modified (GM) foods is whether food products containing ingredients from GM cro... Continued...

Tuesday, July 23, 2002

1970-85 Famine Blamed on Pollution
Nearly two decades after one of the world's most devastating famines in Africa, scientists are pointing a finger at pollution from industrial nations as one of the possible causes. The starvation brought on by the 1970-85 drought that stretched from Senegal to Ethiopia captured the world's attention... Continued...

"Mad" Brazilian coffee farmer has last laugh
OURO FINO, Brazil - When coffee grower, agronomist and writer Jose Peres Romero bought a remote farm in the dusty hills of southern Minas Gerais 40 years ago people thought he was mad. "They called me an idiot, saying the land wasn't even fit for grazing cattle," said sprightly 73-year-old Romer... Continued...

"Freedom to Farm" on Steroids
"Freedom to Farm" on Steroids: The Agribusiness Dilemma for Farmers For years the agribusiness giants that rule farm policy have created a dilemma for farmers. Under federal farm policy and programs the big incentives encourage farmers to "subsidize" them (Cargill, ADM (ethanol), Murphy hog factorie... Continued...

Australian farmers look to dry skies as crops die
ARMATREE, Australia - While Australians near the coast delight in a winter that is warmer than average, those in the outback reeling from drought fervently hope for rain as dams dry up and crops lie barren under a relentless sun. Gripped in the iron clasp of drought is two-thirds of the large ... Continued...

Californian emissions bill - a new global warming fight
SAN FRANCISCO - A new California law setting tough auto emissions standards to fight global warming may spur other U.S. states to follow suit, marking one of the most serious environmental challenges to the auto industry in decades, state officials say. The measure, which Gov. Gray Davis is ex... Continued...

Monday, July 22, 2002

UN seeking $61m for African crises
UNITED NATIONS - Widespread food shortages and rampant AIDS have put nearly 13 million southern Africans ''on the very edge of survival,'' the United Nations said yesterday in an urgent appeal for $611 million in aid. ''There is still an opportunity to avert famine and to save lives, but this window... Continued...

Breaking from Protocol: World""s Poorest Nations Lash Out at Globe""s Richest
NADI, FIJI -- The world's poorest nations unleashed a barrage of complaints against the globe's richest countries here, voicing anger over globalization, migration, nuclear waste and unilateralism. Delegates to the 78-nation African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) summit, which normally restricts its a... Continued...

Still Poor, Latin Americans Protest Push for Open Markets
AREQUIPA, Peru, July 13 - The protest that shook this colonial city last month was very much like others in Latin America recently. There were Marxists shouting 60's-era slogans, and hard-bitten unionists. But there was also Fanny Puntaca, 64, a shopkeeper and grandmother of six. Though she had neve... Continued...

Europe investigates hormone-contaminated waste in food chain
The latest European food scare has investigators in 11 European countries tracing shipments of pork, pigfood, and soft drinks that may have been contaminated by pharmaceutical waste material containing the hormone medroxyprogesterone-acetate (MPA) used in the manufacture of oral contraceptives and H... Continued...

Open door to feeders could alter U.S. meat labelling law
OTTAWA — Year-round movement of American feeder cattle from northern U.S. states might reduce the chances that a country-of-origin meat labelling law will be applied to Canadian meat, suggests a former president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Speaking at a meeting on cattle disease... Continued...

Prosperous small family farms needed to protect food supply - Rodale Report
The nation’s current system of food distribution is so vulnerable that products adulterated by terrorists could be spread throughout the U.S. in a matter of days, according to a report that we released today.* The introduction by terrorists of noxious or lethal materials into foods or beverages ... Continued...

DNA LINKS DISEASE TO DAIRY; SALMONELLA: OUTBREAK""S `SUPERBUG"" TRACED TO HOLLISTER FARM, INVESTIGATORS SAY.
Calif. State investigators were cited as saying they have linked a Hollister dairy farm to a 2-year-old outbreak of drug-resistant infection in Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Benito countiesQbolstering growing evidence that humans can contract these severe illnesses from animals. Their surprise conc... Continued...

Bt cotton seeds set afire in Davangere
KRRS and Green Army activists attacked a shop selling Bt cotton seeds near the Chamaraj circle here and set fire to the seeds on Monday. Bt cotton cultivation poses a lot of harm to farmers, the Raitha Sangha said. KRRS activists said they had already warned the government that if Bt cotton seeds we... Continued...

African crisis fuels debate over GM food
The rejection of food aid by some southern African countries when millions of people are at risk of starvation has fuelled debate over the role of biotechnology in alleviating hunger. In spite of chronic food shortages in the region -- which NGOs say were aggravated, if not caused, by government mis... Continued...

CPE press release on cap reform
EuropeanCommission CAP reform proposals: Yes, the CAP must thoroughly be reformed. No, the 10 July proposals, contrary to the allegations of Commissioner Fischler, do not meet the expectations of the citizens, and will only but ruin the sustainable family farming, without curbing the industrialisat... Continued...

"DON""T MULTIPLY THE LOAVES AND FISHES, JUST DISTRIBUTE THEM"
They talk about the "Brasil Risk" as if this country wasn't already shipwrecked amidst the most alarming social indexes. The real risk is to continue going in the same direction, increasing social inequality and the exclusion of the majority of the population. We are not the ones that should be afra... Continued...

Next time UK considers vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease
Next time UK considers vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease A new report released by a UK commission includes recommendations to reconsider the country's vaccination strategy in case of another outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. The report was commissioned by the UK government to review the h... Continued...

Genetic Pollution: THE GREAT GENETIC SCANDAL
Some years back, Oman made an unusual request to India. The oil-rich Middle-East country was looking for four pure-bred animals of the cattle breed - Tharparkar -- found only in the dry and arid regions of Rajasthan. Tharparkar derives its name from its unique genetic ability that enables the animal... Continued...

WSSD may promote biotech crops -- FROM MONSANTO WEBSITE
BALI CONFERENCE REVIEWS AGENDA 21 Over 2000 delegates from 140 countries have converged at Bali, Indonesia to attend the final preparatory meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 26 to September 4, 2002. The WSSD will bring ... Continued...

GM Crops is Key Bush Adminstration Priority at WSSD
The Bush administration is passionate about the potential of biotechnology - within the context of sound ethics, says the U.S. secretary of health and human services. It is no exaggeration to say the biotechnology industry is defining innovation in our time. Biotechnology is improving so many aspect... Continued...

Friday, July 19, 2002

US Farm Income Will Drop In 2002, Rise In 2003
The nation's struggling farm economy will get worse before it gets better despite an election-year farm bill that subsidizes thousands more producers, according to an analysis released Wednesday. Net income for farmers will plummet $7 billion this year before rebounding somewhat in 2003, according t... Continued...

W.T.O. Says U.S. Tariff Law Violates Rules
The World Trade Organization said today that the United States was violating trade rules with a law that has allowed the government to turn over almost $500 million in import duties to companies like U.S. Steel and Hershey Foods. The preliminary decision by the organization is a victory for the Euro... Continued...

Indigenous environmental network statement on the right to food and food security
Nearly 700 Indigenous peoples, including youth, from Canada, United States, Mexico and some from Central America and South America gathered on the traditional lands of the Penticton Indian Band in Okanagan Territory in what is known as British Columbia, Canada. Indigenous organizations, communi... Continued...

Nestle Buys Up ""Holy Water""
Critics say the original spring in the Kostroma diocese ran dry years ago and point out that its orange and lemon flavors aren't even blessed. But that didn't stop Swiss-based food and beverage giant Nestle from paying an estimated $ 50 million for Saint Springs, or Svyatoi Istochnik, whose nonflavo... Continued...

""Fatal Harvest"
'Fatal Harvest" contains essays that reject high-tech agriculture and advocate small-scale, organic farming. A sampling of the sentiments includes: -- "We have raised a generation of kids, far too many of whom have never participated in the growing of food or the preparation of meals and who have ne... Continued...

Whitehead Completes, Posts Rice Fungus Genome
A team of US scientists has completed and made publicly available a draft genomic sequence of the crop-killing fungus Magnaporthe grisea, the National Science Foundation said today. Ralph Dean, a professor at North Carolina State University, led the research effort, which was conducted at the Whiteh... Continued...

GM food is not safe - UK govt study
The GM food bubble is about to burst. As more and more scientific studies point to the dangers of growing and consuming GM crops and food, the biotechnology industry is increasingly coming under pressure. New evidence from British scientists raises serious questions about the safety of GM food. The ... Continued...

Hormone scare hurts Europe farmers, feed makers
HAMBURG, Germany - European Union farmers endured tough restrictions this week, as officials traced animal feed tainted with a banned hormone, and feed makers demanded new laws to keep harmful waste out of their products. Some light appeared at the end of the tunnel for livestock farmers as ... Continued...

Japan govt, car,energy firms in fuel cell projects
TOKYO - Japan's government said yesterday it will work with automakers and energy firms in three-year projects to encourage the development of fuel cell technology for vehicles and households. Fuel cells are seen as one of the leading environmentally friendly energy sources of the future. Usin... Continued...

NY utility puts conservation message on pizza boxes
NEW YORK - The Long Island Power Authority has kicked off a campaign to encourage customers to conserve electricity by advertising its message on a quarter million pizza boxes. "Radio and television ads don't always get the job done ... sometimes people zone out when commercials come on. But o... Continued...

States criticize Bush plan to fight global warming
WASHINGTON - Eleven states' attorneys general urged the Bush administration to adopt a program that sets specific targets to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that are linked to global warming. The administration is pushing a plan to have energy companies voluntarily reduce their heat-trapp... Continued...

US, Alaska endorse new leases for Alaska pipeline
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System has functioned well enough since it began shipping oil in 1977 that its owners deserve to operate the 800-mile energy artery for another 30 years, federal and state regulators say. Despite growing concerns among environmentalists over the ... Continued...

When a Crop Becomes King
ORNWALL BRIDGE, Conn. — Here in southern New England the corn is already waist high and growing so avidly you can almost hear the creak of stalk and leaf as the plants stretch toward the sun. The ears of sweet corn are just starting to show up on local farm stands, inaugurating one of the ceremonies... Continued...

Thursday, July 18, 2002

The Trends That Are Shaping Our Future
"Changing consumption and production patterns will be high on the agenda of this year's World Summit on Sustainable Development...Consumers will not save the world by themselves, but they are welcome allies in a struggle where we are going to need all the help we can get." Klaus Töpfer, Executive D... Continued...

Secret US ""biopharms"" growing GM experimental drugs
Remember the illegal planting of Bt cotton in over 10,000 hectares in Gujarat, India? This exposed the absence of any worthwhile regulatory mechanism for GM crops in India. Loudspeakers of the industry, which include some top government officials, then said that as long as the US maintains a tough r... Continued...

Shocking new info on US farm income and policy situation from USDA
"If current expectations for program commodity supply and demand hold and new legislation proceeds as assumed, direct government payments could reach $21.7 billion for 2002, up $11 billion from January's forecast. The January forecast was based on then current (FAIR Act) legislation and did not incl... Continued...

Wednesday, July 17, 2002

Another theft of traditional knowledge
Devinder Sharma's two articles on biopiracy of traditional knowledge and the setting up of a digital library in India had evoked a strong response and initiated a serious debate on the controversial issue. Continuing with our series, we bring you another publicised instance of patenting of tradi... Continued...

WTO Protesters Appear Prophetic
Before Enron, WorldCom and the rest of the Wall Street hustler stories broke, in this most recent wave of corporate criminality, anti-globalization protesters and other factions of what I loosely refer to as the economic justice movement were derided by even the liberal media as being senseless when... Continued...

GM genes found in human gut
British scientific researchers have demonstrated for the first time that genetically modified DNA material from crops is finding its way into human gut bacteria, raising potentially serious health questions. Although the genetically modified material in most GM foods poses no health problems, man... Continued...

Dutch farmers plan legal action on hormone feed
AMSTERDAM - Dutch farmers and feed makers said this week they planned to take legal action against two firms they held responsible for the contamination by a banned hormone of pig feed at hundreds of Dutch farms. Dutch farmers' group LTO-Nederland and Dutch feed industry group Nevedi plan to s... Continued...

UK says will fund sustainable farming plan
LONDON - The British government has promised to fund key measures to revive the fortunes of the country's farmers, but farm and environmental groups were lukewarm in their response, fearing the money would not go far. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, unveiling his three-year spending ... Continued...

US Senator Bingaman sees no ANWR in final energy bill
NEW YORK - Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman this week said he doesn't expect the final U.S. energy bill to include a provision to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil exploration. "I think it's clear that the Senate would not go forward with that," the New Mexi... Continued...

User-Friendly Food Labels
People who are allergic to milk products know they should check the ingredients of packaged foods in the grocery store. But not all of them know, for example, that "whey" is a synonym for milk, and the food industry is not required to describe ingredients in everyday English — even though 30,000 peo... Continued...

Tuesday, July 16, 2002

German renewable revenues rose 35 pct in 2001
FRANKFURT - Suppliers of electricity from renewable energy sources to the German market earned 35 percent more last year than in 2000 under the so-called feed-in law (EEG) subsidising green power, industry association VDEW said yesterday. Payments to renewable energy providers last year totall... Continued...

3M relaunches "greener" Scotchgard
CHICAGO - Scotchgard, the water and stain repellent, was a sturdy household name before environmental concerns led 3M Co. to phase out production two years ago. Now the St. Paul, Minnesota-based company is relaunching the brand with squeaky-clean replacement products and expanding into new are... Continued...

GMO Wheat Is A Corn Grower Issue
"Genetically modified wheat is absolutely a corn marketing and price issue given the fact that foreign buyers have firmly warned the U.S. grain industry, U.S. farmers, and the U.S. government that they do not want- nor will they buy - genetically modified wheat," says Dan McGuire, director of the Fa... Continued...

GM Contamination Suspicion Remains Strong
The results and papers released by the Government do not lay to rest the suspicion that GE-contaminated corn was planted and harvested in New Zealand. If anything, they increase the suspicion. On the day that ERMA presented its analysis of results (5 December 2000), GeneScan Australia, one of the te... Continued...

Shares of biotech agricultural company Monsanto Co fell to a
"Market observers had speculated that Pharmacia shareholders could be quick to dispose of Monsanto stock following the spinoff. Now with Pharmacia moving to shed Monsanto before the Pfizer deal closes, there is less time for Monsanto to restablish confidence in its earnings after a recent profit war... Continued...

Monday, July 15, 2002

HK monks win battle against big business, for now
HONG KONG - A small band of Buddhist monks has won a battle against Hong Kong's big business, convincing the government to scrap a planned hotel near their temple and home of the world's largest bronze Buddha. The government unveiled a blueprint last week for the development of areas around th... Continued...

New Zealand: Cover-up of GE corn rattles government ahead of
The New Zealand government is reeling from revelations that it covered up the illegal release of genetically engineered (GE) contaminated corn seed in 2000, after lobbying from business interests that included the GE seed giant Novartis. The revelations are likely to severely dent the prospects ... Continued...

El Salvador bears brunt of severe coffee crisis
The brunt of the severe crisis plaguing the coffee industry in Central America is being borne by El Salvador, where the 2000-2001 harvest was 65% down from the previous season. Small- and medium-sized coffee growers in El Salvador cannot even afford to weed their fields and prune their coffee bu... Continued...

Towards a ""world"" patent system
We have always questioned the motive behind various initiatives launched by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). And this includes WIPO's move to draw a sui generis system over traditional knowledge. We have been saying for long that WIPO is basically pushing in the agenda of multina... Continued...

New Zealand PM accused of GM cover-up
Allegations that New Zealand's Labour government covered up the illegal release of a large batch of genetically modified sweetcorn are threatening to harm its chances of re-election next week. The issue of genetically modified crops has dominated the election campaign, with the Green Party doubling ... Continued...

Welcome to the revolving door of biotech
Remember the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus that was always blamed for whether it was the construction of big dams or the logging of forests? Well, with the passage of time and the changing requirements of the market, the 'contractor' in this chain has now been replaced by the industry/scien... Continued...

US "very concerned" over EU stance on GMOs
BRUSSELS - A senior U.S. official said last week that Washington regarded a recent European parliament vote on tough labelling rules for genetically modified products as a step in the wrong direction. The United States has long been pushing for the European Union to admit genetically-modified ... Continued...

EU says hormone food contamination could spread
BRUSSELS - The European Union said last week that a problem in the Netherlands over pig feed contaminated with banned growth hormones could spread to other countries. In what is the latest food scare for Europe, the Netherlands last month found pig feed contaminated with the MPA hormone. Belgi... Continued...

Ireland halts waste shipments in EU food scare
DUBLIN - Ireland last week halted shipments from a U.S.-owned pharmaceutical plant of hormone-laced waste water suspected of contaminating pig feed and soft drinks in Europe's latest food scare. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it was banning shipments of waste water from a pla... Continued...

UK""s new electricity market drives up CO2 emissions
LONDON - Britain's power stations are puffing out more pollution after last year's launch of new electricity trading rules, casting another shadow over the government's efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Analysts say the market's design encourages generators to use their power stations ... Continued...

US farmers could get $200 mln conservation funds
WASHINGTON - Agriculture conservation funds totaling $200 million are available to U.S. farmers as promised under the new six-year farm law passed earlier this year, the U.S. Agriculture Department said last week. Under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or EQIP, the government shar... Continued...

Green groups share blame for US fires - Republicans
WASHINGTON - Republican lawmakers last week blamed environmental groups for contributing to U.S. forest fires that destroyed more than 3.1 million acres this year by blocking federal attempts to thin undergrowth. Green groups and the timber industry disagree on when brush and small trees shoul... Continued...

USDA allows emergency haying, grazing in 18 US states
WASHINGTON - Drought-stricken U.S. farmers and ranchers in 18 states will be allowed to harvest hay and graze on environmentally sensitive land, the Agriculture Department said. USDA said it would also waive fees incurred by farmers wishing to use Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land to don... Continued...

Democrats say Bush global warming plan "baloney"
WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats last week dismissed the Bush administration's plan for voluntary cuts in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions as "baloney" and said it will not help slow global warming. The White House plan depends on U.S. companies to voluntarily curb industrial emissions of carbon dio... Continued...

Dairy farmers protest fast track, seek ""truth in labeling""
The sack's label identified the powered product as non-fat milk from Pennsylvania, but it took only a spray of water for another label to show through. "Milk protein concentrate" from Dublin, Ireland, the original label read. The two products are very different, and it constituted either a customs v... Continued...

To Prevent Conflicts, Look to Commodities Like Diamonds
Natural resources fueled Angola's long civil war and natural resources have now brought it to a close. Angola's guerrillas carried on in large part for booty - control of the country's diamond fields, which then bought the arms and paid the salaries that allowed the war to continue. Military advanta... Continued...

Friday, July 12, 2002

Kinko""s Plugs in to Green Power
Powering a business with electricity from wind farms, landfill gas, geothermal heat, and other renewable sources is a bright idea. According to the Green Power Market Development Group, a project of the World Resources Institute and Business for Social Responsibility that is dedicated to building co... Continued...

Humanity Will Pay for Abuse of the Environment, Warns WWF
Future generations can expect to see a severe fall in living standards as humanity begins to pay for its huge environmental "overdraft" with planet Earth, a leading conservation group has claimed. Human development will begin to plummet within 30 years because we are fast running out of space and re... Continued...

International Symposium on Bioethics in Agriculture
International Symposium on Bioethics in Agriculture http://www.foodfirst.org/cuba/events/2002/bioethics.html Havana, Cuba November 17-21, 2002... Continued...

If India is adopting corporate farming, how can Pakistan be left behind?
CORPORATE FARMING OR CORPORATE GREED? The remedy our government is proposing -- under the trade liberalisation regime -- is to hand over our food production to TNCs. In other words, if our farmers cannot afford to eat bread, why don't they eat cake? By Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri The federal cabinet appro... Continued...

Civil society trashes India""s Plan to join UPOV
A coalition of civil society organisations led by Gene Campaign have demanded a discussion in Parliament on the status of the Farmers Rights law of India and the recent efforts to scrap it in favour of industry breeders by joining UPOV. India gave itself a strong and proactive Farmers' Rights law la... Continued...

World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) turns out to be "Doha +10" (month""s) instead of "Rio+10" (years)
The Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero Brazil 1992 was supposed to result in countries across the world restructuring their development in order to guarantee sustainability for future generations. After 10 years no positive changes can be seen. The exploitation of natural resources and the destruction o... Continued...

EU wants Dutch action in hormone feed scare
BRUSSELS - The European Union told the Netherlands this week to seal off more farms and feed producers suspected of being contaminated with a banned hormone as EU states tackled a new food safety problem. Belgium, probing how the hormones got into soft drink syrup at small local firms and into... Continued...

Germany wants to double renewable power
BERLIN - German Economy Minister Werner Mueller said this week the government wanted to double the amount of electricity produced from renewable sources by 2010. Speaking at a news conference to present the findings of a report into the impact Germany's renewable energy act has had on supply a... Continued...

Dutch launch criminal probe into hormone - laced feed
AMSTERDAM - Dutch authorities said yesterday they had launched a criminal investigation into how a banned hormone had contaminated pig feed at hundreds of farms, as the government sought to reassure the EU about control measures. The latest in a series of food safety scandals to hit Europe has... Continued...

UK CHP power investment falls, threatens green goals
LONDON - A British government report will show investment in energy-efficient combined heat and power plants fell steeply in 2001, threatening UK goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions, an industry source said this week. The government wants to encourage combined heat and power (CHP) technology... Continued...

Organic bread targeted to show absurd health scares
LOS ANGELES - A U.S. health education group this week took legal action against the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods in a bid to highlight what it called absurd food health scares. A legal notice targeting whole-wheat and organic bread sold by the U.S. chain Whole Foods Ma... Continued...

California sweats through new energy crunch
SAN FRANCISCO - Blistering heat and soaring energy demand pushed California's fragile power system close to the breaking point this week, forcing utilities to cut power to several of their biggest customers to stave off the threat of blackouts. Just minutes after declaring a "Stage One" power ... Continued...

Green groups sue Alaska regulators over oil-spill plans
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Four environmental groups have charged in a lawsuit that Alaska regulators are too lax in enforcing rules protecting coastal areas from oil spills, officials said this week. The lawsuit against the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC, filed Tuesday in st... Continued...

Cosmetics full of suspect chemicals, group says
WASHINGTON - Cosmetics ranging from perfume to hair gel contain chemicals shown to cause birth defects in animals, a group that lobbies on health issues said. It listed 52 products that contain phthalates, which are used to make fragrances last longer and to soften plastics. Only one listed ph... Continued...

Bush - Global climate report is bureaucratic hot air
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush yesterday called a recent report that blames humans for global warming nothing more than a product of government "bureaucracy" and said he would not accept an international accord to reduce heating-trapping emissions. The report by the Environmental Protec... Continued...

Democrats ask Bush to clarify global warming views
WASHINGTON - Democrats turned up the heat on President George W. Bush yesterday, demanding that Bush clarify whether he agrees with a report issued by his administration that said global warming is caused by greenhouse gas emissions from industry and other human activities. Bush earlier this w... Continued...

Thursday, July 11, 2002

China Health Min to accept GMO applications in December
SHANGHAI - China's Health Ministry said yesterday importers of genetically modified food can start applying for the ministry's safety permits on December 21. "We have decided to accept applications to evaluate the safety and nutritional quality of GMO food imports from December 21," the minist... Continued...

Genetics "fashion" boosts EU animal testing
BRUSSELS - A new trend in experimenting on genetically modified animals is hampering the European Union's drive to cut animal testing, a top scientist said this week. Speaking at an EU conference on alternatives to animal experimentation, Michael Balls called for effective controls on the prod... Continued...

EU farm reform to make spending efficient
BERLIN - EU Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler said radical proposals to reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), due to be launched yesterday, would make the bloc's farm spending more efficient. "There will be some savings but it's mainly a question of spending money in a more rational way ... Continued...

Europe""s farmers wary of EU farm policy changes
WEXFORD, Ireland - Looking out over a herd of young bulls grazing on some of Ireland's lushest meadows, farmer Des Greene ponders an uncertain future as the European Union prepares another set of farm policy reforms. Across the EU, farmers are concerned about the reform process, which has alre... Continued...

Russia to restrict GM feed imports from Oct 1
MOSCOW - Russia will restrict imports of animal feed containing genetically modified (GM) material from October, First Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergei Dankvert said this week. "From October 1 we will import only registered products," Dankvert told reporters. A government resolution, to take... Continued...

Nevada vows to fight on against Yucca nuclear dump
LAS VEGAS - Nevada officials vowed this week to fight on against government plans to bury nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, saying the program will dump thousands of tonnes of deadly, radioactive material within a dice's throw of the state's glittering casinos and fast-growing suburbs. The Bush... Continued...

US Congress approves Yucca nuclear waste dump
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate gave final congressional approval this week to President George W. Bush's decision to bury deadly nuclear waste from across the nation in Nevada's Yucca Mountain, setting aside state safety concerns already being argued in federal court challenges. Senators approve... Continued...

US voters want strict greenhouse gas cuts
WASHINGTON - Three-fourths of voters surveyed want the U.S. government to require power plants and industry to cut emissions linked to global warming, and not rely on voluntary cuts endorsed by the White House, according to a poll released by an environmental group this week. The Zogby survey ... Continued...

California urges conservation to avoid power emergency
SAN FRANCISCO - California's power grid manager, scrambling for energy this week as scorching heat sent air conditioning demand soaring, appealed for conservation to avoid the first statewide grid emergency in over a year. The Independent System Operator, which runs most of the state's power s... Continued...

Army Corps, green group to work together on dams
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and The Nature Conservancy, two traditional rivals, said this week they would work together to lessen the environmental impact of dams on nine U.S. rivers - a move the Corps hopes will also enhance its relationship with environmental groups. The ag... Continued...

US overfishing, pollution threaten oceans
WASHINGTON - Overfishing and pollution in oceans off the U.S. coast threatening sea turtles and marine mammals with extinction, destroying coral reefs and making some water unfit for swimming, an environmental group said in a report issued this week. An independent U.S. agency should be create... Continued...

Link between northern pollution and African drought and other stories
Smoking Gun Link Between Northern Pollution and African Drought The smokestacks of North American and European factories may have spawned the devastating droughts that killed millions of people in Ethiopia and other parts of the Sahel region of Africa. Scientists have been puzzled about the sou... Continued...

E.U. unveils farm policy makeover, farmers cry foul
BRUSSELS — The European Commission unveiled proposals Wednesday for a radical makeover of E.U. farm policy that would stop subsidizing over-production, but France and some farmers' leaders cried foul. The ambitious blueprint to shake up the much-criticized 40-year-old Common Agriculture Policy (CAP... Continued...

Closing the diesel loophole
The diesel engines in “nonroad” heavy-duty vehicles such as bulldozers, excavators, forklifts, and tractors produce 20 times more particulate emissions than heavy-duty diesel (HDD) vehicles designated for “onroad” use, according to the State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators and t... Continued...

Wednesday, July 10, 2002

Liability Plan, Emissions Trading, GMOs Among Priorities of Danish EU Presidency
BRUSSELS--Reaching agreement in the Council of Environment Ministers on an environmental liability scheme, an emissions trading platform, and a plan for traceability and labeling of genetically modified organisms are legislative priorities for Denmark and its European Union presidency that commenced... Continued...

""There""s an awful lot of coffee in - Vietnam""
Rich, robust and rewarding - that was to be the flavour of coffee production in Vietnam. The country has made an astonishing leap in production in the last few years but, for some, there's a bitter taste in the dregs as they struggle to survive disintegrating world prices. Coffee has been grown in V... Continued...

Spilling the beans
The coffee connoisseur purchasing his coffee from one of the top food stores in western Europe selects his speciality coffee with care. This man will tell you that the Kafe region in Ethiopia, where coffee originated, continues to produce coffee that is considered amongst the best in the world. He i... Continued...

Japanese meat processing firm collapsed Wednesday in the wake
Japanese meat processing firm Nippon Shokuhin Co. Ltd. collapsed Wednesday in the wake of an outbreak of mad cow disease in Japan and a labelling scandal, officials said. Nippon Shokuhin filed for court protection from creditors at the Fukuoka District Court in western Japan, buried under 21.9 billi... Continued...

Eliminate abusive child and forced labour practices in cocoa farming
1) Global Chocolate, Cocoa Industry and Stakeholders Establish Foundation, "International Cocoa Initiative -- Working Towards Responsible Labour Standards for Cocoa Growing" 2) ILO welcomes new foundation to eliminate abusive child and forced labour practices in cocoa farming 1) Chocolate Manufa... Continued...

The power of the ""Agro-Export"" model
Although a number of NGOs, 'fair trade coffee' campaigners, and journalists have blamed World Bank policies for Vietnam's over-production of coffee, there is not much evidence to support this claim. There was minimal direct Bank lending to the coffee industry in Vietnam. Indirect loans may have play... Continued...

Community Supported Agriculture changes face of food
In Japan it is called "teikei," meaning "putting the farmers' face on food." Here, the moniker is Community Supported Agriculture, and Jeanne Byrne is the farmer whose boxes of fruits and vegetables are delivered each week to hundreds of customers who pay in advance for homegrown produce. Byrne and ... Continued...

Euro-MPs vote for strict rules on GMOs
The Greens/European Free Alliance welcomed today's "vote for consumers" by the European parliament on "The authorisation, traceability and labelling of genetically modified food, feed and organisms." Speaking after the controversial vote today, Jill Evans MEP (Plaid Cymru -The Party for Wales) Spoke... Continued...

Arm-twisting the world over food rights
You have heard of the 'green room' politics at Seattle WTO Ministerial and subsequently at Doha. The 'green room' diplomacy prevails in almost every major international conference. It is in the 'green rooms' that economics is pushed aside, and politics takes over the control. It becomes a question o... Continued...

Effort to make "politically correct" coffee Berkeley""s only
BERKELEY -- This is a city of strong convictions and stronger latte. Here in the cradle of the gourmet coffee movement, few things are dearer than the People's caffeine. Berkeley is said to have one of the nation's largest concentrations of coffeehouses. The underground comic hero "Too Much Coffee M... Continued...

Farm Subsidies That Kill
J'accuse! I hate to condemn a colleague this way, but our tax dollars are going to pay an indolent New York journalist for not growing wheat on the West Coast. Could there be a worse indictment of American agricultural policy, rendered even more scandalous by the new $180 billion farm bill signed... Continued...

Euro GM food plan angers America
THE chances of a new trade war with America increased dramatically yesterday as the European parliament voted in plans for the full labelling and traceability of genetically modified foods. The US government claims that the EU proposals would block £2.8bn worth of American exports to the EU every ye... Continued...

Poor Economy Affects Lusaka Sugar""s Sales
Depressed disposable incomes and the general poor state of the economy has adversely affected Zambia Sugar Plc's domestic sales, the company's marketing director Rebecca Katowa has said. In an interview at the Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF) where Zambia Sugar picked up three prizes, Katowa s... Continued...

Heat, wind threaten Iowa crops
Iowa, besieged by hot, dry, windy weather, is fast losing its luster as the U.S. corn belt's garden spot. With forecasts for more punishing weather in the next 10 days, agronomists are seeing signs of distress in Iowa fields - hard-baked, cracking soil and curling corn leaves. "We need some good rai... Continued...

Earth will expire by 2050
Our planet is running out of room and resources. Modern man has plundered so much, a damning report claims this week, that outer space will have to be colonised. The end of earth as we know it? Talk about it @ Observer Worldview Mark Townsend and Jason Burke Sunday July 7, 2002 The Observer Earth's ... Continued...

Slurry restrictions on half of England
"It means that a significant number of England's 33,500 pig, dairy and poultry farmers, and a smaller proportion of sheep and cattle farmers in these areas, will have to export a large share of the 80 million tons of animal manure produced in Britain annually."... Continued...

Capitalism sprouts on Russian farmland
PODOLSK, RUSSIA ­ For more than a decade, Anatoly Kibeka has been a peaceful counterrevolutionary. One of the first Russians to start a private family farm, in 1991, he has weathered controversy and harassment, but now his country's parliament has finally vindicated him. "It's 10 years late, but... Continued...

African nations trade a maligned forum for new hope
JOHANNESBURG - Derided as a club for dictators and a useless bureaucratic talking shop, the Organization of African Unity will hardly be missed when it disbands tomorrow. The 53-nation body is being replaced by the African Union, a new group modeled on the European Union that hopes to closely bind i... Continued...

Food Trade a vehicle for invasion of alien species
With the trade in agricultural commodities being brought under the WTO's Agreement on Agriculture, the importance of plant quarantine and phytosanitary measures assumes added importance. Trade in agricultural commodities is sure to serve as a vehicle for transportation of pests and diseases across t... Continued...

Pressure for seed-Potato imports
After flowers and vegetables, it is now the turn of potato. For over three years now, the horizontally expanding private seed industry, with support from the World Bank, has been exerting tremendous pressure on the government to allow bulk import of potato varieties for seed production. The private ... Continued...

German wind power market up 33 pct yr/yr in Jan-Jun
COPENHAGEN - Germany's wind power organisation Bundesverband Windenergie said yesterday the country had increased the number of installed wind turbines by an annual 33 percent in the first six months of the year to record-high 1,088 megawatt. Germany is by far the world's leading wind power na... Continued...

Construction begins on Ireland""s largest wind farm
DUBLIN - Irish green energy firm Airtricity said this week it had begun constructing the country's largest wind farm, capable of supplying power for 25,000 homes. The 35 million euro ($34.4 million) installation at Kingsmountain in the northeastern county of Sligo will employ 10 wind turbines ... Continued...

Firms fail to disclose Alaska cleanup costs
WASHINGTON - Oil firms have not earmarked enough money to foot a future cleanup bill of as much as $6 billion for oil drilling operations on Alaska's North Slope once the now-prolific reservoir runs dry, according to a congressional report released yesterday. The report by the General Accounti... Continued...

Missouri river barge traffic nearly dead in water
KANSAS CITY, Mo - Transportation of commodities along the Missouri River is nearing a standstill as efforts to raise water levels run afoul of laws protecting endangered birds nesting along the dried-out river banks, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official said. "Right now we are not meeting o... Continued...

Wednesday, July 3, 2002

Reaching for Rural Renewal, Lawmakers propose a new Homestead Act to save dying Midwestern farm
Memories dance through the decay of this small town, through the wide leafy blankness of Main Street. The old-timers gabbing over coffee in the lone cafe snatch at the memories and lay them out in lists. They catalog the businesses that once thrived here but are now dead: Three groceries. Two hardwa... Continued...

Cotton and Global Trade Negotiations
With cotton prices at an all time low, halving the incomes of many developing country cotton producers, the World Bank and the International Cotton Advisory Committee invite you to attend the conference on "Cotton and Global Trade Negotiations" to be held at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., July ... Continued...

Foodmakers express impatience with biotech
While the debate rages on about labeling genetically engineered foods, foodmakers are growing impatient with the biotechnology industry's efforts to develop crops that have some nutritional or health value for consumers. A General Mills Inc. executive, speaking on a biotech panel in Chicago Thursday... Continued...

Food safety articles
ConAgra Beef Co. of Greeley, Colorado, is voluntarily recalling approximately 354,200 pounds of fresh and frozen ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, the Agriculture Department announced Sunday. The department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the labels on al... Continued...

U.S. Opposes Right to Food at World Summit
At the World Food Summit, held in Rome, Italy, from June 10-13, 2002, the United States stood alone among 182 nations in opposing the right to food. In fact the Bush administration used a mix of arm-twisting and other pressure tactics to push other countries to support a much narrower world-hung... Continued...

Blair orders MEPs to block labelling
Blair orders MEPs to block strict labelling of GM foods By Marie Woolf Chief Political Correspondent THE INDEPENDENT , 02 July 2002 Moves to lay down Europe-wide rules on genetically modified (GM) food are expected to provoke a bitter political dispute this week when the Government urges British MEP... Continued...

Guidelines for Treatment Of Food Animals Released Retailers Urge Improved Conditions on Farms
The supermarket and fast-food industries unveiled their first comprehensive guidelines for the humane treatment of farm animals yesterday, recommending that farmers curtail such practices as starving hens to make them lay more eggs, housing pregnant pigs in crates so small they cannot fully lie down... Continued...

GM News Update, 2 July, 02
GM News Update, 2 July, 02 --- Please circulate w i d e l y -- 1. GM at the crossroads (Excellent Guardian article) 2. Monsanto stocks fading fast 3. US Food Giants Question GE Foods (Chicago Tribune) 4. Oils that kill - Why hydrogenated oils are a health risk! 5. Biotech Dishonours List (Private Ey... Continued...

Forest costs and benefits
Forests provide huge benefits. Besides supplying wood and other products, they store a vast amount of genetic information, regulate the climate and the flow of water, protect and enrich soils, control pests and diseases, pollinate useful plants and disperse their seeds, safeguard water quality, offe... Continued...

Europe backs stricter GM rules
Plans to enforce stricter labelling of genetically modified foods across the European Union have been agreed by members of the European Parliament. Under current EU rules, only food with more than 1% of GM material has to be labelled. The proposals, which still have to be agreed by EU environment mi... Continued...

Water controversy may douse Alberta oil sands boom
CALGARY, Alberta - As oil companies pump billions of dollars into Canada's northern oil sands to develop the huge but expensive reserves of tar-like crude, it is water - not technology or oil prices - that could cool a boom sparked by the energy-hungry U.S. market. Investments estimated at bet... Continued...

Toyota to market fuel cell cars this year
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp, the world's third largest automaker, said it would become the first carmaker to market a fuel cell passenger car, with a small number of vehicles to be offered from late this year. The auto giant stressed, however, that high costs meant its marketing efforts would be... Continued...

UN passes laws to boost ship safety,curb pollution
LONDON - A raft of new laws aimed at bolstering ship safety and cutting down pollution from ships and accidents at sea came into force, the United Nations' maritime body said in a statement. The International Maritime Organisation, (IMO), said the stricter regulations tackle fire prevention an... Continued...

UK""s Meacher confident on CO2 emissions target
LONDON - Britain's environment minister said he was confident the country would meet its targets to cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions by 2010 to curb global warming despite some reports the country may fall short. "We still expect to do that or come extremely close but we are still eight ye... Continued...

Suzuki, Fuji, GM to join on recycling cars
NEW YORK - Japan's Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd and Suzuki Motor Corp. will join with their dominant shareholder, General Motors , on recycling automobiles, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported. Yesterday's edition of Nikkei, monitored in New York, said the companies will cooperate on recyc... Continued...

Superfund cleanups slow due to lack of funding
WASHINGTON - A $225 million shortfall in the Bush administration's budget will slow the pace of cleanup of toxic pollution at a New Jersey plant that once made Agent Orange herbicide and other Superfund sites in 19 states, the Environmental Protection Agency said. A report from the EPA's inspe... Continued...

EPA chief says Bush emissions cuts would save lives
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said that its plan to cut polluting emissions at U.S. power plants, criticized by green groups for being too industry-friendly, would save 12,000 lives by 2020. The administration proposal would reduce three kinds of air pollution from electric generating p... Continued...

California legislature OKs greenhouse gas emissions bill
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The California legislature approved a controversial bill that would make the state the first in the nation to regulate vehicle greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. The Assembly voted 41 to 30 for the measure, which opponents such as the automobile industry h... Continued...

Tuesday, July 2, 2002

Ecological risks of GMOs come in unexpected ways, model shows
Introducing genetically modified organisms into wild populations holds a greater theoretical risk of extinction of natural species than previously believed, according to two Purdue University scientists. William Muir, professor of animal sciences, and Richard Howard, professor of biology, used co... Continued...

Blood in the Streets of Buenos Aires
While George W. Bush and the other G-8 leaders were meeting at their isolated retreat in Canada, two demonstrators were murdered in cold blood by policemen in the streets of Buenos Aires. The murdered youths belonged to the "piqueteros," or picketers, the Argentine movement of unemployed workers who... Continued...

McCartney Battles With McDonald""s
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Paul McCartney wants McDonald's to apply its U.S. animal welfare standards to its restaurants worldwide. The former Beatle, who married Heather Mills earlier this month, took time out from his honeymoon to write to the top 100 shareholders of McDonald's, asking them to urge t... Continued...

Biggest ever campaign to ban factory farming
As the biggest ever campaign to ban factory farming gathers momentum, Viva's Tony Wardle offers a passionate expose of the meat industry and outlines a dozen reasons to ditch the burgers 'Intensive', 'industrialised', 'factory' - they're all terms that describe modern farming methods. 'Intensive... Continued...

Toyota to market fuel cell cars this year
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp, the world's third largest automaker, said yesterday it would become the first carmaker to market a fuel cell passenger car, with a small number of vehicles to be offered from late this year. The auto giant stressed, however, that high costs meant its marketing effort... Continued...

Mexico - US reach accord to end border water spat
MEXICO CITY - Mexico will send to U.S. farmers 6 percent of the water it owes them and get funding for water-conservation projects as part of an agreement unveiled on Saturday to end a simmering dispute between the border neighbors. Texas water officials criticized the deal, saying it fell far... Continued...

Pollution endangers Baltic Sea fishing
GAVLE, Sweden - A large school of Baltic herring forms a red mass on the sonic depth sounder. Fisherman Lars Berglund steers the Birgitta to the right and 60 metres (200 feet) of herring drift net is thrown overboard. The herring spawn in early summer and massive catches are not uncommon. "... Continued...

New GEMI Tool Helps Companies Target Sustainability
ATLANTA, June 20, 2002 - The Global Environmental Management Initiative has released a new software tool to help companies evaluate, plan for, and integrate sustainable development into business processes. The tool, “Exploring Pathways to a Sustainable Enterprise: SD Planner," aids companies in ... Continued...

A great city""s people forced to stop drinking swill? Berkeley ordinance would ban all but politically correct coffee
Berkeley -- Berkeley, a place passionate about coffee and progressive politics, could become the only city in the nation to ban coffee not grown with strict protections for workers and the environment. The proposed ban -- contained in an initiative crafted by a lawyer one year out of law school ... Continued...

Ethiopia is producing a surplus of food for the seventh year in succession without GMOs
Dr Tewolde Gebre Egziabher, heading the Environmental Protection Agency of Ethiopia, will shortly be announcing the results of a study showing that Ethiopia is producing a surplus of food for the seventh year in succession. Journalists and other visitors are welcome to witness for themselves: * All ... Continued...

Monday, July 1, 2002

Radioactive fruit seized in Moscow
MOSCOW -- Nearly 1,500 pounds of berries from an area heavily hit by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster were seized this month from Moscow markets because of radioactive contamination, an official announced Friday. The bilberries, akin to blueberries, were found to have 14 times the acceptable leve... Continued...

Not Coffee Klatsch--international coffee crisis is for real
The International Coffee Organization (ICO) is warning about the extent of the crisis in its industry. During the 86th International Coffee Council meeting in London, the organization warned that the drop in price for coffee--a thirty year low--is causing economic hardship in many coffee producing c... Continued...

Drastic changes to EU farm policy proposed
According to a Financial Times article, the EU commissioner for agriculture, Franz Fischler, is proposing a radical change in the way European farmers would be supported. The subsidies would be rewarded according to environmental, animal welfare and food quality criteria. The plan would also limit d... Continued...

New list serves from IATP
IATP has launched three new food and ag related list serves Farm Bill Implementation Sustainable Rural Development Sodexo/Marriet (this listserve covers efforts to get this large food service company to switch to local, organic, and fair trade sources for campus and other meal service and restau... Continued...

Suicides by the Cotton Farmers in Bhatinda district of Punjab
A voluntary organisation, Kheti Virasat, undertook a survey of some villages in the Bathinda district of Punjab where some farmers committed suicide. The team found the entire villages devastated by pest, pesticide, modern cotton farming, and debt burden. The team also studied the traditional agricu... Continued...

EU Mulls Farm-Subsidy Changes
BRUSSELS -- Heading in the opposite direction of the U.S., the European Union is moving to reform its agriculture programs to stop farmers from producing mountains of surplus milk, grain and beef. The EU proposal is to switch the bulk of subsidies into lump-sum welfare payments to farmers, elimin... Continued...

Canadian farm package reviled, revered
The federal government has set the table for a raucous meeting of federal and provincial agriculture ministers in Halifax this week with its latest farm funding announcement. At issue will be the willingness and ability of some provinces to share the costs of a two-year, $2 billion farm aid progr... Continued...

EU to curb dioxins levels in food/feed from today
BRUSSELS - Food and animal feed manufacturers across the European Union must abide by strict new limits on permitted levels of cancer-causing dioxins from July 1, the European Commission said last week. Dioxins are accidental by-products generated mainly through incineration by the chemical an... Continued...

Green power starts for London""s red buses in 2003
LONDON - London's air pollution will be alleviated a little next year when the first environmentally friendly buses that emit no fumes roll on to the roads. Transport for London (TFL), the newly-created body responsible for transport issues in the capital, will take delivery next year of thr... Continued...

UK foot-and-mouth farmer banned for 15 years
LONDON - A farmer whose pigs were said to be the origin of Britain's worst foot-and-mouth outbreak has been banned from keeping farm animals for 15 years, court officials said last week. Robert Waugh, 56, was also ordered at a court in northeast England to be electronically tagged and to keep ... Continued...

USDA allows CRP haying in Montana, South Dakota
WASHINGTON - Farmers and ranchers in parts of drought-hit Montana and South Dakota are allowed to harvest hay from land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve, the Agriculture Department said last week. USDA also provided $1.9 million for South Dakota and $90,000 to Montana in Emergency Conserva... Continued...

US energy-related emissions down first time in decade
WASHINGTON - U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions that are linked to global warming fell by 1.1 percent last year, the first drop in a decade, because of a manufacturing slowdown and warm weather, the government said last week. The drop in emissions was due to the slowing U.S. economy,... Continued...

US court orders settlement talks in TVA pollution case
WASHINGTON - A U.S. court last week ordered the government and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to try to settle within 60 days a lawsuit over whether TVA should install expensive pollution-control devices at its aging coal-fired power plants. The case stems from lawsuits pressed by the Cl... Continued...

Dry Colorado once hosted rain forest, study shows
WASHINGTON - It may be so dry now that forest fires are raging across the state, but Colorado 64 million years ago may have been home to a tropical rain forest, researchers said last week. They have excavated a site south of Denver that looks very much like a present-day Amazonian rain forest,... Continued...

US farms to plant more biotech crops - USDA study
WASHINGTON - U.S. farmers are expected to plant more genetically modified crops in the coming years thanks to higher financial returns and less dependence on pesticides, according to a government report released last week. In its two-year study, the U.S. Agriculture Department said demand for ... Continued...

Modified pollen travels far but not wide
WASHINGTON - Pollen from genetically modified crops can spread to neighboring fields, but may only fertilize a small percentage of plants there, Australian researchers said last week. Pollen from a new breed of canola (rapeseed) plant spread as far as 1.8 miles (3 km) away, but only fertilized... Continued...

White House pushes for ethanol mandate in energy bill
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has urged U.S. Senate and House lawmakers negotiating an energy bill to include language that would triple the amount of ethanol-blended gasoline and biodiesel used each year in American cars, trucks and sport-utility vehicles. Farm state lawmakers support ... Continued...

US biotech crop rise seen overcoming StarLink fear
CHICAGO - Data showing increased plantings of genetically modified crops by U.S. farmers reflect the waning impact of the StarLink corn episode of two years ago that led to massive food recalls and hurt U.S. exports, agricultural products maker Monsanto Co. said. But Greenpeace genetic-enginee... Continued...

Baltic blooms predicted
The Baltic Sea could be plagued by record toxic cyanobacteria blooms this summer, predict scientists at the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Finland’s national environmental research and development center. If this summer’s forecasts for high temperatures hold true, “there seems to be an ine... Continued...

Fish rapidly eliminate endocrine-disrupting alkylphenols
As it meanders down the river past a wastewater discharge pipe, a fish is exposed to a host of chemical contaminants, some of which collect in its tissues. If the fish then swims to clean water, some of those contaminants, notably endocrine-disrupting alkylphenols, may rapidly disappear, suggest new... Continued...

Environmental markets unexpectedly strong
The 2001 recession and economic aftermath of September 11 had little impact on most markets for environmental goods and services, according to Farkas Berkowitz and Company, a management consulting firm. The U.S. water and wastewater engineering market grew 10% to $3.8 billion in 2001, due partly to ... Continued...

Organic farming benefits extend beyond food
“Clean water starts on the farm,” said Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in launching a new campaign to promote consumer awareness of the larger environmental ramifications of organic farming in May. A partnership of Kennedy’s Waterkeeper Alliance, a coalition of water protection groups, and Organic Valley, o... Continued...

U.S. Senate panel passes first greenhouse gas curbs
WASHINGTON — The Senate Environment Committee on Thursday narrowly passed a bill that would impose the first-ever limits on emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the United States, but Republicans called the measure dead before it gets to the Senate floor. The panel voted 10-9 largely alon... Continued...

Friday, June 28, 2002

China to require GMO health permits from ""03
SHANGHAI - China's soy importers will not need Health Ministry import permits for genetically modified organisms (GMO) until January 1, although its new rules will be imposed on July 1, traders said yesterday. "Importers will still have to file applications to the Health Ministry after July 1,... Continued...

Fried foods may cause cancer, more tests needed - UN
GENEVA - International food safety experts, meeting in emergency session at the World Health Organisation (WHO), said yesterday that fatty, fried foods may cause cancer but a final verdict needed more research. The 25 specialists, mainly from Europe, the United States and Japan were summoned t... Continued...

UK urges more farm controls against badger visits
LONDON - Britain yesterday urged farmers to tighten controls against the possibility that wildlife may infect cattle with bovine tuberculosis after research showed that badgers are more likely to enter farm buildings during the summer. Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affai... Continued...

Alaska drilling fight looming with energy bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. lawmakers yesterday began hammering out compromise legislation to overhaul American energy policy for the first time in a decade, with Democrats warning that opening an Alaskan refuge to drilling would kill any final deal. Clashes are expected over the Republican-led House of... Continued...

Comparison of US Senate, House energy bills
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate and House of Representatives negotiators met yesterday to begin preparing a final energy bill that will boost domestic production and encourage more conservation. The two chambers of the U.S. Congress approved sharply different energy packages, and 61 negotiators will ... Continued...

Nebraska seeks CRP land for drought-hit livestock
WASHINGTON - Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel asked the U.S. Agriculture Department yesterday to allow drought-stricken farmers in his state to use environmentally-sensitive land to help feed their livestock. Hagel, a Republican, said emergency haying on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands in Ne... Continued...

Devastated Apache Indians count cost of Ariz blaze
SHOW LOW, Ariz. - As firefighters made strides combating a monster Arizona wildfire, there were sighs of relief yesterday in the mountain town of Show Low, which officials now expect to survive one of the most destructive blazes ever to scorch the U.S. West. Not far away, however, on the White... Continued...

US Senate panel passes first greenhouse gas curbs
WASHINGTON - The Senate Environment Committee yesterday narrowly passed a bill that would impose the first-ever limits on emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the United States, but Republicans called the measure dead before it gets to the Senate floor. The panel voted 10-9 largely a... Continued...

Global warming threatens US parks, waters
WASHINGTON - Global warming is threatening many U.S. parks, forests, marine sanctuaries and wildlife refuges, and the federal government must act to protect them, a report by the environmental group Bluewater Network said. Average global temperatures may increase by 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit (12... Continued...

Report Urges Changes In Restructuring of Electricity Sector
A new report urges that the way electricity sectors are being restructured throughout the world should be changed. Otherwise, social benefits and environmental considerations could be easily discounted as rich and poor countries focus on making their power markets more competitive. "Electricity ... Continued...

Cargill Dow Receives U.S. EPA Green Chemistry Award
MINNETONKA, Minn., Jun. 26, 2002 - Cargill Dow LLC recently received a 2002 Presidential Green Chemistry Award for the development of a process to make plastic from corn. The company’s product, NatureWorks PLA, is a commercial-grade polymer used in fiber and packaging markets around the world. “... Continued...

Biotechnology will bypass the hungry
Devinder Sharma made this presentation at the "Transgenic Plants and Food Security: Approaches to a Sustainable World Food System Ten Years After The Rio Summit" conference in Berlin on July 28-29. The conference is being organised by the Protestant Academy of Research along with several civil socie... Continued...

USDA, USTR ""Troubled"" by EU Statements on Access to Their Market
USDA Sec. Ann Veneman and U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Zoellick have issued a statement critical of recent announcements by the European Commission that they will seek to restrict access to the EU grain and rice markets by the U.S. and other countries. "We are deeply troubled by the European Commission's ... Continued...

G-8 Adopts African Aid Package, With Strict Conditions
President Bush and leaders of the major industrial countries ended their meeting today by committing billions of dollars in aid to African nations that successfully reform their economies and governments. But they offered only the vaguest assurances that they would dismantle the huge subsidies for t... Continued...

Thursday, June 27, 2002

Benefits of organic farming
Soils on organic farms are healthier, according to the most comprehensive study yet comparing farming practices. The 21-year study found that although crop yields are 20% lower, organic farming uses less fertilizer and energy than conventional methods and supports greater biodiversity. Paul Mäder of... Continued...

More than just dioxins in food
The first extensive look at chemical contamination pathways in aquaculture systems points to fish meal and oils as primary sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in farm-raised fish. The study, published on ES&T ’s Web site under Research ASAPs (10.1021/es011287i), turned up a wide range of... Continued...

World Bank""s rural development strategy
Dear Colleagues and Friends, The World Bank's draft Rural Development Strategy will soon come up for review by the Bank's Board of Executive Directors (on July 9, 2002). This document is very important because it lays out the World Bank's plans for rural development that will affect millions of rura... Continued...

Mercury pollution may contribute to antibiotic resistance
Mercury contamination may promote bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals, according to research presented at the American Society of Microbiology meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, in May. Because microorganisms easily transfer genetic material, linked traits such as antibiotic and merc... Continued...

Filling the gaps in endocrine disrupter research
The European Commission (EC) launched an $18.9 million research drive in May to investigate the effects that endocrine disrupters have on human health and the environment and the risks they potentially pose. A series of research projects will focus primarily on the effects of low doses and mixtur... Continued...

A twisted path for atrazine review
Recent research showing that very low levels of atrazine disrupt the sexual development of male frogs (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36, 55A) may force the U.S. EPA to delay issuing new rules on the use of the herbicide, according to an agency official. EPA is under a court order to issue an inter... Continued...

GM crops push costs up
Widespread cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe threatens to increase costs for conventional and organic farmers, according to a draft report by the European Commission’s research arm, the Joint Research Centre. The report uses computer simulations in one of the first attempts to... Continued...

Worldwide life-cycle initiative
To help governments, businesses, and consumers to adopt more environmentally friendly policies, practices, and life-styles, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) have jointly launched a Life-Cycle Initiative. Intended to spu... Continued...

EU says beats US on greener energy policies
BRUSSELS - The European Union is way ahead of the United States in promoting energy efficiency and renewables like wind and solar power, the bloc's top energy official said yesterday. EU Energy Commissioner Loyola de Palacio said the policies she unveiled last year were "greener" than the ener... Continued...

Earth can""t meet human demand for resources
WASHINGTON - The consumption of forests, energy and land by humans is exceeding the rate at which Earth can replenish itself, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study, conducted by California-based Redefining Progress, a nonprofit group ... Continued...

NFU Disappointed with House Vote on ""Fast Track""
WASHINGTON (June 27, 2002) -National Farmers Union expressed disappointment with the U.S. House vote to send "fast-track" trade-promotion authority legislation to conference committee, particularly after it was amended by an unusual procedural vote yesterday. House Ways and Means Chair Bill Thoma... Continued...

Biotech Industry Digs In - Companies Retool Strategies To Survive Investment Slump
Geert R. Kersten, chief executive of Cel-Sci Corp., has cut the Vienna biotechnology firm's 40-member staff by half, reduced spending by nearly 70 percent and slowed testing of experimental drugs. With about $2 million in cash, Kersten figures the company can stay in business for another year. Li... Continued...

Turkish food factory poses problems for Cargill
Turkish food factory poses problems for Cargill 26/06/02 - A €91 million sugar-substitute plant in western Turkey represents the biggest greenfield investment made outside the US by Cargill, the Minnesota-based food producer. Yet the problems faced by Cargill in Turkey since the factory started u... Continued...

Even Pigs Can""t Survive on GM Corn
Pig farmers are having major breeding problems from feeding their animals genetically-engineered corn. Despite 30 years of experience farming in Shelby County, Iowa, Jerry Rosman couldn't figure out why the birthrates of piglets fell 80 percent. He tested for diseases and made sure artificial insemi... Continued...

Wednesday, June 26, 2002

Genetically modified wheat hearing
North Dakota Farmers need your help! Regardless of what state or country you live in your opinion counts. Send your comments opposing genetically modified wheat to the North Dakota Interim Agriculture Committee. You can email your testimony and find out more information about genetically modifie... Continued...

Mexico temporarily bans chicken imports from eight U.S. states
Mexican authorities placed a temporary ban on imports of chicken from seven U.S. states, after the government reported cases of poultry infected with avian flu. The move -- a blow to U.S. farmers who depend on export markets like Mexico to get rid of dark meat that is hard to sell to U.S. consume... Continued...

Nutritional advice from McDonald""s and Coke
"Fast food companies including McDonald's and Coca-Cola are helping to fund a multimillion pound advertising campaign urging Americans to eat more healthily," reports the Guardian. Burger King, Heinz, Kelloggs, Kraft, Nestle, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, Monsanto, and Unilever Bestfoods are also funding... Continued...

Biotech Crops Environmentally Safe, According to Study
A leading private research institute in the United States says thatbiotechnology-derived soybeans, maize (corn) and cotton yieldenvironmental benefits and pose no more environmental concerns thanconventionally developed crops.The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST),copublisher of ... Continued...

Local Food, Global Solutions - The Ecologist
Increased international trade in food is putting the livelihoods of small producers across the world at risk. The time has come for a return to a more localised agricultural model. For Anjamma, who had never before stepped outside her home village, the constant flash from the cameras must have co... Continued...

EU ratifies Cartagena GM crop trade treaty
BRUSSELS - The European Union has ratified a treaty setting environmental rules on the trade in genetically modified crops, bringing the pact closer to coming into force, the EU Commission said yesterday. Fresh from ratifying the Kyoto climate pact, which the United States pulled out of last y... Continued...

Ariz wildfire rages - Bush declares disaster
SHOW LOW, Ariz. - Firefighters battling one of the fiercest wildfires to scorch the U.S. West worked to shore up a key fire line protecting this small Arizona town yesterday, rolling out bulldozers and clearing away underbrush in a desperate effort to keep the flames at bay. President George W... Continued...

EPA says 28 pct of US lakes have contaminated fish
WASHINGTON - More than one-fourth of the nation's lakes have advisories warning consumers that fresh-caught fish may be contaminated with mercury, dioxins or other chemicals, the Environmental Protection Agency said yesterday. The EPA said state regulators issued 2,618 fishing advisories or ba... Continued...

US House panel backs conservation i