Daily Grist / Weekly Digest 3-4-06

Rumblings in the Bronx
A virtual walking tour of the South Bronx

Mary Wiltenburg New York's South Bronx was once a getaway for the rich; now the defining landmarks of the community are power plants, landfills, and parking lots. Where some might see hopelessness, though, resident Omar Freilla sees opportunity. Freilla founded Green Worker Cooperatives to salvage reusable materials from trash and demolition waste, creating a neighborhood that is healthier both environmentally and economically. In a virtual walking tour of his community, Freilla discusses his vision of creating hundreds of jobs out of the abundance of "things that nobody else wants."

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new in Main Dish: Rumblings in the Bronx

intro to week three of Poverty & the Environment series: Consumption



Work in Progress
Alan Hipólito, creator of green jobs for low-income folks, InterActivates

Alan Hipólito is putting low-income residents of Portland, Ore., to work restoring ecosystems with native plants. He is director of Verde, a new nonprofit that trains residents of affordable housing for new eco-friendly jobs and careers. As this week's InterActivist, Hipólito chats about his aversion to authority, his plan for livening up your city council meetings, and his desire to see everyone benefit economically from environmental protection. Send him a question of your own by noon PST on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

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new in InterActivist: Work in Progress

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Is This the "Safe, Clean" Nuclear Power We Hear So Much About?
Illinois nuke-power operator criticized for leaks and "incidents"

Quantity doesn't equal quality with Chicago-based Exelon Corp., which runs all six nuclear plants and 11 nuclear reactors in Illinois. There were at least four "incidents" at Exelon plants last week, including a false alarm at one generating station that initiated the first "site-area emergency" at a U.S. nuclear plant in 15 years. These came on the heels of disclosures that there were eight radioactive leaks and spills at Exelon plants since 1996 that went unreported to the public. One spill of roughly 3 million gallons of tritium-laced water in 1998 wasn't completely cleaned up eight years later. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) plans to introduce legislation this week requiring nuclear facilities to notify state and local officials of unintended or accidental radioactive leaks -- or face possible loss of their operating licenses.

straight to the source: Chicago Tribune, Robert Manor, 25 Feb 2006

straight to the source: Time.com, Eric Ferkenhoff, 23 Feb 2006

straight to the source: Morris Daily Herald, Jo Ann Hustis, 23 Feb 2006


Shell Shocked
Nigerian court orders Shell to pay $1.5 billion for pollution

A Nigerian court has ordered Royal Dutch Shell to ante up $1.5 billion in damages to communities in the Niger Delta, citing oil spills that polluted regional rivers, spoiled crops, and poisoned fish. The Friday ruling is a major victory for the region's Ijaw people, who have struggled for over a decade to get compensation for environmental damages. Shell says it will appeal. The court ruling comes during an upsurge in violence in the Niger Delta, where local communities live in squalor despite the region's oil riches. The militant Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta kidnapped several employees of a U.S. oil industry subcontractor nine days ago and demanded that foreign oil firms leave the region. The group's attacks over the past two months have shut down almost a fifth of the country's oil production.

straight to the source: The Guardian, Rory Carroll, 25 Feb 2006

straight to the source: The New York Times, Lydia Polgreen, 25 Feb 2006



Give a Little Bit
Umbra on wedding registries

Wedding season is just a few months away, and as spouses-to-be across the nation gear up for their blessed events, their thoughts naturally turn to one thing: loot. Today, a puzzled bride wonders how to register for socially and environmentally responsible gifts. Advice maven Umbra Fisk unveils the way.

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new in Ask Umbra: Give a Little Bit

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There Once Was a Man From ... Alaska?
Nantucket Sound wind farm could be doomed by Don Young amendment

There's plenty of local opposition to the controversial Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, but the final blow (ha!) may come from an Alaskan. After the House and Senate passed versions of a Coast Guard budget bill, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) introduced an amendment to extend the distance between offshore wind turbines and ship navigation paths to 1.5 nautical miles. He then circulated a letter soliciting support from colleagues, claiming that turbine blades can mess with shipboard radar and specifically calling out the Cape Wind project. If the bill passes with Young's amendment, so much of Nantucket Sound would be off-limits to turbines that the 130-windmill project would be effectively doomed. Cape Wind honchos point to a 2003 study conducted for the Army Corps of Engineers that determined the wind farm would pose no threat to navigational systems. A decision on Young's amendment could be made behind closed doors as early as today.

straight to the source: The Washington Post, David A. Fahrenthold, 26 Feb 2006

straight to the source: The Boston Globe, Associated Press, Andrew Miga, 26 Feb 2006

straight to the source: Anchorage Daily News, Liz Ruskin, 26 Feb 2006

get the backstory in Grist: Prominent enviros face off over Cape Cod wind farm -- in Muckraker



Truce Almighty
It's time for conservationists to make common cause with the Forest Service

For decades, conservationists have devoted themselves to monkeywrenching U.S. Forest Service operations with lawsuits, appeals, demonstrations, and tree-sits. That, says longtime forest activist Mitch Friedman, was then. Now the Forest Service is demoralized and underfunded. It's time for conservationists to shift to collaboration and partnership, inspiring the agency toward a new mission: restoring the health of America's national forests. Read this provocative piece and then join the discussion in Gristmill.

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new in Soapbox: The Forest Service Is Dead; Long Live the Forest Service!


No Taxation Without Allocation
Americans would support gas tax in service of green goals, poll finds

Most Americans would support a higher federal gasoline tax if the proceeds went toward ending dependence on foreign oil, reducing global warming, or cutting energy consumption, a new nationwide telephone poll shows. Some 85 percent of adults polled opposed an increased gas tax with no qualifications. But when the funds were to be earmarked for energy-independence and environmental goals, support rose to 55 percent or more. Follow-up interviews affirmed that support. "If it was a tax that would sponsor research for fuel cells or alternative fuel sources, I could buy that," said one Louisiana Republican. The takeaway may be that despite opposition from politicos on both sides of the aisle, Americans are ready to pay more to promote energy conservation -- when they know the money will make a real difference.

straight to the source: The New York Times, Louis Uchitelle and Megan Thee, 28 Feb 2006

discuss in Gristmill: Americans support a gas tax if revenues go toward energy independence


I Know You Are, Senator, But What Am I?
Pro-drilling Alaska rep aims to punish anti-drilling Washington senators

In the august halls of government, an unwritten rule has been passed down over the years: If the other kids play mean, don't invite them over. Alaska state Rep. Kurt Olson (R) has sponsored a resolution in the Alaska legislature to end a ferry service that carts about 30,000 people a year between Alaska and Washington state. Olson admits his move is mainly symbolic, intended to put pressure on Washington Sens. Maria Cantwell (D) and Patty Murray (D), who oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. "If you don't support us in what we have going, we have to look at how we are supporting you," said state Rep. Mark Neuman (R), a resolution cosponsor. Through a spokesperson, Cantwell stressed that Washington lawmakers are rubber, and Alaska lawmakers are glue, and what bounces off the former will stick to the latter.

straight to the source: Anchorage Daily News, Associated Press, 21 Feb 2006

straight to the source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Mike Lewis, 27 Feb 2006

straight to the source: The Western Front, Peter Jensen, 17 Feb 2006


City Slicker
New Yorkers sue Big Oil over decades-old underground contamination

The words "oil spill" tend to summon images of remote coastlines and goo-covered wildlife. But one of the nastiest spills going is in Brooklyn, N.Y.'s Greenpoint neighborhood: a 17-million-gallon underground oil slick (bigger than the Exxon Valdez disaster) that has spread over an area as big as 41 football fields. A legacy of decades-gone oil refineries, the spill was discovered in 1978 and about half has been cleaned out since 1990. But when New York's Department of Environmental Conservation last year suggested it would take another two decades to mop up all the crud, more than 20 Greenpoint residents got fed up -- in December they sued for damages from Exxon, Chevron, and BP. Soil tests by Riverkeeper suggest that the spill may be emitting benzene gas, which can cause leukemia, and methane, which can explode in confined spaces -- like the basements of Brooklyn homes. State health officials say other tests don't show these hazards. Comforting.

straight to the source: The Post-Standard, Associated Press, David B. Caruso, 26 Feb 2006


Fin and Dandy
Low-mercury fish label debuts in Northern California

If you love fish but avoid it because you're worried about high mercury content, you may be in luck -- if you live in Northern California, that is. Pacific Seafood Group, a large fish wholesaler, has partnered with Holiday Quality Foods, a chain of 19 grocery stores in rural Northern California, to test-market fish labeled as low-mercury. Fish to be sold under the new Safe Harbor brand will be tested for mercury before being packaged, and only those with mercury levels well below the FDA-recommended level of one part per million will make the cut. At least half of the fish tested are expected to be rejected -- which is scary. If Safe Harbor proves to be a safe venture, certified low-mercury fish may show up in other markets in the future.

straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Jerry Hirsch, 27 Feb 2006



It's a Bird! It's a Flu!
An avian-flu expert takes a break from scaring the hell out of us long enough to call on bird watchers to serve as the first line of defense. You a birder? Let us know what you think in Gristmill.


Bring in Da Illinois, Bring in Da Hunk
Obama speechifies for energy independence, chemical-plant security

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is calling for a bipartisan effort to create a cabinet-level national director of energy security, who would coordinate federal policies to cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil. In a Tuesday speech to U.S. governors, Obama touted several policies to promote oil-free energy, among them Department of Defense investments in the best commercial biofuel endeavors. He also suggested Big Auto put serious effort into creating fuel-efficient vehicles, in return for the feds picking up some health care costs for industry retirees. Obama's hot for national security: On Monday, he said he'd introduce legislation this week mandating minimum security requirements at chemical plants around the country, where an attack could kill thousands and endanger millions more. So far, only about 1,100 of the nation's 15,000 largest plants participate in the Bush administration's voluntary security program. "Voluntary security" -- love it. But hey, at least the United Arab Emirates isn't running the plants.

straight to the source: Belleville News Democrat, Associated Press, Dennis Conrad, 28 Feb 2006

straight to the source: Chicago Sun-Times, Abdon M. Pallasch, 28 Feb 2006

straight to the source: Time, Douglas Waller and Mark Thompson, 27 Feb 2006

read the speech transcript and discuss in Gristmill: Barack Obama on energy independence

see also, in Gristmill: "Health Care for Hybrids" -- a smart trade?



I Will Simply Survive
Wealthy strive for "simple living," while the poor try simply surviving

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately," wrote Henry David Thoreau. His experiment in stripping down has inspired generations of environmentalists to cast off possessions, or at least aspire to -- but simple living doesn't look so appealing when it's the only choice you have. Today, anthropologist Elizabeth Chin puts a new spin on environmental consciousness as she examines rich and poor consumers, and the difference between simple living and survival.

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new in Soapbox: I Will Simply Survive

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see also, in Grist: Poverty & the Environment



A House Divided
An interactive illustration of how the other half lives

Illustration by Keri Rosebraugh You know how, in grade school, it was easier to understand multiplication when there were pictures of fruit and panda bears involved? Today we bring you that. Only, the multiplication is now stats about poverty and the environment. And the pictures of fruit and panda bears are now an original illustration by Keri Rosebraugh. Which has pop-up factoids. We bet you haven't had this much fun since grade school. Check it out.

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new in Main Dish: A House Divided

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Repent, Ye Synners
Shady synfuel industry making billions off tax-credit loophole

A budget bill currently being hashed out in Congress may help a few dozen coal plants continue to get filthy rich off of taxpayer money. The backstory: In 1980, Congress enacted tax incentives for turning coal into synthetic fuel, requiring only that the coal be chemically altered -- not necessarily cleaner. The subsidy was designed to be phased out if oil rose above a certain price, the thought being that synfuel demand would increase if oil became too expensive, making subsidization unnecessary. You may have noticed oil prices nudging up lately, but the synfuel industry -- which often does little more than spray coal with diesel fuel -- continues to rake in public money, to the tune of $9 billion in the last two years. Now an amendment to the Tax Relief Act of 2005, introduced by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), would base the synfuel credit on the price of oil in 2004, well within the subsidy loophole. Ah, we love the smell of graft in the morning.

straight to the source: Time, Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, 26 Feb 2006



Shall I Compare Thee to an Activist?
Umbra on love

So maybe you haven't gotten quite as far down the Road of Love as the bride-to-be who wrote in earlier this week. Maybe you're still in the Driveway of Despair, or even the Kitchen of Fixing Yourself a Snack Before You Go. What's holding you up? If by chance it's the desire for a perfectly green and compatible eco-mate, advice maven Umbra Fisk has two words for you: grow up.

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new in Ask Umbra: Shall I Compare Thee to an Activist?

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Global Warring
Climate change a major security problem, says U.K. defense chief

U.K. Defense Secretary John Reid has echoed a growing number of analysts by stressing that global warming is not just a weather problem, or a health problem, or a problem for biodiversity. It's a global security problem. In a Monday speech, Reid called on the nation's military to prepare now for strife brought on by desertification, water shortages, melting ice fields, and increased population. "The blunt truth is that the lack of water and agricultural land is a significant contributory factor to the tragic conflict we see unfolding in Darfur," said Reid. "We should see this as a warning sign." Reid's cheery comments came on the eve of a summit at which Prime Minister Tony Blair will discuss Great Britain's response to global warming. They also coincided with a leak of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's next big report, which indicates that the planet could heat up far more than previously predicted.

straight to the source: The Independent, Ben Russell and Nigel Morris, 28 Feb 2006

straight to the source: United Press International, Hannah K. Strange, 28 Feb 2006

straight to the source: The Guardian, David Adam, 28 Feb 2006


Posterity Always Rings Twice
Youth activist Arthur Coulston thinks the climate-change movement should focus less on "nature" and more on posterity. What do you think? Come discuss.



Laid to Waste
Portraits of loss in the wake of Katrina

It's impossible to forget the images of a hurricane-wrecked New Orleans and its victims that were beamed around the world in the immediate aftermath of the storm. But what did it look like when the TV crews left? Well, um, still bad. Seattle-area photographer Chris Jordan took his camera south this winter to see what the storm had wrought. The message he brings back with his photo essay: our choices matter more than we think.

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new in Main Dish: Laid to Waste

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see also, in Grist: Poverty & the Environment

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Beetle Bailiwick
Warmer B.C. ravaged by beetles, haunted by dead birds

The flora and fauna of British Columbia, Canada, are having a rough go of global warming. B.C. forests are suffering through a massive insect infestation that's ravaging an area three times the size of Maryland. The mountain pine beetle can't survive severe cold, but milder winters (hmm, what the heck could be causing milder winters?) have contributed to its rapid propagation, and Canada's successful fights against wildfires have allowed the growth of a beetle buffet of lodgepole pines. To date, 411 million cubic feet worth of trees have died, twice the amount annually logged in all of Canada. Some fear the infestation could spread all the way to the eastern seaboard. Meanwhile, thousands of seabirds are washing up dead on the B.C. coast; scientists blame warmer weather (hmm, what the ...) for a trickle-down effect that may have reduced available food for birds. "People say climate change is something for our kids to worry about," says scientist Allan Carroll. "No. It's now."

straight to the source: The Washington Post, Doug Struck, 01 Mar 2006

straight to the source: The Vancouver Sun, Larry Pynn, 24 Feb 2006

discuss in Gristmill: Beetle battle



Greening the Cube
Eco-friendly furniture could be coming to a cubicle near you

Photo: iStockphoto. Chances are, you couldn't do your job without furniture -- well, maybe you could, but you'd look kind of silly pecking at your computer on the floor. But have you ever given a thought to what your desk and chair are made of, and where they'll go when they retire? Today, business expert Joel Makower surveys the fast-growing green office-furniture scene. (Got a question about greening your office? Ask Joel!)

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new in Toiling Point: Greening the Cube

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Benzene There, Might Do That
New EPA regs would slash benzene emissions from cars by 2030

The Bush administration delighted enviros yesterday (yes, we just wrote that) by unveiling long-awaited proposals to cut toxic tailpipe emissions. Of course, it took a lawsuit to get the plan released, but why look a gift regulation in the mouth? According to the U.S. EPA, the proposed rules would cut benzene emissions from passenger cars almost in half by 2030, as well as reduce tailpipe emissions of formaldehyde. A national trading system would be established to let refiners making gasoline with higher benzene levels buy pollution credits from cleaner producers. And automakers would be required to outfit new vehicles with benzene-reducing technology. The EPA estimates that the new standards would cost about $205 million a year, but with a return of as much as $6 billion in health benefits annually by 2030. The public will soon have 60 days to comment on the plan, and if it's adopted, the new rules will go into effect in 2011. Yay for the Bushies! There, we said it.

straight to the source: San Diego Union-Tribune, Associated Press, John Heilprin, 01 Mar 2006

straight to the source: The Washington Post, Juliet Eilperin, 02 Mar 2006

straight to the source: Reuters, Chris Baltimore, 01 Mar 2006


Interior Wreckorating
Interior official says big oil-royalty giveaway was likely a mistake

Remember that $7 billion to $9 billion in royalty payments that oil and gas companies won't be sending to American taxpayers for leases on public land? Turns out it's the result of an Interior Department mistake. Oopsie! According to testimony yesterday before a House subcommittee, in 1998 and 1999 Interior "inadvertently" dropped restrictions on royalty relief from leases for Gulf of Mexico drilling sites. There was no "affirmative policy decision" to that effect. Just a bit of a goof. A $9 billion goof. Can we say that again? A $9 billion goof. After a recent New York Times investigation uncovered the royalty shortfall, lawmakers, who were shocked -- shocked! -- to find taxpayers being defrauded, launched investigations. But what do you do when you find out that it was just a goof? A -- did we say this already? -- $9 billion goof. What's the sane response? We recommend that House subcommittee members go home, drink a six-pack of cheap beer, watch American Idol, and just try to forget the whole thing ever happened.

straight to the source: The New York Times, Edmund L. Andrews, 02 Mar 2006



From Principles to Principals
Indie bands tell Hummer to buzz off, Grist's sexy chief is photographed for a glossy mag, and more, in The Grist List. Sign up to get The Grist List each week by email.



Florida, Come and Rock the Offshore Shot
Congress and Bush admin push to open offshore areas to drilling

Offshore drilling is the new ANWR. With the fight to pry open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge having stalled out (at least for the time being), the oil and gas industry and its cronies in Congress are now focused on parts of the outer continental shelf that have been off-limits to drilling for nearly 25 years. Muckraker examines a raft of recent bills and plans that would sink new oil drills into offshore areas from Florida to Alaska.

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new in Muckraker: Offshore and Running

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Nobody Undoes It Like Sara Lee
Industry-backed bill would overthrow state food-labeling laws

Two hundred or more state laws requiring warning labels on foods -- labels indicating the presence of, say, cancer- or birth-defect-causing ingredients -- would get nixed under a bill debated yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation would preempt state food-labeling rules in favor of a national standard, even when the state laws are tougher. Critics of the legislation, including state food and agriculture regulators and a bipartisan coalition of 37 state attorneys general, say this is the food industry's bid to overturn state rules and regulations they've opposed in the past. "The real effect of this legislation will be the deregulation of the United States food industry," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). Food giants like Heinz, Sara Lee, and Kraft back the measure, and there appears to be enough support to get the bill through the House next week. It's expected to face a tougher road in the Senate. Label us nervous.

straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Zachary Coile, 03 March 2006

straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Libby Quaid, 28 Feb 2006



Wallet and Grimace
How much do Americans pay for essentials?

Photo: iStockphoto. Ever wondered what percentage of their income poor Americans pay for food? (Hint: more than the rich.) What proportion of Americans drive to work versus take public transit, and how much it costs them to do it? What the average household will pay to heat their home this winter? How much it costs to have a kid with asthma? Todd Hymas ferreted out these, uh, fun facts and more.

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new in Counter Culture: Wallet and Grimace

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see also, in Grist: Poverty & the Environment



Nursery Time
Alan Hipólito of Verde Native Plant Nursery answers readers' questions

What can the well-off do to help low-income people? Alan Hipólito, this week's InterActivist, shares some ideas. He also answers questions about getting his nonprofit off the ground, replicating the concept of a local garden nursery, staving off discouragement, and painting his toenails. To find out what color, you'll have to read the whole thing.

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new in InterActivist: Nursery Time

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Melts in Your South, Not in Your Plans
Antarctica ice sheets melting faster than expected

Another day, another round of studies showing the world's ice sheets melting faster than expected, another outbreak of indifference from the public, another resigned sigh from enviros, another bout of empty rhetoric from legislators. K, see you tomorrow! Oh, what, you want details? All right: The lucky ice sheets featured in these particular studies are in Antarctica. New research shows they're melting faster than they can be replenished by new snow. So, sea levels could rise faster than anticipated in coming centuries. The result was confirmed in two independent studies, one in the journal Science, another in The Journal of Glaciology. The reports come on the heels of last month's news that Greenland's glaciers are melting twice as fast as expected. Congressional Democrats say the new findings should impel the U.S. to put mandatory curbs on greenhouse-gas emissions right away. Only, like, for real this time. They mean it. Ooh, look, a shiny port scandal ...

straight to the source: The Washington Post, Juliet Eilperin, 03 Mar 2006

straight to the source: The New York Times, Andrew C. Revkin, 03 Mar 2006

straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Robert Lee Hotz, 03 Mar 2006

see also, in Grist: Greenland ice sheet melting speedily, making seas rise faster


Any Portugal in a Wind Storm
Portugal gives wind power a big bear hug; England gives it the finger

Portugal is already building the world's largest solar power plant; now, to make us feel even worse about ourselves, it's planning a huge new project to more than double its wind-energy capacity. A contractor bid will be accepted by this summer for the project, which will provide enough energy to power 750,000 homes, and is expected to create 1,600 jobs. But what's some good news without a little bad news? Plans to create the largest wind farm in England, able to power 45,000 homes, have been rejected by the government. As explained by Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks, "the impact on the landscape and recreation would outweigh the benefits in terms of reducing carbon emissions." Hey, aesthetics over averting climatic catastrophe, we always say.

straight to the source: The Guardian, Giles Tremlett, 02 Mar 2006

straight to the source: BBC News, 02 March 2006

straight to the source: Reuters, 02 March 2006