 Mitt Me With Your Best Shot Romney wins Michigan GOP primary after bashing McCain on fuel economy Mitt Romney won Michigan's Republican primary on Tuesday, after whacking John McCain for supporting tougher fuel-economy regulations and promoting "radical climate change legislation." Romney portrayed himself as a defender of Michigan's floundering auto industry and said the automakers shouldn't be burdened with having to produce more fuel-efficient cars. McCain also got broadsided by an anti-environment front group, the American Environmental Coalition, whose members include many people with close links to the Romney campaign. Said an AEC co-chair, "When it comes to climate change, John McCain and Al Gore are far too much alike for my comfort. John McCain has been sponsoring legislation for the past several years that would give Al Gore much of the regulatory control and power he sought when he and Bill Clinton tried to get America to sign on to the U.N.'s Kyoto global warming treaty." The Michigan outcome was a big blow to McCain after his New Hampshire win last week, in which he seemed to get a boost from talking about fighting climate change. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] new in Gristmill: Pro-warming Romney has sham slam on McCain see also, in Grist: A fact sheet on Romney , A fact sheet on McCain An interview with McCain |
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TODAY'S NEWS
| The Beep Blue Sea Bush exempts Navy from environmental law in ongoing sonar saga President Bush fired another salvo in the ongoing fight pitting the U.S. Navy's use of mid-frequency sonar against whales and other marine mammals that can be harmed by it. Bush yesterday exempted the Navy from parts of the Coastal Zone Management Act that a federal judge recently found the Navy was violating when it used the powerful sonar off the California coast. That judge had ordered the Navy to adopt a number of safety measures to protect sensitive marine mammals during sonar exercises, but with Bush's pass, it's unclear what parts, if any, of the rules the Navy will now have to follow. In the memo issuing the exemption, Bush wrote that complying with the CZMA "would undermine the Navy's ability to conduct realistic training exercises that are necessary to ensure the combat effectiveness of carrier and expeditionary strike groups. This exemption will enable the Navy to train effectively ... in support of worldwide operational and combat activities, which are essential to national security." [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] source: Associated Press straight to the memo: Presidential Exemption from the Coastal Zone Management Act |
 Something in the Air New MacBook Air has some green qualities Apple Inc. head honcho Steve Jobs has introduced the new MacBook Air. Your nerdy cousin's new object of lust is LED backlit, comes with a recycle-friendly aluminum case, and gives purchasers the option of an efficient 64-gigabyte solid-state hard drive. It also boasts a mercury- and arsenic-free display, a circuit board without brominated flame retardants, and PVC-free internal cables. Consumers can tote it home in 56 percent less retail packaging than the MacBook -- and the Air is the thinnest laptop evah, so hey, less electronic waste! It can be yours for a mere $1,799 -- and you'd better go get one, because the computer you bought two months ago is, like, totally old and embarrassing now. Sigh. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] source: Earthtimes |
| Lox and Plan and the Whole Dam Thing Deal reached to remove Klamath River dams for salmon; obstacles remain The Klamath River near the California-Oregon border has been a hotspot in the clash over endangered salmon runs and the irrigation needs of area farmers, but a formal deal reached yesterday suggests a way out of the long-standing disagreements. The plan -- agreed to by a diverse group of stakeholders in the region including Indian tribes, government agencies, farmers, fishers, and a number of conservation groups -- advocates for removal of four dams on the Klamath and outlines clear water-sharing guidelines. It would open up some 300 miles of river that's been inaccessible to imperiled salmon, and restore 60 miles of current reservoir to unblocked river. While the deal is a major development, it still needs approval from several federal agencies and also from the company that owns the dams, the utility PacifiCorp. The plan also hinges on the approval of about $400 million in new funds from Congress. Then there's the small matter of locating another $180 million to actually remove the dams. However, if the deal goes as planned, the dams could be removed as early as 2015. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: Associated Press, The New York Times |
| Venti Your Frustration Starbucks will no longer offer organic milk Starbucks will cease offering organic milk to its coffee-quaffing customers at the end of February. The company has offered organic cow juice since 2001 at an extra charge, but "orders of drinks made with organic milk have consistently been a small percentage of total orders," according to a spokesperson. The chain has stopped using milk from cows shot up with artificial growth hormone; says a Starbucks memo to employees, "If a customer requests organic milk, let them know that our milk is now rBGH-free." Organic milk is also rBGH-free, but additionally requires that cows have access to pasture and eat pesticide-free feed. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] source: The Wall Street Journal (access ain't free) |
| Send in the Clones Cloned meat and milk just as safe as conventional, says long-awaited FDA report In a nearly 1,000-page report, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has concluded that food from cloned animals and their offspring "is as safe to eat as that from their more conventionally bred counterparts." (Which kinda makes you wonder about the safety of conventional meat.) The report effectively removes regulatory barriers to cloned food being offered to U.S. consumers, but practical barriers still remain, and it will be at least three years until the average shopper encounters a cloned product in the supermarket. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Agence France-Presse see also, in Gristmill: Cloned meat: at what risk? |
| It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Supercarrot! Scientists unveil genetically modified calcium-boosting supercarrot U.S. scientists have unveiled a new "supercarrot" genetically modified to aid in the absorption of calcium, which they hope could ultimately help ward off osteoporosis. Say what you will about genetic modification and its health claims, but you can't deny that picturing a carrot flying across the sky in a cape is funny. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] sources: BBC News, The Telegraph |
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GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES
 Two Evils Umbra on nuclear vs. coal Q. Dear Umbra, I work for a certain large environmental organization, and I have often had to deal with the issue of nuclear and coal-fired power plants. If ever asked which is better, we are officially supposed to say "neither." But I think a response like that doesn't always work for the real world, so I'd like to ask you, oh answerer of environmental questions, which type of power plant do you think is best (or, least worst) for the environment, nuclear or coal? And your answer can't be neither! MF San Francisco, Calif. A. Dearest MF, You are evil. I publish this question only because I share your dilemma, and feel I may be able to offer you new ways to squirm out of answering the question ... Read the rest of Umbra's answer [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] new in Grist: Umbra on nuclear vs. coal |
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