Friday, February 22, 2008

Daily Grist: British Columbia unveils carbon tax, CBS to pay $31 million for Superfund cleanup, and more

TOP STORY

Canada, a Tax!
British Columbia unveils carbon tax

The Canadian province of British Columbia has announced it will implement a carbon tax beginning in July that could lead to a cut in greenhouse-gas emissions of about 3 million tons in the next five years. The tax is expected to bring in as much as $1.8 billion over the next three years by increasing the price of almost all fossil fuels in the province, though it's designed to be revenue neutral and won't raise funds for clean energy like Quebec's carbon tax. Instead, to enhance its appeal to consumers, B.C.'s carbon tax is being paired with a $100 rebate as well as a range of tax cuts. Officials hope to change consumers' habits for the better. "If you start to change your lifestyle even modestly ... you will have extra dollars in your pocket," said B.C. Finance Minister Carole Taylor. Critics stressed that industrial emissions from oil, gas, and cement production will not be taxed under the plan and that carbon prices will be relatively light at $10 per ton beginning in July and increasing to $30 per ton by 2012.

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sources: The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun, The Globe and Mail


Tip #6 from Grist's new green-living guide, Wake Up and Smell the Planet

Q. Where do laptops go when they die?
A. Ideally, back to the manufacturer -- check with yours. Click here for more green-living tips, or buy the book!


TODAY'S NEWS

Numb31Mrs
CBS to pay $31 million to clean up Indiana Superfund sites

The media giant CBS has agreed to pay $31 million to clean up six ultra-polluted Superfund sites around Bloomington, Ind. CBS is the corporate successor of Westinghouse, which ran industrial operations in the area that polluted streams and groundwater with high concentrations of PCBs. An agreement to clean up the contamination in the 1990s was abandoned; CBS has been negotiating another deal with the state and U.S. EPA ever since. "The citizens of Bloomington have lived for too long with fish advisories because of the high concentrations of PCBs in fish in local streams," said the EPA's Mary Gade. "The settlement puts into place measures that will reduce PCB levels in fish and bring about a day when fish in [area streams] can be safely eaten by people and animals alike."

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sources: U.S. Justice Department, Reuters

Take It Back! No, You Take It Back!
NYC mayor says he'll veto an electronics-recycling bill

The New York City Council overwhelmingly passed a bill last Wednesday that would require electronics manufacturers to take back products for recycling at the end of their useful lives. But on Friday, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he'll veto it -- and that if his veto is overridden, he'll elect not to enforce the law. The council estimates that more than 25,000 tons of TVs, computers, cameras, and other electronic products are thrown out by NYC residents each year. Bloomberg, generally a greenish kind of guy, admitted that e-waste is a concern, but likened requiring manufacturers to take back electronics to publishers being responsible for recycling newspapers. Council member and bill sponsor John De Blasio was bemused: "If there's a legal concern we've said consistently we are willing to try and keep working together. But I'm perplexed because it seems to me they don't disagree with the goals."

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sources: Associated Press, The New York Times

Less Is Gore
Al Gore likely to endorse ... no one soon

Speculation has been running rampant for months about whom Al Gore will endorse in the presidential race. The latest anticlimactic news: the climate-crusading ex-veep plans to remain neutral for now, as do other influential Democrats including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and previous presidential candidates John Edwards, Christopher Dodd, and Joe Biden.

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source: The New York Times

Can't See the Forest for the Sneeze
Kleenex boxes infiltrated by anti-logging leaflets

Planning to buy some tissues for your February sniffles? Be forewarned: Menacing notes have been found in Kleenex boxes across the U.S. and Canada. "Wiping away ancient forests," says a leaflet found by a reporter in a Kleenex box purchased at a New York drugstore. "Here's a little secret that Kimberly-Clark, the largest tissue maker in the world and parent company of Kleenex, does not want you to know." Kimberly-Clark has long been under fire from Greenpeace for logging Canadian boreal forests and eschewing recycled fibers; while the leaflets purport to come from Greenpeace, a spokesperson for the group says the stunt is not an official Greenpeace gag. So the perpetrator remains a mystery, as does the when, where, and how of the Kleenex-box infiltration. Says a Kimberly-Clark spokesperson, "For the life of me, I guess I'm struggling to figure out how anything ... will get inside a Kleenex box."

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source: The Washington Post
see also, in Grist: A Greenpeace campaigner answers questions about Kleenex

Scrambling to Go Green
Cadbury eggs will come with less packaging

Cadbury Schweppes, the maker of the Easter season's omnipresent sugar-yolk-in-a-chocolate-shell, has unveiled an alleged "eco-egg." No, the goopy white innards aren't organic; no, the chocolate isn't fair trade. The "eco" aspect comes merely from the eggs being sold unboxed, reducing packaging waste. So which came first, the greenwashing or the egg?

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sources: The Guardian, BBC News

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GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES

Sheath All That
Umbra on house siding

Q. Dear Umbra,

I have been a homeowner for five years and gradually I am upgrading the 25-year-old house to be more green ... Now I am turning my attention to the siding, since the roof is still in good shape. I have wood siding and there is a bit of rot (not to mention my puppy thought the house was a chew toy). I am trying to decide what is best both from an environmental standpoint as well as my budget. I know there are several siding options out there, but I don't know how environmentally friendly they are. Also I wonder if it would be better just to replace the damaged boards and repaint.

Donna
Bogart, Ga.


A. Dearest Donna,

TI do think you're right, it may be best just to replace the damaged boards and repaint ("a bit of rot" doesn't sound like very much). However, you need a knowledgeable person to come look at your house, and I'm booked on siding viewing through November '09 ...

Read the rest of Umbra's answer.

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new in Grist: On house siding

Hire Definition
How do we define the green-job economy?

It's official: The green economy is almost here. Green jobs for everyone! But what does that mean, exactly? You're not the only one asking. Organizations and government groups all over are scrambling to define the term and to generate hard data about job descriptions, training requirements, hiring rates, salaries, and career paths. Kevin Doyle takes a look at some of the studies helping employers, policymakers, and job-seekers sort out hype from reality, in this month's Remake a Living.

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new in Gristmill: Hire Definition

Coming Thursday: Tom Philpott explores Europe's biofuels rethink



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