| Mark(et)ed for Death Three Wall Street banks announce funding restrictions for new coal power plants Three major investment banks, Citigroup, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley, will announce new environmental standards today that are expected to make it more difficult for large coal-fired power plants in the United States to get funding. The standards anticipate some form of cap-and-trade program becoming law in the U.S. in coming years and seek to force utilities to plan for the inevitable; coal plants seeking funding would first have to prove they can be financially viable under a cap-and-trade system. The three banks said that they would consider funding energy efficiency measures and renewable-energy projects ahead of coal plants and that when funding coal projects they'll heavily favor plants that can successfully capture and sequester their carbon emissions. The banks maintain that their primary motivation for the standards is financial; Wall Street bigwigs don't want to be stuck with debt when coal plants are forced to pay for at least a portion of their emission allowances under cap and trade. Jeffrey Holzschuh of Morgan Stanley paraphrased Melissa Etheridge, crooning, "We have to wake up some people who are asleep." [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] source: The Wall Street Journal (access ain't free) |
Compare and Contrast the Candidates. Wondering where the 2008 presidential contenders stand on environmental issues? Grist has the answers. Check out our nifty side-by-side chart comparing the candidates' positions on key green issues.
TODAY'S NEWS
| What's That, a Bout? Obama talks about fighting the nuclear industry, but his record is less strident Barack Obama talks on the campaign trail about fighting the nuclear power industry, but the real story is more complicated, reports The New York Times in a front-page story. In 2006, Illinois residents were up in arms after finding out that Exelon Corp. had not informed them about radioactive leaks at one of its nuclear power plants. Obama responded by introducing a bill in the U.S. Senate that would require plants to immediately tell local officials about any leaks -- and he now talks proudly of his work on that legislation. But after an initial, unsuccessful push to move the bill forward in a GOP-controlled Congress, he watered it down significantly to include changes wanted by Republicans and Exelon. The current version of the bill -- still unpassed -- wouldn't require industry to report leaks, but rather would ask federal regulators to draw up new rules on public notification. Exelon executives and employees have been big funders and fundraisers for Obama's political campaigns -- a fact for which he's been criticized by Hillary Clinton, though she's gotten contributions from the nuclear industry too. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] source: The New York Times |
| Snow Woe Climate change leading to water shortages in U.S. West, says study Remember water? We're not quite at the point of calling it a thing of the past -- but it sure looks to become scarce in the U.S. West, says a new study in the journal Science. It's not natural weather variability or volcanic activity, say researchers, but quite clearly climate change that is leading to swiftly declining snowpack in Western mountains, which leads to rivers running dry, which leads to towns and cities short on what had been a consistent supply of power, irrigation, and thirst-quenching H2O. Climate change makes "modifications to the water infrastructure of the Western U.S. a virtual necessity," says the study. As lead author Tim Barnett puts it, "Mother Nature is going to stop being our water banker." [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] |
| Radars of the Lost Mark British military may obstruct planned wind farms due to radar fears Echoing recent concerns of the U.S. military, the British Ministry of Defense has stepped up its opposition to some wind power projects due to concerns over turbines' impact on radar installations. The Ministry of Defense has lately objected to at least four proposed wind farms claiming they'd cause radar troubles; wind farm proponents fear more such opposition in the future. The agency's turbine-averse stance is based on a recent study that found wind farms sited close to radar installations could make it impossible to detect aircraft and could be a threat to national security. "The MoD trial results were alarming as they confirmed a greater impact than that previously thought," said squadron leader Chris Breedon. "This in turn required a more robust approach to wind turbine assessments." Even before the recent report, the U.K. military voiced opposition to wind turbines on the same grounds, fearing radar troubles. The agency said it won't impose an all-around ban on wind farms but that it would evaluate applications on a case-by-case basis. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] source: The Times |
| Now Eat Your Organic Brussels Sprouts Organic produce reduces kids' exposure to pesticides, says study Pesticide-free produce leads to pesticide-free kids, says a new study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Young research subjects who ate conventional produce were found to have organophosphate residue in their bodily fluids, while kids who ate organic produce did not. Will wonders never cease? [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer see also, in Gristmill: Organic food reduces organophosphate exposure in children |
Read more news ...
Are your eco-ethics getting lost in the Land of Cubicles? Find or post socially responsible job opportunities on Grist's new job board.
GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES
 Bubbling Up? The clean-tech sector is going strong -- but is it heading for a bubble? Even as the U.S. economy looks increasingly dismal, the fledgling eco-economy is purring right along, reports Mark Pawlosky. Venture capital firms and major corporations like GE are plowing big bucks into alternative energy and clean-tech companies. But could this green frenzy be building up to a bubble? Eric Janszen says yes. Janszen, who wrote a feature article about market bubbles for this month's issue of Harper's, explains in a Q&A with Grist why he thinks the alternative energy sector is a prime candidate for massive asset hyperinflation. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] in Gristmill: Can the environmental economy dodge a recession? in Gristmill: Could alternative energy companies drive the next big market bubble? in Gristmill: Q&A with Eric Janszen |
 LP, I Need Somebody Umbra on vinyl records Q. Umbra, I know that PVC is bad, and vinyl records are PVC (right?), but is there any harm in keeping the records I already have, or should I get rid of them? ... I really enjoy listening to the old time music and have quite an extensive collection, and I love the crackle produced by little dust particles hitting the needle. It gives it a timeless sound. However, if you say they've gotta go, then that's what I'll do. Andrew Berardy Rochester, N.Y. A. Dear Andrew, You would throw out your entire record collection at the behest of someone you've never met? I don't think that's wise. The situation with your LPs is similar to the fur coat problem we encountered a few weeks back ... Read the rest of Umbra's answer. [ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ] new in Grist: Umbra on vinyl records |
Coming Tuesday: Our new how-to column speculates on your love life
Tip #4 from Grist's new green-living guide, Wake Up and Smell the Planet
Q. Is shaving misbehaving?
A. Disdain disposable razors, and you should be OK. Click here for more green-living tips, or buy the book!
Grist: Environmental News and Commentary
©2008. Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Gloom and doom with a sense of humor®.
No comments:
Post a Comment