TODAY'S NEWS
Power Shifts
Congressional leaders call for Capitol plant to can coal, just days before major protest
Some 10,000 yoots are descending on D.C. today for the Power Shift 2009 climate-action conference. On Monday, many of them will join a massive protest at the coal-fired plant that provides power to the U.S. Capitol. Organizers from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Rainforest Action Network, and Greenpeace anticipate that it will be the largest display of civil disobedience against global warming in United States history. But yesterday, Congressional leaders took some of the wind out of their disobedient sails: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent a letter to the Acting Architect of the Capitol asking that the plant switch to 100 percent natural gas. The protest is still meaningful, organizers say -- the coal problem ain't exactly limited to that one facility. Kate Sheppard reports on the protest plans and Pelosi's letter, and Ken Ward has a message (and colorful coupon!) for Power Shift attendees.
Barack's Budget
How much green will Obama spend on green?
President Barack Obama has outlined his first proposed budget, which includes billions of dollars for renewable energy investments and billions in expected revenues from a carbon pricing scheme. Kate Sheppard digs into the details. And David Roberts, master of the multi-part analysis, discusses the budget proposal's treatment of cap-and-trade in three parts. Wonk out!
Open Mouth, Insert Job
Vice President Joe Biden is in Philadelphia today to talk up green jobs and kick off his Middle Class Task Force -- and plenty of Obama administration mucky-mucks have joined him. Find out more.
Ashes to Ashes, Us to Dust
Leading climate scientists warn that droughts could reduce the American Southwest to a wasteland. Read more.
Watching What You Eat
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says it's time to overhaul the food safety system. You think? Read more.
Endangered Rulings
A House spending bill would reverse two Bush-era regulations that ripped protection from endangered species. Read more.
Plugged In
Chinese automaker BYD Auto -- it stands for Build Your Dreams -- sold more than 24,000 plug-in hybrids in January. Read more.
TODAY IN GRIST
Checkout Line: Organic Chemistry
Why is "certified-organic pesticide" not an oxymoron?
Walk through a diversified organic farm and the fields literally buzz with life, as bugs, bees, and butterflies dance between flowers and crops. Seems like a pesticide-free dream. But during the crush of the growing season, crop-munching pests sometimes get the upper hand. That's why USDA organic code allows certain pesticides, all based on naturally occurring substances. Does natural mean healthy, though? Food sleuth Lou Bendrick investigates.
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new in Grist: Why is "certified-organic pesticide" not an oxymoron?
Coming Monday: Ask Umbra gives details on car cleaning, inside and out
Grist: Environmental News and Commentary
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