News Archives

Week of May 16, 2004

Picture of the Day

I don't know about you, but it's been another hard week for me. So for tonight I'll leave you with another picture of a wolf.

Posted by Jennifer on Saturday, May 22 2004, 12:29 AM

What does "organic" mean?

The National Organic Standards Board has worked on that question for many years. In October of 2002, the first national organic standards were put into place. And now, with no consultation, the USDA has unilaterally changed the meaning of organic. Now food and dairy labelled organic may come from cows which are given antibiotics and other drugs, be raised with synthetic pesticides, and allow non-organic feeds that may contain toxics in various forms. This is a fundamental change in the very meaning of "organic" food, which has become an ever-larger segment of the food industry. This article, by Amanda Griscom of Grist Magazine, is a must-read.

Comments? Click here.

Posted by Jennifer on Friday, May 21 2004, 9:05 PM

Suit Dismissed

I'm pleased to report that the federal suit against Greenpeace on charges of "sailor mongering" has been dismissed.

Greenpeace quotes the judge on the administration's inability to make their case:

"It is not a good sign," [the judge] wrote, "when the government resorts to defining a phrase by repeating the phrase itself."

Posted by Jennifer on Thursday, May 20 2004, 10:38 AM

News of the Day

Bald Eagle populations soar

The NYTimes has a story up about the very successful conservation efforts to restore bald eagle populations. Bald eagle numbers plummeted in the late 50s and early 60s due to toxins such as DDT. Since those substances were banned, their numbers have grown so much that they may be removed from the endangered species list.

Bank of America to tighten environmental requirements for loans

In a joint statement with the Rainforest Action Network, BoA announced this week that they would refuse loans that didn't meet certain environmental standards. Such projects would include oil and gas exploration, mining, or logging in old-growth tropical rainforests, or logging in forests listed as "intact" by the World Resource Institute. This stand by BoA is the strongest yet taken by a major lending organization.

The high environmental cost of shrimp

The Environmental Justice Foundation has released a report titled Farming the Sea, Costing the Earth (PDF file), which describes in detail the massive environmental damage caused by shrimp farming in southeast Asian nations which provide much of the world's shrimp supply. It was thought that shrimp farming would become an environmentally sustainable form of economic development for countries such as Thailand, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, but the report chronicles widespread destruction of mangrove forests, as well as chemical pollution from farm run-off. Much of the devastation is due to logging for farms in forests and wetlands where logging is illegal, and results from a "get rich quick" approach to the business. Similar destruction can also be observed in areas of Central America and Africa which have large shrimp farming operations.

Posted by Jennifer on Wednesday, May 19 2004, 9:56 AM

Greenpeace on Trial

This week in Miami, U.S. federal prosecutors will take Greenpeace to trial on charges of "sailor mongering". This obscure law from the late 1800s is being used against Greenpeace as an organization rather than against individual members — something that has never been done before under this law.

Greenpeace has been attempting to stop illegally harvested rainforest lumber from reaching market, and in the attempt boarded a logging ship and unfurled a banner which said "President Bush: Stop Illegal Logging". No damage was done to property or persons, and after this act of civil disobedience they submitted to arrest. Minor charges against the individuals were settled last year, but now the Justice Department is bringing suit against Greenpeace as a whole, in an unprecedented attempt to stop their protest activities.

The law against "sailor mongering" doesn't seem to have any application here. Reuters says:

Sailor mongering was rife in the 19th century when brothels sent prostitutes laden with booze onto ships as they made their way to harbor. The idea was to get the sailors so drunk they could be whisked to shore and held in bondage, and a law was passed against it in 1872. It has only been used in a court of law twice, the last time in 1890.

Posted by Jennifer on Tuesday, May 18 2004, 10:35 AM

Salmon may retain protection

Commerce Undersecretary Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr. has sent a letter to Congress, stating that at least 25 of 26 wild salmon runs will continue to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. For a number of reasons scientists and activists alike were angry when the administration decided last month to count hatchery raised fish the same as wild ones in determining protection.

According to the article above, Lautenberger "wrote that the government never intended to substitute hatcheries for naturally spawning salmon, but that hatcheries were playing an important role in restoring depleted runs". Which is a crock, but when you're dealing with the Bush administration, you have to take what you can get as far as environmental protection is concerned.

Comments? Click here.

Posted by Jennifer on Monday, May 17 2004, 1:22 PM

Bush, Science, and the Environment: A Case Study

Today's Washington Post has a story which explains in great detail how big donors to the Bush campaign can influence environmental policy. Though the administration denies that large donations were an influence on their decision to relax hazardous waste regulation in this case, doing so did benefit at least one major corporate donor. That donor also had access to the administration not allowed to others:

After a series of telephone calls, e-mails, letters and meetings with representatives of the laundry industry, the EPA had provided industrial-laundry lobbyists with an advance copy of a portion of the proposed rule, which the lobbyists edited and the agency adopted.

That same opportunity was not given to the rule's opponents -- environmental groups, a labor union, hazardous-waste landfill operators and paper towel manufacturers who argue their product should be treated as environmentally equal to laundered towels. The opponents say industrial laundries send tens of thousands of tons of hazardous chemicals to municipal sewage treatment plants and landfills where toxics can get into groundwater, streams and rivers. Labor unions contend that the towels expose workers to cancer-causing fumes.

Posted by Jennifer on Monday, May 17 2004, 9:46 AM

Another view of U.S. drought conditions

More from Zippy:

NOAA's drought severity index:

Posted by Jennifer on Sunday, May 16 2004, 4:03 PM

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