Thursday, 04 Jan 2001

Balkan Death Grip

Italy on Wednesday became the latest European country to ask NATO to be more open about the depleted uranium weapons used in past Balkan conflicts. Six Italian soldiers who served in the Balkans have died of leukemia, leaving some wondering whether the deaths might be tied to exposure to the DU ammunition. France, Spain, Portugal, Finland, and Belgium have also begun looking into the matter, and European Commission President Romano Prodi has also expressed his concerns. The DU weapons are made of low-level nuclear waste material and leave toxic and radioactive debris. DU bullets were used for the first time against Iraqi tanks in 1991, but their use in the Balkans is thought to be the first time they've been employed in a populated area.

Road Worriers

Negotiations between environmental groups and Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes (D) over how to balance air quality and road-building in the Atlanta metro area collapsed this week. The two sides were close to an agreement that would have lifted a freeze on road-building if the state cut emissions from diesel generators and construction equipment, began to test car emissions more frequently, and moved more quickly to construct high-occupancy-vehicle lanes and study the health effects of the region's air pollution. But the discussions faltered because Barnes wanted the groups to guarantee that they wouldn't go to federal court in the future to try to spur enforcement of the agreement. Enviros said they did not trust the state to comply to the terms without the possibility of court oversight.

Throwing It in Reverse

In a private letter to President-elect George W. Bush, Rep. Jim Hansen (R-Utah), the incoming chair of the House Resources Committee, has proposed reversing a wide range of the Clinton's administration's environmental initiatives. Hansen has suggested easing a ban on snowmobile use in some national parks, taking away some the national monument designations by Pres. Clinton, blocking regulations limiting hardrock mining, and placing fewer restrictions on air tours over national parks. Meanwhile, the Canadian minister for the environment, David Anderson, said Canada would fight a plan by the Bush administration to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Anderson also predicted that the change of administration in the U.S. would delay progress on international environmental problems like global warming.

Lean, Green Electoral Machine

Although Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader received only 3 percent of the popular vote nationally, 32 of 240 other Green candidates won elections in 12 states. In all, the party now has in office 79 elected officials in 21 states, each official serving at the municipal level. That number makes the Greens one of the biggest parties in the U.S. after the Republicans and Democrats. In contrast, the Reform Party now holds about half as many elected positions as the Greens in fewer than 10 states.

Shape Up, Don't Ship Out

Environmental groups in India are protesting a plan by a U.S. company to ship about 120 tons of used mercury to India. The chemical company HoltraChem produced the waste mercury in Maine and then sold it to an Illinois trader. The Indian importer and the ultimate destination of the mercury within India have been kept a secret. Maine Gov. Angus King (I) has criticized the plan to export the toxic substance, suggesting that the U.S. Defense Department stockpile it. Greenpeace USA's Lisa Finaldi accused the U.S. government of being "an accomplice in poisoning the poor for profit" in other countries.