Tuesday, 10 Dec 2002

The Winter of Our Discontent

To everything there is a season, and to every season there is an environmental conundrum -- or lots. With winter well upon us, it's time to reflect on the environmental implications of skiing and the most eco-friendly way to keep people from breaking their necks on icy sidewalks. And then there are Earth-happy holiday tips to be had, of course. In the latest Ask Umbra, Grist's all-weather environmental advice columnist offers a flurry of wintertime facts, only on the Grist Magazine website.

G.A.Oh, No!

In a victory for the Bush administration and a significant setback for congressional oversight of White House goings-on, a federal judge ruled yesterday that the investigative arm of Congress does not have legal standing to sue Vice President Dick Cheney for refusing to turn over documents related to the development of the national energy policy. The ruling goes beyond the Cheney matter to state that the General Accounting Office, which investigates hundreds of government-affairs issues every year, has no right to bring almost any lawsuit -- an interpretation that could make it very difficult for the GAO to enforce requests for information from any federal agency. The White House hailed the decision as a turning point in what it called a generation of ever-increasing congressional encroachment into executive-branch territory, but critics said the ruling could dramatically weaken the GAO and render the president all but immune from oversight unless the opposition party controls Congress. The ruling is also a blow to environmentalists, and represents the second time in a week that courts have refused to grant access to the records of Cheney's National Energy Policy Development Group. Enviros and others believe that the vice president met almost exclusively with commercial interests in developing the nation's energy policy. The GAO has not yet decided whether it will appeal the ruling.

The Mice That Roared

Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, have established a first-ever link between urban air pollution and genetic damage that can be passed on from generation to generation. In a study published in the most recent issue of the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, biologists at the university found that male laboratory mice that were placed downwind of two different steel mills in and around Hamilton for 10 weeks underwent one and a half to two times as many genetic mutations as a control group placed in a rural, mill-less area; the damaged genes were then passed on to the mice's offspring. The scientists warned that genetic mutations can increase the risk of cancer and birth defects and said human genes were likely to be affected in the same way, but stopped short of making a direct comparison between the fate of the lab mice and human health.

Filling Up Wide Open Spaces

Forget about urban sprawl; the new menace facing the U.S. landscape is rural sprawl, according to some experts. In seeking refuge from city life, Americans started by moving to the suburbs; then they started building beyond the suburbs, creating "exurbs"; now, they're gradually expanding into some of the country's most remote areas. Growth rates of small towns are outpacing those of big cities, a trend that's presenting Anytown, U.S.A. with new challenges, ranging from the disappearance of natural areas to radical alterations of local infrastructures, economies, and characters. Chief among these problems are loss of wild spaces and agricultural land, increased traffic, and a lack of adequate sewage systems to filter increasing quantities of waste. As the challenges become more pressing, some are calling for strategic thinking to prevent the kind of unplanned development that led to urban sprawl. But, for the moment at least, such voices are in the minority.

Imperious

Ignoring threats of dire consequences by state and federal officials, California's Imperial Irrigation District refused yesterday to approve a huge water sale to San Diego County. Members of the Imperial Valley irrigation district's governing board said they resented the threats, which ranged from intimations that the board would be disbanded to suggestions that the valley's own water supply would be reduced if the sale was not approved. "If you push me around, I'll push back. ... Without water, the Imperial Valley is nothing," said board President Stella Mendoza. Under federal regulations, a proposed transfer of water from the Colorado River to coastal Southern California had to be approved by the Imperial Valley before it could proceed. The proposed transfer is part of a federally mandated plan to reduce California's overall use of Colorado River water, and would affect as many as seven states. The Bush administration has now said it could suspend the rule requiring Imperial Valley approval for the water transfer.