Wednesday, 26 May 2004

Pryor Restraint

Sierra Club Fights Appointment of Right-Wing Judge

Senate Democrats battled the nomination of William Pryor to the federal bench for months, only to see him get a recess appointment from President Bush in February -- the "recess" in question being a one-week holiday. The Sierra Club, among many others, claims that this use of the Constitution's recess clause is illegal, and they are asking that Pryor be yanked from a case they filed over coal-fired power plants. Enviros say they have much to fear from Pryor, whose statements and briefs reveal a desire to dismantle federal environmental protections and dismiss virtually all environmental-justice cases. Read all about it in Muckraker -- today on the Grist Magazine website.

Kenaf Already!

As Paper Use Rises, So Do Environmental Woes

Remember when computers first became popular and we were told the "paperless office" was just around the corner? Turns out a company's use of email increases its use of paper by some 40 percent. U.S. paper producers now consume 1 billion trees a year -- generating 735 pounds of paper for every American -- and demand is rising. Only 5 percent of U.S. virgin forests remain, but 70 percent of the fiber consumed by the pulp-and-paper industry comes from virgin wood. The situation is equally grim around the world: Deforestation is rampant; chlorine treatment of paper has spread the noxious carcinogen dioxin into air, water, and soil; and recycling efforts -- which have been flagging of late -- have yet to have any appreciable effect on the world's demand for wood pulp. Alternative sources of pulp -- including kenaf (a long-fiber relative of cotton), hemp (still illegal to grow for industrial use in the U.S.), wheat straw, corn, and rice husks -- hold promise but haven't gotten a strong foothold yet.

Tirana-saurus Wrecks

Albanian Capital Faces Air-Pollution Crisis

You may never have heard of Tirana, the capital city of Albania, but it falls not far behind Beijing and New Delhi on the list of the world's most polluted cities. Hazardous emissions plague the city's air at levels 10 times higher than those recommended by the World Health Organization, causing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other ailments. Experts estimate that pollution-related deaths in the city have risen by 20 percent in the past two years, and regional officials are receiving reports of babies born with deformities -- not to mention four-legged roosters and two-headed calves. Lead pollution in particular threatens the cognitive development of the city's children and the genetic health of its future parents. Metal and cement factories in the nearby Elbasan region generate thousands of tons of respiratory-system-clogging dust, and abandoned Soviet-era factories around the country harbor thousands of tons of chemical and toxic waste. Albanian Environment Minister Ethem Ruka warns of a coming humanitarian catastrophe and says the country will need at least a billion dollars in international aid to avoid it.

Weapons of Mass. Reduction

Massachusetts Unveils Nation's Most Stringent Mercury-Emissions Rules

Today Massachusetts announced the nation's most restrictive regs on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, putting the state way ahead of the Bush administration in addressing the problem. The rules will require four big power plants to install equipment to reduce their mercury emissions 85 percent by 2008 and 95 percent by 2012. Activists have been pushing the rules for years and hailed them as a victory, though they wish the implementation date were sooner. "It's really a very strong step forward," said Cindy Luppi of Clean Water Action. Activists expressed particular pleasure over removal of a provision that would have allowed plants to delay reductions if they recycled other sources of mercury such as thermometers. Still, power plants emit only a fifth of the state's mercury pollution, while half of it comes from incinerators, which burn thermostats, car switches, and other sources of mercury.

Parks in Reverse

National Parks Face Deterioration, Budget Shortfalls

U.S. national parks are falling into serious disrepair, facing massive funding shortfalls, and being pushed to reduce services, even as another summer tourist season is about to begin. At many of the 388 national parks, monuments, and other sites overseen by the National Park Service, buildings and natural structures are crumbling, trails and roads are in bad shape, and sewer and electrical systems need replacing. According to the General Accounting Office, the maintenance backlog in the park system amounts to between $4 billion and $6.8 billion worth of needed repairs. Though President Bush vowed in 2001 to "restore and renew America's national parks" and has earmarked $662 million for maintenance from 2002 to 2005, some $600 million more each year would be needed to start seriously tackling the problem, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. While the number of seasonal rangers -- those that typically guide tours and interact with the public -- will be cut in the coming season, homeland-security fears mean the number of law-enforcement rangers will rise, so the public will be safe as they watch the slow deterioration of what were once called America's "crown jewels."