Chicago Tribune:
Biotech wheat pits farmer against farmer. Instead of dovetailing it to herbicides, develop a wheat that doesn’t trigger ‘wheat allergy’ or gluten sensitivities. I believe that might be a better strategy, long-term.
NY Times:
Preserving a grand landscape in New Mexico. The last bit of real Western wilderness left. I had to laugh at this: “Los Alamos hotels are few and drab; look to B&B’s instead.” You can always stay in Santa Fe, less than an hour south.
SF Gate:
Interior Department to boost gas drilling in Gulf of Mexico. “The proposed rule change, which will be published next week, means drillers would pay the government less for the right to drill in a particular area.” If it’s a difficult-to-drill area, what are the chances of the eventual cleanup costing the Gov more $? Better than even, I’d say. And here they want the Superfund to be on taxpayer’s backs, not ‘taxing’ poor, unfortunate, put-upon corporations ...
LA Times:
Agency studies revamping biotech rules. “The more risky, the more hoops you have to go through; the less risky, the less hoops ...”
Santa Fe New Mexican:
The DOE wants to change the shipping containers used for radioactive materials from double-wall to single-wall. “Environmental Evaluation Group’s scientists say that sooner or later, there will be a WIPP truck wreck, and when that happens, the double containment will provide an important margin of safety.” In spite of the fact they’ve widened 285 from two-lane to four-lane with a median ... a drunk successfully jumped the median and performed a head-on with one truck already. No leakage at that time. But it’s only a matter of time.
Santa Fe New Mexican:
Slow Progress in Ordnance Cleanups. Check the pic; Sarin gas. A bit of history.
IRIN:
Be it war or peace, animals still lose.
Business Week:
Oil Stocks look like a dry hole. Interesting: “Already, the number of rigs drilling for gas in the U.S. has jumped 34% in the past year, creating the prospect of a lot more supply.”
BBC:
Official report backs Green power. “The findings of the Renewables Supply Chain Gap Analysis have backed the view that these industries could sustain up to 35,000 jobs across the UK in coming years.”
National Geographic:
What do greenhouse gases, and carbon dioxide specifically, have to do with Siberian peat bogs?
Santa Fe New Mexican:
The ELF hit a local dealership in September. The comments at the bottom of the article are more interesting than the article itself, IMHO.
Santa Fe New Mexican:
Actions speak louder than words. Chief of Weapons Physics at Los Alamos quitting. “The head of weapons physics for Los Alamos National Laboratory is resigning to take up nonproliferation work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.” My italics.
EuroParl.EU:
The European Parliament is looking to stiffen the penalties for ship-source pollution. “... in the near future, polluters will have to pay a very high price, including jail sentences.” Bravo.
NY Times:
The Subaru Outback is the unrecognized “official” car of Santa Fe. It’s the handiest beast for our combination of dirt and mild 4wd streets and roads. But this article, if widely disseminated, will change that. Not because of the change of designation, but the intent to duck fuel standards. We have a very “green” population ‘round these parts.
NY Times Editorial:
Decapitating Appalachia. Go visit a former strip mine. I walked a couple in Western Pennsylvania. Once you do it, you’ll be against this form of mining. I raise my voice with the Times’. Just say no.
Metafilter:
Abandoned bikes of New York. A pair of u-locks sit, sadly enmeshed upon a parking meter, across from Cafe Pasqual’s in Santa Fe. They’ve been there for at least the six years I’ve lived here.
NCM:
Rabbi Bears Witness to Destruction of the Amazon Rainforest by ChevronTexaco. “The illnesses range from cancers of the intestine, lungs and uterus — causing women’s monthly menses to last 15 days — to respiratory illnesses, none of which they had 20 years ago. Many children have been born without brains.” Hold corporations accountable; this has to stop. Boycott ChevronTexaco.
Scientific American:
Another threat to peregrine falcons ... brominated diphenyl ethers. And not just falcons. Humans, too. Europe has begun to regulate, but not the USA [as per usual]. More on PBDE’s. And more, if you are nursing your child. Do further Googling to find other sources of this evil substance. [BDE, PBDE, full name, etc.]
Reuters:
I had to take time to point this out. Can’t eat any fish these days, thanks to our chemical lifestyle. Now, farmed salmon are suspect. By the time the government realizes there’s enough contamination, it will tragically be too much. Oh, and look! What a surprise. DDT raises it’s ugly head again [See “Reason” yesterday].
And if you take omega-3 supplements, you might want to do a little clicking around to see if they’re screened for toxic metals and chemicals, too.
Orion Online:
Law of the Land. Can be paraphrased as, “The Constitution was not intended as a suicide pact.” If we can contemplate a balanced budget amendment to ‘protect future generations,’ we can do the same for environmental and other issues.
Reminds me of the Spalding Gray story of a pair of Asian pilots taping newspaper all over their windscreen, ostensibly to block the sun. His comment: Never fly with folks who believe in multiple reincarnations.
The Constitution can only respond to circumstances as interpreted by our politicians. We need good ones, with forward-looking viewpoints. Not ones who rack up huge deficits, trash hard-won international agreements wholesale, and strip environmental laws in exchange for short-term profits. This is not preserving for future generations. This is pillaging.
Nature:
Extinction risk from Climate Change. Other news sources are reporting on this item, characterising the more politically divisive “global warming.” You have to pay to see the report, unfortunately. But the news looks rather dim, if the temperature cycle continues to rise (and if you look at sunspot data [pdf] alone when correlated with Earth atmospheric changes, and compare with the Maunder minimum ... to the exclusion of terrestrial sources ... it likely will. ‘Faith’ in climate change environmentalism not required.).
The true ‘conservative’ move would be to carefully monitor and minimize our impact on the atmosphere. Noone knows what young Helios will do, really.
Reason:
In this case, a bit of narrow-focus reason. DDT, eggshells, and me. I expect more of Reason. Widen the focus, this is just one of the other facets.
DDT in topical doses in malarial areas may not be contraindicated. I dislike authoritarianism as much as the author. Research could and should be performed ... rather than “murder untold millions.” But a 100% reprieve for DDT, no dice. It’s like a petite radiation source. It lasts a long, long time and manifests in potentially evil and incompletely researched ways.
NY Times:
US to open Alaska forest to logging. Another industry handout. Boo, hiss. Suffer what few unadulterated forests we have left to grow without human intervention.
Santa Fe New Mexican:
Support wanes for proposal to strip Clean Water Act in New Mexico. “... it recently came to light that the administration also intended to propose exempting rivers and streams that flow less than six months a year from Clean Water Act protections. Curry said applying the law that way could exempt more than 90 percent of rivers and streams in New Mexico.” Given the over-use, that would include the Rio Grande now. Read it.
NY Times:
Gustave likes the taste of men. Send this guy over. It’s a win-win, either way it might turn out ...