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Great Lakes News: 14 May 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Pipe dream almost a reality
----------------------------------------
Lake Ontario water will cool downtown office buildings while Enwave's big
pipe will cut hydro use and ease pollution. Source: The Toronto Star (5/14)


Researchers find pollution can alter DNA in mice
----------------------------------------
Soot and dust particles from industrial pollution can cause genetic changes
in male mice that are later passed along to their offspring, according to a
new study. Source: Scripps Howard News Service (5/14)


Clinton, McGuinty ferry pleased
----------------------------------------
The damaged ferry stills needs engine work and it has no place yet to dock
in Toronto, but that didn't diminish Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's
enthusiasm yesterday for a new high-speed catamaran service across Lake
Ontario. Source: The Globe and Mail (5/14)


A labor of love
----------------------------------------
As large lake sturgeon swim slowly upstream to spawn this spring,
researchers are stepping up efforts to preserve the prehistoric fish for
years to come. Source: Cheboygan Daily Tribune (5/14)


Septic-tank waste causes a stink
----------------------------------------
More people are expected to move into the rural portions of St. Clair and
Macomb counties in the next decade, enlarging what some consider an already
smelly problem. Source: The Port Huron Times Herald (5/14)


Canvasback makes a rare appearance
----------------------------------------
Perhaps on its way back from San Francisco Bay to Whitefish Point in the
Upper Peninsula, a male Canvasback duck was spotted last month paddling the
waters of the AuSable River. Source: Crawford County Avalanche (5/14)


Trying to control the cormorant
----------------------------------------
Cormorants are back, and some anglers say there are too many and they're
eating too many fish. Source: Minnesota Public Radio (5/14)


Lake Erie levels higher than last year
----------------------------------------
Lake Erie water levels are currently about four inches higher than this time
last year and are expected to remain higher than last year until at least
mid June, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Source:
The News-Messenger (5/13)


Racine still hopes for ferry despite setbacks
----------------------------------------
As Milwaukee prepares for the maiden voyage of its new ferry service, hopes
for a Lake Michigan ferry that would serve Racine are all but dead. Source:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (5/13)


Waukesha is entitled to share lake water, utility head says
----------------------------------------
Waukesha is entitled to be considered part of the Great Lakes Basin, meaning
it has the right to seek Lake Michigan water without having to worry about
shipping water back east to Milwaukee County, says Dan Duchniak, manager of
the Waukesha Water Utility Department. Source: GM Today (5/13)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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- posted by Daniel @ 1:24 PM

 
Kucinich supporters prepare for candidate visit

About 20 Lincoln County supporters of Dennis Kucinich came together at the Harold Wood Photo gallery in Toledo this week to discuss their candidate's second visit to Lincoln County. Kucinich will be...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:20 PM

 
From GRACE:

Stop the Department of Energy's (DOE) attempt to change the Nuclear Waste Policy Act!

The change in the law would allow the DOE to stop clean up at nuclear waste sites around the country, and to reclassify High-Level Waste as Low-Level Waste, and leave this material in leaking tanks at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, and in New York, Washington, and Idaho.

Failure to clean up the tanks will lead to severe and long-lasting pollution of our nation's important rivers and aquifers, which provide drinking water, as well as water for fish and crops that feed millions of people nationwide.

TAKE ACTION:
Tell your senators to vote for amendments to remove the harmful nuclear waste provisions in the Defense Authorization bill.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
You can email or fax your senators directly at http://www.nrdc.org/action/.
If you prefer to call your senators, the Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121
(or toll-free at 800-839-5276).

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.ananuclear.org/ and http://www.nrdc.org/

BACKGROUND:
The Senate will begin debating the FY05 Defense Authorization bill next week (May 17). The bill currently contains language that would allow the Department of Energy (DOE) to abandon potentially millions of gallons of highly toxic radioactive waste in rusting tanks next to the Savannah River in South Carolina, endangering human populations for thousands of years. Funding for cleanup at other key sites with high level waste (Hanford, WA and Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory) is being held until those states agree to a similar measure. The DOE wants the exemption so it can cement the wastes in place as part of its accelerated cleanup strategy to “finish” cleanup early and save billions. Doing so, however, would create massive high level waste dumps at these sites and threaten future generations with severe contamination.


==============================================
For more Nuclear Abolition action alerts, go to: http://www.gracepublicfund.org/nuclear/
- posted by Daniel @ 1:17 PM

 
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Great Lakes News: 13 May 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Corps of Engineers vs. carp: The fight for the Great Lakes
----------------------------------------
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is finishing plans to build a $6.7 million
electric fence in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to stop the hungry,
bottom-feeding fish from entering Lake Michigan. Source: The Plain Dealer
(5/13)


Shipbuilder has concerns about second Sturgeon Bay bridge
----------------------------------------
Pat O'Hern, vice president at Bay Shipbuilding Co., said the second bridge
might scare away the Great Lake's largest ships from Sturgeon Bay in certain
weather conditions, mostly during the busy winter repair season. Source:
Green Bay Press-Gazette (5/13)


Research uncovers more bears in Michigan
----------------------------------------
There may be hundreds more bears in the northern Lower Peninsula than
previously tallied by the Department of Natural Resources. Source: The
Detroit News (5/13)


U.S. 23 now Sunrise Side Highway
----------------------------------------
U.S. 23 from Standish to Mackinaw City is now the Sunrise Side Coastal
Highway, after recently receiving official designation as a state
recreational heritage route. Source: Cheboygan Daily Tribune (5/13)


Walleye are biting, but anglers battle the elements
----------------------------------------
Walleye catches haven't been limited primarily by the number of fish that
are feeding, but by the storms and high winds that have raked Michigan on a
timetable schedule for the past couple of weeks. Source: Detroit Free Press
(5/13)


Granholm, Indian leaders pledge to protect Michigan waters
----------------------------------------
Gov. Jennifer Granholm and leaders of Michigan's 12 federally acknowledged
Indian tribes have pledged to work together to protect Michigan waters.
Source: Detroit Free Press (5/12)


Sewage spills after storm defy cleanup; officials look for ways to avoid
repeats
----------------------------------------
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and three north shore
communities dumped a total of 721,480 gallons of sewage Monday at six
locations - all spots where sewage dumping is illegal under federal law.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (5/12)


Emptying of silos opposed
----------------------------------------
U.S. Department of Energy officials in charge of the $4.4 billion nuclear
cleanup at Fernald said they are prepared to begin removing 153 million
pounds of radioactive waste from the first of three concrete silos at
Fernald on schedule next month. Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer (5/12)


Lighthouse illuminates River Rouge
----------------------------------------
In a town best known for smokestacks, the Mariners' Memorial Lighthouse that
now stands guard at the edge of the Detroit River is a beacon in more ways
than one. Source: The Detroit News (5/12)


Birders all aflutter
----------------------------------------
A rare sighting of a white-winged dove along Milwaukee's lakefront has
caused quite a flutter among birders. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(5/12)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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- posted by Daniel @ 6:12 PM

 
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Great Lakes News: 12 May 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Canada getting tough on spills
----------------------------------------
For the past three months, the Ontario Ministry of Environment has increased
its vigilance on the 32 chemical plants surrounding Sarnia by focusing the
entire effort of its environmental "SWAT team" on Chemical Valley. Source:
Port Huron Times Herald (5/12)


Beach-grooming law could be detrimental to shorelines
----------------------------------------
Michigan lawmakers expressed shock Tuesday as researchers told them that
shoreline erosion and destruction of vital wetlands may result from a law
they helped write last year. Source: Booth Newspapers (5/12)


Proposed coke plant could pose mercury risk
----------------------------------------
The proposed FDS Coke Plant in Oregon, OH could instantly become one of the
Midwest's largest sources of airborne mercury, a pollutant long targeted for
removal from the Great Lakes region. Source: The Toledo Blade (5/12)


New ferry needs engine repair
----------------------------------------
Canadian American Transportation Systems, the private company launching the
high-speed ferry service on Lake Ontario, says the vessel will go to Toronto
to undergo repairs, modifications and engine work. Source: Rochester
Democrat and Chronicle (5/12)


EPA issues tighter rules on diesel pollution
----------------------------------------
New federal rules aimed at cutting diesel emissions by as much as 90 percent
by 2010 will cover marine and other non-road sources. Source: Booth
Newspapers (5/12)


EDITORIAL: Lawmakers should stay out of permit process
----------------------------------------
Lake levels have come up a bit, but not enough to end pressure from
people -- resort owners, especially -- who want to manicure every inch of
exposed Great Lakes bottomland into a smooth, plantless beach. Source:
Detroit Free Press (5/11)


COMMENTARY: For many, bird watching is their favorite outdoor activity
----------------------------------------
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are more than 46 million
bird watchers in the U.S., and thousands are on hand in early May as many
migratory species pass through Wisconsin. Source: The Racine Journal Times
(5/11)


EDITORIAL: Powerboat race can be a plus for Port Huron
----------------------------------------
Port Huron ought to be a stop on the powerboat racing circuit, and for the
first time in almost a decade, it will be. Source: Port Huron Times Herald
(5/11)


Shipwreck group presents program about search for the S.S. Michigan
----------------------------------------
Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates will survey a section of Lake
Michigan bottomland off Holland this month hoping to find the S.S. Michigan,
a 204-foot iron-hulled steamer that sank in the winter of 1885 after being
stuck in ice for 42 days. Source: The Grand Rapids Press (5/10)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
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- posted by Daniel @ 6:11 PM

 
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Great Lakes News: 11 May 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Canada to Oswego truck ferry proposed
----------------------------------------
Come next spring, impatient truckers who need to use U.S.-Canadian border
crossings to move their goods may have another route, across Lake Ontario.
Source: The Syracuse Post-Standard (5/11)


Aquarium proposed for CNE
----------------------------------------
The possibility of an aquarium at the edge of Lake Ontario looms large in a
new blueprint for Toronto's Exhibition Place. Source: The Globe and Mail
(5/11)


Shoreline bill appears washed up
----------------------------------------
The head of a group of lakefront property owners fears that a bill to draw
the line between private property and a doctrine that allows citizens to
enjoy Lake Erie's shore is dead. Source: The Toledo Blade (5/11)


Ferry may lose race to be first in service
----------------------------------------
The Spirit of Ontario may hold the distinction of being the first high-speed
passenger and vehicle ferry to cruise onto the Great Lakes, but it might not
be the first to offer service. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
(5/11)


EDITORIAL: Plant poses new threat to waters
----------------------------------------
Michigan has made strides over the past three decades in cleaning up
pollution from a variety of sources, only to be faced with the invasion of
foreign species. Source: The Battle Creek Enquirer (5/11)


COMMENTARY: Unnecessary policies on groundwater would step on jobs
----------------------------------------
Recent proposals to more tightly regulate groundwater would have devastating
consequences for Michigan's economy (First of two contrasting viewpoints).
Source: Detroit Free Press (5/11)


COMMENTARY: Groundwater regulations guard against overuse, misuse
----------------------------------------
If strong limits on water use are not set now, we may not be able to correct
the mistake in the future (Second of two contrasting viewpoints). Source:
Detroit Free Press (5/11)


CN completes Great Lakes Transportation purchase
----------------------------------------
Canadian National Railway says it has completed the acquisition of Great
Lakes Transportation and can proceed to integrate its two railways and
marine operations. Source: The Toronto Star (5/10)


Pollutants feminizing male snapping turtles
----------------------------------------
Canadian researchers say chemical pollution could be the cause of sexual
abnormalities in male snapping turtles in the Great Lakes and Detroit River,
possibly affecting their ability to reproduce. Source: Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (5/10)


Drain a pond, save a stream
----------------------------------------
University of Minnesota Duluth officials are draining a pond this week in
order to kill koi, goldfish and rusty crayfish -- exotic species that
probably were dumped there by people and threaten a nearby trout stream.
Source: Duluth News Tribune (5/10)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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- posted by Daniel @ 6:10 PM

 
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Great Lakes News: 10 May 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

COMMENTARY: Toronto trash crisis won't go away
----------------------------------------
Toronto residents should be very worried about the prospect of the border
being closed to garbage exports and need to be working on a contingency
plan. Source: The Toronto Star (5/10)


Ontario's call for renewable energy production expected to be first of many
----------------------------------------
For the first time, Ontario is calling on private energy producers to put
forward bids to build a renewable energy supply, as the province aims to
reach its clean energy targets. Source: CBC News (5/10)


Gov. Doyle considers lake water withdrawals
----------------------------------------
The next chairperson of the Council of Great Lakes Governors says he might
support some limited diversion of water from the lakes. Source: Great Lakes
Radio Consortium (5/10)


OPINION: Panel provides blueprint for healthier oceans
----------------------------------------
The first major federal assessment of ocean health in a generation, which
also addresses the Great Lakes, provides a blueprint for action too long
deferred on a problem too long ignored. Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press
(5/10)


Expert says cicadas will be here soon
----------------------------------------
Periodical cicadas are expected to begin emerging this week from the holes
in the ground where they have been living for 17 years. Source: WTHR
Indianapolis (5/10)


Tiny frogs find new home at UR
----------------------------------------
Western chorus frogs, an at-risk species, have successfully leaped from
their old habitat, now under a University of Rochester laser lab, to a new
one created for them less than 100 yards away. Source: Rochester Democrat
and Chronicle (5/10)


Training ship to take 2-week cruise
----------------------------------------
The Great Lakes Maritime Academy's training ship, The State of Michigan, is
set to head out on a 2-week, 1,500-mile cruise through the Great Lakes.
Source: Detroit Free Press (5/10)


Babysitting spawning sturgeon
----------------------------------------
Each spring, several hundred people stand guard over masses of lake sturgeon
during their spawning season, when the big fish float near the surface of
the water and are particularly vulnerable to poachers. Source: Great Lakes
Radio Consortium (5/10)


Regulatory agency cites Ohio nuke plant
----------------------------------------
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says an energy company provided false
information about a potential danger at a nuclear plant six years ago, but
the agency waived a potential $55,000 fine. Source: WXYZ-TV Detroit (5/9)


North Kingsville sand barrens
----------------------------------------
A 116-acre wilderness known as the sand barrens, which harbors a rare
ecosystem, now belongs to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Source:
The Star Beacon (5/9)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
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- posted by Daniel @ 6:08 PM

 
Presidential hopeful to visit coast

Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich plans to make campaign stops on the Oregon coast this week.

Billed as the politician who wants to end the occupation in Iraq, Kucinich also plans to talk about civil liberties, trade agreement and universal health care issues.

The Ohio congressman will be...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 6:06 PM

 
From ILPIRG on efforts to reduce atmospheric mercury pollution:

Dear Illinois PIRG supporter,

I'm happy to let you know that over 20,000 people have sent in their comments to the EPA from our clean air web site - http://www.CleanAirNow.org - urging the EPA to protect mothers and children from mercury poisoning by cutting mercury emissions from power plants by 90 percent by 2008. The EPA's proposal sets targets so weak that the energy industry will be allowed to continue polluting without using state of the art mercury controls. Across the country, more than 500,000 people have participated in the EPA's public comment period on its weak proposal to reduce the danger posed by mercury from power plants. Thank you all.

We won a victory at the end of April when the EPA extended the public comment period by sixty days until June 29. This was largely due to our request that the EPA give the public - and not simply polluters - more of an opportunity to get involved.

Now we want to make sure that the Bush administration hears from both Congress and the public. Right now, U.S. Representatives Thomas Allen (ME) and Jim Cooper (TN) are asking other members of the U.S. House of Representatives to voice their constituents' concerns about the Bush administration's mercury plan by signing a mercury letter they have written. This mercury letter will then be delivered to the Bush administration.

I am asking everyone to call and ask their U.S. Representative to sign on to the Cooper-Allen mercury letter. You can call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative. Here's a sample message you can leave:

"Hello, my name is _____ and I live in _______. Please ask the EPA to reduce the danger posed by mercury from power plants by signing on to the Cooper-Allen mercury letter."

After you call, let us know so that we can keep track of how many calls your representative is getting. This is a crucial part of our work! Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To report your call, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=12&id4=ES


Background

Mercury is a dangerous toxic metal that can cause severe neurological and developmental problems in fetuses and very young children whose brains are still developing. People are exposed to mercury mainly by eating fish. The EPA and forty-three states have now issued advisories warning people, especially women and children, to avoid or limit eating local fish because of mercury. But even with these warnings, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention and the EPA estimate that 1 out of 6 U.S. women of childbearing age have unsafe levels of mercury in their blood due to fish consumption.

The best way to protect women and children from mercury is to eliminate it from its largest source: power plants. Smokestacks spew mercury pollution into the air, where it rains and snows down into our waterways, accumulating in fish and making them unsafe to eat. Amazingly, power plants have yet to be regulated for mercury pollution under federal clean air standards. Two years ago, the EPA's own scientists said current technologies could achieve a 90 percent reduction of mercury from power plants, but the electric and coal industries are pressing hard to avoid limiting their mercury emissions.

After years of work by us and other public health advocates, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now under a deadline to reduce the dangers of mercury from power plants.

Last December, the EPA's initial weak proposal to reduce the danger posed by mercury from power plants was released. Amazingly, they are, in effect, proposing to treat power plant mercury emissions as non-toxic air pollution, despite long-standing, clear evidence of mercury's effects as a developmental toxin. This will allow them to avoid requiring power plants to use the maximum achievable control technologies to reduce emissions, as stipulated by the Clean Air Act.

But the Bush administration is feeling the immense public outcry about its inadequate proposal for addressing power plant emissions of mercury. In March, EPA Administrator Leavitt made an announcement that the administration would begin studying options for strengthening the rule and extended the mercury proposal comment period. Administrator Leavitt's statement cited recent EPA studies showing that loopholes in the EPA's proposal would prevent the rule from meeting its weak goals, which would allow 6-7 times more pollution than properly enforcing the Clean Air Act. Then, at the end of April, the EPA extended the comment period again until June 29.

Since we've been given an extended time period, we want to make sure that the Bush administration hears from both Congress and the public. Right now, Representatives Thomas Allen (ME) and Jim Cooper (TN) are circulating a letter asking other members of the U.S. House of Representatives to voice their constituents' concerns about the Bush administration's mercury plan by signing this letter. This mercury letter will then be delivered to the Bush administration.

I am asking everyone to call and ask their U.S. Representative to sign on to the Cooper-Allen mercury letter. You can call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative. Here's a sample message you can leave:

"Hello, my name is _____ and I live in _______. Please ask the EPA to reduce the danger posed by mercury from power plants by signing on to the Cooper-Allen mercury letter."

After you call, let us know so that we can keep track of how many calls your representative is getting. This is a crucial part of our work! Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To report your call, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=12&id4=ES

Sincerely,

Diane E. Brown
Illinois PIRG Executive Director
DianeB@illinoispirg.org
http://www.IllinoisPIRG.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.
- posted by Daniel @ 2:55 PM

 
Tiger Force answers still elusive
Washington slow in responding to calls for Army prosecution

By JOE MAHR
BLADE STAFF WRITER

For 37 years former Army journalist Dennis Stout has waited for answers - and justice - after witnessing members of an elite platoon in Vietnam kill unarmed civilians.

The Army conducted a major probe in the 1970s but buried the results and did not charge anyone. After The Blade exposed the atrocities in October, the Army began reviewing its case again - even reinterviewing Mr. Stout - and told U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D., Cleveland) that answers would be available at the end of March.

They're still waiting.

Mr. Kucinich sent a letter this week to acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee asking again why the Army did not prosecute former members of the unit known as Tiger Force and whether it plans to prosecute them now.

"I hope that the Army today is taking seriously the crimes committed by people in uniform in 1967, and the failure of the Army to prosecute even one of those cases," Mr. Kucinich wrote.

The Blade's October series, "Buried Secrets, Brutal Truths," documented the war crimes of...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 8:57 AM

 
Kucinich targets national convention
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Tom Diemer
Plain Dealer Bureau

Washington- Rep. Dennis Kucinich, no longer claiming he can capture his party's presidential nomination, unveiled a strategy Monday he hopes will make him a force to be reckoned with at this summer's Democratic National Convention in Boston.

He is planning an ambitious schedule of activities for convention week - the last week of July - including daily issue workshops, "peoples' parties," peace vigils and an alternative "progressive" convention on the last day of the big gathering.

"There are a number of ways to have an impact," he said in a phone interview. "We are going to keep...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 5:45 PM

 
ENN Environmental News Network
E-mail Edition 05/11/2004

EarthTalk: What are some ways to maintain a "green" swimming pool?
The primary health and environmental drawbacks to swimming pools are water waste, energy waste, and overuse of chlorine.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-11/s_23418.asp

Head of Chinese chemical firm resigns in water pollution case
The president of a chemical company in southwest China has resigned after waste from his plant polluted the water source of a million people, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-11/s_23675.asp

Egg industry should not label its product humane, says BBB
The egg industry should stop advertising its products as humane as long as it continues such practices as clipping hens' beaks and depriving birds of food and water, according to a ruling issued Monday by the Better Business Bureau. The ruling comes from the bureau's New York–based National Advertising Review Board, its highest authority on advertising issues.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-11/s_23671.asp

Loss of bamboo threatens rare animal species
Deforestation is endangering about one-third of the world's 1,200 bamboo species and threatening rare animals such as giant pandas and mountain gorillas who depend on the plants for food and protection.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-11/s_23665.asp

Rocky Mountains energy groups to fight bird protection
The natural gas industry and environmental groups are squaring off in the Rocky Mountains over a small chickenlike bird that makes its home in one of America's hottest gas drilling regions.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-11/s_23663.asp

EPA issues rules cutting pollution in construction and farming vehicles and equipment
Pollution is expected to be sharply reduced from off-road vehicles and equipment ranging from forklifts to farm tractors to tugboats under regulations announced Monday by the Bush administration.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-11/s_23669.asp

Indian Ocean could lose coral islands in 50 years
The Indian Ocean could lose most of its coral islands in the next 50 years if sea temperatures continue to rise and reefs badly damaged by global warming do not recover, a marine scientist said on Monday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-11/s_23662.asp

Invasive frogs in San Francisco pond evade eradication efforts
California biologists are alarmed over the latest invasive species to take up residence in this city: African clawed frogs, who eat just about anything and tend to breed like crazy.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-11/s_23674.asp

E.U. may end farm export aid, boosts trade talks
The E.U. said Monday it wanted to boost world trade talks by offering to end billions of dollars of aid for agricultural exports, a move welcomed by Washington but greeted more cautiously by others.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-11/s_23664.asp

U.S. says it is misunderstood on climate change policy
The United States is committed to fighting global warming even if it has rejected the Kyoto treaty, the U.S. climate change negotiator said Monday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-11/s_23666.asp



Environmental Marketplace Updates (Become a Member)

We'd like to encourage you to visit our Environmental Marketplace where you'll learn about some amazing environmentally-focused businesses. A few examples:

Winslow Management Company, with an approach to investing that is based on the conviction that environmental responsibility enhances corporate profitability and investment performance. Learn more about Winslow Management Company

Bullfrog Films, the oldest and largest publisher of videos and films about the environment in the United States, bringing together programs that point the way to a new paradigm for living happily, healthily, and sustainably. Learn more about Bullfrog Films

UC Press, the publishing arm of the University of California, and Sierra Club Books, publishing arm of the Sierra Club. Learn more about UC Press and Sierra Club Books

ShoreBank Pacific, creating strong companies, vibrant communities and a healthy environment. Learn more about ShoreBank Pacific





Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting:
The world is getting wetter as it warms

United Nations Environment Programme:
Kosovo Conflict Hot Spots Cleaned Up

United Nations Environment Programme:
Over 50% of gasoline in sub-Saharan Africa is now lead free

Center for International Climate and Environmental Research-Oslo:
A green certificate market may result in less green electricity

Earthwatch Institute:
Global Warming Linked to Wildlife Population Shifts
- posted by Daniel @ 5:32 PM

 
Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich beat frontrunner John Kerry Saturday, at least in Boulder County, by 51-49 percent. Hall said Kucinich delegates may still vote for Kerry in November, but want to keep core Kucinich issues, like universal health care, on the table.

"The caucus process is about participation, and the people who show up get to make the decisions," said Hall. "They want to make sure that there is an additional voice representing issues that Kucinich and his followers care deeply about."

(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 12:18 PM

 
Kucinich plans to push populism through June primaries

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff | May 10, 2004

He has fewer than three dozen delegates, not a prayer of winning the nomination, but an unflagging will to campaign for issues he thinks will consolidate support from the Democratic Party's activist wing in November.

More than two months after Senator John F. Kerry essentially locked up the Democratic presidential nomination, Representative Dennis J. Kucinich is still out there, bouncing between rallies of liberal Democrats, his boyish energy still strong, his popularity still high in progressive communities across the country.

These days Kucinich can most often be found in Oregon, where a primary will be held May 18.

In the Pacific Northwest, the Ohio populist hopes voters will send a message to Democratic headquarters -- that the party needs "a new direction in Iraq and on trade."

No matter the outcome in Oregon, Kucinich vows to run through the last primaries, in New Jersey and Montana on June 8, and press his agenda at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in late July. His campaign announced that it will officially...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 2:52 AM

 
Doug Moss
Publisher & Executive Editor

*****************************************
***Week of 5/9/04 EARTH TALK installment***:

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Are hybrid buses in my city really helping to reduce air pollution?
--Jennifer Cross, New York, NY

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 20 percent of U.S. air pollution comes from diesel buses--and many of them are concentrated in cities. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently runs a program called Clean School Bus USA, an effort to reduce both children’s exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses. The EPA has also recently passed tougher standards for all diesel-powered vehicles, but they won't go into effect until 2006. In the meantime, many cities are still trying to meet federal Clean Air Act rules, especially given rising rates of asthma, particularly in children. One of the ways cities can clean up their air is by employing alternatives to traditional diesel engines for both public and school buses.

“Retrofitting” (modifying) older buses, which includes adapting them to use cleaner-burning fuels and incorporating pollution controls, can reduce emissions, but hybrid buses offer increased benefits. A Department of Energy study reports that hybrid buses, which combine a diesel engine with an electric motor, outperform regular diesel buses in a variety of categories, offering 10 percent higher fuel economy, 19 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions and a whopping 97 percent reduction in carbon monoxide emissions. John Powell, executive director of the Advanced Transportation Technology Institute, sees the dual-fueled hybrids as the optimal choice with the most benefits. Hybrids have already been successfully introduced in New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, Minnesota, Washington state and Toronto, Canada.

However, many environmentalists would like to do away with using diesel fuel altogether: “Replacing diesel buses with those fueled with natural gas or electricity will help to provide important health protections for people with lung disease,” says Bonnie Holmes-Gen, assistant vice president for government relations with the American Lung Association of California. Some cities, like Boston, already run compressed natural gas buses. Still others are looking into blending hydrogen with natural gas to create a low-emission fuel for buses called “hythane.” Whatever the alternatives, putting pressure on your local transit authority to buy hybrid vehicles or burn cleaner fuels will result in cleaner air for everyone.

CONTACTS: Natural Resources Defense Council, (212) 727-2700, www.nrdc.org; EPA’s Clean School Bus USA, http://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/; Advanced Transportation Technology Institute, (423) 622-3884, www.atti-info.org; American Lung Association of California, (510) 638-LUNG, www.californialung.org.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; or submit your question at: www.emagazine.com, or e-mail us at: earthtalk@emagazine.com.
***********************************************************************************************************

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: There are so many juices labeled “natural.” Which ones are most healthful? --Zenas Lu, Boston, Mass.

The most healthful juice you can drink is made fresh, right before you drink it, from (preferably) organic fruits and vegetables with nothing added. The beneficial enzymes, vitamins and minerals are at their peak, and some health practitioners say that the water that comes from inside fruits and vegetables is the purest kind. When juices are packaged and pasteurized, they lose some of their nutritional value. Juices pack a nutritional punch, and are a good way to get part of your daily requirement of fruits and veggies. The American Dietetic Association calls orange juice a “nutrition powerhouse.”

Obviously we don't always have the time or money to drink fresh juice, and that’s when bottled juices are a good choice over soda or sugary iced teas. But buyer beware: Widely popular commercial “fruit drinks,” with little to no real fruit juice, are largely artificially colored sugar water and contain minimal amounts of fruit juice.

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), many fruit “drinks,” “beverages,” “ades” and “cocktails” are nothing more than non-carbonated soda pop. Fruitopia “Real Fruit Beverage” and Sunny Delight “Real Fruit Beverage,” for example, contain only five percent juice. V8 “Splash” is about 25 percent juice and 75 percent sugar-water. CSPI says that, while Fruitopia has “100% vitamin C per serving” in flavors like Strawberry Passion Awareness, the product contains only about five percent strawberry juice and 95 percent high-fructose corn syrup. Similarly, Mystic Mango Mania Fruit Drink has mangoes pictured all over the label, but the product doesn't contain any mango, except perhaps a small amount included in the “natural flavors.” You’re getting roughly three percent white grape juice and 97 percent sugar water. The health website Lifeclinic.com argues that juice in such limited amounts does not have any health benefit.

Reading labels is the best way to ensure you are buying what’s best for you. If you’re buying off the shelf, try to avoid juices with artificial ingredients or preservatives and, quite simply, anything with less than 100 percent juice. Also, if you are watching your weight, many bottled juices can be high in calories, owing to natural fruit sugars. Drink water and eat whole fruit, which has fiber along with all the nutritional benefits.

CONTACTS: American Dietetic Association, (800) 877-1600, www.eatright.org; Center for Science in the Public Interest, (202) 332-9110, www.cspinet.org; Lifeclinic.com, (800)543-2850, www.lifeclinic.com.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; or submit your question at: www.emagazine.com, or e-mail us at: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

EarthTalk
Questions and Answers About Our Environment
A Weekly Column
******************************************************
c/o E/The Environmental Magazine
***A nonprofit publication***
28 Knight Street, Norwalk, CT 06851
PHONE: (203) 854-5559/(X106) - FAX: (203) 866-0602
E-mail: earthtalkcolumn@emagazine.com
******************************************************
Mail: P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 U.S.A.
- posted by Daniel @ 2:00 AM

 
Excerpts from the Idaho Green Party news...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

1. FREE TRADE PENDULUM SWINGING IN OTHER DIRECTION

The Idaho Green Party has sent letters to Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, Idaho
Attorney General Larry Wasden, and Governer Dirk Kempthorne inquiring about
committing Idaho to comply with draconian constraints on domestic
procurement (purchasing) policy included in the recently completed CAFTA and
proposed for FTAA. In the letters, we request details about the policy and
request that Idaho be removed from the arrangement, which could force Idaho
government agencies to purchase products and services from other countries,
jeopardizing the local economy. It would also mean that procurements would
be arranged through "free trade" practices that have no regard for social
justice, community economics, or environmental resources. The Idaho state
legislature passed a Joint Memorial opposing CAFTA last March urging "fair
trade, not free trade." In a related development, the recent WTO decision
that US cotton subsidies are illegal will have profound implications on
agriculture, the environment, and food security in the US. However, this
could lead to a paradigm change in corporate welfare practices - and will
corporate globalization finally be reconsidered?


Read the CAFTA letters and learn where to send your own:
http://www.idahogreens.org/Greenweb/Frame-Issues.html

D MacKenzie, "WTO ruling may spell end of farmer's subsidies," New
Scientist, 5/6/04:
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994962

Download our latest trifold, "Fair Trade, Not Free Trade":
http://www.idahogreens.org/Greenweb/Documents/Trifolds/fairtrade.pdf
===============================================================

4. AMERICA'S MOST DIRTY POWER PLANTS

The Environmental Integrity Project has published a report on top air
polluters and their ties to the Bush administration. Since 1999, the 30
biggest utility companies owning the majority of the 89 dirtiest power
plants examined in the study have poured $6.6 million into the coffers of
the Bush presidential campaigns and the Republican National Committee. The
study looked at the 9 plants that comprise the three top 50 lists and found
that the majority of the plants were owned by 30 corporations. Those utility
companies and their trade association engaged in an intense fundraising
campaign that netted $6.6 million for Bush and the RNC since 1999. Of the 89
plants that made it onto one or more of the dirtiest plant lists, 47 - well
over half - either have been sued or placed under investigation by the EPA
for violating the Clean Air Act. In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention found that roughly 10 percent of American women carry mercury
concentrations at levels considered to put a fetus at risk to neurological
damage.

"America's Dirtiest Power Plants: Plugged into the Bush Administration":
http://www.environmentalintegrity.org
===============================================================

5. VESTIGIAL ECOSYSTEMS PROTECTED FROM GRAZING

The federal Office of Hearings and Appeals in Salt Lake City has granted a
stay requested by Western Watersheds Project that blocks a BLM decision
authorizing grazing in the Laidlaw Park Allotment of Craters of the Moon
National Monument and Preserve. The stay prevents the BLM from implementing
a plan that would have increased cattle and sheep numbers on the allotment
despite the agency's previous finding that grazing has severely degraded the
area. The Laidlaw Park lands provide critical habitat for sage grouse,
antelope, pygmy rabbits, burrowing owls, sage thrashers, loggerhead shrikes,
and other sagebrush-dependent wildlife. President Coolidge designated
Craters of the Moon as a national monument in 1924. Before leaving office,
President Clinton expanded the monument's acreage, recognizing the
scientific importance of the area's sagebrush steppe ecosystem and the fact
that Laidlaw Park is the largest kipuka in the world. Kipukas are "islands"
of sagebrush lands where soils have developed on old lava flows. Large areas
of more recent lava surround them. In its appeal, WWP argued that the BLM's
decision defied the Monument Proclamation for Craters of the Moon. The
proclamation identifies objects of scientific interest, including sagebrush
plant communities that provide essential habitat for sensitive sage grouse
populations. This unique habitat was the impetus for designating Craters of
the Moon as a national monument. The proclamation reads in part: "The
kipukas provide a window on vegetative communities of the past that have
been erased from most of the Snake River Plain. . . . these kipukas
represent some of the last nearly pristine and undisturbed vegetation in the
Snake River Plain, including 700-year-old juniper trees and relict stands of
sagebrush that are essential habitat for sensitive sage grouse populations."
Some 28,000 acres of public lands in Laidlaw Park are now dominated by
non-native annual grasses, including knapweed, rush skeleton weed, and vast
expanses of cheatgrass.

Western Watersheds Project homepage:
http://www.westernwatersheds.org
- posted by Daniel @ 1:48 AM

 
ENN Environmental News Network
E-mail Edition 05/06/2004

Last stand for Hawaiian birds
In Maui's Haleakala National Park at an elevation of 7,000 feet Hosmer Grove serves as a rather enchanting memorial to a failed experiment. In 1910, German-born Ralph Hosmer planted 86 varieties of nonnative trees in Maui, including the eucalyptus trees that have now grown to great heights in the grove named after him.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23502.asp

Scientists petition to list 225 plants and animals as endangered
Scientists, including acclaimed wildlife biologist Jane Goodall, have joined environmental groups in petitioning the government to add 225 plants and animals to the U.S. endangered species list.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23525.asp

Conservation groups organize boycott of catch from environmentally damaging fisheries
An environmental group is preparing a global boycott of seafood from fisheries they consider environmentally damaging, distributing millions of copies of a list of seafood species to avoid.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23523.asp

Cambodian government illegally approves plantation in national park, say activists
The Cambodian government has illegally approved setting up a plantation in a national park that's home to the biggest habitat for the country's elephants, conservation groups charged Wednesday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23524.asp

Wild salmon prices boosted by campaigns promoting health, taste, environment
Sitting on his boat, the Dragnet, Loren Dixson had to think back to when his daughter was a baby to remember a time when prices for his salmon were this good.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23526.asp

World's great apes are running out of time, says Leakey
Humankind's closest animal relatives, the great apes, are facing extinction and need urgent action to ensure their survival, Kenyan environmentalist Richard Leakey said Wednesday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23513.asp

Ocean creatures growing sicker and other stories
Marine creatures are succumbing to diseases faster than ever before, a new study finds. In the wake of alarming reports on dying corals, virus-sickened marine mammals, and tumor-laden sea turtles, Jessica Ward of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and Kevin Lafferty of the University of California, Santa Barbara, wanted to determine whether the number of scientifically published reports on ocean ailments showed that diseases really are on the rise.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23242.asp

U.S. delays sending toxic WW II ship to China
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said this week it has delayed sending a decommissioned World War II ship to China because it contains toxic PCBs.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23470.asp

Royal Caribbean will add equipment to cruise ships to better clean up sewage
Royal Caribbean will add equipment to its line of cruise ships to better clean sewage and wastewater before it is dumped into the ocean, officials said Wednesday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23522.asp

Ahead of whaling meeting, Japanese research fleet prepares for next hunt
In a cramped laboratory, a biologist with the Institute of Cetacean Research prepares plugs taken from whales' ears for age analysis. Scientists study their reproductive habits, food sources, and the mercury levels in their tissue.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23528.asp

For aging Hubble, basic questions about the universe
With the end in sight for the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers said Wednesday they are posing the most basic cosmic questions to the orbiting observatory, including queries about extraterrestrial life.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-06/s_23517.asp



Environmental Marketplace Updates (Become a Member)

We'd like to encourage you to visit our Environmental Marketplace where you'll learn about some amazing environmentally-focused businesses. A few examples:

American Clay Enterprises, committed to protecting the environment and our quality of life. American Clay Enterprises presents Clayote, an Earth Plaster veneer made in the United States that is 100% natural earth plaster, providing an environment that is wholesome for your friends and family. Learn more about American Clay Enterprises

Earth Tones, The Environmental Internet & Phone Co., the only long distance service or Internet company to donate 100% of its profits to environmental organizations. Learn more about Earth Tones, The Environmental Internet & Phone Co.

Green Pet Products Inc., specializing in environmentally-safe pet products from renewable and readily available resources. Learn more about Green Pet Products Inc.

Pax World Funds, enabling investors to align their financial goals with their personal values through a selection of professionally-managed socially-responsible mutual funds. Learn more about Pax World Funds





Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

Natural Resources Defense Council:
Controversial Disaster Film Casts Spotlight on Global Warming

Natural Resources Defense Council:
New Bill Would Help Clean Up Lead-in-Drinking-Water Problem, Says NRDC

Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting:
Greenhouse emissions trading seminar

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy:
ACEEE Commends USDA for Making Energy Efficiency More Accessible to Farmers

Earth Policy Institute:
World Food Security Deteriorating - Food Crunch in 2005 Now Likely

- posted by Daniel @ 1:43 AM

 
ENN Environmental News Network
E-mail Edition 05/07/2004

On the wing in Africa
As recently as 10 years ago, the words "environment," "recycling," and "waste" were rarely heard in the east African country of Kenya. But today, many Kenyans — especially young people — eagerly pitch in to recycle waste, protect the environment, and improve the daily lives of their people. One of the forces behind this change is a young man named Vincent Ogutu.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_14132.asp

Private-public partnership brings back shovelnose sturgeon after 50-year hiatus
The month of May is a pivotal season in Ohio, the fulcrum from the cold, wet spring to the sweltering summer sure to follow. Dogwoods spatter their white blossoms across the hillsides, and the edges of upland streams are dotted with gravelly smallmouth bass nests. Turkey hunters take to the woods.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_23414.asp

Air pollution kills thousands a year, says French agency
Air pollution, much of it caused by cars, kills 5,000 to 6,000 people a year in France, a state agency said Thursday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_23573.asp

Canada vows to combat overfishing near its waters
The Canadian government said Thursday it was cracking down on foreign trawlers, which it accused of illegally catching endangered and undersized fish just outside Canada's 200-mile limit in the Atlantic Ocean.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_23570.asp

Drugstore culture threatens ancient Arab medicine
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is fighting to save indigenous Bedouin herbal cures for complaints ranging from hepatitis to sexual dysfunction.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_23572.asp

Reservoir to trim flow of acidic waste into Sacramento River
A reservoir was to open Thursday that would trim the flow of pollutants into the Sacramento River from a mine that federal officials said was once the country's largest source of toxic pollutants.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_23581.asp

Humpback whales' mysterious singing is more prevalent than thought, say scientists
The male humpback whale is believed to sing its mysterious songs mainly for the same reason generations of teenage boys have started bad garage bands: to get girls.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_23582.asp

U.S. Commerce Department sides with gas pipeline company
Federal regulators approved construction of a natural gas pipeline under Long Island Sound Thursday, overruling Connecticut officials who complained the project could ruin shellfish beds.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_23578.asp

Fast fish evolved similar design separately
Great white sharks and tuna have a similar build for speed despite evolving separately for millions of years, scientists said this week.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_23512.asp

New group battling to beat climate change
Environmental activist Steve Howard hopes to work himself out of a job within a decade by convincing people to stop global warming. As head of the newly formed Climate Group, Howard's mission is to stop global warming and climate change, which experts say is the biggest single threat humankind has ever faced.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_23576.asp

Mars scientists find tempting new rocks
Excited Mars mission scientists released spectacular pictures of clifflike rocks Thursday that they hope will provide further clues about the extent of water on the red planet.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-07/s_23577.asp



Environmental Marketplace Updates (Become a Member)

We'd like to encourage you to visit our Environmental Marketplace where you'll learn about some amazing environmentally-focused businesses. A few examples:

American Clay Enterprises, committed to protecting the environment and our quality of life. American Clay Enterprises presents Clayote, an Earth Plaster veneer made in the United States that is 100% natural earth plaster, providing an environment that is wholesome for your friends and family. Learn more about American Clay Enterprises

Earth Tones, The Environmental Internet & Phone Co., the only long distance service or Internet company to donate 100% of its profits to environmental organizations. Learn more about Earth Tones, The Environmental Internet & Phone Co.

Green Pet Products Inc., specializing in environmentally-safe pet products from renewable and readily available resources. Learn more about Green Pet Products Inc.

Pax World Funds, enabling investors to align their financial goals with their personal values through a selection of professionally-managed socially-responsible mutual funds. Learn more about Pax World Funds





Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy:
ACEEE Commends USDA for Making Energy Efficiency More Accessible to Farmers

Earth Policy Institute:
World Food Security Deteriorating - Food Crunch in 2005 Now Likely

Natural Resources Defense Council:
Republican House Leaders Reject Pentagon Effort to Exempt Military from Health Laws

Pennsylvania IPM Program :
1-800 Number Kicks Off Eleventh Season

National Audubon Society:
AUDUBON RECOGNIZES TEN NEW 'IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS' IN UTAH
- posted by Daniel @ 1:34 AM

 
New York Times Opinion columns...

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
A President Beyond the Law
By ANTHONY LEWIS

Published: May 7, 2004

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.

The question tears at all of us, regardless of party or ideology: How could American men and women treat Iraqi prisoners with such cruelty — and laugh at their humiliation? We are told that there was a failure of military leadership. Officers in the field were lax. Pentagon officials didn't care. So the worst in human nature was allowed to flourish.

But something much more profound underlies this terrible episode. It is a culture of low regard for the law, of respecting the law only when it is convenient.

Again and again, over these last years, President Bush has made clear his view that law must bend to what he regards as necessity. National security as he defines it trumps our commitments to international law. The Constitution must yield to novel infringements on American freedom.

One clear example is the treatment of the prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The Third Geneva Convention requires that any dispute about a prisoner's status be decided by a "competent tribunal." American forces provided many such tribunals for prisoners taken in the Persian Gulf war in 1991. But Mr. Bush has refused to comply with the Geneva Convention. He decided that all the Guantánamo prisoners were "unlawful combatants" — that is, not regular soldiers but spies, terrorists or the like.

The Supreme Court is now considering whether the prisoners can use American courts to challenge their designation as unlawful. The administration's brief could not be blunter in its argument that the president is the law on this issue: "The president, in his capacity as commander in chief, has conclusively determined that the Guantánamo detainees . . . are not entitled to prisoner-of-war status under the Geneva Convention."

The violation of the Geneva Convention and that refusal to let the courts consider the issue have cost the United States dearly in the world legal community — the judges and lawyers in societies that, historically, have looked to the United States as the exemplar of a country committed to law. Lord Steyn, a judge on Britain's highest court, condemned the administration's position on Guantánamo in an address last fall — pointing out that American courts would refuse even to hear claims of torture from prisoners. At the time, the idea of torture at Guantánamo seemed far-fetched to me. After the disclosures of the last 10 days, can we be sure?

Instead of a country committed to law, the United States is now...(Full Story)

- posted by Daniel @ 1:21 AM

 
New Public Citizen Study: Top U.S.Air Polluters Are Closely Tied to Bush Fundraising, Pollution Policymaking Process


WASHINGTON, D.C. – The nations’ top polluters, as measured in terms of mercury, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, are power plants owned by corporations that are tightly allied with the Bush administration in terms of both campaign contributions and pollution policymaking, according to a new study from two nonprofit and nonpartisan groups, the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and Public Citizen. The report finds that sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide pollution both rose from 2002 to 2003, posing higher risks to Americans in terms of asthma attacks, lung ailments, premature death and, in the case of mercury, heightened risk of neurological damage to children.


You can see the full press release at


http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1706


You can see the full report, America’s Dirtiest Power Plants: Plugged into the Bush Administration, at

http://www.whitehouseforsale.org/documents/dirtiest_plants2.pdf
- posted by Daniel @ 1:16 AM

 
Kucinich camp sees problems in Oregon balloting
Claims voters who changed affiliation shortly before deadline get two ballots

From Bend.com news sources
Posted: Saturday, May 8, 2004 9:02 PM
Reference Code: PR-15379

May 8 - PORTLAND – Information obtained by the Oregon Kucinich for President headquarters reveals inconsistencies and contradictions being told to voters at the county level that may result in their disenfranchisment, officials said Saturday.

The campaign has shared this information with Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and with Director of Elections Divisions John W. Lindback.

Specifically, voters in many counties who reregistered between April 17th and April 28th were mailed two ballots for use in the May 18th election.

The first ballots sent often do not reflect the voter's attempts to change party affiliation in order to vote in the Democratic presidential primary, even though these voters registered or re-registered by the April 28 deadline.

A number of Oregon counties then...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:10 AM