News Forum Archives: April 2008

Treading lighter with low-carbon diets

To address the problem of greenhouse gases, conscientious consumers are turning their attention to the supermarket and dinner table. It’s not just paper versus plastic anymore.
By Kenneth R. Weiss
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 22, 2008
Not every student in line at the University of Redlands cafeteria was ready for self-sacrifice to save the planet.

“No hamburger patties?” asked an incredulous football player, repeating the words of the grill cook. He glowered at the posted sign: “Cows or cars? Worldwide, livestock emits 18% of greenhouse gases, more than the transportation sector! Today we’re offering great-tasting vegetarian choices.”

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Posted by Paul on April 29, 2008

Michael Chertoff’s Insult

Editorial
The New York Times
April 3, 2008

To the long list of things the Bush administration is willing to trash in its rush to appease immigration hard-liners, you can now add dozens of important environmental laws and hundreds of thousands of acres of fragile habitat on the southern border.

On Tuesday, Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, waived the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and other environmental protections to allow the government to finish building 700 or so miles of border fence by year’s end without undertaking legally mandated reviews of the consequences for threatened wildlife and their habitats.

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Posted by Paul on April 03, 2008

Government Issues Waiver for Fencing Along Border

By Randal C. Archibold
The New York Times
April 2, 2008

In a sweeping use of its authority, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that it would bypass environmental reviews to speed construction of fencing along the Mexican border.

Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, issued two waivers covering 470 miles of the border from California to Texas well as a separate 22-mile stretch in Hidalgo County, Tex., where the department plans to build fencing up to 18 feet high into a flood-control levee in a wildlife refuge.

“Criminal activity at the border does not stop for endless debate or protracted litigation,” Mr. Chertoff said in a statement.

The announcement angered environmental groups, which have raised concerns through lawsuits and public hearings about the damage that fencing could cause to wildlife. Property owners, particularly along the Rio Grande, have also objected to what they considered federal intrusion on their land and access to the river.

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Posted by Paul on April 01, 2008