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We're American Airlines, Something Toxic in the Air
Under threat of indictment, American Airlines pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally storing hazardous waste at the Miami airport and transporting hazardous and poisonous materials improperly on its passenger jets for the last five years,. The company will pay $8 million, the largest environmental fine ever levied against an airline, as well as make changes to […]
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So Sewage Me
The British Columbia attorney general’s office has quashed a joint effort by a Canadian environmental group and a labor union to end the dumping of toxic sewage into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, an international body of water off the northern coast of Washington state and the southern coast of B.C. Victoria and other […]
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Dam-age Control
Breaching four dams along the Snake River in southeastern Washington — a move favored by enviros — would help a wide range of animals and fish in addition to endangered salmon, according to a report being released today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The report says that of four options being considered to […]
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Barking Up the Right Tree
To celebrate the coming of a year with three zeros in it, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday kicked off the “Millennium Green” campaign, which aims to plant 250 million trees, nearly one for every American. The project — which is being orchestrated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the EPA with much of […]
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Hot Toddies
The year 1999 has been the planet’s fifth warmest since consistent global record-keeping began in 1860, Britain’s Meteorological Office reported today. Temperatures around the world in 1999 were about 0.33 degrees Celsius higher than the average for 1961 to 1990, and about 0.7 degrees C higher than temperatures at the end of the last century. […]
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Hugo Isn't Boss
Venezuela’s Environment Ministry, hampered by corruption, understaffing, and inadequate funding, is doing little to stop plundering and degradation of the nation’s rainforests, coral reefs, rare wildlife, and other natural resources. Poachers openly sell endangered parrots; Lake Maracaibo, the largest lake in South America, is severely polluted with oil and waste from tankers; and thousands of […]
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Refuge, Jeez!
The 521 national wildlife refuges in the U.S. are in sad shape, suffering from low funding, inadequate staffing, and poor leadership, according to a survey of 230 refuge managers released yesterday by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. More than 90 percent of the managers surveyed said they want a new leadership structure for the refuge […]
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A Bill of Goods?
Bill Bradley is continuing to put the heat on Vice Pres. Al Gore over offshore drilling, pressing it as an issue in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. On Tuesday, Bradley challenged Gore to take immediate action against proposed natural gas drilling off the Florida Panhandle. The Florida Department of Community Affairs denied a […]
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How Delightful, How Insightful
Honda’s hybrid Insight hit California showrooms yesterday, becoming the first gasoline-electric hybrid car to go on sale in the U.S. The two-seater, which has a base price of $19,000, gets about 60 miles to the gallon in the city and 70 on the highway. Its engine uses both unleaded gasoline and an electric motor that […]
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Enviros Ruffle Ridge
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R) yesterday signed into law a $646 million program to help protect many thousands of acres of open space, preserve 1,500 farms, and improve state parks. But enviros in the state criticize the new law because it lacks a dedicated funding base, and they say that nearly $1.5 billion would be […]