Environment

The Invisible Hand of DuPont

by Bob Burton — July 4, 2005 - 12:06am

In March 2002, Andy Gallagher, then the spokesperson for West Virginia's Department of Environmental Protection, drafted a media release to inform residents in Wood County that the toxic chemical C8 was being emitted from DuPont's local plant. But the statement was never released.

Main Source: 
Charleston Gazette (sub. req'd.), July 03, 2005

Gosh, Here's a Shocker

by Sheldon Rampton — June 26, 2005 - 5:33pm

"President Bush has nominated as chief of enforcement for the Environmental Protection Agency a partner in a law firm defending W.R. Grace & Co. against criminal charges in a major environmental case," reports Andrew Schneider. "EPA employees were told late Thursday that Bush had nominated Granta Nakayama to lead the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. ... Nakayama, 46, a specialist in environmental law, is a full partner in Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Main Source: 
Baltimore Sun, June 25, 2005

Editing Away Environmental Concerns, Part Two

by Diane Farsetta — June 16, 2005 - 12:10pm

"A new draft communique on climate change for next month's Group of Eight summit has removed plans to fund research" on clean energy technologies. Other edits "put into question top scientists' warnings that global warming is already under way," by removing references to current weather changes and marking such phrases as "our world is warming" for possible deletion.

Main Source: 
Reuters, June 15, 2005

BP: It's Not Easy, Feigning Green Cred

by Diane Farsetta — June 13, 2005 - 3:34pm

"BP's reputation as one of the world's most environmentally progressive energy companies is on the line," writes the Independent. That's because BP refused to support mandatory carbon dioxide emissions limits in the energy bill, as proposed by U.S. Senator Bingaman. The energy bill will be debated by the Senate this week.

Main Source: 
Independent (UK), June 12, 2005

Oil Lobbyist Becomes White House Climate Science Editor

by Bob Burton — June 9, 2005 - 2:07am

In a lengthy memo Rick S. Piltz, a former senior associate in the Climate Change Science Program, revealed that U.S. government climate research reports had been edited by a White House official, Philip A. Cooney, to emphasize doubts about climate change.

Main Source: 
New York Times, June 8, 2005

Oiling The Wheels Of Fake News

by Bob Burton — May 26, 2005 - 6:40am

In a column for Digital Producer magazine, Steven Klapow recounts that a producer of video news releases for an oil company was under strict instructions to avoid including images, including on B-roll footage, that may not look good for the sponsoring company. "We have to avoid any shots that can be taken out of context," the producer said.

Main Source: 
Digital Producer, May 26, 2005.

Ecomagine That: GE Stalls on PCB Cleanup

by Diane Farsetta — May 17, 2005 - 12:29pm

"The National Academy of Sciences would investigate the effectiveness of dredging PCB-contaminated sediment under a directive written largely by General Electric Co. and attached to a House of Representatives spending bill last week," reported the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Main Source: 
Poughkeepsie Journal, May 17, 2005

The Junkman Judgeth

by Laura Miller — May 11, 2005 - 5:44pm

One of PR Watch's "usual suspects," Steven J. Milloy, managed to get himself invited to be a judge for the 2004 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Journalism Awards: Online Category.

Main Source: 
Environmental Science and Technology Online, May 11, 2005

"Ecomagination": Beyond Electric

by Diane Farsetta — May 10, 2005 - 2:20pm

General Electric began "heavily advertising" its "new company-wide environmental initiative" called "ecomagination." Its goals are "to decrease pollution from its products and to double research and development spending on cleaner technologies." (According to Grist, one TV ad "features scantily clad models dusted with soot," as an announcer says, "Thanks to emissions-reducing technologies from GE, the power of coal is getting more beautiful every day.") The "ecomagination" launch followed a year

Main Source: 
Washington Post, May 10, 2005
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