Environment

The Reverse British Invasion

The global warming "denial lobby" is targeting Britain, reports the Observer, and it has U.S. connections. "The UK-based Scientific Alliance, which organised the meeting of skeptics in London last month, recently published a joint report with America's George C.

Terrorist or Activist?

"Under the draconian conditions of the USA Patriot Act," reports the Guardian, "the FBI can use covert surveillance of 'terrorists' without the necessity of getting a judicial warrant." Last year, the FBI identified "animal rights extremists and eco-terrorism" as "a domestic terrorism investigative priority," concerning even mainstream environmental groups.

Back Scratching and Greenwashing

The Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, a nonprofit organization founded by Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Grover Norquist, has been subpoenaed by "an interagency criminal task force investigating former lobbyist Jack Abra

U.S. Scientists Say They Are Told To Alter Findings

Scientists employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say they have been told to change their research findings concerning the protection of plants and animals.

Burson-Marsteller's Bromine Front Groups

As the European Parliament has come into power, the population of lobbyists, PR firms and front groups has boomed in Brussels. In a new report, the Corporate Europe Observatory exposes the work of global PR firm Burson-Marsteller on behalf of the bromine industry as it attempts to stymie bans on bromine-based flame retardants.

Goodwill Hunting

In 2003, two companies in the Manchester neighborhood, Valero Refining and Lyondell-Citgo, "ranked among the top dozen in the Houston area for accidental releases of air contaminants." But "the men and women who live there rarely complain," writes the Houston Chronicle, perhaps because of the "free car washes, donated computers, elementary school essay contests and Easter egg hunts" the companies sponsor.

Perception Is King

Sir David King, the British government's chief scientific adviser, has been "aggressively targeted by American lobbyists trying to discredit his view that man-made pollution is behind global warming." King said, "You have a group of lobbyists, some of whom are chasing me around the planet. ...

Greener on the Other Side

Project Evergreen, a "trade association formed by pesticide makers, applicators, garden centers and mower manufacturers," will launch a "national public-relations campaign this spring touting the health and lifestyle benefits of thick, green lawns." The campaign is partly in response to pesticide restrictions passed by 70 cities and one province in Canada. One Project Evergreen ad reads, "Legislation and regulations have been throwing the green industry some rough punches. ...

Rocket Fuel Is Good for You!

A National Academy of Sciences report says up to 20 parts per billion (ppb) of the rocket fuel chemical perchlorate in drinking water could be considered "safe." Perchlorate affects thyroid function, with children believed to be especially vulnerable. The Environmental Protection Agency previously set 1 ppb as the "safe" perchlorate level; the Defense Department suggested 200 ppb.

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