How much is a clean, healthy environment worth to you?

Protecting the environment

There will always be conflict between man and nature, because of the choices we make. On the one hand it seems ridiculous to cancel or add greatly to the cost of human developments for the sake of some insignificant creature. On the other hand, we cannot keep raping our planet, fouling our own nest, and reducing the biodiversity which has furnished us with so many kinds of food and medicine. To misquote John Donne, no species is an island, entire of itself. The loss of one species, or its replacement by an invasive or genetically modified alternative, could set off a chain reaction affecting many other species, and ultimately ourselves.

Each of us has to decide how we value nature, and where to draw the line. In case of disagreement, it may be up to the free market or the courts or the legislators to determine where the compromise should be.

There are several stories about such conflicts today. The arroyo toad is losing out to development, yet the Eirik Raude oil rig has been shut down to protect its environment. A farmer is still fighting to save his ash trees, while cruise lines are fighting against proposed new standards. The Environmental Protection Agency, which was set up by the people of the United States to protect their environment, is still not enforcing goals set 27 years ago. A senator is having to resort to drastic tactics just to get answers from the EPA concerning how best to protect the atmosphere.

How would you have decided in each case?

Feds Scale Back Endangered Toad Protections

The endangered arroyo toad, which had lost 75% of its habitat to development in 1994 and is vulnerable to invasive species (e.g. bullfrogs), has had the protection of its remaining habitat scaled back. Some of the reduction is because Interior Secretary Gale Norton decided that the protection would have too costly an impact on development and water deliveries. Environmentalists say that there will not be enough protected land left for it to survive.

Norwegian Authorities Order Rig Shutdown

The Eirik Raude oil rig in the Barents Sea is to remain shut down whilst the cause of the third oil spill in 2 months is investigated. Norway is very strict about drilling in the Arctic.

Michigan Man Fights to Save Ash Trees

A farmer in Michigan with land bordering the St. Clair River, which is the border with Canada, is refusing to have his trees felled to help prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer, an invasive species of beetle from Asia that was first discovered near Detroit in the summer of 2002. "Emerald ash borer probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia." The beetle has been blamed for killing or infesting 7 million ash trees in Michigan. Opponents criticize the state strategy of cutting down apparently healthy trees.

Groups Seek Tougher Cruise Ship Waste Laws

Between them, cruise liners carry enough people to fill a city, and they produce quantities of sewerage to match. Some members of Congress want to toughen marine pollution standards with the Clean Cruise Ship Act. The cruise industry say that they are installing state of the art equipment, that the regulations are not based on science, and that pollution is coming from on land.

EPA Likely to Miss Nat'l Parks Deadline AP April 14 2005

The Environmental Protection Agency is likely to miss a court-ordered deadline for new rules to improve the views and air quality in many national parks and wilderness areas, and is considering asking for an extension. The advocacy group Environmental Defense is trying to get the EPA to enforce the 1977 Clean Air Act amendments that set the goals. The main problem is haze formed by sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

Democratic Senator Blocks Vote on Bush Nominee to Head EPA

Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del. has temporarily blocked the progress of Bush's nominee to be head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), by insisting that he first get information from the EPA that he says, "I believe we need to make the best choices for the country to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury and CO2 (carbon dioxide)." He has been requesting the information since April 2003. "They've done extensive modeling on the president's 'Clear Skies' proposal. They've done very little on the other two major proposals," he said.

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