Environment

Multiple agencies unable or unwilling to describe minimum level of airborne contamination that would generate concern about medium- and long-term health effects.

A number of experts have now been providing reasons why they believe that the Daiichi crisis will not be "the next Chernobyl."

One might imagine that U.S. government agencies are well-versed in the physics of how, when, over what period of time, and with what consequences, radioactive particles may rise to the altitude of the jet stream, there to be transported from Japanese air space across the Pacific Ocean until some subset of those particles were circulating in the jet stream over the United States.

One might also imagine that a basic level of national security vigilance would mean that these agencies had definitive plans in place to coordinate with one another, apply established standards of radiological safety to the context of air travel in and through that jet stream, and update the public accordingly.

At least in respect to the second set of imaginings, it appears that one would be wrong.

It’s a lamentably old sport, says the agency’s two-time leader, who occasionally dares to dream about a more constructive relationship between Congress and federal rule-makers.

One big roadblock: politicians who can't imagine constituents changing the way they commute.

China's cornering of production of key minerals aided by U.S."free trade" posture.

You might think it would be hard to produce a news article that is simultaneously a puffy profile of an important government official, a credulous conduit for her leading opponents, a feeble explanation of the actual political dynamic, and a lackluster treatment of substantive policy issues. But that’s what The Washington Post delivered last week with its story about Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the industry interests lining up to battle new regulations that the EPA is considering.

Wisconsin's new governor wants easier path to regulatory approvals for large farms, but has not explained why deregulation wouldn't yield a return to the days of more pollution.