***Battle over the Parks
– A third of GGNRA’s staff could be in competition for their jobs if the Bush administration’s park privatization plan becomes a reality. [SFGate]
It’s not that Collman is sloughing off or not committed. His days start at 4 in the morning. When he speaks about preserving national parks for his daughter’s generation and beyond, he adopts the sober rectitude of a ranger who’s caught you about to toss a beer can into a wetland marsh.
Collman, along with the rest of the maintenance staff at GGNRA, is scheduled to be scrutinized next year to see if a private company could do his job for less money. It’s part of a little-known push by the Bush administration called competitive sourcing.
***A Grizzly’s-Eye View of a Refuge That Oil Drillers Covet.
A visit to the virtually untouched wilderness of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge provides a new perspective on the drilling debate. By Nicholas D. Kristof. [New York Times: Science]
One of those bears, a grizzly, approached as I was preparing lunch, then lumbered away. I’m packing bear spray, a kind of Mace used to fend off grizzlies and polar bears. Walt Audi, a legendary bush pilot here, explained how to use the spray: “If a bear attacks you, just spray yourself in the face, and you won’t see it.” So it’s hard to feel that this a place where humans are in charge. And that is precisely what makes the Arctic refuge so special.
***E.P.A. Relaxes Restrictions on Sales of Contaminated Land.
The Environmental Protection Agency has reversed a 25-year-old policy, relaxing restrictions on selling some land contaminated with PCB’s for redevelopment. By Jennifer 8. Lee. [New York Times: Science] No surprise here…
Some agency employees say the longstanding restriction on the sale of PCB-contaminated land served as an incentive for owners to notify the agency of the contamination and clean up their property. Notifying the agency before the sale of contaminated property and getting the agency’s approval of a cleanup plan helped protect sellers from liability after the sale. About 100 sites a year came up for agency approval, employees say.
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September 3, 2003
Posted by gdanmitchell |
Commentary |
Comments Off on 2003.09.03
Dan's Outside 
2003.09.03
***Battle over the Parks
– A third of GGNRA’s staff could be in competition for their jobs if the Bush administration’s park privatization plan becomes a reality. [SFGate]
***A Grizzly’s-Eye View of a Refuge That Oil Drillers Covet.
A visit to the virtually untouched wilderness of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge provides a new perspective on the drilling debate. By Nicholas D. Kristof. [New York Times: Science]
***E.P.A. Relaxes Restrictions on Sales of Contaminated Land.
The Environmental Protection Agency has reversed a 25-year-old policy, relaxing restrictions on selling some land contaminated with PCB’s for redevelopment. By Jennifer 8. Lee. [New York Times: Science] No surprise here…
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September 3, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.09.03