Liberty
Matters News Service
June 13, 2006
Katie Bar the [U. S. Treasury] Door
President Bush's nominee for the U. S. Treasury spot has conservatives mighty concerned. Hank Paulson, CEO of Goldman Sachs, an ardent environmentalist is outgoing Chairman of the Nature Conservancy. Paulson believes man is responsible for "global warming" and as a result, Goldman Sachs' official environmental policy supports the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) position that global warming is imminent and market forces can't change its course. Goldman Sachs also supports the McCain/Lieberman legislation (Kyoto Lite) that would have capped U. S. carbon dioxide emissions to year 2000 levels and "cost the U. S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars and countless jobs." "Paulson is extremely weak on property rights.... He has basically used corporate assets to pursue his personal interests," said Steven Milloy, Free Enterprise Action Fund portfolio manager, who has led the opposition to Paulson's nomination. Wall Street Journal's David Wessel wrote "...given [Paulson's] record in using Goldman's power and money toward environmental ends, he just might use his clout to push the administration toward dealing with climate change or even… considering an energy tax." Paulson also has close ties to China and some think that presents a conflict of interest in future business deals with the Communist nation. While no date has been set for confirmation hearings, reliable sources tell us both sides of the aisle consider Paulson a "slam dunk," with confirmation likely by July 4th.
Bush Chooses Paulson for
Treasury
Another One Bites the Dust
Competition from abroad and low market prices have led to the closure of the last plywood mill in Yakima, Washington. Yakima Resources has announced it is closing the mill, the only one still standing after 103 years. The parent company, Frontier Resources, said in a news release, that due to increased competition from cheaper wood products, imported plywood, and scarce timber supplies, they could no longer afford to operate the plant. Frontier Resources bought the 240-acre mill complex from Boise, in 2004, and promised to operate the mill far into the future. However, the company closed the sawmill a year later throwing 116 workers out of jobs. Company officials set the date for the plywood plant's closure for August 5, when 225 more workers will be looking for jobs. Washington was once an industry leader in plywood manufacturing, but new products like "oriented strand board" (OSB) imported from Canada and now Brazil, have undermined the plywood market. Dave McFadden, president of New Vision, the region's economic development firm, hopes the displaced workers will be able to find similarly well-paying jobs and stay in the area. "Unfortunately," he said, there are few opportunities."
Plywood Mill Closure Will End Long
History
A Victim of its Own Success
Environmentalists are worried that the success of eco-tourism may spell the demise of denizens of the wild. Environmental biologists have noted that wild animals may not appreciate being the source of entertainment for thousands of eco-gawkers who are disturbing the habitats of animals such as polar bears and penguins. Tour buses that haul eco-lovers to watch polar bears in Manitoba, Canada are being blamed for disrupting the bears that should be resting in preparation for the seal-hunting season on Hudson Bay. Instead, the bears are kept in a state of agitation by the tourists and as a result, may not be able to hunt as efficiently, which may lead to decreased ability to survive winter's severe conditions. Biologists noted that tourist boats seem to have a similar effect on bottle-nosed dolphins along the north-east coast of New Zealand. Researchers report that the dolphins appear to rest only 0.5 per cent of the time when three or more boats are present, compared with 68 per cent of the time when just one research boat (their's) is in the area. The changes in behavior "are potentially serious for the population," says Gordon Hastie, marine mammal expert from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia. Biologists now want studies conducted before ecotourism projects are approved. "Pre-tourism data should always be collected, where possible, said Rochelle Constantine of the University of Auckland, New Zealand. "The animals' welfare should be paramount because without them there will be no ecotourism."
Massive Growth of Ecotourism
Worries Biologists
Environmentalists Claim Animal Manure Hazardous
Environmental activists and some state attorneys general, along with opportunistic trial lawyers, are seeking to have animal manure labeled a hazardous substance subject to regulation under Superfund laws [Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) 1980 and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986]. The Superfund law was designed to address industrial waste sites like Love Canal and because it did not specifically exempt animal waste, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Union of Concerned Scientists, among others, are claiming farm waste must be regulated through that law. "If animal manure is found to be a hazardous substance under Superfund, then virtually every farm or ranch in the United States could be written off as a toxic superfund site," said National Cattlemen's Beef Association president Mike John. Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) and Rep. Roy Bunt (R-MO) have introduced HR 4341 that would exempt manure from regulation as a Superfund material. A companion bill, co-sponsored by Arkansas Senators Lincoln and Pryor will soon be released.