Environmentalism

Environmentalists Find Rare Bird on a Limb, Saw it Off

Biologists are on a mission: They're in Arkansas to kill some trees. The reason? To save a bird they thought was extinct. And unfortunately for the bird, regulators are close behind with their own brand of help.

You'll remember that recently the ivory-billed woodpecker was rediscovered after being "extinct" in the minds of ecologists for a half century. Scientists, juiced by the sighting, want to help the bird by killing trees because dead bark attracts a certain kind of beetle the bird loves to eat. By the way, they're using herbicides to kill the trees.

Biologists are on a mission: They're in Arkansas to kill some trees. The reason? To save a bird they thought was extinct. And unfortunately for the bird, regulators are close behind with their own brand of help.

You'll remember that recently the ivory-billed woodpecker was rediscovered after being "extinct" in the minds of ecologists for a half century. Scientists, juiced by the sighting, want to help the bird by killing trees because dead bark attracts a certain kind of beetle the bird loves to eat. By the way, they're using herbicides to kill the trees.

Out of Energy Bill

The Energy Bill passed the House last week and now heads to the Senate. President Bush says he wants to sign it, but Democrats plan to bury it alongside past versions. Among the critics is Sen. Chuck Schumer, who says he'll filibuster the bill because it shields fuel manufacturers from MTBE spill liability. "This bill lets the big oil companies who are responsible off the hook," he says.

The Energy Bill passed the House last week and now heads to the Senate. President Bush says he wants to sign it, but Democrats plan to bury it alongside past versions. Among the critics is Sen. Chuck Schumer, who says he'll filibuster the bill because it shields fuel manufacturers from MTBE spill liability. "This bill lets the big oil companies who are responsible off the hook," he says.

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