Nuclear power was originally sold to the American people as a source of limitless, clean energy that would be so abundant, it would be “too cheap to meter.” By the time I became a young adult in the early 1970s Richard Nixon was telling us that the United States would have 1,000 large nuclear plants installed by the year 2000. By then, however, many of us had learned not to trust what people like Nixon were telling us. Read more...

Kansas City Votes Light Rail…Sort of
by Ron McLinden
On November 7, 2006 Kansas Citians voted for light rail—at least, they voted for the notion of light rail. Voters approved a 25–year extension of a 3/8 cent city sales tax for transit (beginning April 1, 2009) to build a 27–mile light rail line concocted (back-of-the-envelope style) by perennial light rail initiative petitioner Clay Chastain.

Passage (53%–47%) has thrown the regional transit scene into mild disarray. Transit advocates had intended to ask voters to renew the 3/8 cent tax (passed in 2003 for five years as an interim measure to supplement an existing 1/2 cent city sales tax for transit) in the form of county-wide sales taxes to fund transit expansion throughout the region. Read more...

The ultimate goals are to reduce greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions by 70–90 percent by mid-century and reduce fossil fuel use to negligible proportions by 2100. This sounds more manageable when put in terms of what the U.S. must do to reach this goal—reduce ghg emissions by two percent per year. Read more...

It was no surprise to anyone following the ethanol industry that there were plans to build another plant. Ever since the government began to grant sizable subsidies to this industry to reduce the use of foreign oil (and incidentally secure the farm vote and benefit large agribusiness campaign donors), many plants have been built and many more are in the planning stage. Read more...

Visitors to the Eastern Missouri Group’s office in Maplewood may be startled to encounter a flourishing wildflower garden tucked between two buildings on Manchester Avenue, just a few steps from the Sierra Club office. Penny Holtzmann and her team of faithful Sierra Club gardeners have been tending this patch of natural Missouri since 2003. Set with a winding walk, this garden spot features asters, coneflowers, Indian grass, and other plants representing Missouri prairies and stretches from Manchester Avenue to the back parking lot.   Read more...

Political Chair’s Column
by Claus Wawrzinek, Chapter Political Chair 
2006 Election Outcome
At the federal level the November 2006 election was seen as a victory for the environment. Leadership in the House and Senate changed hands with the Democrats gaining control of both chambers by a narrow margin. Many of the new legislators have vowed to make environmental protection a priority. Statements have been made that the 110th Congress will focus on Global Warming, energy and other environmental issues. Read more...