TOP STORY

How I Spent My Summer Tax Vacation
McCain, Clinton support summer gas-tax rollback

U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain have said they support temporarily suspending the federal excise tax on gasoline and diesel fuel over the summer to ease the impacts of high fuel prices on consumers. McCain indicated he would shift revenue from other sources to cover the estimated $9 billion dip in highway infrastructure funds that would result; Clinton has proposed enacting a windfall-profits tax on oil companies to make up the shortfall. Both Clinton and McCain attacked Barack Obama for opposing the tax suspension. "This is one of the big differences in this race," Clinton said at a campaign rally. "My opponent Senator Obama opposes giving consumers a break on the gas tax at the federal level. I support it. I understand the American people need some relief." Obama said the tax suspension will make little difference, will encourage oil consumption and imports, could be canceled out by subsequent oil-price increases, and will only save the average consumer about $30 total over the summer.

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sources: The New York Times, Associated Press, The Washington Post, Reuters

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TODAY'S NEWS

The Gray Area
Gray wolves under attack, groups want them re-listed

Saying that their concerns about trigger-happy hunters have been validated, 12 conservation and animal-rights groups have sued to get gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains re-listed as an endangered species. The 1,500 wolves that roam through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho were delisted on March 28 and can now be shot in those states; a total of 37 have been killed in the last month. Conservation groups filed suit Monday, saying that the wolf population should be 2,000 at a minimum to protect genetic diversity. But federal biologists have a goal of maintaining a minimum population of 300 wolves, and predict that even with willy-nilly killing, the population will stabilize well above that goal in the next few years.

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sources: Associated Press, Center for Biological Diversity

Reunion Tour
Live Earth is back, so get ready to rock

Mark your calendars for Oct. 5: Live Earth is back and ready to rock. Kevin Wall, founder of last summer's international concert extravaganza, says that the October shows will be held on U.S. college campuses, and the focus will be on pushing the presidential candidates to address environmental issues. Locations, bands, and all other specifics are yet to be determined, but will Dreamy Al be involved again? Says Wall: "Absolutely."

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source: Ecorazzi

Perry and Thrust
U.S. should back off from biofuels to bring down food prices, says Texas guv

Has the U.S. push for biofuels contributed to rising global food prices? Well, yes, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday: "There has been apparently some effect, unintended consequence from the alternative fuels effort." But, she hastened to add, "biofuels continue to be an extremely important piece of the alternative energy picture" and "we think that it is not a large part of the problem." Unconvinced, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has suggested that 50 percent of the federal renewable-fuels mandate be waived for a year to take some pressure off of food prices and the Texas economy. But his critics argue that oil prices are more to blame and that eliminating all or part of the renewable-fuels standard would increase demand for oil and hike gasoline prices higher while having only a minimal impact on food prices. All that to say: If you need us, we'll be scrounging for pennies on the sidewalk.

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sources: Agence France-Presse, Houston Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman
sources: A special series on biofuels

Putting Down Roots
Ousted L.A. gardeners continue to farm

In June 2006, a land dispute led to the shutdown of the South Central Community Garden in Los Angeles. Weeks of protest and tree-sitting by celebrities and regular folk proved unfruitful, and the 14-acre garden, tended by 350 low-income families in the middle of one of L.A.'s poorest neighborhoods, was bulldozed. Nearly two years later, with legal wrangling over the land's ownership ongoing, the gardeners are plotting again in Buttonwillow, Calif., a tiny town west of Bakersfield. With the help of a nonprofit foundation, some farmers have bought 85 acres of land that they hope to convert into a working farm in the next couple of years. In the meantime, a couple of dozen ousted gardeners raise vegetables on a leased field in a nearby town, which they sell in L.A. farmers' markets. Says one farmer, "It's important that people see we're not defeated."

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source: Los Angeles Times

In Brief
Snippets from the news

• Washington, D.C., kickstarts bike-sharing program.

• Tentative deal reached on farm bill.

• Are hybrid cars unhealthy?

• Gov. Schwarzenegger pushes for a power line through a state park.

• Canada's environment minister proposes limits on VOCs.

• Russia says "nyet" to mandatory carbon caps.

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Read more news ...

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GRIST COLUMNS AND FEATURES

Altar-native Energy
How to green your wedding

No one wants to scrimp on matters of the heart. And not a lot of lovebirds want to pass up the chance to throw a meaning-laden bash with friends, family, and bubbly that ends in a sex-crazed vacation. But when it comes to weddings, there are greener ways to get hitched -- from skipping the party favors to buying local food. We look at a few suggestions today, and invite you to share your own tips for tiptoeing down the aisle.

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new in Grist: How to green your wedding

Making a Mad 'Stache
Tom Friedman chats about his new green-themed book

Yes, it's true -- while speaking at Brown University on Earth Day, Tom Friedman got hit by a pie (or two). But not before Brown student and Grist blogger Nathan Wyeth got a chance to sit down for a short chat with the New York Times columnist, whose new book Hot, Flat, and Crowded discusses the need for a green revolution. During their conversation, Friedman explained why young people need to get off Facebook and into the cloakroom, how American universities should be addressing climate issues, and what sustainability looks like in a "flat" world.

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new in Gristmill: Celebrating Earth Day with Tom Friedman

Coming Wednesday: Umbra on cargo bikes

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