Riders would let oil companies keep hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties owed to the public, miners dump thousands of tons of waste on federal lands, timber companies log more of Alaska's forests, and ranchers graze cattle in a national recreation area. Driving the pork train are Republican Sens. The White House is threatening a veto over the anti-environmental riders. Meanwhile, an internal battle is raging in Germany's Green Party, with younger members who favor free markets and less regulation railing against older, more leftist leaders who are pushing for much steeper gas taxes and a phaseout of nuclear power. Many prominent Greens are demanding the resignation of Jurgen Tritten, a top party leader who currently serves as Environment Minister.
Federal rules permit diesel vehicles to emit much more pollution than standard passenger vehicles.
Some states are moving ahead on their own rather than waiting for the feds to act. Last month, nine northeastern states agreed to conduct roadside tests on diesel trucks, ticketing offenders and forcing them to get repairs. But the trucking industry and its allies are formally asking the state board to reconsider the classification. The Japanese consider the blubber to be a delicacy, but its sale abroad is outlawed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. All rights reserved.