globalbriefs
News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work
together in building a healthier, stronger society that
works for all.
Cluck & Cover
Humane Treatment of
Farm Animals on a Roll
California recently joined
Arizona, Colorado, Florida and
Oregon in outlawing the con-
finement of veal calves and/or
pregnant pigs in crates so small
they can’t turn around. Cali-
fornia’s law also encompasses
millions of egg-laying hens, typi-
cally crowded into small wire
cages stacked to the rafters in the name of efficiency and profit.
The Humane Society of the United States is leading the charge to halt such
animal abuses and expects national reverberations. The message is clear. Consum-
ers care about the source of their food and how it is raised and are willing to set
limits, even if industry isn’t. Advocates point to data showing that when hens have
more space, rates of salmonella and other contaminants that can hurt humans are
lower. Support from food safety groups includes the Center for Food Safety, Center
for Science in the Public Interest and Consumer Federation of America. Proponents
of the improved standard estimate it will raise the price of an egg by a penny.
Close confinement has been a standard feature of U.S. animal production for
With 2.5+ million 50 years. Now, consumers are sending a signal to producers that, “They had better
change their ways, or they will be put out of business,” says Princeton Professor
readers per month
Peter Singer.
Source: Grist.org.
in over 60
Landmark Victory
communities Clean Air Gets a Chance
Recently, the Washington, D.C.
Circuit Court confirmed the power
of states and localities to require
more rigorous pollution monitor-
ing from coal plants, refineries and
similar industrial polluters than the
Environmental Protection Agency
requires. Now, citizens’ groups have
successfully closed a loophole that polluters have long relied upon, at the expense
of neighboring communities. In the future, companies no longer will be able to
ignore pollution limits whenever equipment malfunctions or when they start up or
shut down operations.
“Under this notorious EPA exemption, industrial facilities have been allowed
to operate like a fleet of junk cars… spewing blue smoke, misfiring, backfiring,
stalling and chugging,” says Marti Sinclair, chair of Sierra Club’s Clean Air Team.
In Texas, home to more than 250 refineries, chemical, petrochemical and
other industrial sites, the most of any state, state records tracked 30 facilities emit-
ting 45 million pounds of toxins in one year, during these off-the-books periods.
Citizens of Louisiana, where some 20 million pounds of air toxins are pumped into
the air each year, also stand to benefit.
Source: Earthjustice.org.
14 New Haven/Middlesex Counties
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