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USDA Rescinds Controversial Organic Food Rule

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Anne Veneman has rescinded new organic food guidelines that critics say threatened to undermine the integrity of the organic food industry. The directives, announced last month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), relaxed enforcement of the national organic standards and allowed some use of pesticides, animal drugs, growth hormones, antibiotics, and tainted fishmeal on organic farms. They outraged the organic industry and consumer organizations, who threatened legal action to force the agency to reverse its decisions. In response to the new directives, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), a national consumer watchdog group, immediately launched a campaign to pressure the USDA into reversing its controversial directives. Within two days, more than 5,000 petition signatures had been gathered and a landslide of faxes, emails and phone calls hit the USDA and National Organic Program (NOP) offices. "Two days after we sent our first email action alert out, their were so many consumers responding to it, the USDA contacted us and told us to tell our supporters to stop calling their offices," said Ronnie Cummins, executive director of the OCA. "Secretary Veneman has listened to the concerns the organic community has raised, and I commend her for retracting these […]

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Mass. Sets New Limits on Mercury Emissions

URL: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/26/tougher_emission_rules_set/ Website: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/26/tougher_emission_rules_set/     

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Global Warming Shareholder Resolution at ExxonMobil Achieves 8.8% Vote

A solid 8.8 percent of ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) shareholders — representing an estimated 475 million shares totalling $21 billion — voted in favor of a proxy resolution urging the world's largest oil company to stop ignoring the risks of global warming. The resolution sponsored by Christian Brothers Investment Services, Inc. (CBIS) called on the company to provide the data to justify its failure to protect shareholder interests against the risks posed by climate change. In recent years, two global-warming resolutions attracted high levels of support among ExxonMobil shareholders. The company challenged the resolutions which were killed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As a result, the only proxy question to survive was a new resolution sponsored by Christian Brothers Investment Services. The initial 8.8 percent support level for the first-strong resolution is considered strong in that SEC rules require a vote of only 3 percent for a first-year resolution to be re-introduced in a second year. CBIS Director of Socially Responsible Investing John Wilson said: "This resolution invites ExxonMobil to defend its public position on climate change. We are disappointed that the company has so far refused to do so. Our new resolution takes a fresh approach to the […]

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CUNO to Acquire WTC Industries

CUNO Inc. (Nasdaq: CUNO) and WTC Industries (OTC: WTCO) announced today they have entered into a merger agreement under which CUNO will acquire WTC for about $110 million in cash and assumed debt to expand its water filtration business. WTC shareholders will receive $39.87 in cash for each of their shares, while WTC option and warrant holders will receive cash based on the difference between $39.87 per share and the exercise price of their options and warrants.The terms value WTC at a 27 percent premium over its shares' Tuesday closing price. Meriden, Connecticut-based CUNO makes filtration products for liquids and gases. Its products are used in the fluid processing, health care and potable water markets. WTC, which is based in Eagan, Minnesota, through its PentaPure Inc. operating unit makes water filtration systems and replacement filter cartridges. CUNO plans to use cash and bank financing to finance the purchase, and will assume about $9.5 million of WTC bank debt. The transaction is expected to close by the end of July. WTC employs about 220 people and had sales of $28.3 million in 2003. The planned combination will increase CUNO's presence in the point-of-use water filtration products business. Website: [sorry this link […]

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Running on Fumes

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Super Organics

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