EDITORIAL – Bad day for environment, religion, world

We knew something was wrong as soon as we looked out our windows yesterday. It was sunny,… We knew something was wrong as soon as we looked out our windows yesterday. It was sunny, warm, pleasant, nice — and as the saying we just coined goes: When it’s sunny in Pittsburgh, somewhere, somehow, we know hell must be freezing over.

And freeze it did. Yesterday, various political forces conspired to deliver us a belated Ides of March — only one day late, but with all the bad news we expect from this time of year. It certainly wasn’t the worst day ever — let’s face it, history has had some pretty crappy days — but the following events certainly put it in the running:

The Senate passed next year’s budget, a bill containing an amendment opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. We’re dealing with rising oil prices and have hit our “oil peak;” we have an immediate need for oil. Unfortunately, the ANWR drilling proposal isn’t an immediate solution.

Even if the bill becomes a law, it would still be nine to 12 years before oil could be obtained from the region — not the quick fix we need. We can hardly predict what the energy situation will be in those years, but one thing is certain: In the process of scouting and drilling for oil, we’ll have destroyed an ecosystem. Instead of despoiling a refuge in search of more nonrenewable energy, why not divert funding to speed up research for renewable, clean energy?

In keeping with the “messing up nature” theme, the Environmental Protection Agency released new mercury regulations Tuesday, following a model proposed by the utility industry. Allowing big, polluting businesses to set emissions standards seems like a great idea, kind of like hiring Hannibal Lecter to be a live-in nanny. Fortunately, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection is actively objecting to these regulations, and the matter may end up in federal court.

In other Pennsylvania legal news, the state Superior Court ruled that survivors of molestation by priests can’t bring a lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Philadelphia concerning the possibility of a systematic coverup. The reason? The statute of limitations has run out. An identical case is pending against the Pittsburgh Diocese.

Contrary to the cliche, time does not heal all wounds, and certainly not the wounds of people who were harmed by men with whom they trusted their immortal souls. The nature of these cases shows that people are often ashamed to come forward, and they only do so when others do. Statutes of limitations are in place to protect people from frivolous attacks, but there is no statute of limitation on pain, and if there was a systematic coverup in abuse cases, then this lawsuit might change the system. Fortunately, the case is headed for appeal.

Lastly, President George W. Bush nominated Paul Wolfowitz, deputy secretary of defense and the boy who cried “WMDs,” as his candidate for president of the World Bank. Wolfowitz would replace the current president, James Wolfenshohn, as alpha male. Now, we’re pretty sure that being president of a multinational organization that spends billions on building infrastructure in the third world, with somewhat mixed success, would require more than a track record of destroying said infrastructure and having a last name containing the word “wolf.” Wolfowitz’s rigid ideologies haven’t exactly endeared him to the rest of the world, and he needs to adapt in order to do this job, something he’s proven unwilling to do.

Well, at least it was sunny.