The Russian government, upset at criticism from such foreign-funded organizations as the U.S. think tank Freedom House, is turning the tables. Moscow approved the creation of the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation, which will "study democracy and human rights in Europe and the United States." The Institute, whose funding comes from "private businesses," has offices in New York and Paris. "No country can monopolize the definition of standards of democracy and human rights," said Institute founder Anatoly Kucherena. In related news, the National Information Center will open in Moscow next month. "The center's aims include improving Russia's image abroad, promoting national projects and providing [Russian and foreign] journalists with first-hand contacts in the presidential administration," reports the Moscow Times. The Center will also be funded by business leaders, while Vasily Shestakov, "a friend and judo partner of President Vladimir Putin," has been invited to head its supervisory board.

Scientists in eight Arctic nations prepared "a landmark assessment of oil and gas activity" in the region over six years, including "a clear set of recommendations on how to extract safely what are thought to be up to one quarter of the world's energy reserves." But the United States government blocked the report's release, as it prepares "to sell off exploration licenses for the frozen Chukchi Sea off Alaska, one of the last intact habitats of the polar bear." One of the authors of the report said the U.S. move "could be linked to activities in the Chukchi Sea ... where more research and assessment is needed." Another author said a "key message" of the stalled report is "to check more before you drill for oil and gas in the Arctic." The U.S. Center for Biological Diversity's climate director called the U.S. action "part of the Bush-Cheney strategy of handing out as many fossil fuel entitlements as quickly as they can in their final months in office." The Bush administration rushed the Chukchi sales, scheduled for February 6, "before Congress can complete efforts to protect the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act," which would also complicate oil exploration in the area.

Saab Australia ad, which has since been ruled misleadingAn increase in "green" marketing has led to scrutiny by watchdogs around the world. Britain's Advertising Standards Authority recently ruled that television ads from the Malaysian Palm Oil Council were "likely to mislead viewers as to the environmental benefits of oil-palm plantations." The ads claimed that palm oil trees "give life and help our planet breathe," but in reality many palm oil plantations are on illegally cleared rainforest land. In September 2007, Norwegian regulators "banned all cars ads from stating that their vehicles are 'green,' 'clean' or 'environmentally friendly,'" since car production means more carbon emissions. In the U.S., the Council of Better Business Bureaus ruled that "a distributor of infant feeding bottles had to drop ads that claimed that the plastic used in a competitor's bottles was unsafe for both the environment and kids." The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also planning to update its environmental advertising guidelines, which currently include standards for what can be marketed as "recyclable" or "biodegradable." As mentioned in an earlier Spin, there are no FTC standards for "carbon neutral" or greenhouse gas emissions offset programs.

The case of Pierre Meneton is fueling demands for legal protections for whistleblowers in France. Meneton is a researcher for the National Institute of Health and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research. He is going to court on January 31, 2008, to face charges of defamation. Several industrial salt producers are suing Meneton for a comment he made during an interview in March 2006. "The lobbying of salt producers and agribusiness is very active. It misinforms health professionals and the media." While the negative effects of salt on health are no secret, it was not until Meneton went public with claims of unethical practices in the research analysis of the French Authority for Food Safety and of the consistent meddling of the salt industry that it was widely publicized. Environmental health researcher Andre Cicolella says that while Meneton may not be a whistleblower by all definitions, his case would benefit from the same types of protections that are lacking for those that do qualify. For instance, Veronique Lapides is a resident of the Paris suburb of Vincennes. She raised the alert about a high rate of childhood cancer in the area and pushed for environmental clean up. Now she is being sued for defamation by the mayor of Vincennes. Cicolella said that this case shows "absent laws to prtect whistleblowers, this type of pressure can be exerted not only on scientists, but on citizens as well." In the U.S., the Senate just passed a bill to reinforce whistleblower protections for U.S. government workers, but it needs to be reconciled with a stronger bill passed by the House in March 2007.

Linda KeenThe fifty-year old nuclear reactor at Chalk River in Ontario, Canada, is running again after the Canadian Parliament overruled the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The facility is owned by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, which is a public-owned corporation of the Government of Canada. Then-Commission President Linda Keen has since been fired from her position. But she still testified in front of the House of Commons' Natural Resources committee Tuesday, saying, "When it comes to nuclear facilities, ignoring safety requirements is simply not an option – not now, not ever." At issue was the lack of adequate safety systems at the plant. "Ms. Keen said that without the backup system in place, the risk of a nuclear accident stood at one in a thousand -- 1,000 times higher than the international standard of one in a million." The reactor produces nuclear isotopes for medical use, and the members of the Conservative party in Parliament claimed that keeping the reactor shut down was leading to a medical emergency in Canada and worldwide. Others have disputed this, and point to the lag in time between the plant's shutdown and the government's sounding the alarm with other isotope producers. Regardless, Keen pointed out: "Under the law, the commission did not have the authority to take the issue of isotopes into consideration." She also added that "the Chalk River reactor, which is more than 50 years old, would not be licensed today by any nuclear regulator in the world."

Last week, House Republicans once again defeated an attempt override Bush's veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expansion bill. Democratic leaders had re-submitted their old bill but actually lost ground this time as three Democrats and two Republicans failed to show up for the vote.

Though many Republicans voted for the bill, their House leaders once again cited higher tobacco taxes and the bill's $35 billion price tag in leading most of their party to oppose it. They also said the bill would cover illegal immigrants and middle-income Americans, though the bill now explicitly forbids that. The program is funded through March 2009 at existing levels, but Democratic leaders have said that the lagging economy will drive up the number of uninsured children, necessitating quicker action on expansion, so expect more votes this year.

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