Climate Politics
All Stories
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Cap ‘n’ Trade Cut ‘n’ Paste
If new rules proposed by the Bush administration to cut power-plant mercury emissions sound like they were written by industry lobbyists, it’s only because, well, they kinda were. The proposal, released by the U.S. EPA on Friday for a 60-day public comment period, contains at least 12 paragraphs lifted almost verbatim from memorandums sent to […]
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Swinging Both Ways
Bush Announces Environmental Money for Swing States A recent flurry of announcements from the Bush administration about proposed funding increases for environmental projects — including salmon restoration and brush clearing in the Northwest, Everglades protection in Florida, and cleanup of the Great Lakes — has some enviros suspicious. Not that they aren’t glad to have […]
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A Breath of Somewhat Fresher Air
Scientists Recommend Solutions to Coming Air-Quality Challenges Though the past three decades have seen substantial progress, concerted action is needed to prevent air pollution from adversely affecting the environment and human health now and in the future, reported the National Research Council of the National Academies, a nonpartisan scientific panel chartered by Congress to assess […]
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Footprint on the Gas
Exxon Responsible for 5 Percent of All Historical CO2 Emissions Since its founding as the Standard Oil Trust in 1882, ExxonMobil and its predecessor companies have been responsible for between 4.7 and 5.3 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. Ever. In the whole world. So claims a report, “Exxon’s Climate Footprint,” drawn from two studies […]
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Shout, Trout, Let It All Out
Western Hunters and Anglers Oppose Energy Bill A group of outdoor enthusiasts descended on Washington, D.C., Wednesday to lobby against attempts by Republicans to revive the omnibus energy bill, defeated in the Senate last year. They object to provisions in the bill that would drastically increase oil and gas development on prime hunting and fishing […]
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Oily Residue
Judge Imposes $4.5 Billion in Damages in Exxon Valdez Case A federal judge in Alaska on Wednesday imposed $4.5 billion in punitive damages on ExxonMobil Corp. for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill in Prince William Sound. The judgment marks the third time the case has been through federal court; on two previous occasions, […]
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Oversight Out of Mind
Bush Relaxes Safety at Nuke Facilities The Bush administration has a new plan to waive some safety standards at federal nuclear facilities. The administration apparently didn’t like being directed by Congress in 2002 to strictly enforce safety standards at the nuke sites — though, in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, you […]
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Round and Round They Go
Florida’s Top Environmental Regulator Takes Job With Company He Regulated Florida’s top environmental official, David Struhs, resigned Wednesday to take a job with International Paper, a company he did controversial favors for while in office. As head of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Struhs received mixed reviews from enviros, with some lauding his tough […]
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EPA attempts to defuse MTBE issue in New Hampshire
Folks who paid close attention to the speeches of New Hampshire primary victor John Kerry in recent weeks would have noticed an emphasis on MTBE — a gasoline additive that makes fuel burn more efficiently and cleanly, but is suspected to be carcinogenic* and widely known to contaminate groundwater. To outsiders, this may have seemed […]
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Next They’ll Get Rid of All the Stop Signs
Bush Admin. to Eliminate Pesticide Regulations It Doesn’t Obey The provision of the Endangered Species Act that requires the U.S. EPA to consult with two other federal agencies when licensing new pesticides will be formally abandoned, if the Bush administration has its way. Government officials concede that the provision — meant to involve the U.S. […]
