Climate Politics
All Stories
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Last Scoundrels of Refuge
Republicans Push for Oil Drilling in the Arctic Refuge — Again It’s the story that never dies: Republicans are once again plotting to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil and gas drilling, this time by adding a provision to a major energy bill that is now being hammered out in […]
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A Greener Shade of Gray
Davis Poised to Sign a Series of Pro-Environment Bills California Gov. Gray Davis (D) seems to be experiencing a green awakening as he campaigns aggressively against a recall. He is expected to sign a number of environmental bills in the coming days, despite opposition from major business interests in the state. One controversial, groundbreaking bill […]
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You Can Ring Myron Ebell, Ebell, Ebell
White House Tries to Undermine Government Research on Climate Change The Bush White House seems to have teamed up with a conservative think tank, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, to undermine the credibility of government scientists doing research on climate change. Myron Ebell, a director of CEI, which has received more than $1 million in funding […]
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The real dimensions of $87 billion
Add enough zeros to the end of any number — say, 87 — and it quickly becomes an abstraction. I can imagine 87 years (my grandmother’s age), or 87 miles (about the distance from my home in Brooklyn to outer Long Island), or $87 (which wouldn’t go far out there in the hoity-toity Hamptons). But […]
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Bush pushes his Clear Skies plan — and his electoral prospects — at a notoriously dirty power plan
Bush talks to the masses in Michigan. Photo: White House. When President Bush set out on Monday to defend his recent New Source Review rollback and promote his energy bill and Clear Skies program, it was hard not to notice the peculiar setting he chose. Wearing a hardhat and safety glasses, the commander in chief […]
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The Ties That Blind
Ties to Polluters Could Compromise Leavitt at EPA, Say Critics Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt (R), President Bush’s nominee to head the U.S. EPA, has strong financial ties to polluters, which critics say cast doubt on his ability to do the job fairly and effectively. Nearly 10 percent of the campaign funds Leavitt raised over the […]
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Rocky Roadless
Bush Administration Refuses to Defend Roadless Rule In what may be a final blow to the Clinton-era roadless policy, the Bush administration refused to appeal a federal court injunction against the rule by the deadline for doing so last Friday. Enviros are hopping mad that the administration didn’t defend the policy, which aimed to prevent […]
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Block Party
Edwards Will Block Bush’s Choice to Head EPA North Carolina Sen. John Edwards (D), a presidential contender, is now the third senator threatening to hold up the nomination of President Bush’s choice to head the U.S. EPA, Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt (R). “The nomination will not go forward until this administration commits to giving us […]
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Twisting Their Farms
California Bills Would Crack Down on Air Pollution from Farms For the first time, California farmers would have to do their part to curb air pollution, under a series of controversial bills approved last week by the state legislature. The state’s agriculture industry has long enjoyed an exemption from the federal Clean Air Act, even […]
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The Coast in the Machine
Bush Pushes for Offshore Oil Drilling in Alaska The Bush administration is moving aggressively to open Alaska’s coastal waters to oil exploration — a campaign that is not getting nearly as much public scrutiny as efforts to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The administration plans to offer eight oil and gas lease sales […]
