Latest Articles
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What we could have bought with the $4 trillion we spent on Iraq and Afghanistan
Americans like us some war, but to the tune of $4 trillion? In adjusted dollars, that's just short of what it cost us to whup the Nazis.
Here's a look at what we could have done with that money, had we spent it on something besides stoking Americans' confusion over whether or not the world's 1.5 billion 'Muslims' are in fact a monolithic group whose every member is a terrorist.
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Biomass is the new coal
Dominion wants to convert three of its Virginia coal plants to run on waste biomass. Will biomass be a smart way to transition away from coal?
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EVs can climb every mountain…OK, just Pikes Peak
To prove that electric cars are just as bad-ass as run-of-the-mill, gas-powered, souped-up race cars, Nissan entered the Leaf in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. This race is not for weenies: It requires drivers to cover 12.42 miles and navigate 156 turns while ascending 4,720 feet in altitude at an average grade of 7 percent. Nissan made minimal changes to the factory-floor version of the car, putting in racing tires and some safety equipment but nothing too fancy.
And the Leaf won! -
'Under the weather' Inhofe skips climate denier conference
As a record drought roasts Oklahoma, "under the weather" climate denier Jim Inhofe bails out of Heartland Institute's Conference on Climate Change.
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Why Broke-Ass is a patriot
Broke-Ass goes off on bicycle lanes, Northern Europe, and the smugness of the eco-movement in general, before telling a few stories about what makes this country great.
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Feds say Massey cooked the safety books
According to federal investigators, Massey Energy -- the folks who brought you the Upper Big Branch coal mine explosion that killed 29 -- has been deliberately misleading inspectors about safety conditions at its mines. That's the Mine Safety and Health Administration's conclusion, based on 84,000 pages of documents and 266 interviews.
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Your beach has a good chance of being contaminated with bacteria
When mulling over that eternal 4th of July question, Mountains v. Beach, consider that mountains are never closed because of bacteria that transmit rashes, pink eye, respiratory infections, meningitis, and hepatitis. Beaches, on the other hand, are closed for exactly that reason. And last year the number of beach closings and advisories, most of which were connected to bacteria, reached the second highest level in the past two decades, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
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Critical List: Texas drought is a natural disaster; climate change causes extreme weather
After months of drought, the federal government declared 213 counties in Texas natural disasters.
Even if wildfires stay clear of Los Alamos, burning trees and heated soil contaminated with residual radiation from old nuclear tests could be a problem.
Here's the scientific explanation for why extreme weather can be connected to climate change. -
Are energy subsidies really in danger?
Has energy-subsidy reform become more likely in recent days and weeks? That would be nice, but don't hold your breath.