Latest Articles

What is the dream behind the American Dream Movement?

Van Jones gave a speech at Netroots Nation on the "American Dream Movement." The idea is for the left to borrow from what the Tea Party has done well.

Do we have to choose between big or small clean energy projects?

The choice comes from the reality that financial resources are limited, the system of regulations and incentives are skewed toward big, centralized solutions, and choosing one strategy (long-distance transmission of centralized generation) necessarily reduces the money available and future prospects for expanded distributed generation.

Silver linings behind Supreme Court's bummer clean air decision

This morning's Supreme Court decision in American Electric Power Co. vs. Connecticut is undoubtedly a setback for the environment. Yet there are two silver linings for environmentalists in today's opinion.

U.S. nuke regulators repeatedly weakened safety rules

The Associated Press has a blockbuster study of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC has been working closely with the nuclear industry to keep aging reactors operating within safety standards by repeatedly weakening those standards.

The oceans may be going extinct

Ocean ecosystems are taking a faster nosedive than anyone predicted. Without urgent action, coral reefs and entire fish species could disappear in a generation. Why is this happening? Do you really need to ask? Hint: It rhymes with shmarbon shmioxide.

Bamboo iPhone speaker amplifies music with zero electricity

The iBamboo speaker makes use of the naturally resonant properties of bamboo to provide zero-electricity amplification for the iPhone 4. Yeah, you could get more gadgets to go with your gadget, but this is probably cooler -- no wires, no energy use, and it adds as much Zen cool to your desk as a tiny portable waterfall (which would need to be plugged in anyway).

Pipeline industry funded two-thirds of pipeline safety studies

Wondering whether natural gas and oil transportation pipelines are safe? Why not ask a neutral objective party -- like, say, the pipeline industry? The federal government’s Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is supposed to study and regulate pipeline safety. But as the San Francisco Chronicle discovered, in practice, the agency tends to hand that responsibility back over to the pipeline industry.

Salmon surprise: House opposes FDA Frankenfish approval

The FDA is currently deliberating on whether to green-light genetically modified salmon and is widely expected to do just that sometime this year.

Much ado about nothing

There was plenty of excitement earlier this month when AEP – one of the nation’s largest energy companies – announced that it would phase out five coal-fired power plants and clean up several others. Here at the Sierra Club, we took the opportunity to call attention to this latest victory in the nationwide effort to […]

Standing up for the EPA: the panel that’s sweeping the nation

David Roberts joined a Netroots Nation panel that included Miles Grant, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, and Sen. Ben Cardin. You can watch it here.