Latest Articles

Big Coal to Congress: Save us from EPA!

Utilities now face an EPA that is taking its responsibilities seriously. So they're forecasting doom, filling legislators' heads with scare stories, and planning lawsuits.

Seattle’s new urban-ag models are sprouting in friendly soil

Seattle's urban ag scene is flourishing, with innovative startup farms and organizations putting down roots alongside established ones. And with new legislation just passed Aug. 16, they will have even more room and resources with which to grow.

The county fair: Less country every year, even in Nebraska

When the tomatoes turn red and the corn is so tall I can't even reach the top by jumping, I get a hankering for funnel cake, sno-cones, and the tilt-a-whirl. It must be county fair season in the Midwest! But while those things are still on offer, other traditions are disappearing.

What climate activists need to learn from the NRA and the gun-control wars

The gun lobby has won battles by energizing its small membership base, influencing the outcome of elections, and employing bare-knuckled tactics.

How Obama could make housing policy greener

On Tuesday, the Obama administration is holding a large summit on how to reshape federal housing policy and eventually offload mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the government bailed out in 2008. It'll be a Very Serious event in which the health of the economy gets top billing and the health of the planet will be lucky to get even a passing mention.

Why it matters that spilled Michigan oil came from tar sands

Brace yourselves for this: An energy executive has been caught bending the truth to downplay an environmental disaster.

A climate policy for people and the environment

A well-designed climate policy could slash greenhouse emissions and put money in Americans' pockets -- but that's not what Congress is considering.

‘iPod zombie’ walkers are threatening the lives of innocent SUV drivers

I saw a 17-walker pileup just this morning on the way to work. Twisted limbs, spilled lattes, tangled earbud cords. It was horrific.

Energy machismo and White House solar panels

If there’s one thing you can say about President Obama it’s that he certainly hasn’t given his erstwhile fans on the left a shortage of things to keep scratching their heads over. One of the biggest perennial question marks hanging over his administration has been his failure to lead on clean energy – and not […]

If killer weather is in our future, can we get better at predicting it?

NOAA reports that the planet has just been through the warmest January-to-July period on record.