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Mary Landrieu (D-La.)

Mary Landrieu Sen. Mary Landrieu has been a thorn in the side of enviros for most of her 12 years in the Senate representing Louisiana, a big oil and gas state. Last year, the League of Conservation Voters added her to its Dirty Dozen list of the worst environmental offenders in Congress. During her bid […]

Sarah Palin, George Will, and Potemkin debates

While I was away on vacation (it was wonderful, thanks for asking), the Washington Post editorial page featured opinion pieces from Sarah Palin and George Will, two of conservatism’s leading, um, thinkers, revealing a great deal about the WaPo editorial page and the quality of conservative thinking. Rebuttal has been ably carried out by many […]

Climate-news poem: George Will edition

Photo: Chalky LivesGeez, I gotta shout!Every time I read aboutOp-ed columns in the PoRife with Willful mis-info.George is at it once again:Every time he dips his penWe are treated to a rantIntellectually scant.Luckily there do aboundLots of people who have foundInteresting ways to takeSwipes at comments that are fake.As they pointed out last time,Data truly […]

Can we really make the drive-thru a source of power?

My father believes that the one modern invention above all others to contribute to the downfall of the planet, not to mention our civilization, is the drive-through — or, in the spirit of efficiency on which it’s based, the drive-thru. Your idling could light this sign!Not only does it encourage laziness and obesity by tempting […]

Crackdown on coal ash

The crazy quilt of regulations governing coal ash disposal across the United States got a new patch this week when North Carolina lawmakers passed a law requiring stricter regulation of coal ash impoundments, the giant lagoons where utility companies store the nearly 6 million pounds of toxic combustion waste generated each year at electric power […]

Does CEQ-EPA regulatory banter abet historicide?

Mired in the acrobatics of regulatory doublespeak, the Obama administration’s increasing oversight of the unbearable daily toll on Appalachian coalfield residents from mountaintop removal begs the question: Are Obama’s well-meaning but irresolute environmental administrators abetting the crimes of human rights violations and historicide? Whether they are unaware of decades of regulatory circumvention by Big Coal […]

EPA to review 2008 Bush action on lead emissions

Are we there yet? EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has decided she’ll take another look at monitoring of car battery recyclers, concrete kilns and power plants that spew dangerous lead emissions. She did not say she’d toughen up the monitoring, but clean air advocates are hopeful. “It’s a step in the right direction for public health, […]

The eternal durability of greenwash

Not too long ago I was on a panel with GM’s VP of Environment, and I was reminded of how very old school most big corporations are when it comes to discussing their environmental programs. In GM’s case, listening to this VP, it was as if GM was God’s great gift to the environment, and […]

Solar Power, Yes We Did! (& Will!)

The outlook for all three categories of solar power in the United States is bright, according to a new study by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). The IREC reports that photovoltaic (PV) capacity grew by 63 percent in 2008 alone. The study’s author,  Larry Sherwood, credits the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for a […]

Hipsters give dumpster diving new meaning, and more

Getting trashedDumpster diving, as defined by a hippie: dinner. Dumpster diving, as defined by a hipster: exclusive urban swimming hole. Photo: diegofuego via Flickr