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Timothy Wirth, natural-gas advocate, takes gas industry to task

This story was written by ProPublica’s Abrahm Lustgarten. Timothy Wirth.They were tough words for the natural gas industry to hear. In a blunt speech before the Colorado Oil and Gas Association last week, Timothy Wirth, a former Colorado Democratic senator and Under Secretary of State for global affairs in the Clinton administration, warned industry leaders […]

The Climate Post: Pools of oil, plumes of gas

First Things First: The Washington-to-Beijing diplomatic shuttle shows no sign of slowing down. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke visited China this week to prod collaboration on clean energy technology. Chu announced the U.S. would contribute $15 million to a partnership that will study how to capture carbon dioxide emissions and trap […]

Pamela Anderson grows her eco-assets, and more

Build me up, double-D cupPamela Anderson sure has grown her assets over the years. She’s transformed from Baywatch babe to eco-entrepreneur — erecting projects in Canada, Abu Dhabi, and now Montenegro. Just one question: will these green buildings have “twin towers”?  

The three things Cass Sunstein should do on his first day

Cass Sunstein.After some minor drama, it looks like Cass Sunstein is finally on the road to confirmation for director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) after being nominated by President Obama in January.  The Senate should schedule a vote as soon as possible so he can get to work.  As I’ve mentioned […]

Racism allegations mar Senate hearing on clean energy economy

Thursday’s Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on climate change blew up into an argument over race between Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and the chairman of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. NBCC’s Harry Alford was invited to speak at the hearing titled, “Ensuring and Enhancing U.S. Competitiveness while Moving toward a Clean Energy Economy.” […]

Stopping Blackstone Coal

Last week when we hit the 100th coal-fired plant abandoned or prevented in the U.S., someone asked me, “What’s next?” My answer came quickly: “It’s time to stop the next 100.” And so with that we’ve just launched a new campaign to persuade the Blackstone Group to invest in clean energy instead of dirty coal.  […]

The case for a national building energy code

Recently, there has been a good deal of media attention given to building energy codes, generally and specifically, the codes provision of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), both good and bad. A couple of these articles piqued my interest by asking if building energy codes should be a matter of federal importance […]

With a gust of wind, an Iowa crop duster can squash an organic farm

A crop duster in action.Photo: Roger Smith via FlickrGrinnell Heritage Farm is 152 years old. Andrew Dunham is the fifth generation of his family to work this land about 50 miles east of Des Moines. He is a direct descendant of Josiah Grinnell, founder of the town and the man Horace Greeley once famously quoted […]

The 15 most sustainable U.S. cities

Seattle is the most sustainable big city in the nation, according to a list compiled by Smarter Cities, an NRDC project that looks at the progress American cities are making toward going green. Not surprisingly, San Francisco and Portland are the runners-up. Using data from the EPA and the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as […]

USDA may get Dennis Wolff for food safety post because Gov. Ed Rendell doesn’t want him anymore

Wolff at the Dickinson College farm in Pennsylvania.Here’s a little rumor-mongering for fun, if not profit. Yes, as Tom Philpott reported, Dennis Wolff is for sure heading the list of candidates for the top food safety post at the USDA. But that’s not the fun part. The fun part involves the reason Dennis Wolff is […]