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Congress agrees on product-safety bill banning phthalates, lowering lead in toys

The U.S. House and Senate have agreed to a compromise product-safety bill that would ban phthalates from children’s toys, lower toy lead levels, and require third-party safety testing before toys are put on the market. In 2007, some 45 million toys were recalled for high lead levels and other safety defects, and the resulting parental […]

Congress hopes to break energy deadlock before August recess — but don’t hold your breath

Members of Congress are desperate to pass anything something on energy this week before August recess begins on Friday and they head home to face voters restive over gas prices. But Democrats and Republicans are so bitterly divided over what to do that prospects for progress look uncertain at best. Democrats in both branches of […]

Beads in many face scrubs harmful to marine life

Photo: Perfecto Insecto. Plastic needs a new slogan, LOLcat–style: Im in ur facewash, hurting teh fishes. Slate, YahooGreen, and now EarthFirst are reporting that the tiny exfoliating beads in many facial scrubs are made of polyethylene, and once the beads get washed down the drain and make their way to the ocean, it’s time for […]

Four encouraging signs from Big Oil’s backyard

After Nerdi Gras (Netroots Nation), I took a couple days off to dry-out and trotted over to Houston to visit my parents. It came as no surprise that Houston is booming due to the skyrocketing price of oil. But I also learned a few surprising things that gave me hope that brighter days are ahead for the rest of us well. Because if Houston can get it right, who can't?

Why flying sux

Ever wondered why air travel sucks so bad these days? Chris Hayes, D.C. editor at The Nation, asked a source inside the industry. The answer is fascinating. You’ll not be surprised to find out high fuel prices play a big role.

Snippets from the news

• Alliance of black churches speaks out on climate change. • Beijing may ban 90 percent of cars to clear air for Olympics. • Gulf dead zone second-largest ever. • First U.S. coal-to-liquids plant to be built in West Virginia. • U.S. Army works to cut carbon bootprint. • American Trucking Association sues California ports. […]

Sierra Club ads defend Dems who are ‘standing strong against Big Oil’

The Sierra Club rolled out a new radio ad campaign this weekend that aims to defend Democrats who are being hammered for not supporting efforts to open more areas to oil drilling. Sixty-second ads being aired in six states ask listeners to call and thank these members of Congress for “standing up to the oil […]

Energy-smart Debbie

One of the more impressive speakers I saw at Netroots Nation was Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook, who spoke on the Energize America panel with an amazing depth of knowledge and blunt honesty. She’s running this year against the far-right Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.). TPM caught up with her for a brief interview:

Sen. Bingaman talks climate and energy with reporters

“Getting a cap-and-trade program enacted is going to be a heavy lift,” Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) told a group of reporters over breakfast this morning. Bingaman, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, spoke today about the challenges and opportunities in both climate and energy legislation, stressing that while he doesn’t “despair of […]

Feds lambasted for neglecting cleanup of abandoned mines

Thousands of abandoned mines across the U.S. West pose hazards to the public, according to a strongly worded audit from the Interior Department inspector general. The Bureau of Land Management’s mine program “has been undermined, neglected, and marginalized,” says the report, and many easily accessible mines have “dangerously dilapidated structures, serious environmental hazards, and gaping […]