Climate Politics
All Stories
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A Breath of Somewhat Fresher Air
Scientists Recommend Solutions to Coming Air-Quality Challenges Though the past three decades have seen substantial progress, concerted action is needed to prevent air pollution from adversely affecting the environment and human health now and in the future, reported the National Research Council of the National Academies, a nonpartisan scientific panel chartered by Congress to assess […]
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Footprint on the Gas
Exxon Responsible for 5 Percent of All Historical CO2 Emissions Since its founding as the Standard Oil Trust in 1882, ExxonMobil and its predecessor companies have been responsible for between 4.7 and 5.3 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. Ever. In the whole world. So claims a report, “Exxon’s Climate Footprint,” drawn from two studies […]
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Shout, Trout, Let It All Out
Western Hunters and Anglers Oppose Energy Bill A group of outdoor enthusiasts descended on Washington, D.C., Wednesday to lobby against attempts by Republicans to revive the omnibus energy bill, defeated in the Senate last year. They object to provisions in the bill that would drastically increase oil and gas development on prime hunting and fishing […]
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Oily Residue
Judge Imposes $4.5 Billion in Damages in Exxon Valdez Case A federal judge in Alaska on Wednesday imposed $4.5 billion in punitive damages on ExxonMobil Corp. for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill in Prince William Sound. The judgment marks the third time the case has been through federal court; on two previous occasions, […]
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Oversight Out of Mind
Bush Relaxes Safety at Nuke Facilities The Bush administration has a new plan to waive some safety standards at federal nuclear facilities. The administration apparently didn’t like being directed by Congress in 2002 to strictly enforce safety standards at the nuke sites — though, in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, you […]
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Round and Round They Go
Florida’s Top Environmental Regulator Takes Job With Company He Regulated Florida’s top environmental official, David Struhs, resigned Wednesday to take a job with International Paper, a company he did controversial favors for while in office. As head of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Struhs received mixed reviews from enviros, with some lauding his tough […]
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EPA attempts to defuse MTBE issue in New Hampshire
Folks who paid close attention to the speeches of New Hampshire primary victor John Kerry in recent weeks would have noticed an emphasis on MTBE — a gasoline additive that makes fuel burn more efficiently and cleanly, but is suspected to be carcinogenic* and widely known to contaminate groundwater. To outsiders, this may have seemed […]
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Next They’ll Get Rid of All the Stop Signs
Bush Admin. to Eliminate Pesticide Regulations It Doesn’t Obey The provision of the Endangered Species Act that requires the U.S. EPA to consult with two other federal agencies when licensing new pesticides will be formally abandoned, if the Bush administration has its way. Government officials concede that the provision — meant to involve the U.S. […]
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Tempest in a Teapot
Government to Bury CO2 in Teapot Dome Oil Field The U.S. Department of Energy is planning to bury some 1.6 million tons of carbon dioxide a year underneath the Teapot Dome oil field in central Wyoming, in the largest carbon-sequestration test project ever undertaken. The process, which involves compressing CO2 into liquid form and injecting […]
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A Dam Sham
Bush Officials Stand Atop Dam to Trumpet Salmon Funding Bush administration officials announced a $10 million increase in funding for restoration of endangered Northwest salmon on Monday, drawing election-year attention to recent increases in salmon numbers. Enviros expressed measured support for the rise in funding, but pointed out that higher salmon numbers were mostly attributable […]
