Climate Politics
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Mixed bag on mountaintop-removal mining decision from Obama sdministration
This post was co-written by Bruce Nilles and Mary Anne Hitt, director and deputy director, respectively, of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign. Today the Obama Administration announced steps to end the fast-tracking of certain mountaintop removal coal mine permits and add tougher enforcement in Appalachia, important steps that — with additional actions — could […]
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It’s official — the era of cheap oil is over
This was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom’s kind permission. Every summer, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy issues its International Energy Outlook (IEO) — a jam-packed compendium of data and analysis on the evolving world energy equation. For those with the background to interpret its […]
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14 things I love — and 6 things I hate — about Waxman-Markey
Henry WaxmanI’ve been poring over the 948 pages of Waxman-Markey, the cap-and-trade bill that now appears likely (fingers crossed) to pass the U.S. House of Representatives this month or next. My grade? Overall, I give Representatives Henry Waxman of California (pictured) and Edward Markey of Massachusetts a solid “B,” but I’m grading on a curve–the […]
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Coalfield residents respond to Obama’s announcement on mountaintop removal
In the wake of last month’s approval of 42 of 48 mountaintop removal and mining permits as “environmentally responsible,” the EPA, Department of Interior and Council on Environmental Quality today announced “unprecedented steps to reduce environmental impacts of mountaintop coal mining.” Not mountaintop removal, mind you. In the accompanying press release, EPA Administrator Lisa P. […]
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Eight reasons for farmers to support global warming action
Agriculture, energy, and global warming are inextricably linked, which is why America’s farmers must be a part of the solution to global warming. Today the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture conducts a hearing on the American Clean Energy and Security Act, H.R. 2454. A close review of the legislation reveals that it provides a significant […]
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Key Obama advisers on climate and energy
Track the debate and take action >>> UPDATED: 16 Sep 2009 President Barack Obama’s key advisers on energy and climate issues include a former top aide to Al Gore, a Nobel Prize winner, a governor, and a gaggle of former members of Congress. Here’s a rundown: Carol Browner Assistant to the President for […]
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The scoop on climate and energy bills in Congress
What are the U.S. House and Senate doing about climate change and energy? Here’s a rundown on legislation proposed in Congress this year. In the House … • American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 A comprehensive climate and energy bill sponsored by Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), this has more momentum […]
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Write your members of Congress about climate change
Help us find out where members of Congress stand on climate change–they haven’t all been clear on this. Send the message below to your U.S. senators and/or representative, then post the lawmaker’s reply in comments below or email it to us. Dear __________: I am writing to learn more about your views on the important […]
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The Unsettling Case of Shell Nigeria
After thirteen years and countless hours by lawyers, community members, and activists around the world, Royal Dutch Shell finally settled the Wiwa v Shell case in a New York court for $15.5 million. Plaintiffs in the case, which included Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr., and the families of other Ogoni men hanged in November 1995, charged that […]
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Will Big Ag plow under Waxman-Markey?
Waxman and Markey prepare for the ag lobby. As the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill moves forward in the House, Big Ag interest groups are circling their plows and sharpening their pitchforks. Some of the largest corporations in the agribusiness sector–including the GMO-and-herbicide giant Monsanto–are pushing to control how agriculture would fit into the bill’s […]
