Climate Politics
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More on the battle with Henry Waxman over the House Energy and Commerce committee
With a secret-ballot vote by Democrats in the House of Representatives likely next week, Washington, D.C. continues to buzz over the effort by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) to unseat Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) as chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. Dingell’s corporate-lobbyist friends on K Street are coyly staying off the record […]
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It’s time for the G20 to focus on a global green deal
This is a guest post by Gary Gardner and Michael Renner, senior researchers with the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C. —– When leaders of the 20 largest economies gather in Washington, D.C., this week, a centerpiece of their deliberations should be a Global Green Deal that capitalizes on the current […]
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White House undercuts reduced-lead rule for factories, paper reports
The Chicago Tribune reports that officials from the White House Office of Management and Budget successfully prompted the U.S. EPA to reduce by some 60 percent the number of industrial sites that would be subject to monitoring for lead under the agency’s recently tightened lead standards.
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EPA scientific advisers urge agency to delay final perchlorate decision
The U.S. EPA’s scientific advisers asked the agency to delay finalizing its decision not to set standards for the toxic chemical perchlorate in drinking water, saying the model its decision was based on may be flawed. “Given perchlorate’s wide occurrence and well-documented toxicity to humans, the [Science Advisory Board] strongly believes that there must be […]
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EPA board freezes construction of new coal-fired power plants in U.S.
In a major win for environmentalists, the U.S. EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board handed down a landmark decision on Thursday that essentially puts a freeze on the construction of as many as 100 new coal-fired power plants around the U.S. It will now be up to the Obama administration to develop rules on carbon dioxide emissions […]
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Obama’s energy and environment adviser on 2009
“Enjoy the holiday season … and rest up because it’s going to be a very, very busy 2009.” — Jason Grumet, environment and energy adviser to Barack Obama, speaking at a conference in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday
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How investing in transit could save Obama’s butt
Nov. 4 was a good day for public transit. Ballot measures around the country performed well — the state of California even approving a first-in-the-nation plan to create a true high-speed, inter-city rail system. Increased Democratic majorities in the House and Senate will likely clear the way for infrastructure investment with a pronounced lean toward […]
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Is defending an industry against modernity really good for it?
“The auto industry declined while [Dingell] was chairman, ranking member and chairman again. He said we should do nothing to modernize the auto industry. That kind of protection is why we lost out to the Japanese and why Detroit chose the wrong kind of cars to make.” — an unnamed “aide to a [Henry] Waxman […]
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The demise of California’s Measure T is bad news for the environment
“Market failure” is one cause of environmental problems, but “democracy failure” is even worse. Russia and China aren’t the only examples. It also happens closer to home, as illustrated by last week’s decision by California’s Humboldt County to abandon Measure T, a local law banning non-local corporate money from local elections. For years Humboldt County, […]
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Bush admin takes first step toward new offshore drilling
The Bush administration took the first step toward new offshore drilling on Thursday, asking for public comments on a proposal to potentially open up an area to drilling some 50 miles off the Virginia coast. Even if leasing is ultimately approved, the area wouldn’t be leased until 2011 at the earliest, according to the Interior […]