Climate Politics
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EPA requires cruise ships to get discharge permits for graywater
Compelled by court order, the U.S. EPA last week announced that cruise ships and a variety of other vessels will be required to seek permits for dumping certain kinds of waste into U.S. waters, including deck runoff, ballast water, and graywater from showers, sinks, and laundry machines. However, greens say the rules would allow cruise […]
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Obama announces science advisers in his weekly radio address
Barack Obama announced his science and technology advisers in his weekly radio address on Saturday. The list includes Jane Lubchenco as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and John Holdren as his assistant for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “Whether it’s the science […]
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Searching for the hope in Obama’s USDA pick
Is it too early to peel my Obama sticker off my car? I am more than disappointed by the President-elect’s nomination of Tom Vilsack for secretary of agriculture. But after some reflection, this dark cloud may have one ray of light coming through. During his remarks at the press conference announcing the choice of Vilsack, […]
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For NOAA head, Obama appoints yet another scientist who gets climate
PEBO has picked Jane Lubchenco, a prominent marine biologist at Oregon State University, to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science between 1997-98. A video of her talk on “Climate Change and its Implications for Oregon” can be found here. In “Obama […]
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NYT weighs in on Vilsack pick
Again, I’m heartened to see media attention alight on the USDA, which until not long ago interested big-ag lobbyists, large-scale grain and cotton farmers, anti-hunger activists, and few others. The latest evidence: The New York Times editorial page has seen fit to comment on Obama’s choice of Tom Vilsack as USDA chief. "The department he […]
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An Iowa sustainable-ag legend speaks on her experience with the former governor
This is a guest post by long-time Iowa organic farmer and food activist, Denise O’Brien, who narrowly lost a bid for the state’s secretary of agriculture post in 2006. —– The phones, emails, and blogs are abuzz with the Obama appointment of former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack as the new secretary of agriculture. On one […]
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Obama announces Solis for Labor and LaHood for Transportation
Barack Obama announced four new members of his team in a press conference Friday afternoon, including Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) for secretary of transportation and Rep. Hilda Solis for secretary of labor. Solis, Obama said, would be a leader in creating green-collar jobs. “We’re also going to have to train our workers to be prepared […]
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A look at EPA administrators since the agency’s founding
As government titles go, “administrator” doesn’t have the same ring as “secretary,” “czar,” or “ambassador.” But it’s an accurate moniker for the top job at the Environmental Protection Agency, where the president’s appointee is charged with running an agency of 17,000 employees organized around 10 regional offices, with an overall annual budget of more than […]
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Bush pledges $17.4 billion for auto bailout, with no efficiency requirements
President Bush today approved $13.4 billion in emergency loans for General Motors and Chrysler, and will make another $4 billion in loans available in February. The loans are intended to keep the automakers alive until March 31, at which point the Obama administration will get to decide how to proceed. In a press conference this […]
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EPA says ignore CO2 when issuing permits for coal plants
Coal-fired power plants’ greenhouse-gas emissions shouldn’t be taken into consideration when determining whether to approve their construction, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson ruled this week. The ruling could clear the way for at least a handful of new coal plants to be approved in the final days of the Bush administration. “The current concerns over global […]
