Climate Politics
All Stories
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EPA to update health-hazard reporting standards for U.S. beaches
The U.S. EPA has agreed to update its 22-year-old criteria for reporting beach-related health hazards to the public thanks to a new settlement with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Right now, the EPA’s criteria for assessing ocean-water and beach health are based on the likelihood of beachgoers contracting gastrointestinal illnesses, but apparently that’s just one […]
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New Scientist assesses McCain and Obama on science issues
The latest issue of New Scientist features a special report on the 2008 election, exploring the “most pressing science issues facing John McCain and Barack Obama in the run up to the November ballot.” The key issue? According to the experts interviewed for the piece, it’s simply having someone in the White House who is […]
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Energy set to ignite the Hill for the next three weeks
With only about three weeks left before Congress adjourns for election season, energy is the hot topic on the Hill. Here’s where things stand: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and other Democratic leaders in the House have outlined a new energy plan that proposes allowing drilling 100 miles off the Atlantic coast and Florida’s Gulf coast. […]
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Interior Department employees under investigation for sex, drugs, and bribe scandal
Thirteen government officials are under investigation for allegedly engaging in illicit sex with and accepting a number of gifts from employees of energy companies, according to federal investigators. The probe involves Interior Department employees in the Denver and Washington offices, who handle billions of dollars in oil royalties. At the Denver Minerals Management Service, the […]
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We need some qualified public leaders
It strikes me that many of the problems we run into on a daily basis are caused by people doing a job for which they are not fully qualified. At the top of the list, I’m afraid we must place those we elect to office and those they appoint to government service positions. We have […]
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Where do candidates stand on solar?
People have questions, Solar Nation has answers.
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Ethics violations alleged at agency that collects oil and gas royalties
Between 2002 and 2006, a “culture of substance abuse and promiscuity” existed at the federal agency responsible for overseeing oil and gas royalties, according to an investigation by Minerals Management Service Inspector General Earl Devaney. Thirteen MMS employees (in an office of 55 people) are alleged to have rigged contracts, worked part-time as oil consultants, […]
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Resentment in partisan politics
Reacting to this post, Reihan Salam (who majors in good blogging and minors in even better dancing) says there is enough fear, resentment, and moral arrogance to go around. He says arguing over who’s the bitterest of all is "unedifying." Your honor, I object! I wrote said post mere hours after Romney assaulted my logic […]
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Turns out McCain doesn’t care about the greatest threat we face
All you need to know about McCain’s core beliefs on climate change: The 72-year-old McCain named a global-warming-denying, Big Oil Super-Shill as his vice presidential nominee. His much anticipated acceptance speech never once mentioned the gravest threat facing the health and well-being of the nation and the world. After walking away from a mandatory cap-and-trade […]
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Renewables and the ‘Cheap Energy Contract’
Earlier in this series, we established that electric-driven transport can fairly rapidly substitute for petroleum in most ground transport applications and that renewable electric generators will be the most quickly deployable and functional of the available energy alternatives. However, there are challenges and barriers to overcome in order to move quickly toward the clean energy […]
