Department of Interior
-
Salazar cowboys-up to fight global warming
With all eco-eyes focused on the action (or, more properly, inaction) on a climate bill, other critical components of a clean energy economy can be overlooked. That was the case on Monday as the dominant news story concerned speculation about whether Republican members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works would show up […]
-
![]()
![]()
Selling out the polar bears … or smart climate politics?
In upholding the Bush-era decision on polar bears, is Obama shrewdly pushing a larger climate agenda?iStock PhotoThe Obama administration will uphold a controversial Bush-era decision that limits protection for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced today. Polar bears will continue to be considered a threatened species because their […]
-
![]()
![]()
Wolf delisting takes effect today
Photo: Thomas Roche via Flicker Wolf-people, give a howl for your lupine brethren, who lose federal protection under the Endangered Species Act in much of the northern Rocky Mountains and upper Midwest today. The Obama administration, in one of its least popular moves with environmentalists, upheld a Bush era decision that gray wolves have returned […]
-
![]()
![]()
The wolf and the polar bear
Photo illustration by Tom Twigg / Grist Next week brings two milestones in wildlife protection that serve as a lesson in contrasts — examples of what the environmental movement has been and what it’s becoming. On Monday, gray wolves in Montana, Idaho, and parts of other northern states leave the endangered species list, designated as […]
-
Obama says there’s no need to choose between sustainability and the economy
“Throughout our history, there’s been a tension between those who’ve sought to conserve our natural resources for the benefit of future generations, and those who have sought to profit from these resources. But I’m here to tell you this is a false choice. With smart, sustainable policies, we can grow our economy today and preserve […]
-
Salazar withdraws leases for oil shale development
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday reversed the Bush administration’s move to open up tens of thousands of acres in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming to oil-shale development, the latest in a series of energy policy overhauls out of his department. Salazar — who as a senator was the most vocal opponent of the Bush administration’s […]
-
Obama names additional appointments in environmental posts
The White House on Monday announced several additional appointments of interest to enviros, with the biggest being that Interior Department Inspector General Earl E. Devaney has been tapped to serve as the chairman of the new Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board, along with VP Joe Biden. Devaney played a crucial role in investigating the […]
-
Politicos, Pickens hype summit in D.C. next week
Three of the political leaders who will help determine the future of U.S. energy policy — and two guys who clearly want to influence it — spoke to reporters Wednesday in advance of a major energy summit in Washington, D.C., next week where each will speak. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Secretary of Energy […]
-
Obama administration puts halt to Bush-era oil and gas policies
In a rebuke of the Bush administration’s oil and gas policies, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Tuesday announced that his department is shelving a plan to open new areas of the outer continental shelf to oil and gas drilling. The agency will gather more public input before deciding how to proceed on offshore drilling, and […]
