By 
By Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium blogger
(reposted with permission)
Washington has a blind spot when it comes to the environment. BP and the oil spill brought the government’s failures into the spotlight, but the same problems crop up across industries: Corporations pollute water, blast through mountains, and pour carbon into the atmosphere with insufficient oversight. But no one—Congress, the environmental community, or the president—seems to have the power to address these issues.
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
By
By Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium blogger
(reposted with permission)
On July 4th, Americans are supposed to celebrate their independence. We may no longer have to worry about a greedy, distant monarch. But our country is still held in thrall to powerful interests that prize profit over individuals and their freedom—the energy industry comes to mind. As Jason Mark puts it at AlterNet:
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
By
Now that everyone has calmed down and made amends after the bitter struggle over health care (ahem), many now see hints that the White House is wasting no time on gearing up for its next big fight, setting their sights on climate and energy legislation getting passed before the November midterm elections.
Continue Reading White House Prepares to Do Battle on Energy and Climate Legislation
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
By
The recession has delayed the passage of energy legislation and it has stymied hopes for cap-and-trade. The current conventional wisdom is that cap-and-trade legislation is dead. However, rumours of the death of cap-and-trade may have been greatly exaggerated.
Continue Reading The Resurrection of Cap-and-Trade
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
By
By Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium Blogger
(reposted with permission)
President Barack Obama announced this week that his administration would open areas from Delaware to Florida and in Alaska to offshore drilling for gas and oil. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation also released new guidelines for auto emissions to cut carbon emissions, and the EPA said new benchmarks for issuing mountaintop mining permits would prevent damage to waterways in Appalachia. The environmental community welcomed these last two announcements but both were overshadowed by the off-shore drilling decision, which green groups largely condemned.
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
By
President Obama was elected on a platform that promised health care and renewable energy. Despite the Republicans’ best efforts to misinform, derail and delay, the President was able to deliver on the first of these two promises. On Sunday March 21, by a vote of 219 to 212, the House approved the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Yesterday, the President signed the bill into law.
Continue Reading Healthcare Legislation and its Implications for the Environment
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
By
Earlier this week leaders from 185 businesses and organizations, along with 77 individual activists, delivered to Congress a letter urging members that “greenhouse gas emissions can be cut swiftly and in an economically and environmentally sound way by means of a national emissions cap that is realized through a combination of aggressive energy efficiency and renewable energy standards.”
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
By
NOTE: See the update below for the latest from the UNFCCC and links to countries officially submitting targets and mitigation plans under the Copenhagen Accord
Meeting the January 31st deadline specified in the Copenhagen Accord that president Obama helped negotiate at the COP15 climate conference in Copenhagen, the State Department has formally submitted its emissions reduction target to the UNFCC of 17 percent over 2005 levels by 2020. The target is consistent with expectations and in line with the Waxman-Markey Clean Energy and Security Act that passed the House last summer.
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
By
Environment & Energy reporter Alex Kaplun reports on the gap between consistent polling that shows most American favor passage of a climate and energy bill and the difficulty such legislation has in gaining any real traction in Congress.
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
By
As the Senate Energy and Public Works Committee began hearings today on the Kerry-Boxer Clean Energy Jobs and American Act, the Senate version of climate and energy legislation, a CNN/Opinion Research poll shows 60% of respondents favor cap-and-trade, the central mechanism limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
Continue Reading Poll shows 60% of Public Supports Cap-and-Trade
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
Subscribe to Updates
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
