While most people like to place all of the blame for the recent about-face that the US Environmental Protection Agency has done with regard to pollutions controls on President Donald Trump, the reality is that there’s a broad amount of support for such actions throughout the government. With that in mind, the US Senate has
A new report released by a groups of over 50 US government scientists asserts that the rapid pace at which modern climate change is occurring is almost definitely driven by human activity — making for a blunt contradiction of the stance taken by many members of the current administration of President Donald Trump. In particular,
The US Environmental Protection Agency will begin barring select scientists from serving on independent advisory boards — a move possibly intended to clear the path towards the installation of industry-friendly advisors on the panel in question, according to critics. The new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ban-list is focused on scientists who have won agency-awarded grants
When you think of insecticides you probably think of dangerous chemical compounds that allow modern industrial agriculture (and its high yields) to occur, but that also have some negative effects on the environment and also on human/animal health. The effects of a certain class of insecticides on honeybees, for instance, may well be what comes
A dead zone larger than New Jersey is expected to appear in the Gulf of Mexico later this year. Similar dead zones are found in the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay. A report by Mighty, a global environmental group headed by Henry Waxman, a former US Congressman, claims the dead zones are the result
The world is waiting to hear what President-elect Donald Trump has in mind for governing the U.S. Among the biggest questions is what will happen to the budget for climate and energy-related activities.
Global emissions have been essentially flat for the past three years even though total global economic activity has increased in each of those three years. That is about to change as Donald Trump wreaks havoc on US emissions policies.
Originally published by gws on SkepticalScience.com A relatively large number of research publications has appeared in the peer-reviewed literature since we last updated our readers on fracking and methane, CH4, emissions. We cannot discuss them all here. However, in summary, it can be concluded from these papers that EPA is very likely underestimating fossil fuel
It is no secret that the health of the air affects everyone. Presently, California’s plan for zero emissions includes using cap-and-trade revenue to help stop air pollution in specific clean transportation programs. Following last year’s carsharing programs in low-income neighborhoods, California now allows cap-and-trade revenue to fund California disadvantaged neighborhood bikeshare projects. Nextcity.org relates, “Last year, the [state]
Endorsing Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, two former EPA chiefs, both Republicans, are warning that Donald Trump’s energy policy “would set the world back decades.” William D. Ruckelshaus, head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Presidents Nixon and Reagan, and William K. Reilly, EPA Chief under George H. W. Bush, signed the joint
Taking cues from Trump’s exhibitionist tirades, Republicans are ramping up the rhetoric against the EPA. A recent House Energy and Commerce Committee meeting was the latest venue for Republican ranting that climaxed in a condemnation of the Clean Power Plan as “un-American.” Janet McCabe, the EPA’s acting assistant administrator, was called as a witness to
The United States, Mexico, and Canada have inked a new climate pact to produce 50% of their electricity by 2025 from clean energy sources. The clean electricity pact includes wind, solar, nuclear, and hydropower. The deal is set to be announced Wednesday at a summit of the three nations. As reported by Reuters, this agreement builds
As many know, on February 9, 2016, the US Supreme Court stayed implementation of the Clean Power Plan pending judicial review. For background, here is a brief glimpse into this issue. According to the EPA, the Court’s decision was not on the merits of the rule. “EPA firmly believes the Clean Power Plan will be upheld when
Former NJ Governor and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman (2013 interview screen shot from youtube) You may remember Christine Todd Whitman, the Republican who served as Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and as EPA administrator for President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. On Thursday, she repeatedly called out Fox Business’s Varney & Company questioners for their obtuseness on climate issues and on the intent
The EPA’s new rules proposed for power plant emissions may have changed a few minds about the seriousness of climate change. Polling 1,005 U.S. adults, a report published yesterday finds that many US citizens say they would pay more for energy if their contribution would reduce climate change caused by pollution. The vote is nearly
In a couple of hours, everyone in the United States with access to cable TV and Showtime can hear President Barack Obama say he favors making the energy industry absorb the real price of the carbon it introduces into earth’s atmosphere. In other words, ante up the cost of carbon emissions. From Years of Living
Sustainable redevelopment strikes again! The Atlanta BeltLine, one of nation’s largest, widest-ranging urban redevelopment programs, will develop the Westside Trail. Plans call for a three-mile-long, 14-foot-wide concrete multi-use path in the BeltLine’s southwest corridor. As well as a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the US Department of Transportation, which is covering 42%
Looks like a comment on today’s EPA carbon rule, but we do hope you’ll notice that this cartoon is seven years old. Thanks to the artist and the University of Colorado—Boulder for being ahead of their time! (Or not.)
The Value of Water Coalition hosted an in-depth conversation at the Newseum in Washington DC on the current condition of water infrastructure in the United States, the consequences of letting leaky and failing systems worsen, and solutions to water challenges of today and tomorrow. Our water infrastructure systems, a matter of pride for over a
US “clean gas” wells in operation (Irekia-Eusko Jaurlaritza in blogs.lse.ac.uk) Turns out that just about everyone (including President Obama) has been hugely underestimating the methane pollution levels of so-called “clean gas.” The booming American economy now seems to come at a greater cost than we originally thought when we found out that natural gas produces
Last week something rare and extraordinarily positive occurred on American television. Fortunately, through YouTube and 350.org, the rest of the world got to see it too. “Something positive?” a critic questions. “If climate change is as bad as you tree-hugger people claim it is, how can anything about it be positive?” The phenomenon tends to
It doesn’t take rocket science to draw a line between pollutants in small streams and wetlands and water quality downstream. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers have united to propose a rule that will strengthen the Clean Water Act, applied to safeguard American water quality since 1972. The rule will
This is part of a 10-part series on the “Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries.” Read, share, and check in tomorrow for the next part, which will focus on pet coke. 5. Formaldehyde Fossil Fuel Source: Natural Gas Formaldehyde is a carcinogen with known links to leukemia and rare nasopharyngeall cancers, according to the International
This is part of a 10-part series on the “Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used By The Fossil Fuel Industries.” Read, share, and check in tomorrow for the next part, which will focus on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. 7. Mercury Fossil Fuel Source: Coal Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin. It damages the brain and the nervous system either through
If you’ve ever wondered about the composition of the electricity delivered to your home (most of us have no clue), there’s one quick and easy way to find out. The EPA’s ‘Power Profiler’ tool has apparently been around for at least 2 years, but I only discovered it recently. Although the data used to generate
The nation’s most-polluting power plant, Georgia Power Company’s Plant Scherer in Juliette, Georgia, emits more carbon dioxide than all of Maine’s energy emissions. Here’s more from Environment America: On September 10, the Environment America Research & Policy Center, an independent nonprofit, and the Frontier Group presented a mighty appealing fast track toward limiting the U.S.
Interest in fuel economy is more than karmic: the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Americans spent an average of $2,655 on gasoline in 2011. The federal government instituted new minimum standards for the fuel efficiency of autos in 2011 to help address this. Aside from money, emissions also provoke some self-interest, as they are
On April 19, a truck delivering waste from a fracking operation in Greene County, Pennsylvania, was quarantined after being rejected by a hazardous waste landfill as too dangerous. The truck was carrying highly radioactive radium-226 in concentrations 86 times higher than allowed per EPA limits. After being quarantined at a the landfill, the truck was sent back
Due to the sequester cuts to federal programs, employees at the EPA may experience a reduction of up to thirteen work days this year. How you see this kind of situation depends upon your point of view. As a former state government worker who experienced a similar kind of work furlough which resulted in about
Clean energy is in everyone’s best interests. Not only does it save you money, but it also helps to save the future of the earth’s resources and ecosystem. Finite energy sources will not be around forever, and their production is harmful to the earth’s atmosphere. Luckily, some real progress has been made regarding clean energy,
Would you want to raise your children on the site of an old toxic-waste dump? Unless you’re some sort of uneducated cartoon villain, the answer is probably no. Most of us don’t realize how close these dangerous sites are to our own backyard. According to the Society of Environmental Journalists, “over half the U.S. population lives
In the latest example of the widening gap in climate change policies between the USA and Europe, the Government of Norway last week announced the world’s largest new tax on carbon emissions, stating in explicit terms its desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate against global warming — just two weeks after the
Tomorrow, the US House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 3409, the “Coal Miner Employment and Domestic Energy Infrastructure Protection Act.” The bill has been called the “single worst environmental law” proposed by the most virulently anti-environmental US legislators in history. The bill is aggressively anti-science and anti-public health. Its priority is made clear:
The President of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Francis Beinecke, recently visited areas in western Pennsylvania where ‘fracking’ operations are occurring, and spoke with local residents about the impacts of these projects in their communities. My cousin — a medical professional without any affiliation with environmental organizations like Ms. Beinecke’s — also spent
Recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ) findings have raised awareness of potentially harmful levels of water contamination that may be the result of hydraulic fracturing. Lawsuits from individuals who believe their water has been contaminated by hydraulic fracturing are coming in all across the country and support for stricter regulations is growing. Just
With a population of more than eight million people in its metropolitan area, New York City plays host to some of the most demanding water needs anywhere in the world. Given the inherent problems with maintaining clean water supplies in today’s industrial landscape, excellent water conservation programs are a must for such a city.
Democrats Stand Up to House GOP Senate Democrats have stood up to the constant assault on the environment a bit and told the House GOP to “stop polluting [a] middle-class tax bill with poison pills,” as Brad Johnson of Think Progress writes. “Instead of finding commonsense solutions, the Republicans are talking about things that
The EPA release a cool new interactive map yesterday that lets you check out who are the biggest greenhouse gas polluters in your neighborhood (or anyone’s neighborhood in the U.S.). It’s pretty awesome… if you’re really into protecting our climate and/or maps. I just checked out my home town of Sarasota and some neighboring
A new report notes that House Republicans voted a record 191 times against the environment in 2011. The report, logically, called this “the worst environmental record of any Congress in history.” “Out of the 770 legislative roll call votes taken in the House this year, ‘more than one out of every five’ were votes against the
Because many in Congress are lying sacks of oil money bags, perhaps. But, the EPA supports the public, and the public trusts and supports the EPA (not oil-funded millionaire Congressmen). More, a full repost, from Think Progress Green: Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year by industrial polluters to demonize the Environmental Protection
This Tea-Party-led Congress (well, all of the Republican party) has attacked our water, air, and climate protections more than any in history. It is out of this world how little care they have for the necessities of life. One of the most recent attacks, from one of the leading culprits, Senator Rand Paul, continues
Colbert, with his tremendous skill at bringing out the ridiculousness of today’s GOP leaders, took on the EPA this week. He discussed the EPA’s “uselessness” and job-killing clean air and water with former EPA Administrator Carol Browner.
“The EPA is useless. That is an indisputable fact… We protected the air and the water. We cleaned it up. Now you’re just rubbing it in our faces by continuing to keep it clean,” Colbert said.
Is that not exactly the GOP’s stance?
And:
“If there’s more pollution then there’s more work for the doctors who have to cure us of the diseases we get from the things we eat and drink. I can use your logic against you.”
OK, yep, that finishes the GOP’s official perspective. But watch it all here:
Witch hunts seem to be all the current GOP has money or time for. For example, Senator James M. Inhofe (Okla.) — one of the most outspoken climate change deniers in the world — requested a review of the EPA’s greenhouse gas endangerment finding by the Office of Inspector General (IG) recently.
The report from the IG is in. Surprise, surprise.. it found that:
– “EPA met statutory requirements for rulemaking and generally followed
requirements and guidance related to ensuring the quality of the supporting
technical information.”
– “…the TSD was a highly influential scientific assessment
because EPA weighed the strength of the available science by its choices of
information, data, studies, and conclusions included in and excluded from the TSD.”
Along with the many top activism stories I’ve shared in the past couple weeks, here are several more I keep forgetting to get to because I was saving them on email and not in my normal places. Check them out:
In a surprise move on Friday, President Obama ordered the EPA to withdraw its proposed regulation to tighten ground level ozone standards. Seen as yet another retreat from the president, the decision brought claims of victory from his GOP and industry rivals, and quick rebuke from his supporters and environmental watchdog groups.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), in a letter to Chu, said the public’s understanding of climate change is “diminishing” in part because there are “powerful vested interests in the oil and coal industries successfully fanning disbelief.”
Great episode of the Daily Show this week. Jon Stewart does a good job helping Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa P. Jackson make some important points that need to be heard while having a bit of fun as well.
