The Latest in Government
Obama Backs Off On New Ozone Standards
Elections have a funny way of changing the political stripes of candidates. Even though the next presidential election is well over a year away, our current President has most definitely changed his stripes when it comes to protecting our environment. Once heralded as a welcome green change from the Bush. . .
Restoring 580,000 Square Miles Of Forests
In Bonn, Germany this past week conservationists and politicians launched a new initiative to restore 580,000 square miles of deforested and degraded forests throughout the world. Dubbed the Bonn Challenge, organizers are touting the economic and climate change benefits of reforestation. Restoring 580,000 square miles of forest would create jobs,. . .
U.S. Lags Behind EU’s REACH
REACH is a European Union (EU) regulation that addresses the production and use of chemical substances, and their potential impacts on humans and the environment. It is the EU’s most ambitious legislation that took seven years to pass. Its ramifications will extend to industries around the world that supply chemical. . .
House Republicans Seek To Undermine EPA
This September when the Republican controlled House of Representatives returns from recess one of their first legislative efforts is to curb the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. House Republicans are adding riders to appropriations bills in an attempt to hamper both agencies. The riders have absolutely nothing to. . .
U.S. CO2 Emissions Up 4 Percent In 2010
U.S. carbon emissions rose 4 percent in 2010. The federal government attributed the increase in greenhouse gas emissions to a recovering manufacturing sector, and the increase use of air conditioners by consumers during the hot summer of 2010. U.S. carbon emissions from oil, coal, and natural gas, which accounts for. . .
Science Should Matter To The Republican Candidates
Why is it that the current field of Republican candidates with the exceptions of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman believe that global warming is a fabrication created by science? The latest candidate, Texas Governor Rick Perry, yesterday told a crow in Hew Hampshire that scientists looking for cash to fund. . .
U.S. Seeks To Build Biofuel Plants
The federal government plans on using three agencies to help jump-start the biofuel industry in the U.S. The Departments of the Navy, Agriculture, and Energy will spend $510 million over the next three years to scale up biofuel production plants in rural parts of the U.S. The agencies will finance. . .
Trucks Get New Fuel And Emission Requirements
For the first time trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty vehicles will be required to meet fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction standards. The Obama administration in conjunction with the EPA and the Department of Transportation (DOT) will set large vehicle fuel standards. The new efficiency standards will go into. . .
Fuel Standards Fall Short
As you probably have already heard the President announced an agreement with 13 auto manufacturers to raise vehicle fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon by Model Year 2025. This raises the current 2012-2016 agreement from 35.5 to 54.5 in twelve and half years. The agreement cuts CO2 vehicle emissions. . .
DOE Wants To Enter The “Fracking” Fray
The Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced yesterday that the federal government is going to enter the “fracking” fray. Energy Secretary Chu is planning on focusing on the pros and cons of fracking in order to find a harmonious balance between local residents fears and the needs of an. . .
NY Issues New “Fracking” Guidelines
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued a revised 900-page draft banning “fracking” in the New York City and Syracuse watersheds, but recommending that it be allowed on private property with certain restrictions. The draft recommendations would open up to 85 percent of the Marcellus Shale. . .
NYC Switching To Electric Cars
In an effort to curb air pollution New York City just added another 70 electric vehicles to city fleets. This raises the total count to 430 electric vehicles operated by the city. Of the 70 purchased, 50 of them were Chevy Volts. New York City according to Mayor Bloomberg wants. . .
House Fight Over Fluorescent Light Bulbs
The Republican controlled House of Representatives is trying to push legislation that would overturn measures in a 2007 energy act requiring efficiency upgrades in switching from incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent ones. The mandatory move to fluorescent light bulbs was a key component to the 2007 energy act that was. . .
New Rules Cut Smog From Coal Power Plants
The U.S. EPA finalized a rule to cut air pollution from coal-fired plants in 27 states east of the Rocky Mountains. The new measure is known as the Cross State Air Pollution Rule seeks to cut coal power plant sulfide dioxide emissions by 73 percent by 2014, from 2005 levels,. . .
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