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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Tanks, but no tanks
Bush to lift executive ban on offshore drilling signed by his father |
Kate Sheppard |
14 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| President George Bush will announce this afternoon that he is lifting the executive ban on offshore drilling that has been in place since his father, George H.W. Bush, signed an executive order as president in 1990. The move is mostly symbolic, however. Unless Congress repeals its long-standing ban on offshore drilling, nothing will change. The executive order Bush intends to repeal bans oil companies from exploratory drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf. L ... |
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| Topics: George Bush, Muckraker, news, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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Czar Schwarzenegger?
California governor says he'd be willing to serve in Obama's cabinet |
Kate Sheppard |
14 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| On ABC's 'This Week' yesterday, California's Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a McCain supporter, suggested that he'd be willing to serve as 'energy czar' for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Host George Stephanopoulos asked the governor about a report that he attributed to Newsweek that said Obama would consider Schwarzenegger for a cabinet post, possibly one dealing with energy and environmental issues. Here's the exchange: Stephanopoulos: ... |
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| Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, climate, energy, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Hill heap
A weekly roundup of greenish news from the capitol |
Kate Sheppard |
13 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| According to a new EPA analysis, the 'value of a statistical life' is now worth $6.9 million, which is nearly $1 million less than it was five years ago. This is important politically because when government agencies create regulations about things like air pollution, they use this statistical value to weigh the costs against the benefits of a proposed rule. Explains the AP, 'Consider, for example, a hypothetical regulation that costs $18 billion to enforce but will p ... |
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| Topics: climate, Congress, energy, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Barack in the Buckeye State
Dem presidential candidate talks up energy plan in Ohio |
Kate Sheppard |
13 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Barack Obama gave a speech on energy policy in Dayton, Ohio on Friday, and used the opportunity to rip on rival John McCain. He knocked the candidate's calls for offshore drilling and a 'gas-tax holiday,' and accused him of being part of the problem in Washington. 'A few days ago, Senator McCain said our dangerous dependence on foreign oil has been 30 years in the making, and was caused by the failure of politicians in Washington to think long-term about the futur ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, energy, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Dems: The breaks
Some Democrats in Congress bending on drilling debate |
Kate Sheppard |
11 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Some Senate Democrats are warming to the idea of opening some offshore areas in U.S. waters to oil and gas drilling, as we reported earlier this week. A few more may now be joining the ranks. Republicans in Congress have hyped the need to drill, and representatives are under pressure from constituents to do something about gas prices. Bending on drilling at least politically creates the appearance of doing something, despite the fact that opening offshore areas to ... |
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| Topics: Congress, Muckraker, news, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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Countdown to Crawford
Bush administration decides to run out the clock on regulating greenhouse-gas emissions |
Kate Sheppard |
11 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Bush administration made clear today that it doesn't intend to do anything about climate change in the final six months in office, announcing that instead of responding to the Supreme Court's mandate last year that the EPA determine the dangers posed to humankind by greenhouse-gas emissions they would simply request further public comment. The White House and EPA released their much-anticipated Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking today, after weeks of dispute ... |
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| Topics: greenhouse-gas emissions, Muckraker, news, politics, US EPA, White House (all these topics) |
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Third partying
Greens to announce presidential candidate |
Kate Sheppard |
11 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Green Party is hosting their presidential convention in Chicago this week, where the party is expected to officially select former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (Ga.) as its presidential candidate. Yesterday hip-hop activist Rosa Clemente accepted McKinney's invitation to run as the VP candidate. More to come on the Green ticket soon. Speaking of third-party runs for the presidency, Ralph Nader participated in a live, online chat at the Washington Post yesterday. Mini ... |
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| Topics: elections, grassroots activism, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Ventura capitol
Al Franken talks green jobs while Jesse Ventura threatens to bust heads |
Kate Sheppard |
10 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Minnesota Senate candidate and former funny-man Al Franken (D) recently put out a very, very sincere video on green jobs: Franken is taking on incumbent Norm Coleman (R), and polls so far have shown Coleman ahead by a considerable margin. But now former Reform Party governor, professional wrestler, and actor Jesse Ventura is threatening to jump in the race. 'All you Minnesotans take a good hard look at all three of us,' Ventura told NPR this week. 'You decide ... |
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| Topics: elections, green jobs, Minnesota, Muckraker, news, politics, video (all these topics) |
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What's not the matter with Kansas
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius talks to Grist about her fight against coal and her VP potential |
Kate Sheppard |
10 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Among the many names swirling in the Obama VP buzz is that of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. A second-term Democratic governor in what's traditionally seen as a bastion of conservatism, Sebelius earned national attention as the chair of the Democratic Governors Association in 2007 and for delivering the Democratic response to this year's State of the Union. But for many environmentalists, she made her mark with something else entirely. Kathleen Sebelius. Photo: ... |
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| Topics: interview, Kansas, Muckraker, news, politics, renewable energy, state politics (all these topics) |
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Cap-and-traitor?
Conservative blogger thinks McCain is ditching cap-and-trade |
Kate Sheppard |
09 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Larry Kudlow of National Review seems to think that John McCain has dropped his support for cap-and-trade, after reading the Republican candidate's policy pamphlet [PDF] on 'Jobs for America,' released this week. Kudlow notes that the document includes no mention of cap-and-trade, though there is a portion titled 'Cheap, Clean, Secure Energy for America: The Lexington Project.' He writes: So I picked up the phone and dialed a senior McCain official to make sure thes ... |
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| Topics: carbon trading, climate, John McCain, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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You win summit, you lose summit
Not everyone jazzed about the G8 climate agreement |
Kate Sheppard |
09 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| While G8 leaders are touting yesterday's climate agreement in Hokkaido as 'a significant step forward,' enviros and other world leaders are scoffing at the very idea that any progress was made. G8 leaders agreed yesterday to 'consider and adopt' the goal of cutting emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050, though they didn't agree on how to reach those goals, or any of the other particulars that would need to be hashed out in a global deal. U.S. Climate Action ... |
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| Topics: climate, G8, greenhouse-gas emissions, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Goode grief
Virginia candidates split on personal transit choices |
Kate Sheppard |
09 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Rep. Virgil Goode, the incumbent Republican in Virginia's 5th District, appeared in a Scottsville, Va. Fourth of July parade last week accompanied by a Hummer H3. His opponent in this year's House race, Tom Perriello (D), appeared on a float pulled by a biodiesel-fueled tractor. Perriello fans put together a video highlighting the candidates' automotive choices: |
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| Topics: cars, Congress, elections, green living, Muckraker, news, politics, video (all these topics) |
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Cheney reaction
Ex-EPA official details White House interference on climate action |
Kate Sheppard |
08 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| In a letter [PDF] made public today, former deputy EPA administrator Jason Burnett indicates that both the Office of the Vice President and the Council on Environmental Quality have attempted to censor discussion of the consequences that global warming poses to human health. Burnett, who went public about the administration's obstruction after leaving the EPA in early June, detailed the interference in a letter to Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara B ... |
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| Topics: Barbara Boxer, climate, jackassery, Muckraker, news, politics, shenanigans, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Energy ad wars begin
New Obama ad knocks McCain's energy policy |
Kate Sheppard |
08 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Barack Obama's campaign has released a new ad to counter those from the Republican National Committee criticizing his energy plan. Obama's ad, called 'New Energy,' accuses opponent John McCain of being 'part of the problem' and hits on his support of drilling and tax breaks for oil companies. The ad says that energy independence is an 'urgent priority' for the Democratic candidate, and notes his plans to invest in alternative energy and tax cuts for the middle class ... |
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| Topics: advertising, Barack Obama, energy, John McCain, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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Summit of its parts
Bush administration, other G8 leaders agree to halve emissions by 2050 |
Kate Sheppard |
08 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Today at the G8 summit, which began yesterday in Hokkaido, Japan, world leaders reached a landmark deal: agreeing to cut emissions in half by 2050. The leaders agreed to 'seriously consider' this goal last year, and six of the eight leaders have been trying desperately to get George Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- who continued to resist mandatory cuts as of Monday -- on board. That is, until a breakthrough today. Well, sort of: The Bush admi ... |
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| Topics: climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, international treaties, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Tax relief?
Minority leader proposes spending cuts to pay for renewables tax-credit extension |
Kate Sheppard |
07 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Yet another episode in the drama that is the renewable-energy tax-credit extensions. Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) sent a letter [PDF] to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking that the Democrats agree to spending cuts in order to fund the extension of tax credits for renewable energy. In the letter, McConnell says he 'would like to focus on areas of bipartisan agreement in order to break the impasse o ... |
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| Topics: Harry Reid, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, renewable energy, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Ad lib
RNC drops $3 million to promote McCain's energy plan |
Kate Sheppard |
07 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Over the weekend, the Republican National Committee launched their 10-day, $3 million campaign to tout John McCain's energy policy with this ad: 'Record gas prices, a climate in crisis. John McCain says solve it now,' says the ad. 'With a balanced plan -- alternative energy, conservation, suspending the gas tax and more production here at home. He's pushing his own party to face climate change.' It goes on to hit Barack Obama for not supporting McCain's 'gas- ... |
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| Topics: elections, energy, John McCain, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, video (all these topics) |
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The grill of victory
Over half of Americans want to barbecue with Barack |
Kate Sheppard |
03 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The survey you've all been waiting for: 52 percent of Americans say they would prefer to have Barack Obama at their 4th of July shindig. Only 45 percent reported that they would prefer McCain, according to the latest Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll. Says the AP: 'People would rather barbecue burgers with Barack than munch meats with McCain.' That includes one in six people who said they plan to vote for McCain in November. Only one in 20 Obama voters said t ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, holiday, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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The drill of the chase
RNC to drop $3 million on ads hitting Obama on energy |
Kate Sheppard |
03 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Roll Call reports ($ub. req'd): The Republican National Committee is launching $3 million in independent expenditure television ads in four states, focusing on the energy issue. The ad is slated to run on network and cable television in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and will highlight the differences between Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) on energy security. 'Following Barack Obama's decision to become the only major party ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, energy, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Sweetening the deal
Lugar calls for end to tariff on Brazilian sugarcane ethanol |
Kate Sheppard |
03 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) stopped by ($ub. req'd) the American Enterprise Institute yesterday to give a speech arguing that Congress should lift the 54-cents-a-gallon tariff on imported ethanol. 'To demonstrate leadership the United States should lift its tariff on Brazilian ethanol that now shelters the U.S. industry,' Lugar told the AEI crowd. Many politicians -- including Lugar, who's from a big corn state -- have supported the tariff to protect American biofuel ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, energy, ethanol, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Summit like it hot
G8 leaders head to Hokkaido where Bush and his sherpa will provide climate guidance |
Kate Sheppard |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| On Monday, George W. Bush will travel to Hokkaido, Japan, for his eighth and final G8 summit, where climate change is likely to be the subject of heated (ahem) talks. At last year's meeting, leaders agreed to seriously consider a goal of cutting global greenhouse-gas emissions 50 percent by 2050. But the Bush administration continues to resist mandatory targets, and in a speech on Wednesday, Bush made sure to again emphasize 'technologies' over regulation. 'I'll ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, G8, George Bush, international treaties, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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A fuel's errand
Republican House members ask EPA to scale back ethanol mandate |
Kate Sheppard |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| More than 50 Republican representatives sent a letter [PDF] to the Environmental Protection Agency last week urging the agency to lower the mandate for ethanol production in response to both the recent flooding in the Midwest and drought in the South. They argue that one-third of the country's corn crop will be used for ethanol to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard, and while the weather this year will cause a decrease in supply of corn, the RFS will increase demand ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, Congress, energy, ethanol, Muckraker, news, politics, regulation, severe weather, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Sally 4th
Sierra Club prompts voters to call legislators about energy bills over the holiday weekend |
Kate Sheppard |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Sierra Club began running radio ads this week in six states whose U.S. senators are key votes for energy legislation. Though both Republicans and Democrats were hoping to have accomplished something so they could go home for the holiday and claim victory, Congress went into recess for the 4th of July holiday this week in a deadlock over energy policy. Sierra Club's ads are intended to prompt voters to call their senators about two pieces of legislation: the Co ... |
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| Topics: climate, Congress, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Derailed
McCain just not that into Amtrak |
Kate Sheppard |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Over at the Boston Globe, columnist Derrick Z. Jackson does an excellent job of highlighting John McCain's beef with Amtrak: For years, McCain, in the comfort of cheap gasoline for autos and airplanes, made Amtrak a personal whipping boy. Despite the fact that governments in Western Europe and Asia zoomed far ahead of the United States by supporting high-speed trains to relieve congestion, promote tourism and now as we are coming to know, save the planet, McCain has ... |
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| Topics: elections, John McCain, Muckraker, news, placemaking, politics, presidential race 08, public transportation (all these topics) |
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'Coal makes us sick!'
Harry Reid passionately disses fossil fuels, goes viral on YouTube |
Kate Sheppard |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This video of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) talking about fossil fuels on the Fox Business Network was one of the 'most viewed' on YouTube yesterday: It's been viewed 351,710 times so far, largely because it was linked to from the Drudge Report. As Politico reports, 'Senate Republicans are sending around the video as part of an effort to make Democrats appear out of touch on the need to produce more energy and drill more oil wells.' And there are ... |
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| Topics: coal, fossil fuels, Muckraker, news, politics, video (all these topics) |
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