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Author |
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Section |
Crist cross
Was Florida guv's big Everglades deal an attempt to keep him in the running for VP? |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Over on The Wall Street Journal's Environmental Capitol blog, Keith Johnson raises the question of whether Charlie Crist's $1.75 billion deal to buy 300 square miles of the Everglades from U.S. Sugar Corp. was timed to keep his chance at the VP spot alive, as some Floridians have suggested. Last week Grist noted that Crist's enviro cred may be at stake now that he's backed John McCain's call for off-shore drilling. Tuesday's announcement of the deal for the Evergl ... |
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| Topics: elections, Florida, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Grand can't, yon
House blocks uranium mining near Grand Canyon National Park |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The House Natural Resources Committee pulled a rarely-used move today to block uranium mining in one million acres of public land near the Grand Canyon, using their authority to order the Bush administration to immediately halt mining claims. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Lands, suggested using the emergency move, which is apparently a provision that Congress hasn't utilized since 1983. They voted 20-2 ... |
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| Topics: Arizona, Congress, mining, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Hot zones
National Intelligence Assessment finds that climate change poses national security threat |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A National Intelligence Assessment of the security challenges presented by climate change, which Congress requested last year, has been completed, and the intelligence community has come to the same conclusion that many have before: Climate change poses a threat to national security. The report looks at the national security implications of climate change through 2030, and concludes that changing weather patterns could contribute to political instability, dispute ... |
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| Topics: climate, Muckraker, national security, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Return to sender
White House refuses to open email about regulating greenhouse gases |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The White House has refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency's conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, and has told EPA officials that the email they sent containing the document of their findings would not be opened, reports The New York Times. Apparently the email in question has been hanging in limbo since December 2007, according to EPA officials. The document details the EPA's proposed response to the Supreme Cour ... |
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| Topics: Ed Markey, fuel efficiency, Muckraker, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Obama on nukes
RNC claims Obama contradicts himself on nuclear power |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Perhaps in response to Barack Obama's criticism of McCain on nuclear power yesterday, the Republican National Committee is circulating a research piece claiming the Democratic candidate has flip-flopped on the issue, citing quotes and videos of Obama. The quotes: From the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate in Charleston, S.C., in July 2007: 'I actually think that we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix. There are no silver bullets to this issue ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, Muckraker, news, nuclear power, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Nevada say never again
Obama heads to Nevada, takes on McCain in energy policy address |
Kate Sheppard |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Not to let John McCain have all the attention on energy policy this week, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama gave a speech on energy today in Springs Preserve, a 180-acre area in Nevada dedicated to sustainability. 'What we are seeing here ... is that a green, renewable energy economy isn't some pie-in-the-sky, far-off future, it is now,' said Obama. 'It is creating jobs, now. It is providing cheap alternatives to $140-a-barrel oil, now. And it can c ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, energy, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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House rules
Select Committee acquires documents related to EPA's proposals for rulemaking on auto emissions |
Kate Sheppard |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| We reported a few weeks ago that the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming had reached a deal with the White House to secure documents from the Environmental Protection Agency on its work in response to the Supreme Court's decision in the case Massachusetts v. EPA. We also reported that The Wall Street Journal had gotten ahold of an advance draft of the EPA's regulatory proposals for automobile fuel efficiency resulting from the Massachuse ... |
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| Topics: Congress, fuel efficiency, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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No McCain, no gain
GOP candidate calls for energy efficiency in a California speech |
Kate Sheppard |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| John McCain gave yet another address on energy and environmental issues today (the third in the past week, if you're counting), this one focused on energy efficiency, which he says should begin at home with the federal government. 'Energy efficiency is no longer just a moral luxury or a personal virtue,' he told a crowd gathered at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History in California on Tuesday morning, echoing language from his June 17 energy speech. 'A sm ... |
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| Topics: elections, energy, energy efficiency, John McCain, Muckraker, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Paul Revere rides again
Hansen marks 20th anniversary of landmark testimony to Congress with renewed call to action |
Kate Sheppard |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| James Hansen. Photo: nasa.govIt was a sweltering June 23 in Washington, D.C., when climatologist James Hansen, head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, appeared before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to testify about his certainty that the record high temperatures were the result of human activity. That was 20 years ago. 'The earth is warmer in 1988 than at any time in the history of instrumental measurements,' Hansen told s ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate science, James Hansen, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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'New and cleaner'
McCain ad touts energy policy, including the not-so-new ideas |
Kate Sheppard |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| John McCain released a new ad today touting his plan for energy independence. 'We must shift our entire energy economy toward new and cleaner power sources such as wind, solar, biofuels,' says McCain in the ad. 'It will include a variety of new automotive and fuel technologies, clean-burning coal, and nuclear energy.' It also promotes his recent call to end the federal moratorium on offshore drilling, which is neither 'clean' nor 'new.' Watch it: |
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| Topics: energy, John McCain, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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In the loophole
Obama calls for regulation of oil markets and decreased dependence on oil |
Kate Sheppard |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| On Sunday, Barack Obama promised to end unregulated oil speculation and close the 'Enron loophole,' which he says are at least partly to blame for rising gasoline prices. 'For the past years, our energy policy in this country has been simply to let the special interests have their way -- opening up loopholes for the oil companies and speculators so that they could reap record profits while the rest of us pay $4.00 a gallon,' Obama said in a statement. 'My plan ful ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Battery powered
McCain calls for $300 million prize for the designer of a better electric-car battery |
Kate Sheppard |
23 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Republican presidential contender John McCain gave a speech in Fresno, Calif., today calling for a $300 million prize, paid by the government, to be awarded to the person who can design a better electric car battery. 'This is one dollar for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. -- a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency -- and should deliver a power source at 30 percent of the current costs,' said McCain. The Republican candid ... |
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| Topics: electric vehicles, fuel efficiency, hybrids, John McCain, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Dear swing state, I love you more!
Obama sweet-talks Florida, criticizes McCain's shift on off-shore drilling |
Kate Sheppard |
22 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama responded to John McCain's call to end the moratorium on off-shore drilling in a press appearance in Chicago on Friday and made his own appeal to the voters of Florida: When I am President, I will keep the moratorium in place and prevent oil companies from drilling off Florida's coasts. That's how we can protect our coasts and still make the investments that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and bring down gas p ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, energy, John McCain, Muckraker, oil and gas drilling, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Hill heap
A weekly roundup of greenish news from the Capitol |
Kate Sheppard |
21 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A few of this week's environmental happenings that I've been meaning to point out: Oilman-turned-clean-energy-evangelist T. Boone Pickens came to town to testify about the country's transmission problems that are preventing wind from becoming a major source of power. Pickens, who is attempting to build the world's largest wind farm in Texas, joined experts from the Department of Energy and wind-energy lobbyists in testifying before the Senate Committee on Energ ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, wind power (all these topics) |
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White House covers Johnson
Bush invokes executive privilege to shield EPA administrator from subpoena |
Kate Sheppard |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was set to vote today to hold U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and Susan Dudley of the White House Office of Management and Budget in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over documents related to recent controversial decisions on smog and California's request for an emissions waiver. But it appears their friend in the White House swooped in this morning to block the committee's subpoenas for those docum ... |
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| Topics: George Bush, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Making cities less dumb
Select Committee examines the benefits of smarter urban planning |
Kate Sheppard |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming held a hearing on Thursday about the opportunities for better urban planning to reduce energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions. 'Planning Communities for a Changing Climate' brought together a panel of experts on 'smart growth,' clean air policy, and transit. Witnesses included Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, who works in smart growth in Abu Dhabi; Steve Hewitt, administrator of Greensburg, Kan., the town ... |
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| Topics: green living, Muckraker, news, placemaking, politics, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Sierra Club and USW endorse Obama
Groups make joint announcement in Cleveland |
Kate Sheppard |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Sierra Club and United Steelworkers made a joint announcement this morning in Cleveland that the groups are throwing their support behind Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama. 'We believe Sen. Obama is the change our nation needs -- he is the leader who will put America on the path to a clean energy economy that creates and keeps millions of jobs, spurs innovation and opportunity, and makes us a more secure nation,' said Sierra Club executive director ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Stormy waters
Offshore drilling likely to raise some voter ire in Florida |
Kate Sheppard |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| John McCain's call this week for an end to the moratorium on offshore drilling isn't faring well with environmentalists across the country. In one key state, however, it might really come back to bite him come November. Florida -- yes, land of dangling chads and nearly-won elections -- may well prove to be the place where McCain's call for drilling cost him in the general election. 'I think that he has made a serious miscalculation,' Holly Binns, field director fo ... |
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| Topics: energy, John McCain, muckraker, news, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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Happy go drilly
McCain says he's willing to 'examine' his stance against drilling in ANWR |
Kate Sheppard |
19 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The News-Leader in Springfield, Mo. has more on McCain's energy policy roundtable yesterday. Seems he also indicated that he's open to reconsidering his stance on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which he has consistently opposed in the past. 'I would be more than happy to examine it again,' McCain told the crowd. Guess it might not be so special after all. |
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| Topics: Arctic Refuge, John McCain, Muckraker, news, oil and gas drilling, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Tough draft
Draft copy of EPA rulemaking on fuel efficiency suggests higher standards are possible |
Kate Sheppard |
19 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal teased that they'd gotten ahold of an advance draft of the EPA's regulatory proposals for automobile fuel efficiency. According to the WSJ, EPA staffers found that cars and trucks could be even more fuel-efficient by 2020 than the 35 miles per gallon required by the latest update to CAFE standards. The draft notes that advanced technologies like plug-in hybrid vehicles could help raise fuel efficiency well beyond 35 mile ... |
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| Topics: fuel efficiency, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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No luv from Democratic guvs
McCain's offshore drilling plan irks coastal state governors |
Kate Sheppard |
18 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Obama campaign hosted a press conference this afternoon with Democratic governors to highlight opposition to John McCain's call to end the moratorium on offshore drilling. The governors expressed uniform distaste with the proposal, and skepticism that voters in their states would approve of drilling off their coasts. 'Our economy is driven by tourism and use of the shore,' said Jon Corzine, governor of New Jersey. 'I think we would have a hard time getting p ... |
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| Topics: energy, John McCain, Muckraker, news, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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A Springfield in his step
McCain goes to Springfield, talks up nukes and coal |
Kate Sheppard |
18 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| John McCain followed up yesterday's energy speech with more energy talk today during a roundtable at Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. Today he focused more specifically on his support for two energy sources: nuclear power and 'clean coal.' The roundtable also featured Greg Boyce, CEO of Peabody Energy, the world's largest coal company, and Mike Chesser, CEO of Great Plains Energy. The panel was moderated by Jim Jones, a Chevron board member and pre ... |
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| Topics: coal, elections, energy, John McCain, Muckraker, news, nuclear power, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Windfalling for you
Did McCain switch positions on windfall profits tax? |
Kate Sheppard |
18 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| John McCain on a windfall profits tax, in his speech on energy policy delivered in Houston yesterday: So what does Senator Obama support in energy policy? Well, for starters he supported the energy bill of 2005 -- a grab-bag of corporate favors that I opposed. And now he supports new taxes on energy producers. He wants a windfall profits tax on oil, to go along with the new taxes he also plans for coal and natural gas. If the plan sounds familiar, it's because tha ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, elections, Muckraker, news, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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House party
Yet another climate bill introduced in the House; greens applaud |
Kate Sheppard |
17 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Since climate change legislation failed to gather steam in the Senate this month, all eyes are now on the House. Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) has been promising a bill for months. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, put out an ambitious bill in early June. Today, Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) added their own legislatio ... |
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| Topics: climate, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, US House of Representatives (all these topics) |
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'Simply so special'
McCain adviser on oil drilling in ecologically sensitive areas |
Kate Sheppard |
17 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin held a press call with reporters tonight after the candidate's energy speech in Houston. One particularly interesting question came up: A reporter asked why, if McCain thinks people who live in coastal states should decide whether to allow drilling off their shores, that view doesn't extend to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Reporter: Why not have that viewpoint for people in Alaska who want to drill in ANWR? Holtz-Eakin ... |
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| Topics: Alaska, Arctic Refuge, John McCain, Muckraker, news, oil and gas drilling, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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