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Author |
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Gearing up for an eco-week
McCain kicks off series of environmental events with address in N.J. |
Kate Sheppard |
09 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| John McCain gave a campaign speech in New Jersey today in which he touched on environmental issues and talked up his record in that area. 'There is no doubt our environment is globally challenged,' McCain said in a stop at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J. 'I'm proud of my environmental record.' But as some enviros in the state were quick to point out, that record is mixed at best (take, for example, his lifetime League of Conservation Voters score of ... |
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| Topics: climate, elections, John McCain, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Missing Johnson
EPW subcommittee seeks answers on politicization in EPA, gets few |
Kate Sheppard |
08 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The U.S. EPA is committed to transparency, representatives of the agency testified yesterday before a subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The hearing was called to look into recent allegations of politicization and secrecy within the agency. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson -- the man everyone wants to hear from on the subject -- didn't accept the invitation to attend, so George Gray, EPA assistant administrator for research and devel ... |
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| Topics: Barbara Boxer, Muckraker, news, politics, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, shenanigans, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Notable quotable
Save us, Al! |
Kate Sheppard |
06 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| 'Perhaps the only guy that can end this is Al Gore.' -- David Gergen, political consultant and former presidential adviser, commenting on the never-ending Democratic primary during CNN's live coverage Tuesday night |
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| Topics: Al Gore, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, quotables (all these topics) |
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Candidates talk energy in victory speeches
Obama takes NC; Clinton appears to win Indiana |
Kate Sheppard |
06 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Barack Obama claimed North Carolina, and Hillary Clinton is the likely winner out in Indiana. In his speech in Raleigh, Obama noted the need for new, clean energy policy, and took the opportunity to knock Clinton and McCain's 'gas-tax holiday' plan: The man I met in Pennsylvania who lost his job but can't even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one - he can't afford four more years of an energy policy written by the oil companies and for the oil compa ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Holiday in hell
Friends of the Earth Action launches ad against Clinton's 'gas tax holiday' |
Kate Sheppard |
06 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Friends of the Earth Action, which over the weekend endorsed Barack Obama in the Democratic primary, issued a new web ad today criticizing Hillary Clinton for supporting a 'gas-tax holiday' and praising Obama for his 'honest clean energy policy.' Here's their ad: |
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| Topics: elections, hillary clinton, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Obama's own pander
Direct mailers from Obama campaign hail 'clean Kentucky coal' |
Kate Sheppard |
06 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Hillary Clinton has been pilloried for pandering to working class voters with her gas-tax holiday proposal. But she's not the only one telling working-class voters what they want to hear. 'Barack Obama believes in clean Kentucky coal.' So reads a direct mailer being distributed in Kentucky ahead of the state's May 20 primary. (Click the image to the right for a larger version.) Clark Stevens, press secretary for the Obama campaign in Kentucky, confirmed that the mail ... |
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| Topics: barack obama, coal, elections, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Guam, as you are
Obama wins Guam; nation forgets island even exists |
Kate Sheppard |
05 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Weekend election update: Barack Obama won the tiny island territory of Guam by seven votes on Saturday, with 2,264 to Hillary Clinton's 2,257. They'll split the four delegates alloted in this primary evenly. More importantly though, doesn't anyone else wonder why Guamanians get to vote in the primary but not the general? |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Dems poised to unveil their gas plan
Proposal to curb prices not likely to include 'gas tax holiday' |
Kate Sheppard |
02 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Congressional Democrats are expected to announce their plan to counter the rising cost of gasoline as early as next Wednesday, and despite the pressure Sen. Hillary Clinton is putting on her congressional colleagues, it's not likely to include a 'gas tax holiday.' The plan being worked up by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), and a team of Democratic senators will be focused instead on long-term solutions, according to Bill Wick ... |
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| Topics: energy, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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'At the pleasure of the president'
Who's looking into the circumstances of the Gade firing? |
Kate Sheppard |
02 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| After yesterday's news about the ouster of Mary Gade from the head of the EPA's Midwest office, the next question is who, if anyone, is looking into whether her firing came at the behest of Dow Chemical and the White House. According to EPA spokesperson Jonathan Shradar, no internal investigation into the circumstances of Gade's dismissal is planned. 'This is a role that serves at the pleasure of the administration, and [EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson] makes the ... |
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| Topics: jackassery, Muckraker, news, politics, shenanigans, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Fox Nukes
McCain touts gas-tax holiday as well as 'long-term solutions' |
Kate Sheppard |
02 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| McCain on the long-term solution to dependence on foreign oil: Nuclear! Despite what those 'extremist environmental organizations' tell you. And despite the fact that only 2 percent of our electricity comes from oil. |
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| Topics: dumbassery, energy, John McCain, Muckraker, news, nuclear power, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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More on Gade ouster
Bush supporter apparently fired for doing her job |
Kate Sheppard |
02 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| An EPA controversy brewing in the Midwest calls to mind the U.S. attorneys scandal, as Brad Johnson noted yesterday. Top officials in the agency have forced Mary Gade, head of the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago, to step down from her post or be fired by June 1. The ouster comes after Gade pressured Dow Chemical to clean up the dioxin-saturated soil and sediment extending 50 miles downstream from its Michigan headquarters. Gade is also the former director of the ... |
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| Topics: Muckraker, news, politics, shenanigans, toxics, US EPA, water pollution (all these topics) |
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The gas-tax wars
Candidates, Congress split on 'gas tax holiday' |
Kate Sheppard |
01 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The 'gas tax holiday' has officially emerged as the latest bickerfest big issue in the presidential race. Hillary Clinton and John McCain say drivers need a break this summer, while Obama is aggressively pushing back against the idea. In a new ad, Obama emphasizes that cutting the tax this summer would save most consumers a mere $30 -- about half the cost of a tank of gas these days. It's a short-term fix, he says in the ad, and 'that's typical of how Washington ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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They've Got the Power
The youth climate movement proves itself at Power Shift 2007 |
Brian Beutler |
08 Nov 2007 |
Muckraker |
| Van Jones gets youth activists riled up at Power Shift rally. Photo: Fritz Myer About 5,500 people, most under the age of 21, traveled from all over the country to the unremarkable suburb of College Park, Md., this past weekend to take part in the largest climate-change conference and rally in U.S. history. At Power Shift 2007, these college and high-school students established in clea ... |
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| Topics: campus activism, climate, grassroots activism, Muckraker, Van Jones (all these topics) |
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A Green Tug-of-War
Green groups battle over climate bills in the Senate |
Brian Beutler |
25 Oct 2007 |
Muckraker |
| When writer and climate activist Bill McKibben took to the pages of The Washington Post late last month to demand that legislators and activists back the most ambitious climate-change bill in the U.S. Senate, it was more than a call to action -- it was a public salvo in a contentious behind-the-scenes battle. Photo: iStockphoto While senators are shaping and debating the merits of various global- ... |
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| Topics: Congress, environmental movement, legislation, Muckraker, politics (all these topics) |
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The Coal Nine Yards
Coal industry asks for still more handouts, and Washington lends an ear |
Brian Beutler |
19 Sep 2007 |
Muckraker |
| We're gradually learning how the U.S. government will approach our country's energy needs in the carbon-constrained future -- and if you were envisioning a future free of mining the earth for dirty energy, you should probably check the optimism. Same coal, same coal. Photo: iStockphoto Two important hearings on Capitol Hill earlier this month strongly indicated that we're stuc ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, coal, coal-to-liquid fuel, Muckraker, politics (all these topics) |
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Tighten Up
Plans to boost energy efficiency start getting traction in Congress |
Amanda Griscom Little |
23 Apr 2007 |
Muckraker |
| What's not to love about energy efficiency? It's the paradigmatic win-win scenario -- save money, protect the climate and broader environment, and reduce reliance on unsavory sources of energy, all in one fell swoop. As efficiency guru Amory Lovins puts it [PDF], "Using energy more efficiently offers an economic bonanza -- not because of the benefits of stopping global warm ... |
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| Topics: Amory Lovins, Congress, Ed Markey, energy, energy efficiency, legislation, Muckraker, politics (all these topics) |
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The Warm on Terror
Bipartisan bill calls for intelligence assessment of climate impacts |
Amanda Griscom Little |
05 Apr 2007 |
Muckraker |
| How might U.S. national security be threatened by mega-droughts, coastal flooding, killer hurricanes, food scarcity, and the other ecological calamities scientists widely predict will occur if global warming continues apace? Is climate change the real ticking bomb? Photo: iStockphoto No one knows, but Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) think it's time to f ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, legislation, Muckraker, national security, politics (all these topics) |
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The Goracle
Gore gets a warm welcome on Capitol Hill, and a few heated exchanges |
Amanda Griscom Little |
22 Mar 2007 |
Muckraker |
| Exhibiting a curious mixture of nostalgia and irreverence, Al Gore returned to the halls of Congress yesterday to make the case for sweeping federal action to fight global warming. Buoyed by his recent Academy Award triumph, Gore testified at hearings in both the House and the Senate. Audiences of hundreds lined the oak-paneled walls of the hearing rooms, crowded the aisles, ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, Barbara Boxer, climate, climate change mitigation, Muckraker, politics (all these topics) |
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Let's Call the Coal Thing Off
Coal-bashing is hot new trend in Congress, science circles, and business world |
Amanda Griscom Little |
09 Mar 2007 |
Muckraker |
| Is King Coal about to be deposed? Climate scientists, key members of Congress, enviros, and the progressive wing of the business world are plotting a coup d'état. Regime change isn't likely to come soon, but this resistance movement could significantly alter the way the pollution-spewing sovereign wields its power. James Hansen. Photo: Arnold Adle/N ... |
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| Topics: business, climate science, coal, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, James Hansen, Muckraker, politics (all these topics) |
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Friends With Benefit Packages
Romance blossoms between big biz and enviros over a candlelit dinner |
Amanda Griscom Little |
16 Feb 2007 |
Muckraker |
| Love is in the air. Photo: iStockphoto The on-again-off-again flirtation between big business and the mainstream environmental movement seems to be progressing into a full-on steamy love affair -- and perhaps even a committed, long-term relationship. On Tuesday morning, a handful of Fortune 500 execs joined Jonathan Lash, president of the environmental think ... |
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| Topics: business, greenish companies, Muckraker (all these topics) |
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Feeling the Heat
Bush administration put on the defensive over climate change |
Lisa Hymas |
09 Feb 2007 |
Muckraker |
| After six years of dodging the climate issue, the Bush administration is finally having to face it head on. They aren't changing policy -- don't be silly! -- but they are changing rhetoric. Bush is changing his climate talk, but not his walk. Photo: Whitehouse.gov Over the past month, climate change has become impossible for the White House to ignore: more than 2,500 of the world's top climate ... |
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| Topics: climate, George Bush, Muckraker, politics (all these topics) |
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Tip Tip Hurray!
Senate bills and corporate coalition push Washington toward climate action |
Amanda Griscom Little |
23 Jan 2007 |
Muckraker |
| Will January 2007 prove to be a tipping point for U.S. climate-change policy? Already this month we've seen a barrage of high-profile activity -- and President Bush hasn't even given his State of the Union address yet. Are we at a tipping point? First there was a rapid-fire succession of four major climate-change bills proposed in the Senate, all of which call for mand ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, greenish companies, legislation, Muckraker, politics (all these topics) |
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Energizer Money
Enviros delighted with House Democrats' energy bill |
Amanda Griscom Little |
17 Jan 2007 |
Muckraker |
| "I can't find anything wrong with it. Really, there is no catch. It's all good." Is the sun setting on some oil industry tax breaks? Photo: iStockphoto Let the record show that these contented words were spoken by an environmentalist -- Jim Presswood, a top lobbyist for the Natural Resources Defense Council to be exact. He's talking about the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, introduced on ... |
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| Topics: energy, legislation, Muckraker, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Even Stevens?
With new energy-focused bills, Stevens delights enviros and Obama disappoints |
Amanda Griscom Little |
12 Jan 2007 |
Muckraker |
| Among the barrage of energy-related bills already unleashed by the 110th Congress, one of the most progressive comes not from the newly empowered Democrats, but from Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, a zealous proponent of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Just as peculiar, one of the bills that most rankles environmentalists comes from Democratic ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, energy, legislation, Muckraker, politics, Ted Stevens (all these topics) |
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A Little of This, a Little of That
Congress gives parting nod to offshore drillers, but also to renewable-energy industries |
Amanda Griscom Little |
19 Dec 2006 |
Muckraker |
| Dark clouds on the horizon -- and drilling rigs too. Photo: iStockphoto The GOP-controlled 109th Congress went out with a bang -- that of drills hitting sea bottom. In the waning hours of the final legislative session earlier this month, Republican leaders pushed through a provision to open up 8.3 million acres on the outer continent ... |
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| Topics: Congress, energy, legislation, Muckraker, oil and gas drilling, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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