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Adapting to a Wounded Climate
There’s an interesting piece in the latest Earth Island Journal titled “Ready or Not: Climate Change is Coming; Time to Adapt.” The author, Maureen Nandini Mitra, argues that, whether we like or not, the climate is already on the way to significant changes and we have no choice but to figure out how to adapt—as…
Read MoreOnly 60 days for New York’s fracking review??
Next week, New York State is planning to release a 1,000+ page document that could guide how the controversial gas drilling technique, called fracking, will proceed in the state. Hydraulic fracturing, fracking for short, occurs when oil and gas companies blast millions of gallons of chemically-treated water into the ground to force oil and gas…
Read MoreWe Are Acting On Smog Rules Even If Obama Won't
This morning, the President tried to yank the rug out from under years of work by Earthjustice and our clients to clean up deadly smog in our air. In 2008, weak national standards for ozone, or smog, were adopted by the Bush administration, standards that the EPA’s own scientists said would not protect public health.…
Read MorePresident Bush — er, Obama — Keeps Weak Ozone Standards
In July, we were mighty disappointed when the Obama administration announced a fourth delay of the ozone rule. That disappointment is tenfold today after the Obama administration announced that it would not strengthen weak Bush-era ozone health standards. Instead the administration is going to maintain the status quo until at least 2013, which means thousands…
Read MoreFriday Finds: Daryl Hannah Gets Her Hands Dirty
Daryl Hannah faces off against tar sands pipeline She may have lost her other eye in a standoff against Uma Thurman (aka “The Bride”) in the movie Kill Bill, but when it comes to facing off against environmental evil-doers, actress Daryl Hannah has chick-kicking staying power, reports Mother Nature Network. Her latest standoff resulted in…
Read MoreTr-Ash Talk: Rebellion Against Coal Ash in Illinois
Illinois has the dubious distinction of being a state with one of the worst coal ash regulatory programs in the nation. But what is more outrageous is that no less than 11 Illinois congressmen are pushing to block the U.S. EPA from cleaning up coal ash in the state. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) is among them.…
Read MoreDrilling in Russian Arctic Threatens Entire Ecosystem
Environmentalist author Chellis Glendinning’s 2002 work of nonfiction, Off the Map, is an indictment of maps and cartography. Glendinning asserts that maps have historically served as tools of conquest that define the territory which is to be exploited. With that in mind, Exxon’s announcement on Monday that the company inked a deal to drill for…
Read MoreUnplugged: DOE Standards Will Save Americans Money
Thanks to action taken by the U.S. Department of Energy, American consumers are expected to save more than $21 billion (through 2043) on their utility bills as a result of new energy efficiency standards for home refrigerators and freezers. The new standards will improve the efficiency of these appliances by about 25 percent starting in…
Read MoreAnti-Environmental Legislators Plan New Attack
Today, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor declared war on environmental regulations.
Read MoreReport Sheds Light on Chemicals in Oil Dispersants
Pop quiz: nearly 2 million gallons of chemicals are about to be dumped into the ocean where they will mix with oil gushing from a blown out well. Do you: A. Study beforehand the chemicals’ effects on marine life? B. Study beforehand the chemicals’ effects on humans? C. Study beforehand what will happen when the…
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