Uncategorized
25,000 Lives Don't Matter Much to Them
Today, another indication comes that some members of Congress don’t breathe the same air as their constituents. Politico is reporting (subs. req’d) that House Republicans will soon introduce legislation to delay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to reduce the amount of cancer-causing, asthma-inducing, premature death-dealing pollutants in the air we all breathe—some congresspersons excepted,…
Read MorePlugs for Two Excellent Websites
Forgive me if you already know all about these two sites, but for anyone who doesn’t I thought I’d take a minute to recommend both, without reservation. The first, and I daresay lesser-known, is Wildlands CPR. I came upon this fine institution when I was writing Roadless Rules about roadless areas in the national forests.…
Read MoreAnti-Salmon Mood in Congress Worries Fishermen
The excitement for the return of wild king salmon to restaurants and stores this spring and summer is nearly matched by anxiety. People fear that this now-rebounding seafood mainstay and regional jobs powerhouse will be decimated by politically driven efforts in Congress to gut science-based protections for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Basin. That hope…
Read MoreDeath by a Thousand (Budget) Cuts
We avoided a government shutdown with last minute deals that seemed to please both parties. But as they often say here in Washington, D.C. “the devil is in the details.” And in this case, it’s an awfully vicious budget slashing devil that has emerged in those details. According to the Wall Street Journal, (subscription required)…
Read MoreTr-Ash Talk: Coal Ash "Mr. Smiths" Go to Washington
Members of Congress are going to hear from coal ash activists this week. But it’s going to be more than just phone calls and emails; 45 citizens from nine states are flying to Washington D.C. to tell their coal ash stories to elected representatives and administration officials. It’s been nearly a year since the Environmental…
Read MoreLawmakers Probe Impacts of Gas Drilling Boom
In a hearing, today, lawmakers on Capitol Hill probed the health and environmental impacts of a gas drilling boom fueled by the controversial gas extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking. Using this technique, companies blast millions of gallons of chemically treated water into the earth to force natural gas from underground deposits. In…
Read MoreClean Air Crosses The Partisan Divide
Clean air isn’t a partisan issue, although that’s admittedly easy to forget if you’re following the ongoing congressional clash over clean air protections (which sometimes seems as wide as the gap between the Grand Canyon’s north and south rims). The American public certainly isn’t so divided. A large majority—which includes citizens who identify as Republican, Democrat…
Read MoreWhy I Fight For Our Forests: Earthjustice's Tim Preso
Q & A with attorney Tim Preso, who works to protect our nation's forests and their critical natural resources and wildlife.
Read MoreAnti-Environment Foot Comes Down In Congress
It’s been a harrowing past few weeks (to say the least). The first jolt came Feb. 19, when House leaders approved a spending plan that slashed an array of environmental safeguards and pretty much gave polluter industries a free pass to continue using our air and water as their dumping grounds. Amid the back and…
Read MoreRepublicans Mount A New Assault On Wild Lands
Three mad hatters–Steve Pearce (R-NM), Rob Bishop (R-UT), and Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) are gathering–or trying to gather–cosponsors for what they’re callling the Wilderness & Roadless Area Release Act, a law that would open national forest roadless areas and Bureau of Land Management wilderness study areas to development. This would put a bit more than 70 million…
Read More