Kansas Keeps Getting In The Way of Big Coal

After four years of trying, Big Coal’s national ambitions have again bogged down at the Kansas state line.  A federal judge this week agreed with Earthjustice that the federal government failed to consider  environmental impacts of the proposed Sunflower plant expansion. The government has a financial stake in the plant because of loan arrangements made…

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Obama Says the Cure for Oil Addiction Is More Oil

As oil and gas prices again climb in response to Middle East travails, the phrase “Drill, Baby, Drill” has re-entered the national conversation—but it’s President Obama who did the uttering this time. And it sounds like he means it. Obama mentioned the mantra Tuesday night in a speech about energy independence that came across like the opening…

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Care About Climate Change, Clean Air? Call Your Senators!

The Senate votes tomorrow on four pieces of legislation that all aim to block or delay Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action to reduce the carbon dioxide pollution of the nation’s biggest polluters. These polluters have convinced their friends in Congress to author a wave of bills exempting them from strong air pollution limits—they are the…

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Coal Plant Heats Up Chicago Politics

When combined, the Fisk and Crawford coal-fired power plants are the largest source of pollution in Chicago, and local residents have been fighting for years for stronger health controls from these plants. Recently, activists with the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization (PERRO)made a huge step forward when they convinced a local politician to support stronger…

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Tr-Ash Talk: Making Money, Having Fun

World News with Diane Sawyer to cover the story of the residents of Bokoshe, OK, and their fight against cancer, asthma and toxic coal ash

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Coal Ash Conundrum—The Biggest Loser?

The verdict is in. the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency turned a blind eye to coal ash reuse during the Bush Administration, and, in fact, the agency went a considerable way toward promoting reuses that were dangerous to human health and the environment.  After a nine-month investigation, the EPA’s Office of Inspector General concluded that the EPA failed…

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Deregulation of Genetically Engineered Alfalfa Prompts Lawsuit

Monsanto commonly offers unsustainable solutions to the agriculture industry such as genetically engineered seeds and increased herbicide use and then dubs those dubious solutions "sustainable agriculture."

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Friday Finds: Mutually Assured Madness

Nuclear power industry experiences public fallout As the nuclear crisis in Japan worsens, concerns about nuclear power’s safety are spreading, prompting news agencies to take a second look at the inherently risky technology. As the Christian Science Monitor recently reported, last year U.S. nuclear plants had at least 14 “near misses” that occurred with “alarming…

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Valley Advocates Demand Environmental Justice

When Bush II’s Head of EPA came to California’s Central Valley, he tried to hold secret meetings with industry and was met with a protest from clean air advocates angered by EPA’s long history of ignoring the Valley’s severe public health and environmental justice problems in favor of big business interests. Yesterday, President Obama’s EPA…

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