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Our Climate Reality and Our Congressional Deniers

On Tuesday, in a hearing in the House, representatives wrestled over whether they should accept the volumes of science produced by every major U.S. scientific and research institution that say that climate change is happening and our industrial carbon dioxide emissions are contributing to it. Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bobby Rush (D-IL),…

PA Gov. to Energy Exec: You’re the Boss of Everyone

Fresh off his state’s radioactive river scandal, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has once again landed in hot water (no pun intended) over a line in his proposed budget which hands the energy executive he appointed to head the state’s economic development agency "supreme" decision-making power to fast-track gas drilling permits in the state. The man…

And…The Nonsense Continues in the House

The questions came from all sides, but one in particular stood out: “How would HR 1 affect the EPA’s ability to protect the public?” asked Representative Henry Waxman, (D-Calif.) During testimony before the U.S. House Energy and Power Subcommittee on the EPA’s budget, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson answered Waxman’s question: “We understand cuts have to…

Friday Finds: Single Serve Stupidity

Del Monte sells individually wrapped bananas Last week, processed food giant Del Monte unveiled its latest product invention, a single banana wrapped in plastic, reports the Globe and Mail. The move, not surprisingly, drew ire from many who point out that the banana already has its own, biodegradable wrapping, the peel. Ironically, Del Monte told…

House Budget Cuts Would Impact Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

In our efforts to cut federal spending, we might want to question the notion that all government agencies are wasteful or can be easily privatized.

O Give Me A Home, Where The Skies Are…Oh Never Mind

Which has a worse smog problem ? The car-choked sprawling megalopolis of Los Angeles? Or the wide open plains of Wyoming? If you guessed LA, you’d be wrong. It’s actually Wyoming. This depressing tidbit comes courtesy of the oil and gas industry, which is in the midst of a drilling boom that has left the…

Roadless Rule Reinstated on the Tongass National Forest

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, adopted at the end of the Clinton administration, banned most logging and road-building on the last 58.5 million unspoiled and unprotected acres on the national forests. It was immediately challenged by states, timber companies and other interests in nine lawsuits, one of which is still awaiting final resolution. In Alaska,…

Tr-Ash Talk: Under the Influence

When members of the House of Representatives return to their districts for April recess, many should be called to task for supporting a budget rider that would kill a coal ash rulemaking designed to protect the health, homes and livelihood of their constituents. How, for example, can one explain the voting record of most of…

Friday Finds: Walmart Extinguishes Flame Retardants

Walmart blazes trail in banning flame retardants Fed up with feds dragging their heals on banning a controversial flame retardant, retail giant Walmart recently enacted its own ban, reports the Washington Post. Known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs, this class of chemicals is found in everything from pet supplies to furniture and electronics, and…