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Oil Spill Commission Report Sounds Familiar—And Welcome
If you add up all the indicting statements, conclusions and recommendations in President Obama’s oil spill commission report—released today—you’d think outlaws are running the oil industry under charter from federal regulators. Which is no surprise to us at Earthjustice. Much of what the commission says is what we’ve been saying (in court, in Congress and…
Read MoreOcean Scientists Says There are More Fish To Catch…
Oceans scientist Steve Murawski has got some good news for our fishermen clients in New England: there may be more fish to catch next year. If you remember, many fishermen had to retire their nets because of too few fish. In an Associated Press report, Murawski heralds the end of overfishing as a result of a…
Read MoreCommission Blames Entire Oil Industry for Gulf Oil Spill
Since last April 20, when BP’s well rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded and sank, we’ve been referring to the ensuing oil flood as “the BP oil spill.” Today, as we analyze a preliminary report from the federal government’s oil spill commission, we are inclined to change our reference. Based on the report’s conclusions,…
Read MoreCongressional Assault on Health Protections is Underway
The Republican majority in the 112th Congress has named the EPA as its chief adversary and is preparing to thwart the agency’s efforts to reduce pollution—including attempting to take down standards to control toxic air emissions from cement plants.
Read MoreDay Three of Congress: Public Health Under Attack By Polluters
Only three days after Republicans took over the House of Representatives, Americans are at risk of losing critical, life-saving pollution protections. Since they took their seats in the 112th Congress, some elected representatives have made shooting down or slowing down these protective pollution controls their top priority. Today, House Republicans announced a resolution that seeks…
Read MoreRussian River Dredging Imperils Salmon
Coho and chinook salmon, along with their steelhead cousins, are making some promising headway in California’s North Coast streams. The San Francisco Chronicle carried a front-page story on Dec. 19 describing a higher-than-expected return of spawning coho in Lagunitas Creek. The same trend holds true for the Garcia and several other streams. This is not…
Read MoreFriday Finds: Lights Out for Light Pollution
Americans see the light on night bright cities Approximately 300 counties, cities and towns are beginning to see the light on excessive light pollution by enacting so-called dark-sky legislation that’s supported by treehuggers and army brats alike, reports USA Today. Light pollution doesn’t just keep you up past your bedtime. Over the years, studies have…
Read MoreWhen the Lights Go Out in Congress
Energy efficient light bulbs have come to symbolize the promise of smarter, greener, cost-saving technologies. The image of the coiled CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) reminds us that we can save money while saving energy. And for good reason: The federal government’s Energy Star program found that if every American home replaced just one light with…
Read MorePaying Respects to a Great Leader
In this line of work, we are lucky to meet and work with a lot of heroes, people who stand up against all odds for the health of their communities, who sacrifice for the greater good of their brothers and sisters. Judy Bonds of Marfork, West Virginia was a hero among heroes, an extraordinary leader…
Read MoreNew Energy Scheme for the East River Gets a Green Light
A company called Verdant Power has just received permission to install up to 30 turbines in the eastern channel of the East River in New York to harvest the power of the natural currents and feed electricity into the grid for use mainly in New York City. The plan has been underway for 10 years, and stage three—the…
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