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The Latest by Terry Winckler

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March 31, 2011

Kansas Keeps Getting In The Way of Big Coal

By Terry Winckler  /  Northwest Office

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 …

March 31, 2011

Obama Says the Cure for Oil Addiction Is More Oil

By Terry Winckler

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 …

February 15, 2011

Massive Attacks on Environment Launched in Congress

By Terry Winckler  /  Policy and Legislation Team

Teabag by teabag, the anti-environment faction in the House of Representatives has filled its federal government spending bill with amendments that will cripple protections for our water, air, natural resources, wildlife and public health.  Not since the darkest days of the Bush administration have we seen such an onslaught on the environment—and the hits are still coming. By mid-day today …

February 9, 2011

Congress v. The Environment: EPA's Enemy Within

By Terry Winckler

(UPDATE 2/10: For another take on the issue, check out this item posted on Grist from the Natural Resources Defense Council.) Enemies of the Environmental Protection Agency are rallying today in Congress, but they may find their efforts blunted by an act of environmental weakness by Stephen L. Johnson, a former EPA administrator under President George W. Bush. …

February 3, 2011

In Wake of Gulf Oil Spill, Shell Quits Arctic Drilling For Summer

By Terry Winckler  /  Alaska Office

You can blame Earthjustice, our clients, Alaska Native allies, and a little thing called the Gulf oil spill for Shell Oil’s just-announced decision to not drill this summer in offshore Arctic waters. Work by Alaska Natives, with aid from our advocacy and legal efforts kept Shell from drilling last year in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, and stalled …

February 2, 2011

Does Weather Influence Your Belief In Climate Change?

By Terry Winckler  /  Headquarters Office

Two monster storms are pounding different parts of the planet right now, and it looks like both could influence how people think about climate change. Since folks tend to think of it in terms of today’s weather, you can guess how both of these storms are likely to play.  Way off in the Pacific, Australians …

January 11, 2011

Oil Spill Commission Report Sounds Familiar—And Welcome

By Terry Winckler  /  Headquarters Office

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 …

January 7, 2011

Commission Blames Entire Oil Industry for Gulf Oil Spill

By Terry Winckler  /  Florida Office

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, …

December 30, 2010

Massachusetts is Latest State to Target Greenhouse Gases

By Terry Winckler

So, now Massachusetts has joined the list of states that aren’t waiting for Congress to turn this country away from greenhouse-gaseous sources of energy. That state has set aggressive limits on emissions and plans to reach those targets by relying on clean energy programs already in place, including components of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) …

December 16, 2010

Kansas Allows Controversial Coal-Fired Power Plant

By Terry Winckler  /  Rocky Mountain Office

A bitter climax to three-year fight over major pollution producer