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The 2010 midterm election campaigns are in full swing, and Democrats are in jeopardy of losing many seats in both the House and Senate. Many of these positions could be won by candidates supported by the Tea Party, which wants less government and views climate legislation as just another federal power grab. In Indiana, where Democratic Representative Baron P. Hill spoke in defense of his......read more
With 37 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested and all 400 House seats up for grabs, the 2010 midterm election will mark a major shift in federal politics for the next two years. The environment — and particularly climate change — represents one of the most important issues at play. Here in California, there are several ballot measures in the gubernatorial election that......read more
This week, the New York State Assembly approved a temporary moratorium on the controversial natural gas exploration technique known as "fracking." Combining hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling, fracking uses large quantities of water and chemicals to blast through the earth's surface and uncover natural gas reserves. The moratorium is aimed at the Marcellus Shale field,......read more
In an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News, the incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee said he will fight Obama's plan for the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Republican Congressman Fred Upton told Wallace that the new GOP-led House won't "let this administration regulate what they've been unable to legislate." On the one hand, we shouldn't be......read more
President Obama pledged last week to pull back oil and gas subsidies in order to direct more dollars toward renewable energy. But can he pull it off? This will be Obama's third attempt at eliminating the subsidies; previous efforts have fallen victim to partisan politics in Congress and the overwhelming influence of fossil fuel lobbyists. So who exactly are these lobbyists?A simultaneously......read more
A GOP-led effort to block Obama administration climate change rules passed a crucial first step Thursday, when a House subcommittee voted to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The bill, tabled by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman (and climate change turncoat) Fred Upton, would prohibit consideration of CO2 and other......read more
G.O.P. presidential candidates, in a race to gain favor among Republican primary voters, have found a common enemy in the Environmental Protection Agency. Almost across the board, Republican hopefuls are portraying the E.P.A. as a symbol of alleged Obaman over-regulation and a roadblock to economic recovery. Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Herman Cain — all have......read more
Some U.S. farmers are paid to leave their land wild; others are compensated when weather devastates their cultivated land. Still others receive money when crop prices drop -- all from the same federal funds set aside through the current Farm Bill. To call it the "Farm Bill," however, is something of a misnomer. The federal government's primary agricultural and food policy legislation......read more
Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor and current Republican presidential candidate, earned accolades from environmental advocates earlier this year for denouncing his fellow presidential contenders -- chiefly Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann -- for their regressive views on matters of science, including human-induced global warming. "When you make comments......read more
Bad ideas abound in the House Transportation Bill released this week, and green transportation activists are rightly miffed. The proposed bill would slash funding for federally-mandated bike and pedestrian programs, and use the funds made available for highway improvements. It would also increase the size of trucks allowed on highways, and reduce the amount of time required for environmental......read more
