Pollution

June 23, 2008 -- When John McCain is in California this week he will no doubt try to tie himself to Gov. Schwarzenegger and distance himself from President Bush. But when it comes to offshore drilling, an important issue to coastal states, like California, Senator McCain is on Bush's--not Schwarzenegger's--side.

When McCain announced last week he wanted to lift the moratorium on offshore drilling, President Bush and big oil were quick to side with him, even though the idea has been met with much criticism and would do nothing to solve our short-term energy crisis. Just as bad, Senator McCain himself campaigned against off-shore drilling in states like Oregon, Maine, and even California in the run-up to the 2000 election.    » read more »

June 23, 2008 -- After years of saying he opposed drilling in our coastal waters, Senator McCain changed his position and has embraced President Bush's vision for offshore drilling. On CBS's Face the Nation, McCain advisor Carly Fiorina tried to defend John McCain's decision to cave in to Big Oil.

Offshore oil rig: Photo by arbyreed (CC)    » read more »

June 20, 2008 -- This week John McCain reversed himself again, announcing that he now supports lifting the moratorium on off-shore drilling despite previously opposing such a plan to reverse decades of U.S. policy. McCain and President Bush stood behind the plan even though it does nothing to address current gas prices, it would take years to see a drop of oil from these leases, and oil industry execs already have thousands of untapped leases at their disposal.    » read more »

June 17, 2008 -- During his campaign John McCain has tried to create distance from the Bush Administration by talking tough on the environment. But you just never know which John McCain you're going to get. Today, Senator McCain will cave to his friends in the oil and gas industries by declaring that he supports lifting the federal moratorium on drilling exploration, even though he supported the moratorium the last time he ran for president and has opposed drilling off the coast of places like Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, and Maine.    » read more »

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JUNE 16, 2008 -- The 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan, endorsed by federal agencies and several Mississippi River Basin states, was formally approved in New Orleans today.

Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico results from the introduction of excess nutrients from the Mississippi River Basin into the Gulf of Mexico. Nutrients are important to the environment, but excess nitrogen and phosphorus can harm water quality by feeding algae blooms and creating oxygen-deprived "dead zones" where marine life cannot survive.    » read more »

Decision Could Echo Across the Nation

CHICAGO -- June 6 2008 -- In a case that might impact oil refineries around the nation, plans by ConocoPhillips to expand its refinery in Roxana, IL were derailed today when an appeal board of the US Environmental Protection Agency upheld a challenge to the air permit required for the project.

The decision sends ConocoPhillips and Illinois EPA, which had granted the permits, back to the drawing board. The legal challenge argued that harmful air pollution from the refinery’s flares, which relieve pressure in the refining process, was not being sufficiently controlled.    » read more »

Mayor Bloomberg Announces Creation Of Office Of Environmental Remediation And Outlines Necessary Reform Measures To Overhaul New York’s Brownfield Cleanup Program

June 9, 2008 -- New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the creation of the Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) to expedite the cleanup of contaminated brownfield sites throughout New York City as outlined in PlaNYC .    » read more »

Emission Reductions Proposed for New Cement Plants

(1)EPA Study Confirms Low Mercury Emissions from Chlorine Manufacturing

Washington, D.C., Monday June 2, 2008 -- EPA has completed a study to better characterize fugitive mercury emissions from chlorine manufactures that use mercury cell technology. There are currently five such facilities nationwide. Study findings show that mercury emissions average about 0.2 tons per year per facility.    » read more »

The Governor’s Commuter Challenge will show the state leading by example in the fight against global warming – and save employees money on gas

June 2, 2008 - (Salem) – Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski today challenged the 8,500 state employees who work in the Capitol Mall area to reduce the state’s carbon footprint by 500,000 pounds of carbon this summer by carpooling, biking, walking, or using mass transit.    » read more »

“I think it is vital that we move ahead on this issue, and I intend to vote ‘yes’ on the motion to proceed.”

Washington, D.C. -- June 2, 2008 -- Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate in regards to the current debate on the Lieberman-Warner “Climate Security Act” (S.3036).

A transcript of his floor statement follows. The extensive floor statement he references in his speech is attached.

“Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for squeezing me in for five minutes. I have sought this time to talk very briefly about the Bingaman-Specter bill which is aimed at solving the problem of global warming, but is somewhat more moderate than the Warner-Lieberman bill.    » read more »

Millions Living Near Freeways Currently Face Illegal Pollution Levels

LOS ANGELES -- May 29, 2008 – A federally approved air pollution plan for the Los Angeles region should be strengthened because it does not adequately protect people near freeways from diesel truck pollution, according to a lawsuit filed today by NRDC and a coalition of environmental and health groups.

LA freeways: Photo by kalavinka (CC)    » read more »

More than 1,700 Say Early Reductions Can Benefit Economy

WASHINGTON (May 29, 2008) – More than 1,700 of the nation's most prominent scientists and economists today released a joint statement calling on policymakers to require immediate, deep reductions in heat-trapping emissions that cause global warming. Issued just days before the Senate begins debate on the Lieberman-Warner climate bill, the statement marks the first time leading U.S. scientists and economists have joined together to make such an appeal.

The statement stresses that implementing policies to achieve swift and substantial cuts is both economically sound and necessary to limit the worst consequences of climate change.    » read more »

Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch announced that Rhode Island has joined a coalition of 13 other states, New York City, and Washington, DC, in suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to protect the public health and the environment.

Lynch said that the EPA and the Bush Administration are in violation of the Clean Air Act by having set weak standards that do not effectively regulate the amount of ground-level ozone air pollution allowed in the atmosphere.    » read more »

New Jersey Joins Multi-State Challenge to EPA Ozone Standards; Federal Lawsuit Alleges Violation of the Clean Air Act

May 28, 2008 -- TRENTON - New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram announced today that New Jersey has joined with 13 other states in challenging revised, ground-level ozone standards set by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as weak and inadequate to protect the public health and welfare.

Industrial wasteland, New Jersey: Photo by Ari Moore (CC)    » read more »

Health department releases annual report of drinking water in Minnesota; Few problems detected in state’s community water supply systems

May 29, 2008 -- The vast majority of Minnesota’s 965 community water supply systems provided safe drinking water to their users each day throughout 2007 with few problems of contamination, according to a report by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Water droplet: Photo by gehat (CC)    » read more »