Blog
The EPA Must Protect Communities from Toxic Coal Ash
Coal ash is a toxic solid waste generated by coal-burning power plants. It's shockingly unregulated, and it's piling up at more than 600 dump sites across the country spanning nearly every state. Enough toxic coal waste is generated each year to fill train cars stretching from the North Pole to the South Pole. Read More
TV Interview on GE Salmon with Friends of the Earth’s Biotech Campaigner
Our biotechnology campaigner, Eric Hoffman, was recently interviewed on the Free Speech TV show “Whistle Where You Work” to discuss the dangers of the genetically engineered (GE) salmon. If this fish were to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it would be the first genetically engineered animal to… Read More
FDA Close to Approval of Genetically Engineered Salmon
UPDATE: The uproar generated by Friends of the Earth activists and 20 other environmental groups forced the FDA to extend the timetable for approval of the frankenfish. Read More
Campaign to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline Has Big Oil on the Defensive
When President Obama returned home to Chicago on August 4 and 5 to celebrate his birthday and fundraise, he was greeted by protestors concerned about a 1,700-mile pipeline that Big Oil is seeking his approval to build from Canada to Texas. Read More
Into the Wild?
A recent article from the BBC has shown that genetically engineered (GE) plants have become established in the wild. Researchers from the University of Arkansas studied wild canola plants in the countryside of North Dakota and found that 80% of the wild plants were contaminated with transgenes. Read More
Tides are Turning Against Ethanol Subsidies
The political tides seem to be turning against the ethanol subsidy “VEETC” (or the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit… but we’ll call it VEETC from now on out) , as new developments over the last few weeks have proven VEETC is just another tax credit aimed at giving taxpayer dollars to Big Oil. Read More
Biomass Emissions Accounted for in EPAs Global Warming Regulation
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its Tailoring Rule on May 13, 2010, which outlines which polluters will be required to obtain permits for greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Starting in January 2011, industrial facilities that emit 75,000 tons or more of CO2 will have to obtain emission permits. In 2012, facilities with 100,000 tons or more of CO2 emissions will have to account for these emissions in their permitting titles as well. Read More
Klobuchar for Char
On July 14, 2010 Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) co-sponsored a “homegrown” energy bill with Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) that promotes biofuels production. Read More
April 22, 2010: The Beginning of the End
By Erich Pica Three months into the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, BP has finally capped the well and is now testing to see if it can withstand the pressure building underground until the well is permanently plugged. While the oil blow-out has been a largely unmitigated disaster for the Gulf Coast and its communities, the response is an important test for the future of the planet. Will April 22, 2010 become our declaration of independence from dirty and dangerous fossil fuels, or will we succumb to political inertia? Read More