Blog
Polluter-backed climate bill about to hit House floor
Congress has a historic opportunity this year to pass legislation that dramatically reduces greenhouse gas pollution and puts us on a path to clean energy. Unfortunately, that opportunity could be squandered this week when a deeply flawed bill comes to the House floor. Read More
Narrow Biofuels Win in 2010 House Interior Appropriations Bill; Major Loss for CAFOs
The 2010 House Interior Appropriations Bill passed through committee with a narrow win for biofuels. Representative Emerson introduced an amendment that would have prevented the EPA from completing its analysis of the full global warming potential of biofuels. This would have ultimately allowed for biofuels that are worse than gasoline to continue to be pushed onto the market. Friends of the Earth and others worked tirelessly throughout the day to prevent this amendment from passing. Happily, the amendment failed narrowly, by one vote. Read More
New ads in opposition to House climate bill
Friends of the Earth has launched an online advertising campaign in opposition to the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill moving through Congress. Here are some of the ads we're running on progressive and environmental websites: Read More
Waxman-Markey Strips EPA of Clean Air Act Authority to Fight Global Warming
Effectiveness of the Clean Air Act The history of the Clean Air Act has demonstrated its value in reducing air pollution and improving health and welfare in cost-effective ways. Its programs have reduced a wide variety of air pollutants -- from nitrous oxides to volative organic compounds, from sulphur to pollutants causing the ozone hole -- and have done so across a wide variety of sources, from stationary sources to motor vehicles. Read More
Senate’s Dirty Energy Bill
The American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009 (ACELA) fails to heed President Obama’s call for clean energy jobs and a green economy. Instead it takes the same past false steps and increases our reliance on failed dirty energy sources. Read More
House Green Economy Bill Falls Short
Polluting special interests have weakened bill; it now falls far short of vision for clean energy future Obama articulated during campaign A bill intended to spur the United States’ transition to a clean energy economy and reduce global warming pollution is advancing in Congress. The bill (H.R. 2454), sponsored by Representatives Henry Waxman and Ed Markey, passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee on May 21. Read More
Video Blogging From Bonn
Friends of the Earth staff share their take on international climate negotiations International climate change negotiations are underway in Bonn, Germany. These negotiations, formally known as an "intercessional," are running from June 1 to 12 and are intended to lay the groundwork for countries to form a binding agreement to tackle the climate crisis. The agreement is expected to be finalized during further negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, later this year. Read More
Victory! Shell Pays Ogoni $15.5 Million in Settlement
On June 8, a settlement was reached shortly before Shell was due to stand trial in U.S. federal court for complicity in the executions of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other nonviolent Nigerian activists. Read More
Ship Shape: Celebrate World Oceans Day
This Monday, June 8 is World Oceans Day! After many years and much effort on the part of oceans advocates, the United Nations declared June 8, 2009 as the first official World Oceans Day. Read More
Waxman-Markey Gives Big Bucks to Polluters
Just when you thought that the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill couldn't get any worse, it does. According to Friends of the Earth's analysis of the bill, the bill would allocated tens of billions of dollars in permits to the industries that contribute greatest to global warming. In fact, the bill allocates pollution permits worth more than $24 billion to oil industry and more than $158 billion to the coal industry over the life-time of the bill. Read More