Blog
Congress has made undermining energy and environmental laws the focus of its first 100 days
In its first 100 days, the 114th Congress has cast more roll call votes on energy and environmental issues than on any other issue, according to a new report. Many of these votes sought to undermine environmental protections or fast track projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, but none of… Read More
Green groups slam first 100 days of GOP Senate
Green groups are targeting Senate Republicans as they near their first 100 days in control, accusing them of trying to roll back key environmental regulations and failing to take climate action. The groups cited the vote to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, amendments to block environmental laws in the budget… Read More
OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Dems blast bill to block climate rule
‘Misguided and unfortunate’: That’s Rep. Frank Pallone’s (D-N.J.) assessment of the GOP’s bill intended to fight the Environmental Protection Agency’s climate rule. At a hearing Tuesday on the bill, Pallone, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, urged his colleagues to “view this bill for what it really… Read More
Senate Democrats say McConnell ‘staying behind’ on climate rules
Senate Democrats are fighting back against Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s ploy to get governors to opt out of the EPA’s climate rules for power plants, by telling them how his home state of Kentucky is acting to address climate change. In a letter to all 50 governors, the Democrats—including Massachusetts’… Read More
What do green activists think about Hillary Clinton?
Notwithstanding The Washington Post’s inevitable jokes about “fedoras, flannel shirts and beards” outside Hillary Clinton’s campaign office “in the midst of hipster-cool downtown Brooklyn,” there actually is no such thing as “hipster-cool downtown Brooklyn.” Downtown Brooklyn is a warren of architecturally undistinguished office buildings and sterile windswept plazas. And so… Read More
Hillary Clinton can’t coast on her belief in climate science
This weekend, Hillary Clinton reportedly will announce her candidacy for president. In doing so, she will be the only legitimate contender for the White House—declared or presumptive—who embraces the scientific reality of climate change. Clinton could coast through the primary with an environmental platform that rests entirely on this fact… Read More
Lowe’s to stop selling bee-killing pesticides to protect pollinators
After two years of pressure by the hard-hitting campaign by Friends of the Earth and partners, Lowe’s Home Improvement announced yesterday it will begin to eliminate neonicotinoid pesticides—a leading contributor to global bee declines—from its stores. This public commitment is the most significant announcement so far for a retailer of… Read More
Friends of the Earth U.S. remembers Oronto Douglas
The board and staff of Friends of the Earth U.S. are deeply saddened by the passing of Oronto Douglas. Oronto was a co-founder of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria. Oronto was also a leading human rights attorney who championed the rights of people in Africa to demand a… Read More
Court finds that Maryland failed to protect rivers from pollution
Last Thursday, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, the second highest court in the state, ruled that the state’s environmental regulators are breaking the law by failing to clean up stormwater pollution in Montgomery County. Read More
Lowe’s to stop selling neonicotinoids pesticides that may be harmful to bees
Home improvement chain Lowe’s Cos Inc will stop selling a type of pesticide suspected of causing a decline in honeybee populations needed to pollinate key American crops, following a few U.S. retailers who have taken similar steps last year. The class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics, are sold… Read More