With the United States experiencing rising national debt and serious environmental issues, corn-belt Congressmen and women are supporting legislation that will exacerbate both problems.
Senators Baucus, Tester, and Crapo have proposed a bill (S. 3381), which would eliminate critical forest and land safeguards for biomass production.
Three Tax Breaks for Nuclear Power in Kerry-Lieberman Will Cost Up to $57.3 Billion for 22 Reactors
Read the new analysis exposing these tax breaks here (pdf).
The success of global climate negotiations – and the fight against climate change – largely depend on
developed countries meeting their responsibilities to transfer hundreds of billions of dollars each year to
support developing countries to deal with global warming and to transition to sustainable and equitable
economies. This money will only be as effective as the institutions through which it is channeled.
Last week, BP's "top kill" effort, in which mud and other objects were forced into the blown-out oil well in the gulf to try and stanch the flow of oil, failed. Now, BP engineers are attempting to stop the gusher on the ocean floor by cutting the breached riser pipe on top of the well and placing a cap over the top of the newly-cut pipe. This strategy, if it fails, will most likely increase…
Last December, President Obama accepted a Nobel Prize for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" and his "constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting.” He characterized the Prize as “as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.” Yet in Copenhagen, President Obama squandered a historic opportunity to embody this necessary leadership in the global fight against the…
Furthermore, none of the nanocosmetics or nanosunscreens on the U.S. market are subject to a premarket safety assessment by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that would require special tests for effects unique to nanoscale ingredients before being put on the shelves (FDA, 2003).
A corporation has asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve one of their products containing manufactured nanoparticles for oil clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico. We sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson demanding this risky experiment not be allowed, citing the many health concerns posed by manufactured nanoparticles. The letter was signed by 17 public-interest organizations from the U.S., Canada, and South America.
Bioenergy has long been presented as the sustainable alternative to crude oil and natural gas. Though science suggests that bioenergy is unsustainable and has the potential to cause severe ecological damage, Congress has promoted bioenergy as the best alternative to our current dependence on foreign oil. The draft American Power Act (APA) is no different. It encourages unsustainable bioenergy production while also weakening current law that prevents deforestation. The draft American Power Act, if enacted, would result in global…