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Senate bill would close fracking loophole
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) has introduced the FRESHER Act of 2015, which forces companies to procure permits before they increase stormwater runoff from oil and gas well pads and related infrastructure. In March, Representative Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) had introduced the companion bill in the House as part… Read More
Customs bill amendment directs USTR to ignore climate change
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last night the House Rules Committee ruled on an amendment by House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Ohio) to the customs bill that would modify the negotiating objectives in the Fast Track bill and direct the United States Trade Representative to take no action to address… Read More
Doggett challenges USTR for not enforcing environmental obligations in past trade agreements
New evidence casts doubts on White House claims that TPP will benefit the environment WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the run-up to the controversial vote on Fast Track trade promotion authority, the administration has repeatedly claimed that the Trans Pacific Partnership will be a “21st century” trade agreement that holds countries to… Read More
House prepares frontal assault against EPA, Interior
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee proposed steep cuts to key environmental programs within the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior. The proposal, which moves next to the full Appropriations Committee, amounts to a $246 million cut from the committee’s… Read More
Aboriginal Australians to Ex-Im Bank: don’t fund our destruction
Representatives ask Ex-Im Bank to refrain from funding controversial coal mine on ancestral land WASHINGTON, D.C. – It’s not every day that the U.S. Export-Import Bank is the site of striking demonstrations, like a young aboriginal woman doing her traditional dance to the unique sounds of a didgeridoo. But at 1… Read More
Environmental groups file lawsuit challenging Shell Oils risky and reckless Arctic drilling plan
Agency gave Shell the stamp of approval to drill in fragile Arctic Ocean, despite threats ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — An alliance of environmental and Alaska-based community groups are challenging the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s approval of Shell’s oil exploration plan for drilling this summer in the Chukchi Sea. Earthjustice filed… Read More
New report highlights strategies to move garden industry in bee-safe direction
Growing number of companies taking steps to protect bees WASHINGTON, D.C. – Friends of the Earth and the Pesticide Research Institute released a new report today, Growing Bee-Friendly Garden Plants: Profiles In Innovation, which provides examples of wholesale nurseries, retailers and institutions that are responding to consumer demand to protect bees. Read More
Interior contradicts climate objectives with carbon bomb in Wyoming
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Interior released its Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Buffalo planning area in north-central Wyoming. The Bureau of Land Management currently manages 780,000 acres of surface lands and 4.8 million acres of federal minerals in the Buffalo planning… Read More
Canadian risk assessment finds GMO salmon susceptible to disease
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A never-before-seen draft environmental review of AquaBounty Technologies’ (ABTX) genetically engineered — or GE — salmon reveals that Canadian government scientists disagree with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on key questions related to the safety and performance of what may be the first GE animal approved… Read More
With controversy over secret trade deal rising, 10 public interest groups call for release of emails between top trade negotiator and Wall Street
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, 10 organizations representing more than 10 million Americans called on U.S. Trade Representative — USTR — Michael Froman to publicly release all records of communication between himself and representatives of the ten largest U.S. financial institutions — including his former employer Citigroup — while he has… Read More