Search
Payroll tax deal means Obama must now reject the pipeline
Washington, D.C. — The Senate today passed a payroll tax cut deal that will force the Obama administration to decide the future of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline within 60 days. Read More
Disastrous outcome from international climate talks in Durban
Durban, South Africa — News release from Friends of the Earth International — The UN climate talks in Durban were a failure and take the world a significant step back by further undermining an already flawed, inadequate multilateral system that is supposed to address the climate crisis, according to Friends… Read More
Response to President Obama’s Keystone XL veto threat and remarks
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a just-finished joint press conference with Canada's Prime Minister Harper, President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to a "rigorous" review of the Keystone XL pipeline and threatened to veto any effort to force a rushed decision on the pipeline as part of his proposed payroll tax extension. Read More
Civil Society to World Bank: Clean Up Dirty Energy Financing
New report shows institution lacking clean energy lending strategy and instead considering a new loan for coal power in Kosovo Durban, South Africa — Civil society organizations from around the world released a report today at the Durban climate talks that highlights the contradictions inherent in the World Bank… Read More
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary bans cruise ship wastewater discharges
SEATTLE, Wash. -- On December 1, Washington’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary will enact regulations banning cruise ships from discharging sewage, graywater, oily bilge and other harmful waste in waters bounded by the Sanctuary, a move that will safeguard more than 2,700 square miles of extraordinary marine resources. Read More
As State Department begins additional Keystone XL review, new documents raise fresh concerns
Washington, D.C. -- A new tranche of internal State Department documents released today by public interest groups is raising fresh concerns about pro-pipeline bias -- just as the department begins a new review of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline’s likely impacts. Read More
Obama delays Keystone XL review
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The Obama administration announced today that it will delay its review of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline to explore a new route and conduct a new environmental impacts analysis. The announcement comes as President Obama faces escalating grassroots pressure to reject the pipeline from a broad coalition that includes climate, property rights, environmental justice and indigenous community activists. The administration has also come under withering criticism after Friends of the Earth and allied groups obtained documents via the Freedom of Information Act that indicate department officials allowed bias, lobbyist influence and conflicts of interest to corrupt the review process, resulting in an environmental impacts assessment that independent experts said was deeply flawed. Read More
Friends of the Earth U.S. statement in support of Occupy Wall Street
The hope and ambition of the Occupy movement has reminded us that we need to remake financial and economic systems so that they serve people and the planet, not the other way around. We are challenged to consider ways in which we can not only resist market fundamentalism, but help create new models that promote prosperity, social equity and environmental sustainability. The recent outpouring of public support for fundamental economic justice, as expressed through the Occupy Wall Street movement, has inspired and energized those of us at Friends of the Earth. Read More
Investigation launched into State Departments Keystone XL review
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica had the following response to news that the Inspector General’s office at the State Department has launched an investigation into the review of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline: Read More
Obama takes ownership of Keystone XL decision
In a major development in the Keystone XL debate, President Obama appears to have taken ownership of the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline decision in an interview with Omaha, Nebraska, TV station KETV. Read More