Search
Taking ‘Green Scissors’ to budget would yield $380 billion in savings
WASHINGTON, D.C. — August 24, 2011 — Ending a third of a trillion dollars in environmentally harmful subsidies could go a long way toward solving our nation’s budget challenges, an unusual right-left coalition said today in a groundbreaking report. Read More
Nuclear regulators told law prohibits new reactor licensing until Fukushima review taken into account
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- August 11, 2011 -- Not only should the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) slow down reactor licensing and relicensing in order to address a range of health and safety concerns raised by its own experts in the task force review of the Fukushima disaster, but the reality is that the NRC is required to apply the brakes in order to comply with existing federal law, according to 19 separate legal challenges filed today by a total of 25 public interest groups and several individuals. Read More
Friends of the Earth lauds members of Congress opposing draconian cuts in debt deal
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the Senate voted 74 to 26 to pass the Budget Control Act of 2011. The bill passed the House 269 to 161 last night and institutes roughly $1 trillion in initial spending cuts with no guaranteed revenue increases as the price for meeting our government’s obligations to pay its bills. Read More
Divided appeals court rules human genes are patentable, protecting biotech profit instead of patient health
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled late Friday that two human genes correlated with increased risk for breast cancer are patentable. Read More
Friends of the Earth urges rejection of proposed debt ceiling agreement
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last night President Obama, Majority Leader Reid, Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader McConnell announced a framework for raising the debt ceiling. The plan calls for roughly $1 trillion in spending reductions with no revenue increases. It establishes a commission tasked with agreeing on an additional $1.5 trillion in savings and revenue; if no agreement on that additional savings and revenue is reached, additional spending cuts will be automatically triggered. Read More
State Department rushes toward judgment on Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline
The State Department announced today that it will not take additional time to consider the risks of the Keystone XL tar sands oil project, and instead will release a final Environmental Impact Statement by mid-August. Read More
Independent analysis concludes nuclear task forces safety recommendations are insufficient
Washington, D.C.—As the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met this morning to consider a summary of lessons learned from the ongoing nuclear disaster in Japan, Friends of the Earth released an independent analysis concluding that the report is incomplete and deficient, and that its recommendations do not go far enough. Read More
Tar sands oil may have flowed through Exxon Silvertip pipeline
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. pipeline regulators revealed yesterday that the Exxon pipeline responsible for spilling 42,000 gallons into the Yellowstone River earlier this month may have sometimes carried a heavy and corrosive form of oil from Canada’s tar sands, according to Reuters. If the pipeline did carry tar sands oil, that may have played a role in the pipeline breach. Read More
Task force calls for sweeping safety upgrades at U.S. reactors to reduce meltdown risk
WASHINGTON, D.C.—A task force established by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the wake of the post-tsunami nuclear disaster in Japan today released sweeping recommendations for regulatory changes needed for safer operation of existing nuclear reactor facilities and new reactor designs in the United States. Read More
Friends of the Earth announces opposition to U.S.-Colombia trade pact
Washington, D.C.—Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica had this statement at a rally in opposition to the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement held in front of the White House today. Read More