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President Obama hits two birds with one stone with new gas tax proposal
Washington, D.C. -- This week, the White House and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) proposed a plan to eliminate the nation’s gas tax of $0.184 on each gallon and instead replace it with an 8.4 percent sales tax. Read More
EPA Designates 16 Areas in Violation of Airborne Lead Standards
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently identified 16 regions in the United States that fail to meet clean air standards for airborne lead emissions. The finding underscores the need for immediate action by the EPA to control lead emissions from aviation fuel, the largest source of lead emissions in the U.S. Read More
EPA Decision to Raise Ethanol Blend in Gasoline Condemned From Diverse Quarters
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite opposition from a broad coalition of public interest, consumer and industry groups, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it will raise the maximum ratio of ethanol that can be blended into consumer gasoline to 15 percent — known as “E15.” The current ratio is capped at 10 percent and referred to as “E10.” Read More
Experts Warn UN Climate Delegates against use of Carbon Markets
TIANJIN, CHINA -- Experts on the dangers posed by carbon markets warned delegates at the UN climate talks here today against including carbon trading and offsets in any global climate agreement. Read More
Report: Synthetic Biofuels Not a Solution to the Climate Crisis
Washington, D.C.—The environmental watchdog group Friends of the Earth released a report today warning policymakers of the dangers of misguided attempts by the biotechnology industry to apply synthetic biology to the climate crisis, including the production of synthetic biofuels. Read More
Pipeline Protesters Greet President Obama at Fundraiser in New York
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- As President Obama arrives here for a Democratic campaign fundraiser today, activists with signs and banners are calling on him to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry dirty tar sands oil to the U.S. Read More
New Storylines Emerging From Climate Negotiations
United Nations climate negotiations will resume in Tianjin, China, on October 4, 2010. This is the first time formal international climate negations are taking place in China. Several stories are developing that you may wish to cover. Friends of the Earth is prepared to provide you with information and contacts related to each of these stories, should you decide to pursue them. Read More
Petition Seeks Limits on Greenhouse Gas, Black Carbon Pollution from Locomotives
SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth and the International Center for Technology Assessment today filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set limits for greenhouse gas and black carbon pollution from locomotives under the Clean Air Act. Locomotives are a significant source of global warming pollution. In 2008 alone, locomotives in the United States used more than 4 billion gallons of diesel fuel and released more than 50 million tons of carbon dioxide, ranking second among mobile non-road sources of greenhouse gas pollution. Read More
FDA Urged to Keep Genetically Engineered Salmon Off Consumers Plates
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today experts from environmental, public interest and consumer groups including Friends of the Earth were testifying at public hearings to urge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reject genetically engineered salmon for human consumption. Read More
U.S. Agency Votes to Finance Giant Coal Plant in India
Washington, D.C. – After bowing to political pressure to reverse its rejection of the 3,960 MW Sasan coal-fired Ultra Mega Power and Mine Project, the United States Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) voted on Wednesday to provide a “final commitment” and send the project to Congress for final review. The move marks the last step before final approval of U.S. subsidies for one of the world’s largest point sources of carbon dioxide emissions, and yet another strategic misstep for the global climate and the clean technology export sector in the United States. Read More