Published by Ocean Conservancy For most of us, Canada’s Northwest Passage still conjures a romantic mystique: the lure of explorers, hardship, dreams, riches and failure. Where the Arctic explorers Franklin searched and died and where Amundsen at last succeeded, tour ships cruise today and the entire route can be sailed at times without encountering ice. And […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Zinke’s Budget Is Another Practice in Cognitive Dissonance The Trump administration released its budget request for Fiscal Year 2019 earlier this week, a disaster of a proposal mitigated. Though this blueprint for destruction is likely dead on arrival in Congress, it nevertheless has effectively quantified Interior Secretary Ryan […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The boreal, one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, is in danger. By working to save it, Canada could make a quantum leap, culturally and environmentally. David Dodge/CPAWS/Flickr Because our neighboring nations have so much in common culturally, you can sometimes almost forget that you’ve traveled to another […]
Published by the Department of the Interior The region-wide lease sale, which is the largest in U.S. history, is scheduled for March 21, 2018, and will include all available unleased areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Read the full article at: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-announces-date-largest-oil-and-gas-lease-sale-us-history
Published by Ocean Conservancy Opinion by Larry McKinney and Chris Robbins (This piece was originally posted on NOLA.com, February 15, 2018) In the shadow of New Orleans’ legendary Mardi Gras festivities, the city recently hosted a much more sober affair—one that can make or break the Gulf of Mexico. At the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and […]
Published by the Department of the Interior The draft list of minerals that DOI published today as critical to the United States includes 35 mineral commodities, such as aluminum — used in almost all sectors of the economy. Read the full article at: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-seeks-public-comment-draft-list-35-minerals-deemed-critical-us-national
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Budget Director Mick Mulvaney testifying before the Senate Budget Committee on President Trump’s fiscal year 2019 budget proposal, Februrary 13, 2018 Susan Walsh/AP President Trump released his long-awaited infrastructure plan on Monday morning. By that evening it had been analyzed, scrutinized, picked apart, and fact-checked to a fare-thee-well. […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The Energy Department’s delay of four energy efficiency standards was against the law. A federal court ruled on the side of both the environment and consumers yesterday when it declared delays to four energy efficiency standards illegal. NRDC—alongside other public interest groups, 11 states, and the City of […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Welcome to our weekly Trump v. Earth column, in which onEarth reviews the environment-related shenanigans of President Trump and his allies. Pruitt Doesn’t Travel Coach The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector General’s Office launched an inquiry into Administrator Scott Pruitt’s travel expenses back in August, so it’s going to love […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund A federal judge ruled today that the Trump administration illegally delayed four energy efficiency standards that will save America’s consumers and businesses more than $8 billion in energy costs, finding that delaying the standards was “a violation of the Department’s duties” under federal law. In a victory […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Civil engineers give U.S. bridges, roads and other infrastructure a grade of D Pixabay President Trump’s long-delayed infrastructure plan is a set of thinly drawn concepts with no obvious source of direct funding. It claims to help build a better future for all Americans but instead steamrolls public […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund For the second year in a row, Administrator Scott Pruitt has proposed an Environmental Protection Agency budget that slashes climate research and protection programs. Pruitt has not yet proposed one pollution regulation to improve air and water quality, yet says he wants to “deliver real results to provide […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Texas Wind Farms Daxis / Flickr As the EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) listening tour comes to Kansas City, Missouri, Midwesterners can voice their support for national strategy to fight climate change and a path towards cleaner, cheaper sources of energy. The CPP would boost an already thriving […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Greetings from Portland, Oregon, where I am attending the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM), a gathering for scientific exchange on ocean issues across a range of disciplines. Sarah Cooley, Ocean Conservancy’s Director of Ocean Acidification shared an overview of the conference with us on Monday. As she noted, the range of disciplines […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Last Thursday, the Federal administration brought an offshore oil drilling dog and pony show to Sacramento, instead of hosting a listening session with live testimony from concerned citizens. On January 4, President Trump announced his intentions to open-up California’s beloved coastline to oil and gas exploration. The agency […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund America’s water infrastructure is in bad shape, and President Trump’s new infrastructure plan would do little to fix that problem. Our drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure brings clean water into our homes and prevents dangerous pollution from spilling into our waterways. We need it to keep our […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Environment and Climate Change Canada Guest blog by Jennifer Skene and Courtenay Lewis Yesterday, the Canadian government released a final Action Plan for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population (Action Plan). The Action Plan highlights the need to protect the “iconic but threatened” boreal caribou, and […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund At the close of a lively debate before the nation’s utility regulators, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) today released a joint statement supporting new utility policies to accelerate America’s transition to a clean energy future, including further reductions in greenhouse gas […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund There’s a common saying in Washington: “A budget is a moral document.” Seen through that lens, the Trump administration’s budget is a deeply immoral plan for national water policy. This proposal would make radical and deep cuts to numerous critical water initiatives. I suppose this should not be […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has just proposed to eviscerate the Bureau of Land Management’s (“BLM”) standards adopted a little over a year ago to stop the rampant climate pollution and loss of taxpayer revenue from oil and gas operations on our public lands. Methane, the main ingredient of […]