By Rhishja Larson •
September 9, 2009
Finally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the status of the Pacific walrus to determine whether or not the marine mammal will receive Endangered Species Act protections.
The Center for Biological Diversity stated that the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) is facing a double threat to its ice habitat: Global warming and increased oil development.
A petition seeking protection for the Pacific walrus was submitted by the Center back in February 2008. After the USFWS failed to respond to the petition, the Center filed a lawsuit - prompting the USFWS to take action.
Power plants play a huge role in emitting pollutants that make up the ozone. This pollution browns and blackens our horizons. We call it smog. Smog has been linked to premature deaths, thousands of emergency room visits, and tens of thousands of asthma attacks each year. Pollution in the ozone is particularly dangerous to small children and the elderly, who are often warned to stay indoors on days with poor air quality due to pollutants.
By Jerry James Stone •
January 12, 2009
New York’s new cap-and-trade program has better emission standards than those of the EPA and it begins in March of this year. This is after many battles between the state and the Bush administration trying to lower pollutions standards.
By Becky Striepe •
December 24, 2008
In what he describes as a spontaneous decision, University of Utah student Tim DeChristopher attempted to purchase over 22,000 acres of southern Utah land to protect it from oil companies.
[Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Creative Commons photo by Don Pugh]
De Christopher was headed to the Bureau of Land Management auction not to disrupt it but to protest. When he discovered how easy it was to go inside and become a bidder, he grabbed a bidding paddle and went for it. He now faces prosecution, though charges probably won’t be named until after the holidays.
By Timothy B. Hurst •
December 20, 2008
On Thursday, Assistant Interior Secretary Lyle Laverty ordered the National Park Service to ease its existing mountain biking rules that some environmental groups claim could open up nearly 8 million acres of recommended or proposed wilderness lands in approximately 30 parks to mountain biking.
By Marc Rose •
December 20, 2008
The Bush Administration bailed out GM on Friday, after pushing the prospect of bankruptcy as the most reasonable option. The most compelling language in the bailout agreement: A mandate for electric cars or fuel efficient models? Not at all. The government has focused in on forcing GM to get rid of its corporate jets, which drew little notice until the Big 3 CEOs flew to Washington to be upbraided by lawmakers.
The legislation had little to say about fuel efficiency, electric or hybrid cars, or the feasibility that a loan to GM will do anything to resurrect the struggling company. In regard to emerging technologies, the legislation requires merely that GM “intend” to “commence domestic manufacturing of advanced technology vehicles.”
By Timothy B. Hurst •
December 19, 2008
n a memo issued by EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson on Thursday, the Bush administration has “clarified” a rule which, in essence, prevents any federal agency from denying an operating permit to new or significantly remodeled power plants based on their carbon dioxide emissions.
By Alex Felsinger •
December 18, 2008
A team of eight scientists and conservationists with the Endangered Species Coalition have determined the top 10 species in the United States that deserve protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The animals and plants that were considered for the list, titled “Without a Net,” were nominated by various organizations across the country. The coalition prepared the list because they believe that the US Fish and Wildlife Services do not sufficiently research and list species in need of new protection.
By Timothy B. Hurst •
December 5, 2008
The latest in a flurry of environmentally-devastating, last-minute rule changes from the Bush administration will give the go ahead for coal mining companies to fill valleys with the mining debris left over from lobbing-off mountaintops
By Timothy B. Hurst •
October 30, 2008
EPA officials have been working on a fast tract to meet a Saturday deadline for a new rule that would weaken pollution regulations for power plants, allowing them to increase emissions without adding new controls.
By Tom Schueneman •
October 23, 2008
The report was requested by Reps. John Dingell (D-MI), the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Bart Stupak (D-MI), Chairman of its Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation.
