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The outgoing President of United States has urged lawmakers to stake claims to Arctic’s vast and untouched natural resources. In a detailed policy directive, President Bush made it clear that Congress needs to reconsider the existing rules regarding control of the seabed. The President wants lawmakers to make arrangements for the U.S. to stake claim on area extending beyond Alaska.

In his directive the President urged the lawmakers to consider the economic, environmental and security interests of the country and take the required legal initiatives to stake claim to the rich natural resources of the Arctic. The directive said that increased human activity in the region and the phenomenon of global warning would provide new opportunities to tap the vast reserves of natural resources and that the United States should take appropriate steps to get hands on those resources.

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What is needed is a much larger investment in the Green economy, one that will create a new era of high paying middle class jobs, and an investment that strengthens the overall economy by reducing government budget deficits.  An investment sufficient in size that will do more than simply stimulate consumption, or keep Green hopes alive,  but an investment that will permanently transform the economy.  And help America regain it’s economic, competitive, and technological advantage once again.

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If this provision never becomes law, then those of you who may someday become victims of lung disease, will have to do without rehab when you reach Medicare age.

Congress overwhelmingly approved the Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation Act, which, among other things, would make life easier for Americans who suffer from lung disease.  This, you say, may not tie into environmentalism, but think again; coal smoke, smoking, second-hand smoke, pollutants in the air, all add to lung disease, and heaven knows we’ve had a century of air pollution pouring into our lungs.  It isn’t over yet.

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However, in recent months, Senator Obama has also expressed some mixed feelings about boycotting the Olympics.

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Step Right Up And Be Amazed

It struck me today that our fearless leaders, would-be’s, and corporate giants seem to think we’re all a bunch of rubes gathered outside a carnival sideshow, leaning on the barker’s every word.

Urging Congress to lift its ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, our fearless leader, you know, President Bush, told lawmakers, “There is no excuse for delay“.

It got worse, “Families across the country are looking to Washington for a response.”  Gimme a break.

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That’s right… blogging can be a bit like that “Telephone” game we all played as kids. Thanks as always to Brad and Peter!

Read more Shades of Green comic strips

Young leaders from the Middle East have called on their business and government leaders to implement reforms immediately and transparently if they are to fulfill their potential by 2025. “We need faster change to keep pace with what’s happening in the rest of the world,” said Amira Abdel-Aziz, a masters student at Cairo University.

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The best thing about using the device for the Address was being able >>, to >>>, or even to >>>> through the long, drawn out walk into the House Chamber. I always find all of that gladhanding a little strange, really The long walk is then punctuated by the rounds of undeserved applause (though noticeably quieter and shorter than past years). The second best thing about the TiVo was being able to << when I had to re-listen to a couple of spots for a good laugh. And I am even such a nerd that I moved the parts of the video frame-by-frame to see where Bush was looking when he delivered certain parts of his message.

Regardless of how I watched it, I came away with a general impression that many of you may also have had; this was not the same President who once boasted about his political capital and how he intended to spend it. This is now a fairly unpopular, lame duck executive presiding over a country that is, a) frustrated with the long and expensive occupation of Iraq; b) nervous about a sagging economy and possible recession, and; c) annoyed by the inordinate amount of BS that has flowed freely from this administration for the last seven years. Essentially, the speech will not be remembered for its fire, vigor, bold policy announcements or anything else really.

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Before going on, I’ve made a podcast of this article, and if you’d rather listen, the link is here. This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

It’s difficult to say which one of the two options above concerns me most, but the Bush/Cheney administration, in its own way, is about as scary as nuclear proliferation. Their environmental record may well go down in history as one of the worst ever, and there’s still plenty of time to make it even worse.

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All of this comes in lieu of the administration's push to win congressional approval to raise corporate average fuel economy standards by an average of 4 percent annually, starting in September 2009 for passenger cars, and in 2011 for light duty trucks. To give you some perspective on how unusual a move this is: fuel standards for cars have not been updated since 1985. Yikes.

Bush neither got into the vehicles, nor had them start up. He did. however, provide a two-minute speech to reiterate his State of the Union Address saying,

"I firmly believe that the goal I laid out, that Americans will use 20 percent less gasoline over the next 10 years is going to be achieved, and here's living proof of how we're going to get there," he said, referring to the battery-operated vehicles.

The new standards come on the heels of the EPA updating mileage tests for all new vehicles. More accurately reflecting real-world driving, the revised figures paint a grim picture of average american fuel economy: a staggering 22mpg. Let's hope this battery-technology gets some solid support from the government and the people. I'd hate to see a sequel to Who Killed the Electric Car?. Hit the jump for more!

Photo Credit: Eric Draper, White House