Green Options » Rahm Emanuel

What Does $10B in Stimulus Really Mean for High-Speed Rail?

Timothy B. Hurst — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:00:52 +0000

After a recent trip to California, I was reminded what it is like to have a mass transit infrastructure that can take you just about anywhere you want to go. Unfortunately, the U.S. rail infrastructure has withered significantly since its zenith in the early twentieth century, and unlike many of its European and Asian counterparts, it has almost zero high-speed rail service, excluding the Acela Express between Boston and Washington, D.C.

But things might be changing on the rail front, partly because of the machinations of an Obama administration steeped in the loco-centric history of the biggest rail hub in the country - Chicago.

Obama Freezes Pending Bush Regulations, Good News for Wolves

Andrew Williams — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:13:13 +0000

In one of his first moves upon taking office, President Obama has ordered a freeze on all new or pending regulations from the Bush administration. The bold action could delay, and possibly even prevent, the removal of gray wolves from endangered species lists in more than a dozen states.

In a memorandum released by Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Obama has informed all department and agency heads that “…no proposed or final regulation should be sent to the Office of Federal Register for publication unless and until it has been reviewed and approved by a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2009.”

According to Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, the hiatus will give President Obama and new Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar the chance to reconsider the Bush administration’s plans to remove wolves from the endangered species list.

Rahm Emanuel: Obama Picks the Ideal Chief of Staff for Rebuilding the Economy With an Environmental Focus

Reenita Malhotra — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:36:33 +0000

As Jennifer Lance mentioned in her post this week on Red, Green and Blue, last Tuesday was a win not only for Barack Obama but also for the environment. Hours after being elected the new President of the United States, Obama has already selected fellow Illinois Democrat, Rahm Emanuel, a strong supporter of the environment, to be his Chief of Staff.

Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff Designate

Emanuel introduced a far-reaching cleanup package for the Great Lakes in 2003 committing millions of dollars to clean up toxic hot spots. He is a man who swims in Lake Michigan for exercise and has an intimate connection to the environment. One environmentalist called Emanuel “the godfather of Great Lakes restoration”(Cleveland.Com).