Environment

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who highlighted his support for cap-and-trade legislation to woo independent and environmentally-minded voters during the 2008 presidential campaign, affirmed again this week that he’s not willing to vote for a Democratic climate bill.
“I can’t use cap and trade as a way to increase revenue,” McCain told E&E. “It’s $630 billion that’s [...]

That’s the warning coming from the Australian government. In a report released Wednesday, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority found that the chances of the 345,000 square-foot natural wonder surviving in threats of global warming, pollution and other human-related scourges are “poor.” From Reuters:
“Even with the recent management initiatives to improve resilience, the overall [...]

In a blow to the coal industry’s fight against climate change legislation, Duke Energy, the electric utility giant, has dropped out of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, National Journal reported this morning. The ACCCE raised eyebrows this summer when it was discovered that a firm the group hired to lobby against the [...]

No plans for Labor Day? The coal industry has you covered.
At no cost to the public, the heavyweights of the industry are putting on the Friends of America Rally, a one-day country music extravaganza in Southern West Virginia featuring the talents of Hank Williams Jr. and John Rich, among others.
Just good, wholesome, blue-jeans-and-Copenhagen fun, right? [...]

In response to today’s announcement that arrival of the Senate’s climate change bill will be delayed at least a few weeks, the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) just shot out a statement indicating that the setback hasn’t hindered his plans to pass a bill this year.
They [the sponsors] are working diligently to [...]

Short answer: Hard to say.
Long answer: Retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) has been a moderate voice on environmental policy — he voted for cloture on the Lieberman-Warner cap-and-trade bill last year — and his departure could deprive Democrats of one of their few potential Republican allies on this issue. Odds are that the environmentally friendly [...]

After eight years researching mercury levels in the nation’s streams, scientists at the United States Geological Survey unveiled some bad news yesterday: Every fish taken from nearly 300 streams between 1998 and 2005 tested positive for Mercury, a neurotoxin, with 27 percent containing levels deemed unfit for human consumption. The Associated Press lays out [...]

Facing morning headlines that auto dealers are dropping out of the popular “Cash for Clunkers” program because the government hasn’t reimbursed the vouchers, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) fired off a letter to the Department of Transportation today urging administration officials to expedite their payments and provide dealers with “more certainty” that the money [...]

The Interior Department just sent over its statement reacting to a judge’s decision today to uphold a Bush-era rule making it easier for mining companies to dump their waste in mountain streams. In toto:
This Administration has shown it is determined to improve mining practices and we will do so within the context of the court’s [...]

A federal judge today blocked the Obama administration’s efforts overturn a Bush administration rule allowing coal companies to dump their mining waste in mountain streams.
The ruling is a victory for Appalachian mountaintop removal operations, where the peaks of mountains are literally lopped off with dynamite and the rock and soil pushed into adjacent valleys, many [...]