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LIVE COVERAGE of July 7th Senate testimony on clean energy and climate legislation

LIVE COVERAGE of July 7th Senate testimony on clean energy and climate legislation

NRDC's David Hawkins is among the experts -- along with Energy Secretary Steven Chu, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Agriculture Department Secretary Tom Vilsack -- scheduled to testify on Tuesday, July 7 before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee....continued | comments

Tags:
ACES, cleanenergy, climatebills, climatechange, congress, energyandclimate2009, globalwarming

The HydroAisen Mega Dam Project is Completely Unnecessary...and You Know What? So Are the Other Non-Renewable Energy Projects in Chile

The HydroAisen Mega Dam Project is Completely Unnecessary...and You Know What? So Are the Other Non-Renewable Energy Projects in Chile

                                                                 I am thrilled to announce the findings of a groundbreaking energy study that shows the HydroAisen mega-dam project is completely unnecessary!  Today in Santiago, the Patagonia Defense Council, of which NRDC is a member, will launch an...continued | comments

Tags:
chile, energy, HydroAysen, hydroelectricdams, patagonia, patagonia sin represas, renewableenergy

Stephen Colbert Slams Supreme Court for Terrible Toxic 'Fill' Ruling

Stephen Colbert Slams Supreme Court for Terrible Toxic 'Fill' Ruling

Last week the U.S. Supreme Court made a dreadful decision to allow the dumping of toxic gold mine waste into a pristine Alaskan lake.  The court deemed this pollution allowable as "fill material" under the Clean Water Act.  Well, last night on The Colbert...continued | comments (1)

Tags:
cleanwateract, colbert, fill, fillrule, obama, stephencolbert, supreme

They are stardust. They are golden. But are they right about “shrinking cities”?

They are stardust.  They are golden.  But are they right about “shrinking cities”?

Warning: this is a long one. Readers of a certain age will remember Joni's Mitchell's iconic anthem "Woodstock," celebrating the famous 1969 music festival (which, incidentally, she did not attend, but I digress).  The song became a monster hit for...continued | comments (8)

Tags:
community, detroit, historicpreservation, landbanks, neighborhood, recession, revitalization, rustbelt, shrinkingcities, smartercities, smartgrowth, sprawl, vacantproperties

Appalachia's Own 'Resource Curse'?

Appalachia's Own 'Resource Curse'?

Pollution and poverty caused by the development of oil reserves have deprived tens of million of Nigerians their basic human rights, according to Amnesty International, which calls oil a "resource curse" for the region. "People living in the Niger Delta have to...continued | comments (2)

Tags:
appalachia, dirtycoal, kentucky, mountaintopmining, mountaintopremoval, MTR, westvirginia

Streets for seniors: a video look at issues and remedies

Streets for seniors: a video look at issues and remedies

Streetfilms has released a great short video about how our streets and traffic patterns pose particular challenges to senior citizens on foot.  With the assistance of New York City's Transportation Alternatives, that city's impressive DOT has begun an earnest look...continued | comments

Tags:
community, completestreets, neighborhood, pedestrians, safety, smartercities, smartgrowth, traffic, walking

The New DOE Steps Up: New Lamp Standard Will Save More Energy Any Previous DOE Standard

The New DOE Steps Up: New Lamp Standard Will Save More Energy Any Previous DOE Standard

On Monday, President Obama and Secretary Chu announced a strengthened final rule on lamps that will save consumers $4 billion annually by 2022. This standard would cover the tube fluorescent bulbs (general service fluorescent or GSFL) that we are all...continued | comments

Tags:
efficiencystandards, energy, energyefficiency, lighting, simplesteps

The American Clean Energy Security Act (ACES) Creates More American Jobs and Saves Americans Money

The American Clean Energy Security Act (ACES) Creates More American Jobs and Saves Americans Money

By passing the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), or H.R. 2454, the U.S. House of Representatives set the U.S. on a course to create millions of new clean energy jobs and save consumers money on their electric and...continued | comments

Tags:
cleanenergy, climatechange, energyandclimate2009, globalwarming, globalwarmingsolutions, greenjobs, waxman, waxmanmarkey

Environmentalism and Religion

Environmentalism and Religion

  Jonathan Zasloff, an environmental law professor at UCLA, has an interesting post up at Legal Planet about the role of environmentalism and religion, a topic I’ve touched on here at Switchboard before.  Zasloff is taking a course on Jewish...continued | comments (1)

Tags:
consevation, environmentalism, globalwarming, policy, religion

The Climate Vote: What a Difference a Year Makes

The Climate Vote: What a Difference a Year Makes

As I savor last Friday's historic House vote to pass clean energy and climate legislation, I can't help but think about last June, when leaders in the Senate tried to pass a groundbreaking climate bill. What has changed since then? ...continued | comments (2)

Tags:
ACES, cleanenergy, copenhagencountdown, energyandclimate2009, globalwarming, greenjobs, simplesteps, waxman

EPA Report Brings Pollution Dangers Home…Literally

EPA Report Brings Pollution Dangers Home…Literally

In the demanding push to pass legislation that will deal with CO2 and climate change, it is easy to lose sight of more traditional air pollution problem we have in the Midwest. I got a very personal reminder of the...continued | comments (1)

Tags:
airpollution, cancer, cookcounty, epa, granitecity, illinois, madisoncounty, missouri, pollution, st.louis, stlouispostdispatch

Tax greenfield development, subsidize infill

Tax greenfield development, subsidize infill

    Tyler Caine has a terrific post on his sustainability blog Intercon extolling climate change policy to get on the smart growth bandwagon.  He says it extremely well, so I am just going to quote a few bits and...continued | comments (5)

Tags:
costsofsprawl, globalwarming, greenfields, infill, markettransformation, smartercities, smartgrowth, sprawl

California Dream Come True

California Dream Come True

Today the Environmental Protection Agency will give California the long-awaited green light to enforce its landmark standards to cut global warming pollution from new motor vehicles. This is a major step in implementing the clean car peace treaty unveiled by...continued | comments (1)

Tags:
california, cleanairact, cleancars, EPA waiver, globalwarming pollution, obama administration

Feds Flex Funds for Transit! What’s In It for California?

Feds Flex Funds for Transit! What’s In It for California?

Last week, President Obama signed the Supplemental Appropriations bill, which, readers of this blog will certainly remember, contains a provision permitting transit agencies to use 10% of their stimulus funding for operations.  Up until the President’s signature, stimulus funds were...continued | comments

Tags:
publictransportation, transit, transportation

EPA Discloses Location of 44 Hazardous Coal Ash Sites

EPA Discloses Location of 44 Hazardous Coal Ash Sites

After pressure by NRDC and others, today the Environmental Protection Agency just released the list of 44 "high hazard" coal ash disposal sites around the nation.  At the behest of the Department of Homeland Security, the EPA had initially refused to reveal the...continued | comments (1)

Tags:
coal, coalash, dirtycoal, simplesteps, tennessee

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