Policy

EU Environment Commissioner Says Resource Waste Will Lead To A New Recession

EU Environment Commissioner Says Resource Waste Will Lead To A New Recession

At first the recession saw a reduction in global emissions as industries around the world made cutbacks - however now, in a bid to survive, many companies are making cheaper, more environmentally damaging

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Congress Passes Bill That May Slow the Incandescent Light Bulb Ban

Congress Passes Bill That May Slow the Incandescent Light Bulb Ban

Tucked inside the massive 1,200-page spending bill that's currently sitting on President Obama's desk is an agreement that overturns part of the incandescent light bulb ban. The agreement could seriously

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Grand Canyon National Park Plans to Ban the Sale of Plastic Bottles in 2012

Grand Canyon National Park Plans to Ban the Sale of Plastic Bottles in 2012

Keeping our national parks beautiful should be a nation-wide effort, and the Grand Canyon National Park is hoping to take a step in the new year that would make that easier for everyone by banning the

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Coal and Natural Gas Industries Stand Off Over New EPA Mercury Regulations

Coal and Natural Gas Industries Stand Off Over New EPA Mercury Regulations

Today the EPA is expected to reach a final decision on the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR), which will, for the first time, limit mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants across the United States.

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COP17: Talks in Durban End With Failure to Cut Current Global Emissions

COP17: Talks in Durban End With Failure to Cut Current Global Emissions

The UN Climate talks in Durban ended early Sunday morning in overtime as nations around the world struggled to agree on how to prevent catastrophic climate change and ensure the future of the human race

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COP17 UPDATE: Durban’s Last Day and No Agreement is Signed

COP17 UPDATE: Durban’s Last Day and No Agreement is Signed

As the COP17 conference in Durban winds to a close today, we’re still left without a major global agreement on how to reduce emissions and stall global climate change. The focus today has been on a

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COP17 DURBAN UPDATE: Developing Countries Snag Talks on Issue of Carbon Markets

COP17 DURBAN UPDATE: Developing Countries Snag Talks on Issue of Carbon Markets

On this second to last day of COP17, a new piece of the puzzle that explains why this year's United Nation Climate Talks are likely to end in a stalemate tomorrow, has emerged. Developing nations from

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DURBAN UPDATE: Agreement in COP17 Climate Talks Will Likely Not Be Reached

DURBAN UPDATE: Agreement in COP17 Climate Talks Will Likely Not Be Reached

Representatives from over 190 countries across the world are still gathered in Durban, South Africa and though the conversation about the impending climate crisis continues, many have lost hope for an

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State of California Shows up the Fed’s Emissions Targets With Impressively Ambitious AB32 Cap and Trade Program

State of California Shows up the Fed’s Emissions Targets With Impressively Ambitious AB32 Cap and Trade Program

In 2013 California will go where no U.S. state has gone before - it will start a comprehensive emissions limiting program by employing the mandatory use of carbon credits throughout the state for large

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COP17 DURBAN UPDATE: Current Pledges Will Cause a Global Temperature Change of 3.5° C

COP17 DURBAN UPDATE: Current Pledges Will Cause a Global Temperature Change of 3.5° C

As the nearly 200 representatives gathered at COP17 hurdle towards the end of the talks, researchers have released yet another study that says they are just not doing enough. A report issued during the UN

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US Defense Logistics Agency Makes Single Largest Gov. Purchase of Advanced Drop-In Biofuels Ever

US Defense Logistics Agency Makes Single Largest Gov. Purchase of Advanced Drop-In Biofuels Ever

As part of the government's push to wean the United States off of foreign oil, the US Department of Defense in coordination with the US Department of Agriculture just announced the largest single

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President Obama Announces $4 Billion in Energy Upgrades to Existing Buildings

President Obama Announces $4 Billion in Energy Upgrades to Existing Buildings

Yesterday, President Obama and former president Bill Clinton announced a combined $4 billion commitment in public and private funding for energy upgrades to existing buildings. The cash is pledged as part

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COP 17 Kicks Off as 200 Nations Converge in South Africa to Save the Climate

COP 17 Kicks Off as 200 Nations Converge in South Africa to Save the Climate

The 17th Conference of the Parties -- also known as COP17 or the 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference -- kicked off today in Durban, South Africa - despite echoing doubts cast by the world's

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Stroller Brigades Push for Approval of Safe Chemicals Act of 2011

Stroller Brigades Push for Approval of Safe Chemicals Act of 2011

This past week parents across the country joined forces to support the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 (S.847) that is now up for vote in Congress. Dubbing themselves the “Stroller Brigades”,

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Republican Rand Paul Attempts to Revoke Part of the Clean Air Act

Republican Rand Paul Attempts to Revoke Part of the Clean Air Act

Republican Senator Rand Paul is currently attempting to repeal one of the newest pieces of the four-decade-old Clean Air Act. So far he's sponsored a piece of legislation that seeks to eliminate the Cross

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White House Orders Review of All Energy Loans In the Wake of Solyndra Bankruptcy

White House Orders Review of All Energy Loans In the Wake of Solyndra Bankruptcy

The Obama Administration just announced that they are ordering an independent, non-partisan review and analysis of the Energy Department's entire loan portfolio. The administration's large energy loans

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House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Says US Can’t Compete With China on Green Jobs

House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Says US Can’t Compete With China on Green Jobs

Cliff Stearns (R-FL) is the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations – and he believes we’re just not going to make it in this clean energy race.

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Shutting Down America’s Dirtiest Coal Plants Will Not Affect Our Power Supply

Shutting Down America’s Dirtiest Coal Plants Will Not Affect Our Power Supply

When the EPA announced its new regulations for coal plants back in July, the right wing media had a field day saying that the new rules, which will force the nation's dirtiest plants offline, would result

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G.O.P. Presidential Candidates Acknowledge Wind Power in Iowa by Autographing a Turbine

G.O.P. Presidential Candidates Acknowledge Wind Power in Iowa by Autographing a Turbine

While it may seem to go against the usual anti-renewable energy stance that the red party is known for, this past weekend, the Republican candidates for president took a minute out of their busy schedules

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Obama’s New Standards for Heavy Duty Trucks Could Save $50 Billion in Fuel

Obama’s New Standards for Heavy Duty Trucks Could Save $50 Billion in Fuel

If you've been wondering when stricter standards would be placed on long-haul, heavy-duty vehicles traveling the nation's highways, rest assured the day has finally come. Today, President Obama met with

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MIT’s New Tools for Sustainability-Minded Designers and Developers

MIT’s New Tools for Sustainability-Minded Designers and Developers

MIT researchers, in collaboration with China’s Tsinghua University, have recently created a new set of tools to evaluate the energy performance of large-scale development projects. The tools are a

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Republicans Target EPA Regulations of Big Polluters in Debt Talks

Republicans Target EPA Regulations of Big Polluters in Debt Talks

If Congress can't reach a deal on the debt ceiling, we have a single week before the United States defaults on its debts, but the Republicans are still calling for some outrageous budget cuts to try to

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Portland Oregon is the Latest City to Ban Plastic Bags!

Portland Oregon is the Latest City to Ban Plastic Bags!

Plastic bags are the bane of every eco-minded person's existence. They can't be normally recycled, they're made with polluting petroleum, they don't breakdown in landfills -- the list of earth-harming

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Physicist Claims Fukushima Disaster Health Risk Grossly Underestimated

Physicist Claims Fukushima Disaster Health Risk Grossly Underestimated

The Fukushima Nuclear disaster could affect more people’s health than Chernobyl according to Chris Busby, a chemical physicist who specializes in nuclear radiation. In a recent interview with Asia

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House Passes Amendment Banning Enforcement of the Light Bulb Efficiency Standards

House Passes Amendment Banning Enforcement of the Light Bulb Efficiency Standards

Well that certainly was a short lived victory. Just last Wednesday, we were celebrating the House of Representative's rejection of the BULB Act, a bill that would put a stop to the light bulb efficiency

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This American Life Digs Deep into the Issues Behind Hydrofracking

This American Life Digs Deep into the Issues Behind Hydrofracking

On their latest weekly episode, Public Radio International's popular show, This American Life, digs deep into the issue of hydraulic fracturing -- or fracking as it is commonly referred to. Fracking is a

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Task Force Releases Recommendations for Safe Nuclear Power Production in the US

Task Force Releases Recommendations for Safe Nuclear Power Production in the US

A special task force of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, brought together after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan, has just released their recommendations for the continued production

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House Rejects BULB, a Misguided Attempt to End Lighting Efficiency Standards

House Rejects BULB, a Misguided Attempt to End Lighting Efficiency Standards

Environmentalists across the nation can breathe a sign of relief. On Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives rejected the Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB) Act, a bill designed to repeal light bulb

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Michele Bachmann and Fellow Republicans Throw Weight into “Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act”

Michele Bachmann and Fellow Republicans Throw Weight into “Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act”

Republicans in the House of Representatives – in the midst of attempting to raise the debt ceiling and balance our budget – have decided to take on what some are calling the “Light Bulb

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Repealing Light Bulb Efficiency Standards Would Cost Americans $12.5 Billion

Repealing Light Bulb Efficiency Standards Would Cost Americans $12.5 Billion

Since the idea was first put forth last fall, we have been closely following the quest of U.S. Republicans to repeal the energy efficiency standards for light bulbs. Introduced by Representative Joe

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