Salazar Splits Minerals Management Service in Three

Submitted by ecofactory on Thu, 2010-05-20 11:56
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Salazar Splits Minerals Management Service in Three

WASHINGTON, DC, May 20, 2010 (ENS) - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today restructured the Minerals Management Service, dividing its three conflicting functions into separate entities, each with an independent set of responsibilities.

One of the new divisions will have oversight of safety and environmental protection in all offshore energy activities, such as oil drilling.

A second division will take care of leasing federal waters for conventional and renewable energy resources, and the third will collect and distribute revenues.

Obama's Oil Spill Bill Seeks $118 Million, Oil Company Tax Increase

Submitted by ecofactory on Thu, 2010-05-13 14:45
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Obama's Oil Spill Bill Seeks $118 Million, Oil Company Tax Increase

WASHINGTON, DC, May 13, 2010 (ENS) - As oil continues to gush from the wellhead left open by the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon, President Barack Obama sent legislation to Congress Wednesday to strengthen the federal response, speed assistance to affected people, and update the oil spill liability system to better address catastrophic events.

Kerry-Lieberman Climate Bill Generates Praise and Outrage

Submitted by ecofactory on Thu, 2010-05-13 14:29
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Kerry-Lieberman Climate Bill Generates Praise and Outrage

WASHINGTON, DC, May 13, 2010 (ENS) - The American Power Act, a bill proposing a cap and trade system for reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, was introduced Wednesday in the U.S. Senate. Written by Senators John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut Independent, the bill aims to reduce emissions by 17 percent in 2020 and by over 80 percent in 2050.

In Wake of BP Spill, Democrats to Re-Introduce Climate Bill

Submitted by Nate Kharrl on Tue, 2010-05-11 20:40
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In Wake of BP Spill, Democrats to Re-Introduce Climate Bill

The Senate is set to re-introduce a revamped climate bill tomorrow, now without a Republican backer. After a horrendous oil spill, a failed COP15 summit, and a packed election year, how will the bill fare?
Capitol Hill, where the future of the US Climate Bill will be decided

Senate Democrats are scheduled to reintroduce the climate bill tomorrow in the wake of the BP oil spill. The new bill, created by Senator John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, and Lindsey Graham, is expected to come before a vote prior to mid-term elections, where Democrats are expected to take heavy losses. Senator Graham withdrew his support for the bill, citing politically-driven lawmaking surrounding immigration reform. Graham now says that the oil spill has sunk the climate bill for good.

It's Unanimous: U.S. Senate Declares Endangered Species Day

Submitted by ecofactory on Tue, 2010-05-11 07:54
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It's Unanimous: U.S. Senate Declares Endangered Species Day

WASHINGTON, DC, May 11, 2010 (ENS) - The United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution Friday declaring May 21st as Endangered Species Day. The resolution "encourages the people of the United States to become educated about and aware of threats to species, success stories in species recovery and the opportunity to promote species conservation worldwide and to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities."

Air, Water Issues Behind Legal Challenges to Georgia Coal Plants

Submitted by ecofactory on Tue, 2010-05-11 07:53
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Air, Water Issues Behind Legal Challenges to Georgia Coal Plants

ATLANTA, Georgia, May 11, 2010 (ENS) - Two conservation groups today filed petitions for hearings challenging approvals for two coal-fired power plants issued in April by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, EDP.

Friends of the Chattahoochee and the Sierra Club, represented by Greenlaw, object to construction of Longleaf Energy Station, the largest proposed coal-fired power plant in Georgia, and the smaller Plant Washington.

Class Action Lawsuits Pile Up in Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Disaster

Submitted by ecofactory on Mon, 2010-05-10 14:33
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Class Action Lawsuits Pile Up in Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Disaster

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, May 10, 2010 (ENS) - The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is keeping lawyers busy. At least half a dozen class action lawsuits have been filed on behalf of fishermen, shrimpers, restaurant owners, real estate brokers, property owners, and other Gulf coast residents affected by the oil a day flowing for the past two weeks from the wellhead left uncapped by the explosion and sinking of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon in April.

Japan Issues Arrest Warrant for Sea Shepherd Founder Paul Watson

Submitted by ecofactory on Thu, 2010-05-06 13:14
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Japan Issues Arrest Warrant for Sea Shepherd Founder Paul Watson

TOKYO, Japan, May 6, 2010 (ENS) - The Japan Coast Guard has obtained an arrest warrant for Captain Paul Watson, founder and president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, for the organization's interference with Japan's annual whale hunts in the Southern Ocean.

Obama Pledges to Restore Gulf, BP Struggles to Control Oil Spill

Submitted by ecofactory on Tue, 2010-05-04 10:38
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Obama Pledges to Restore Gulf, BP Struggles to Control Oil Spill

VENICE, Louisiana, May 4, 2010 (ENS) - "Every American affected by this spill should know this - your government will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to stop this crisis," said President Barack Obama on Sunday after he viewed the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and spoke with Incident Commander U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen.

Lawsuits Take Aim at America's First Offshore Wind Farm

Submitted by ecofactory on Tue, 2010-05-04 10:36
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Lawsuits Take Aim at America's First Offshore Wind Farm

HYANNIS, Massachusetts, May 4, 2010 (ENS) - A stack of lawsuits is piling up against the federal government in response to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's April 28 decision to approve the Cape Wind project, America's first offshore wind farm.

After nearly 10 years of permitting battles, Cape Wind was approved to place 130 wind turbines on 25-square-miles of federal submerged lands in Nantucket Sound off the Massachusetts coast. The developers hope to begin construction by year's end.