National (U.S.)

Chamber of Commerce switching sides on climate? Some major media initially swallowed a hoax yesterday by the anti-corporate pranksters calling themselves the Yes Men. The event occurred at a time when the Chamber was in political disarray.

"The Energy Department has concluded in an internal audit that it does not properly track whether manufacturers that give their appliances an Energy Star label have met the required specifications for energy efficiency."

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson declares in an NPR interview: "EPA is back on the job working on behalf of the American people for public health, for environmental quality."

"The Obama administration rejected a proposed endangered species listing today for Alaska's spotted seals, saying the animals would adapt to climate change. Environmentalists, who had petitioned for the listing by citing threats to the seal from Arctic oil and gas development and melting sea ice, expressed outrage over the decision."

"The National Park Service has approved a plan to restrict the number of snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park to fewer than half last winter’s limit."

Environmental and labor groups have filed a petition with EPA "asking for an immediate ban on most farm chemical applications in a 60-foot buffer strip for ground applications and a 300-foot buffer strip for aerial applications around homes, schools and day care facilities."

"As the Senate prepares to tackle global warming, the nation’s energy producers, once united, are battling one another over policy decisions worth hundreds of billions of dollars in coming decades."