The Associated Press reports the House Oversight Committee has asked the Department of Homeland Security for documents about its policy requiring political appointees to review Freedom of Information Act requests.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility says the Dec. 21 memo implies that existing EPA openness policy meets White House criteria. Meanwhile, the Office of Management and Budget may again be tampering with agency science for political purposes — accused by Arizona congressman Raúl Grijalva (pictured) of censoring FOIA'd documents relating to the mid-summer estimate of Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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"President Obama’s call for Congress to pass a mandate that includes both traditional renewable energy sources like wind and solar as well as GOP favorites nuclear and 'clean coal' may be the driver needed to bang through the most aggressive and politically feasible means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions on Capitol Hill this Congress."
"The United States is poised to bet its energy future on natural gas as a clean, plentiful fuel that can supplant coal and oil. But new research by the Environmental Protection Agency -- and a growing understanding of the pollution associated with the full 'life cycle' of gas production—is casting doubt on the assumption that gas offers a quick and easy solution to climate change."
"New Jersey has negotiated removal of three dams on the Raritan River as compensation to the public for harm to natural resources from pollution at a refinery and three polymer plants operated by or affiliated with the Houston-based El Paso Corporation."
EPA has ordered Waste Management Inc. to clean upwaste and contaminated stormwater from a landfill that fouled Oahu beaches after heavy rains earlier this month.
The oil and gas industry is slurping up available groundwater in parts of South Texas where population growth is exploding and global warming may diminish rainfall. There may be a serious crunch ahead.
After illegally high levels of antibiotics were routinely found in dairy cows headed for the slaughterhouse, the Food and Drug Administration decided to test milk from the farms those cows came from. Dairy farmers, worried more about profits than antibiotic resistance that could sicken their customers, have objected. Now the two sides may be looking for win-win solutions. Meanwhile, testing is on hold.
"'Gasland,' a film that turns a harshly critical eye on the perils of natural gas drilling, has earned an Academy Award nomination for best documentary."
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