Media

Innocent Until Proven Deadly

Chemicals permeate every aspect of our modern lives, from the clothing we wear and the furniture we sit on to the toys we give our children. Over 85,000 different chemicals go into the products on the market, yet the EPA only tests a few hundred chemicals for safety.

Under the current Toxic Substances Control Act, the chemical industry can put nearly any new chemical on the market without proving its safety. Until chemicals are ...More

No Relationship Between Renewables and Energy Costs

While many Americans are feeling the pinch of higher energy costs, a small but vocal minority has been assigning blame to renewable energy standards. Unfortunately for them, it’s just not true.

States as diverse as Texas, California, and New Jersey currently have renewable energy standards, requiring a certain amount of the electricity sold within a state to be produced by renewable sources. A total of 29 states currently hold standards. While claiming ...More

National Security Through Renewable Energy

The Pentagon yesterday announced a new series of clean- and renewable-energy initiatives as part of its long-term “Operational Energy Strategy” to reduce the military’s dependence on fossil fuels.

The initiatives include:

Former Michigan Governor For Wind

Yesterday, former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm praised the potential of clean, renewable wind energy in a Politico op-ed, exhorting Congress to protect the 37,000 U.S. jobs that will be lost if wind tax credits are not extended.

Responding to House Speaker John Boehner’s observation that “employment is still too high,” Granholm asserts:

“There’s one sector of the American economy that is losing jobs as we speak — and you can put a stop to it.”

Sixty percent ...More

Big Oil’s Big Meddling

The American Petroleum Institute (API) has been throwing buckets of money at the political arena, hoping to influence voters and legislators to follow their Big Oil agenda. Under president Jack Gerard, the API spent a third of its 2010 budget on campaign ads –a hefty $63 million, and their spending is expected to only increase this election cycle.

In the first three months of 2012, the API has already outspent all but the biggest super ...More

Is It Getting Warmer In Here?

It’s not your imagination, and it isn’t coincidence. It is warmer. In what University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver called “one of the most stunning examples of evidence of global warming,” this year’s winter and spring temperatures have set alarmingly high records. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), temperatures in the contiguous U.S. were 8.6 degrees above normal for January, February, and March.

“Everybody has this uneasy feeling. This ...More

75,000 Clean Energy Jobs

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Treasury Department’s 1603 grant program has created 75,000 direct and indirect jobs and up to $44 billion in economy output, according to a study by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The NREL study examined both solar and wind projects funded by the 1603 Treasury grant program from 2009 to 2011.

Additionally, the survey found that the 1603 program created 13.5 gigawats of renewable energy ...More

Murphy and Heinrich Against Tar Sands

According to a survey conducted by The Hill, Senate candidates Rep. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Rep. Chris Murphy of Connecticut – both of whom have been endorsed by LCV Action Fund – oppose the toxic Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Tar sands oil extraction and transportation creates three times more greenhouse gas pollution than traditional oil, making it an even bigger contributor to global warming.

“I don’t think that tar sands ...More