Category Archives: Obama Administration

White House sat on BP Gulf disaster photos: Where’s the ‘scientific integrity’ policy to cover that?

Previously unreleased government photos show “the White House and BP have been hiding the truth about the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf,” says John Hocevar, Ocean Campaign Director at GreenpeaceUSA.  Who was responsible for the government taking almost two … Continue reading

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Al Armendariz of EPA was right about environmental law enforcement

The resignation of Al Armendariz as a regional Environmental Protection Agency administrator is a loss for the people of Texas and surrounding states. A two-year-old video showing him making some unfortunately phrased remarks while explaining his philosophy of regulatory enforcement … Continue reading

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New EPA greenhouse gas rule may effectively end new coal power plants

The Environmental Protection Agency is set to announce a proposed rule to strictly limit carbon emissions from new power plants, several news sources have reported.  Industry and environmentalist sources, the Washington Post reports, “say that the rule … dooms any … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change Mitigation, Obama Administration | 1 Comment

A court victory for the evils of mountaintop removal coal mining: Arch Coal Spruce No. 1 mine permit reinstated

Sierra Club, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Coal River Mountain Watch, and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy:  “We are deeply disappointed and concerned about the effect of today’s court ruling because mountaintop removal mining has already caused widespread and extreme destruction … Continue reading

Posted in Global Climate Disruption and Impacts, Obama Administration | Leave a comment

Still drunk on oil: Obama’s speech in Cushing

What would liberals be saying if President Bush – or hypothetically, a President McCain – had given the speech President Obama gave in Cushing, Oklahoma, on March 22?  “We’ve added enough new oil and gas pipeline to encircle the Earth … Continue reading

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US Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Draft Strategy – Part 2

The draft National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, now out for public review, reflects important steps forward in federal planning under the Obama Administration that would not have been allowed under the Bush Administration.  But the problematic position … Continue reading

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Boykoff: Obama’s rhetoric of ‘clean energy’ vs. the reality of climate change

“What do we lose when global warming and climate change get repackaged as clean energy?” asks University of Colorado Prof. Max Boykoff in today’s Washington Post. “We wind up missing a thorough understanding of the breadth of the problem and … Continue reading

Posted in Obama Administration, Science Communication | 1 Comment

US Climate Change Envoy calls Durban climate summit a success

Representing the Obama Administration at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Jonathan Pershing, senior US climate negotiator at the State Department, took a more positive view of the 17th Conference of the Parties in Durban, South Africa, than CSW … Continue reading

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PEER alleges scientific misconduct at NOAA in lowballing of BP spill rate, traces political pressure to White House

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has filed a formal allegation of scientific misconduct by a senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, charging that he manipulated and falsified scientific communication to policymakers and the public so as to … Continue reading

Posted in Obama Administration, Science Communication | 1 Comment

“Obama Proposal Could Weaken Key Climate Agency”

“The White House proposal that would move the country’s oceans and atmosphere agency — the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — from its current home in the Commerce Department and fold it into the Interior Department, could severely undermine … Continue reading

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