Category Archives: Obama Administration

Great Plains tribal chairmen walk out on State Dept Keystone XL consultation

Indian Country Today Media Network reports: Elders and chiefs of at least 10 sovereign nations walked out of a Keystone XL pipeline tribal consultation meeting with U.S. State Department officials in Rapid City, South Dakota, on May 16, calling the … Continue reading

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U.S. Arctic strategy aims to exploit oil and gas for 'national security'

The U.S. National Strategy for the Arctic, announced by the White House on May 10, includes this: "The Arctic region’s energy resources factor into a core component of our national security strategy: energy security. The region holds sizable proved and potential … Continue reading

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | 1 Comment

"Inside Story" on BP's use of Corexit to "clean up" Gulf oil blowout disaster

Al Jazeera English's Inside Story Americas aired a very good discussion of the findings and implications of the Government Accountability Project's report on the devastating effects of BP's use of Corexit to "clean up" its oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. … Continue reading

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction, Whistleblowers | 3 Comments

EPA on State Dept's Keystone XL draft impact statement: "Environmental Objections - Insufficient Information"

The Environmental Protection Agency has given a rating of EO-2 ("Environmental Objections - Insufficient Information") to the State Department's Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) on the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. EPA's critical review raises multiple issues, including … Continue reading

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | 2 Comments

Comments to the State Dept on the Keystone XL pipeline Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

Climate Science Watch submitted the following comments to the State Department on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the proposed Keystone XL Canadian tar sands pipeline. A 45-day pubic comment period ended today.

Posted in Climate Science Watch, Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | 2 Comments

Corexit: Deadly Dispersant in Oil Spill Cleanup

On April 19, the Government Accountability Project released Deadly Dispersants in the Gulf: Are Public Health and Environmental Tragedies the New Norm for Oil Spill Cleanups? The report details the devastating long-term effects on human health and the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem … Continue reading

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction, Whistleblowers | 1 Comment

Obama, 'national security' metastasis, and the war on whistleblowers

Within the Obama administration, the U.S. national security apparatus is winning a calculated, sustained, expanding war on whistleblowers, says Tom Devine in a must-read op-ed in today’s Guardian. And “the stakes have just been raised exponentially, [with] the administration seeking … Continue reading

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Court ruling on morning-after pill: Scientific integrity in policymaking v. Obama administration politics

A federal judge, overruling Obama administration policy in a decision calling for the government to make the morning-after pill available over the counter for all ages, said the administration’s policy was “politically motivated, scientifically unjustified, and contrary to agency precedent.” … Continue reading

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | 2 Comments

Heinzerling on Obama OMB's power grab v. EPA and science-based rulemaking

How can we get scientific integrity, transparency, and accountability in environmental and public health regulation when the President’s Executive Office appears to be the leading offender? In must-read truth-telling articles and interviews, Lisa Heinzerling, who directed the EPA policy office … Continue reading

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | 2 Comments

On climate change impact statements: What would be a showstopper?

"Press reports indicate the White House soon will instruct federal agencies to consider the effects on climate of activities they review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)," the Oil & Gas Journal says on April 1 in a warning … Continue reading

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