Remember that $50 bucks or whatever you got in a huge tax refund? It’s gone. You’re going to spend three or four times that amount in increased gas prices, thanks to Trump: You may have noticed, gas prices are on the rise and hitting levels not seen in more than three years. Gas prices nationwide are up a nickel in … Read More
The Trump Administration Guts Clean Air
On Monday, as had been expected, Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said at an event in Kentucky that he would formally move to repeal what the E.P.A.’s Web site referred to as “the so-called ‘Clean Power Plan.’ ” That plan had been central to the United States’ commitment, under Paris, to reduce power-plant emissions by an estimated thirty … Read More
Two Bills Signed Into Law By Trump So Far
(1) Repeal of the “Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers” Rule. The rule was that oil, gas and mineral companies had to disclose (to the Securities and Exchange Commission) any payments (taxes, royalties, fees, bonuses, etc) given to foreign governments relating to commercial development of oil, natural gas, or minerals. Designed to prevent companies from engaging in corruption with … Read More
Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been A Climate Change Scientist?
Now we’re into the naming names phase. The Washington Post reports: Global warming — “it’s a hoax.” Donald Trump has said that more than once. So it’s understandable that the request by the president-elect’s transition team for the names of individual Energy Department employees and contractors who worked on the issue makes them worry that the trick could be on … Read More
Lion Poaching Epidemic
The madness continues: Cecil the lion’s brother Jericho has been shot dead by poachers in Zimbabwe, park officials have claimed. The beloved animal was protecting Cecil’s lion cubs after he was killed by Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer earlier this month, sparking outrage around the world. Where is that dentist guy? UPDATE: Conflicting information is emerging regarding the reported death of … Read More
SCOTUS Round-up: Three More Five-To-Four Decisions Today
Today is the last day of the SCOTUS term, and so they issued the last of their opinions. The two biggest cases — on Obamacare and sames-sex marriage — came out at the end of last week, so a lot fewer people were paying attention this morning. Here’s what happened: (1) DEATH PENALTY – The 5-4 decision in Glossip v. … Read More
Obama Administration Approves Arctic Drilling
The Obama Administration has now approved drilling in the Arctic Ocean. The concession was given to Royal Dutch Shell and the approval came from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) with a five page stipulation regarding protecting wildlife, the ocean, and human inhabitants of the area. You may want to think, “well, okay — at least they are … Read More
How Much Fossil Fuel Has Costa Rica Burned So Far This Year?
Answer: Zero Yes, you read that right: For the last 82 days, Costa Rica has powered itself using only renewable energy sources. That means the Latin American country hasn’t had to use fossil fuels at all so far in 2015. Last week, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) announced that 100 percent of the country’s electricity came from renewables for the … Read More
Michelle Celebrates Gasoline Under $2 Which She Promised
Retiring Congressdipshit Michele Bachmann has been doing a peculiar version of the Minnesota Long Goodbye, except instead of the usual arrangement, where a host follows a departing guest out to the car asking if they’re really sure they don’t want to take a little hot dish home with them, Ms. Bachmann has it a little backwards. Having given a farewell … Read More
It Took A Spill, But NC Voters Finally Came Around
Good news: The Sierra Club on Tuesday released the results of a poll it commissioned from Hart Research Associates that shows broad bipartisan support for regulation of coal ash among voters in North Carolina. Hart polled 600 North Carolina voters earlier this month, and found that 83 percent of respondents want coal ash regulated as a hazardous substance and 90 percent think … Read More
Where’s Cable News?
Today, Obama made a very major environmental speech. Here are the bullet points: Curbing carbon pollution • Directs the EPA to establish carbon pollution standards for both new and existing power plants. • Promises $8 billion in loan guarantees for fossil fuel projects. • Directs the Interior Department to permit 10 gigawatts of wind and solar projects on public lands … Read More
Hitting The Wrong Button: Fracking Is Now Legal In NC
First, a little background on "fracking". Fracking is media term applied to a process known as Hydraulic Fracturing. It is a process that creates fractures in rocks to force natural gas, water, and oil reserves trapped 5,000 to 20,000 feet below the earth up to the surface. Hydraulic fractures may occur naturally, via volcanic dikes, sills, ice; or they can … Read More
Adventures in Bad Marketing Ideas
UPDATE: Grrrrrr….. it's a hoax! But a good one! Go play! Some idiot at Shell Oil's ad agency is probably looking for a job right now. The problem? Shell Oil wants to open up the Artic and tap its untapped resources. But how do we get the public behind that, in an environmentally-conscious world? The bone-headed solution? Crowd-source the marketing! … Read More