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Keystone developer says it may try again
Posted by Hill: Devin Henry on November 9th, 2015
Hill: TransCanada pledged Friday to seek another permit for its Keystone XL pipeline after the Obama administration rejected the project. Saying "misplaced symbolism was chosen over merit and science," TransCanada said it would seek other options for getting the 1,200 mile pipeline built, including "filing a new application for a presidential permit." The company also questioned whether Obama's rejection of the project aligns with the State Department's review, which it said concluded the pipeline would...
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Wyoming Judge Halts Federal Fracking Rules
Posted by Hill: Devin Henry on October 1st, 2015
Hill: A federal judge has issued an injunction against new Department of Interior regulations for hydraulic fracturing on federal land.
Judge Scott Skavdahl of the U.S. District Court of Wyoming ruled Wednesday that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cannot institute its new fracking rule until lawsuits against it are settled.
In a 53-page opinion, Skavdahl cast doubt on the federal government’s ability to issue the rule. He issued the injunction because he decided the states and industry groups...
Reid: Republicans ‘have no plan’ on climate change
Posted by Hill: Devin Henry on August 4th, 2015
Hill: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) defended President Obama’s new climate rule for power plants on Tuesday and hit its Republican opponents for not having a viable climate change agenda.
“It has been disappointing, but not surprising, to see Republicans’ knee-jerk opposition to addressing climate change,” he said in a floor speech Tuesday. “It has been all the more frustrating because they have no plan of their own -- just to let the smoke keep billowing.”
Reid said Republicans were...
Study: Sandy caused record sea levels, $23 billion in damage in New York
Posted by Hill: Devin Henry on July 25th, 2015
Hill: Superstorm Sandy caused $23 billion in damage in New York state alone and delivered the highest water levels there on record, according to a new federal report.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said this week that the 2012 storm produced sea levels much higher than other historic storms to hit the New York region.
Peak storm tides from Sandy were more than 9.5 feet above sea level, according to the agencies' report.
On average, those tides were...
New Mexico Dems call for tough new methane rule
Posted by Hill: Devin Henry on July 21st, 2015
Hill: Four New Mexico Democrats are encouraging the Obama administration to release a strong rule regulating methane emissions at oil and gas drilling sites. “We recognize that oil and gas producers have an economic incentive to minimize methane losses and the industry is improving its practices,” the Democrats — led by Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich — wrote in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). “However, federal action is necessary to ensure that steps to limit methane releases...
Canada: Keystone developer says new regulations justify the project
Posted by Hill: Devin Henry on July 1st, 2015
Hill: Recent Canadian action on climate change helps justify the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a TransCanada executive said in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry this week. The Alberta government’s hike of the province’s carbon tax, as well as Canada’s commitment to international climate change agreements, means the Keystone project has to meet high environmental standards in both Canada and the United States, Kristine Delkus, TransCanada's executive vice president and general counsel,...
GOP uses spending bills to move against EPA rules
Posted by Hill: Devin Henry on June 17th, 2015
Hill: Republicans in both chambers moved bills Tuesday to cut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget and block several of its new regulations.
In the House, the Appropriations Committee approved an Interior and Environment spending bill that would cut the agency's budget by $718 million next year. The bill would block a new EPA rule asserting power over small waterways and its upcoming greenhouse gas regulations for power plants. Members also included a provision blocking a new ground-level...