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Feds Start Public-Land Coal Review Process
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama on March 25th, 2016
Hill: Federal officials started the process Thursday toward a comprehensive environmental review of the way the government leases public land for coal mining.
The Interior Department’s notice of intent for a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement is the first part of what will likely be a three-year process to evaluate how to better account for climate change in coal leasing, something that’s likely to increase the costs of mining coal on federal land.
Officials are also using the process to...
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Feds Defend Fracking Rule Against Judicial Hold
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama on March 23rd, 2016
Hill: The Obama administration is fighting in federal court to defend its hydraulic fracturing (fracking) rule, saying a lower court committed a “legal error” when it put the regulation on hold. Lawyers representing the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are asking the Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver to overturn a Wyoming-based court’s decision last year to halt the rule and allow regulators to enforce it. That judicial injunction stemmed from the arguments from various...
Climate change made some extreme weather more likely in 2014, feds say
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama on November 5th, 2015
Hill: A new federal study stopped short of directly linking extreme weather last year to climate change, but said that it made certain weather events much more likely. In North America, that included extreme wildfires in California, tropical cyclones in Hawaii and mild winter in the Midwest, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Other weather events, like California’s drought, extreme cold in the eastern United States and the heavy winter storm season of 2013-2104 were...
Federal Officials Approve Oil Drilling in Alaskan Reserve
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama on October 26th, 2015
Hill: Federal officials have approved the first permit to drill for oil and natural gas in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
The Greater Moose’s Tooth Unit 1 project by ConocoPhillips Co. will be the first time in the reserve’s 40-year history that it has had drilling, according to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages the area.
“Today the BLM achieved an important milestone for realizing the promise of the NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan,” BLM Director Neil Kornze said in a statement....
Court refuses to block Obama climate rule
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama on September 11th, 2015
Hill: A federal appeals court declined requests Wednesday to block the Obama administration’s landmark climate rule for power plants.
In a short, two-paragraph order filed just after 5 p.m., the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that West Virginia, more than a dozen other states and a coal-mining company do not qualify for a judicial stay that would stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing the regulation until the litigation is complete.
The three-judge...
Major greenhouse gases hit record highs in 2014: Report
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama on July 17th, 2015
Hill: The Obama administration Thursday unveiled new standards meant to better protect streams in Appalachia from the controversial mountaintop removal coal mining process.
The proposed rule, from the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining (OSM), would update three-decade-old standards that create a buffer zone around streams, prohibiting mining activities and waste from getting near them and harming the ecosystem. Administration officials characterized the rule as a common-sense approach that...
Sanders challenges Clinton on Keystone
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama on July 15th, 2015
Hill: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders challenged his rival Hillary Clinton Tuesday to take a stand against the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Speaking with reporters in the Capitol, Sanders he took a leadership role in Democrats’ fight against the proposed Canada-to-Texas pipeline, while Clinton has been silent on the project.
“I have helped lead the opposition against the Keystone pipeline,” the Vermont senator said. “I think Secretary Clinton has not been clear on her views on...
Mercury Ruling Not Stopping EPA From Moving Foward with Climate Rules
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama on July 1st, 2015
Hill: The Supreme Court’s decision against a key Obama administration air pollution rule is not stopping regulators from moving forward on the government’s most ambitious climate change rule.
Janet McCabe, head of the air pollution office at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), characterized the Monday ruling in Michigan v. EPA as “very narrow,” and said it does not affect any other air or climate regulations.
“The decision does not affect the Clean Power Plan, which EPA will be finalizing...
House GOP pushes bill on California drought
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama on June 26th, 2015
Hill: California’s entire Republican House delegation is getting behind a bill to increase the amount of water available to Californians during the state's worst drought in centuries.
The bill, introduced by Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) on Thursday, would change how the federal government releases water through the massive Central Valley Project, while making other changes aimed at the drought in other western states.
Its supporters include House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), a vocal...
Pres. Obama Defends Arctic Drilling Decision
Posted by Hill: Timothy Cama on May 15th, 2015
Hill: President Obama on Thursday defended his administration’s decision to allow offshore oil and natural gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean, a move that has been the subject of criticism from environmentalists.
Obama told reporters that although he wants the country to move completely away from fossil fuels at some point, domestic oil and natural gas production is still necessary in the short term.
“I believe that we are going to have to transition off of fossil fuels as a planet in order to prevent...