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Enviros Blame Rep. Pearce for Inciting N.M. County to Bulldoze River
Posted by New York Times: Paul Quinlan on October 4th, 2011
New York Times: An environmental group accused Republican Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico of inciting a county in his district to flout federal environmental laws by bulldozing 47 road crossings through a stretch of the San Francisco River in the Gila National Forest.
County leaders have argued they were maintaining National Forest System roads. The environmental group Center for Biological Diversity disagreed, giving notice (pdf) yesterday to Catron County of its intent to sue for what the group alleges were...
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House Panel Fast-Tracks Bill to Divest EPA of Regulatory Power Over Water
Posted by New York Times: Paul Quinlan on June 22nd, 2011
New York Times: After a brief but rancorous debate, a House committee approved a fast-tracked bill that would shift regulatory powers over water, wetlands and mountaintop-mining regulation from U.S. EPA to the states.
In a 35-19, largely party-line vote, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this morning approved the bill (H.R. 2018 (pdf)) backed by the top Republican and Democrat on the committee, Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) and Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.).
Four other Democrats also joined in support:...
‘Anti-Environmental’ House Freshman Leads Charge Against Obama’s Clean Water Agenda
Posted by New York Times: Paul Quinlan on May 3rd, 2011
New York Times: Just months into his first term, Rep. Bob Gibbs admits he has much to learn. But the Ohio Republican holds strong reservations about environmental regulation in general. To illustrate, Gibbs offered a homespun analogy, gleaned from the three decades he spent running his own hog farm before the House GOP put him in charge of the nation's clean water regulations. "When the hog market went south and times were tough, we were all focused on staying in business, paying the bills and paying employees,"...
United States: Battles Over Mountaintop Coal Mining Rage in Wake of EPA Veto
Posted by New York Times: Paul Quinlan on January 24th, 2011
New York Times: Before blocking one of Appalachia's largest-ever mountaintop coal-mining projects this month, U.S. EPA agreed to allow blasting to start on a half-a-dozen other mountaintop mines. Last July, for example, five months before EPA's landmark veto of Arch Coal Inc.'s permit for the 2,200-acre Spruce No. 1 mine in West Virginia, the agency greenlit plans from an Arch subsidiary, Coal-Mac Inc., to dynamite a third as many acres for the Pine Creek, W.Va., mine. And last January, EPA signed off on plans...