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Obama heads north to Alaska where drilling decision looms large
Posted by Reuters: Roberta Rampton on August 29th, 2015
Reuters: President Barack Obama on Saturday defended his decision to allow Royal Dutch Shell to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean under what he said were rigorous standards, fending off criticism by environmental groups.
His message comes on the eve of a three-day tour of Alaska aimed at drawing attention to powerful images of melting glaciers and eroding coastlines as a "wakeup call" to Americans in the Lower 48 states about the urgent need to address climate change.
The trip is part of a broad campaign...
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Obama tells Coast Guard grads climate change menaces US
Posted by Reuters: Roberta Rampton on May 20th, 2015
Reuters: Rising seas and thawing permafrost caused by warmer global temperatures threaten U.S. military bases and will change the way the U.S. armed services defend the country, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday.
In a commencement address at the United States Coast Guard Academy, Obama underscored the risks to national security posed by climate change, one of his top priorities for action in his remaining 19 months in office.
"The threat of a changing climate cuts to the very core of your service,"...
Energy boom may yield geopolitical shift for U.S.: Obama
Posted by Reuters: Roberta Rampton on December 19th, 2012
Reuters: The sudden boom in U.S. oil and natural gas production could eventually lead to a shift in relations with the Middle East as the United States becomes a net exporter of energy, President Barack Obama said in an interview published on Wednesday.
The United States is on track to surpass Saudi Arabia as the world's top oil producer by 2017. As early as 2016, the government has said the U.S. could be a net exporter of natural gas, and the Obama administration is weighing whether to allow exports to...
Top Senate lawmakers see chance to revamp U.S. energy policy
Posted by Reuters: Roberta Rampton on November 16th, 2012
Reuters: The United States needs to update its energy policy to reflect the boom in natural gas and oil production that has boosted manufacturing jobs, said the top Democrat on the Senate energy committee on Thursday.
Ron Wyden, who is in line to take over the panel's gavel in January, said he sees the opportunity for "transformative energy policy" to both spur jobs created by the newfound wealth of energy while also protecting air and water from pollution.
But Wyden and Lisa Murkowski, the top Republican...
Senator wants details on US natural gas export rules
Posted by Reuters: Roberta Rampton on October 23rd, 2012
Reuters: The U.S. Energy Department needs to explain how it will determine whether to allow more exports of the nation's bountiful supplies of natural gas, a top Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee said on Tuesday.
Senator Ron Wyden, who is in line to be the next chairman of the panel if Democrats hold the Senate after the Nov. 6 elections, asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu to explain "the actual decision-making criteria" that will be used to rule on applications to export liquefied natural gas, or...
Retired U.S. military brass wage political battle for biofuels
Posted by Reuters: Roberta Rampton on July 13th, 2012
Reuters: A coalition of retired U.S. military officers defended the Pentagon's plans to boost the use of more expensive biofuels, telling senators and their staff on Thursday that reduced dependence on oil from the Middle East would ultimately reduce costs and improve national security.
The U.S. veterans were fighting efforts by some Republicans to stop the purchase of expensive biofuels and spending on biofuel refineries at a time when defense budgets face massive cuts.
"A small investment in biofuels...
House passes Keystone bill, Senate action uncertain
Posted by Reuters: Roberta Rampton on February 17th, 2012
Reuters: The House of Representatives passed an energy bill on Thursday that would wrest control of a permit for the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline away from President Barack Obama, who has put the project on hold.
The bill, part of a broader House Republican effort to fund highways and infrastructure projects, would also expand offshore oil drilling and open up parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.
While approval of the Keystone measure by the House was widely expected,...
Nuclear waste storage a top issue for NRC: chairman
Posted by Reuters: Roberta Rampton on May 2nd, 2011
Reuters: The U.S. nuclear safety regulator is studying whether to require plants to more quickly move radioactive waste out of pools as part of a review on safety in the wake of Japan's nuclear disaster, its chairman said on Monday.
Damage to a pool holding spent fuel at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March has elevated concerns in the United States about how best to store the millions of spent fuel rods now mainly stored in pools at the nation's 104 plants.
"That's obviously something we're looking...