Strict standards needed for contaminants in drinking water

Two U.S. senators from New York have introduced legislation that would require federal environmental regulators to clamp down on potentially harmful chemicals in drinking water. The bill, cosponsored by democrats Kristin Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, would require the Environmental Protection Agency to set “strong and enforceable safety standards” for chemicals like PFOA in public water systems.

EPA chief unconvinced on CO2 link to global warming

The Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt to run the Environmental Protection Agency over the objections of Democrats and environmentalists worried he will gut the agency, as the administration readies executive orders to ease regulation on drillers and miners. Photo: Reuters/Carlos Barria The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday he is not convinced that carbon dioxide from human activity is the main driver of climate change and said he wants Congress to weigh in on whether CO2 is a harmful pollutant that should be regulated.

Global Warming is Killing Environmentalism

I have written many times that someday we will look back on the early 21st century and decide that the obsessive focus on Co2 and global warming gutted the environmental movements effectiveness for a generation. While we focus on overblown fears of global warming, warming that may be more expensive to stop than it actually hurts us, r eal environmental problems we know how to solve go neglected .

Climate, other programs get deep cuts in EPA budget proposal

The Trump administration would slash programs aimed at slowing climate change and improving water safety and air quality, while eliminating thousands of jobs, according to a draft of the Environmental Protection Agency budget proposal obtained by The Associated Press. Under the tentative plan from the Office of Management and Budget, the agency’s funding would be reduced by roughly 25 percent and about 3,000 jobs would be cut, about 19 percent of the agency’s staff.

Environmental programs face deep cuts under budget proposal

The Trump administration would slash programs aimed at slowing climate change and improving water safety and air quality, while eliminating thousands of jobs, according to a draft of the Environmental Protection Agency budget proposal obtained by The Associated Press. Under the tentative plan from the Office of Management and Budget, the agency’s funding would be reduced by roughly 25 percent and about 3,000 jobs would be cut, about 19 percent of the agency’s staff.

Ex-VP Al Gore drives resurgent climate activism in Denver as Trump…

Former vice president and climate change specialist Al Gore speaks to an audience of almost 1,000 people during his Climate Reality Leadership Corps training at the Colorado Convention Center March 2, 2017 in Denver. T A pushback against President Donald Trump’s attacks on rules to protect the environment gained momentum in Denver Thursday as former vice president and climate-change sentinel Al Gore launched a three-day mobilization of activists.

US approves 3 types of genetically engineered potatoes

An eye implant that takes about 10 minutes to put in place is the newest in a list of surgical repairs for the blurry close-up vision that is a bane of middle age. Federal officials say three types of potatoes genetically engineered to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine are safe for the environment and safe to eat.

AmeriCorps program seeking service site locations

The Vermont Environmental Careers and Opportunities AmeriCorps program is seeking partners interested in hosting a talented AmeriCorps member this coming 2017-2018 service year. Towns and organizations with identified environmental project and outreach needs are encouraged to apply.

We can have it all if we’re willing to work toward compromise

Earlier this week, I was invited to sit on a panel hosted by Conservation Colorado to discuss how tourism fits into continued efforts for clean air, land, and water efforts in our community. There’s a pretty good chance that U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton’s aide and I were the only conservatives in the room, which is unfortunate since the event was open to the public.

Sparking ‘The Fight of a Lifetime,’ Senate Puts Fossil Fuel Ally at Helm of EPA

Portending risks to “the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the planet we love,” the U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency . The 52-46 vote comes a day after an Oklahoma judge said Pruitt was in violation of the state’s Open Records Act and ordered the release of thousands of emails between his office and fossil fuel companies.

Senate confirms Trump’s EPA pick

The US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency over the objections of Democrats and environmentalists worried he will gut the agency. Senators voted 52-46 on Friday to approve Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt.

Trumpa s EPA pick, Scott Pruitt, expected to be confirmed Friday

In this Jan. 18, 2017, file photo,Environmental Protection Agency Administrator nominee, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Senate Republicans are poised to use their majority to confirm Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, despite calls from Democrats for a delay.

Senate on track to confirm Scott Pruitt as EPA administrator

In this Jan. 18, 2017, file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator-designate, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. On inauguration eve, five law professors filed a brief in support of a 2015 regulation giving EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers discretion to regulate tributaries and wetlands far upstream from navigable lakes and rivers to protect water quality.

Congressman is righteously booed after dodging a young girl’s simple question about science

One hour into a loud, contentious town hall meeting in his home state of Utah, Congressman Jason Chaffetz was asked two simple questions by a young girl named Hannah Bradshaw. The first was about the environment: “What are you doing to help protect our water and air for our generations and my kids’ generations?” The second was just a bit more broad : “Do you believe in science?” Asking the sitting congressman if he believes in science is sadly a relevant question.

‘Capitulation’: Clive Hamilton exits Climate Change Authority, blasts Turnbull

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GOP senators suspend committee rules, move Trump EPA pick ahead as Democrats boycott vote

In this Jan. 18, 2017, file photo, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Republicans voted Feb. 2, 2017, to send to the full Senate the nomination of Pruitt to lead the EPA.

Senate delays vote on Trump EPA pick after Democrats boycott

“Republican U.S. senators on Wednesday delayed a committee vote on President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency after the panel’s Democrats boycotted the meeting, saying that nominee Scott Pruitt doubts the science of climate change. The boycott in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee delayed the transition to a new administrator for the agency.

GOP Pushes 2 Top Cabinet Picks Through to Full Senate

Republicans jammed two of President Donald Trump’s top Cabinet picks through the Senate Finance Committee with no Democrats in the room Wednesday after suspending a rule that would have otherwise barred them from taking the vote. The tactic seemed a warning shot that they might deploy brute political muscle in the upcoming fight over the Supreme Court vacancy.

Official: Trump wants to slash EPA workforce, budget

The former head of President Donald Trump’s transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday he expects the new administration to seek significant budget and staff cuts. Myron Ebell said in an interview with The Associated Press that Trump is likely to seek significant reductions to the agency’s workforce – currently about 15,000 employees nationwide.

Guam governor orders EPA to test for traces of Agent Orange

Guam’s Environmental Protection Agency has been ordered to test sites around the tiny U.S. island territory for traces of the toxic Vietnam-era defoliant Agent Orange. In a letter dated Jan. 19, Gov. Eddie Calvo instructed the agency’s on-island administrator, Walter Leon Guerrero, to examine “drinking water sources and soils,” where U.S. military veterans who served there in the 1960s and ’70s claimed the toxic-chemical mixture had been sprayed.

Trump EPA pick pledges more cooperation with industry

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator-designate Scott Pruitt, left, is welcomed on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., prior to testifying at his confirmation hearing before the committee. Our team will redo any room but a bathroom or kitchen.

EPA critic Scott Pruitt faces Senate panel in bid to lead agency

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, the man President-elect Donald Trump wants to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, will ask a select group of senators Wednesday to allow him to lead an agency he has spent much of his career trying to dismantle. Environmental activists call Pruitt dangerous and Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will look to put his views of science and climate change on trial.

Pruitt OK’d as EPA chief over environmentalists’ objections

Over the strong objections of environmental groups, the Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday, giving President Donald Trump an eager partner to fulfill his campaign pledge to increase the use of planet-warming fossil fuels. In six years as Oklahoma’s attorney general, Pruitt filed 14 lawsuits challenging EPA regulations that included limits on carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.

USDA analysis says ethanol sharply cuts greenhouse gas emissions

Jan 12 The U.S. government on Thursday said that ethanol is better for the environment than previously expected in a report boosting the country’s biggest biofuel a week ahead of a new administration that has some in the industry concerned. The report, the first of its kind from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to examine the actual impact of ethanol, said the biofuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent relative to gasoline.

EPA locks in 2025 fuel efficiency rules

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy on Friday finalized a determination that the landmark fuel efficiency rules instituted by President Barack Obama should be locked in through 2025, a bid to maintain a key part of his administration’s climate legacy. Major U.S. and foreign automakers have appealed to President-elect Donald Trump, who has been critical of Obama’s climate policies, to review the rules requiring them to nearly double fleet-wide fuel efficiency by 2025, saying they impose significant costs and are out of step with consumer preferences.