Environmental Politics

"Following a closely watched Vatican climate change meeting Tuesday at the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences, the attendees — including not only scientific leaders but also religious and political luminaries — have released a statement suggesting that a 2015 climate accord may be the last chance to keep global warming within a range deemed “safe” for the world, its people and its ecosystems."

"Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, announced Thursday that he was running for president as a Democrat, injecting a progressive voice into the contest and providing Hillary Rodham Clinton with her first official challenger for the party’s nomination." While unlikely to win the nomination, Sanders may pull the party leftward and inject environmental issues into the campaign.

"A Senate committee voted Tuesday to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using ‘secret science’ to back its regulations."

The White House Tuesday issued veto threats for two GOP-sponsored 2016 appropriations bills likely to be taken up by the House this week. One is the Energy and Water appropriation, which the White House says underfunds clean energy jobs programs and contains "ideological riders" such as one that would thwart efforts to protect clean water.

"A Senate committee passed a bill Tuesday that would reform the federal government’s regulation of toxic chemicals for the first time in decades."

"Since his first homily in 2013, Pope Francis has preached about the need to protect the earth and all of creation as part of a broad message on the environment. It has caused little controversy so far."

"Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee are urging their Republican colleagues to stop a bill aimed at improving scientific transparency at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)."

"Proposed 200-mile pipeline would ship North Dakota crude across U.S.-Canadian border".

"Facing a thicket of candidates and ballot measures in the November election, Florida voters sent one resounding message to elected officials: More must be done to protect the state’s natural habitats — including the long-suffering Everglades."

"One of congressional Republicans' major attempts to regain a say over water resources projects while maintaining their self-imposed earmark ban may have hit a brick wall."