Gas Industry Is Under Fire. It’s Hiring Democratic Politicians To Help.
"Gas companies have enlisted prominent Democrats to convince liberal voters that the fuel is climate-friendly, documents show".
Source: Washington Post, 02/02/2023
EJToday: Top Environmental Politics Headlines
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"House Republicans Blast Environmental Rules In First Energy Meeting"
"House Republicans took aim at the country’s bedrock environmental policy in their first meeting in charge of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday, painting a bleak picture of the energy sector under President Biden and pushing for sweeping action to boost gas production."
Source: The Hill, 02/02/2023"Lawmakers Clash Over Allowing Guns In Natural Resources Committee"
"Lawmakers on the House Natural Resources Committee had a heated debate Wednesday about whether to allow guns into the committee room."
Source: The Hill, 02/02/2023"Judge: Defiant NJ Beach Town Can Sue For $21M In Dune Costs"
"A New Jersey beach town that defied state environmental authorities and fixed its dunes that were seriously eroded by a storm can proceed with a lawsuit seeking to recover $21 million it spent bulking up its shoreline, but cannot build a bulkhead to permanently thwart the waves, a judge ruled Wednesday."
Source: AP, 02/02/2023"Administration Expected to Endorse Limited Drilling in Alaska Project"
"The Biden administration is expected to propose a scaled-down version of a sprawling oil drilling project in the North Slope of Alaska, according to two people familiar with the decision. The proposal would allow drilling to proceed on a limited basis as part of an $8 billion project known as Willow that climate activists have criticized for years."
Source: NYTimes, 02/01/2023Pressure Builds As States Miss Deadline In Colorado River Water Crisis
"The seven states that depend on the Colorado River have failed to meet a Tuesday deadline for agreeing on a water-use reduction plan, raising the likelihood of more friction as the West grapples with how to manage the shrinking river."
Source: LA Times, 02/01/2023"Shell Is Selling ‘Carbon Neutral’ Fossil Fuels Again"
"Emboldened by new industry guidelines, natural gas companies are renewing their efforts to sell “carbon neutral” fossil fuels, a controversial practice of offsetting a shipment’s emissions to shrink its environmental impact."
Source: Bloomberg Green, 02/01/2023"White House Blasts Exxon Over Historical $56 Billion Annual Profit"
"The White House on Tuesday expressed outrage on Tuesday at Exxon Mobil Corp's record net profit in 2022 of $56 billion, a historical high not just for the company but for the entire Western oil industry."
Source: Reuters, 02/01/2023"Climate Disinfo Surges In Denial, Conspiracy Comeback"
"False information about climate change flourished online over the past year, researchers say, with denialist social media posts and conspiracy theories surging after US environmental reforms and Elon Musk's Twitter takeover."
Source: AFP, 02/01/2023"E.P.A. Bans Disposal of Mine Waste in Bristol Bay"
"The Biden administration on Tuesday is set to move to protect one of the world’s most valuable wild salmon fisheries, at Bristol Bay in Alaska, by effectively blocking the development of a long-disputed gold and copper mine there."
Source: NYTimes, 01/31/2023"California Holdout In Agreement Over Colorado River Cuts"
"Six western states that rely on water from the Colorado River have agreed on a model to dramatically cut their use, months after the federal government called for action and an initial deadline passed. California — with the largest allocation of water from the river — is the lone holdout."
Source: AP, 01/31/2023"This Group Is Sharpening the GOP Attack On ‘Woke’ Wall Street"
"Bankrolled by mysterious donors, a little-known group named Consumers’ Research has emerged as a key player in the conservative crusade to prevent Wall Street from factoring climate change into its investment decisions."
Source: Washington Post, 01/31/2023Watchdog Says White House Science Integrity Measure Amounts To A ‘Gag Rule’
"A whistleblower and advocacy group is raising concerns over what they call a “gag rule” against federal scientists that was included in White House scientific integrity guidelines."
Source: The Hill, 01/31/2023"In Israel, Disposable Plastics Trigger Culture War, Test PM"
"On Idit Silman’s first day as Israel’s new environmental protection minister, she handed out soft drinks in disposable plastic cups to hospital patients. The gesture held deep symbolic meaning in Israel, where soft drinks and single-use cups, plates and cutlery have become weapons in a culture war between the country’s secular Jewish majority and the smaller but politically powerful religious minority."
Source: AP, 01/31/2023"Turmoil And Turnover Plague Audubon"
"Workplace woes are taking a toll on the National Audubon Society. The 118-year-old bird conservation group, one of the oldest and best-known environmental advocacy groups in the country, has had a tumultuous few years."
Source: E&E News, 01/31/2023
