"The Obama administration proposed guidelines that require agencies to consider climate change in reviewing of government actions, the latest of a string of environmental directives after Democrats lost control of Congress."
Legislation to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act, a key journalist's tool, died in the final hours of the do-nothing 113th Congress — but hopes remain that the coming 114th Congress could pass the bipartisan package. The bill's Senate passage was delayed by a "hold" placed on it by retiring Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), whose reasons were not clearly explained but were apparently due to banking interests' fears.
"Congressional appropriators [Tuesday] night unveiled a $1 trillion spending bill to fund most government agencies through the end of the year, making slight cuts to U.S. EPA while boosting spending at the Departments of Energy and the Interior."
There is still a chance that Congress could pass legislation strengthening the Freedom of Information Act before it adjourns. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a fix-FOIA bill (S 2520) November 20, 2014, setting up the possibility of full-Senate floor action. The Society of Environmental Journalists has urged Congress and the President to support such legislation.
"A Department of Energy investigation into the contentious firing of a Hanford nuclear waste site official met initial resistance from some of the government's biggest contractors."
There is still hope (and perhaps time) for this Congress to pass a bill strengthening the Freedom of Information Act. The Senate Judiciary seems likely to mark up a revised FOIA reform bill Thursday, November 20, 2014. After that will come a push to bring it to the Senate floor and eventually reconcile with a FOIA bill already passed by the House.
"Chinese officials and businesspeople used a state trip by President Xi Jinping and other high-level visits to smuggle ivory out of Tanzania, an environmental watchdog said Thursday, casting doubt over Beijing's efforts to end the illegal trade that has led to rampant elephant poaching throughout Africa."
The Society of Environmental Journalists wrote President Barack Obama October 23, 2014, urging him to take a strong position supporting legislation that would strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Bipartisan FOIA improvements may be one of the few pieces of legislation with a chance to clear the lame duck 113th Congress before control shifts to Republicans in 2015.
"The Obama administration released thousands of pages on Friday documenting federal agencies’ vulnerabilities to climate change and what those agencies plan to do about it."
"The U.S. government is drafting rules designed to close an accounting loophole that in recent years has helped coal companies boost export profits and likely cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, people familiar with the plan said."
Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/obama-sets-guidelines-climate-review-agency-decisions
[2] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change
[3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government
[4] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81
[5] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national
[6] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-18/obama-sets-guidelines-for-climate-review-in-agency-decisions-1-.html
[7] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/foia-reform-dead-long-live-foia-reform
[8] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/watchdog-tipsheet
[9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business
[10] https://www.sej.org/headlines/riders-1-trillion-spending-deal-aims-avert-government-shutdown
[11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics
[12] http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1060010269
[13] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/congress-could-still-pass-foia-reform
[14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media
[15] https://www.sej.org/headlines/hanford-whistleblower-probe-stalled-early-memo
[16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws
[17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/nuclear-power/radiation
[18] http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060009328
[19] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/foia-bill-could-still-pass-lame-duck
[20] https://www.sej.org/headlines/chinese-state-visit-tanzania-used-smuggle-ivory-report-says
[21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife
[22] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/africa
[23] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/asia
[24] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/06/china-tanzania-ivory-smuggling_n_6113932.html?utm_hp_ref=green
[25] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/sej-urges-obama-take-stand-bipartisan-foia-bills
[26] https://www.sej.org/headlines/feds-outline-climate-change-plans
[27] http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/222458-38-federal-agencies-outline-climate-threats-adaptation-plans
[28] https://www.sej.org/headlines/us-plans-plug-coal-royalty-loophole-padding-export-profits
[29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy
[30] http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/23/us-usa-coal-royalty-idUSKCN0IC0CC20141023
[31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=208
[32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=205
[33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=206
[34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=207
[35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=210
[36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=211
[37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=212
[38] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=213
[39] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=293