"REI’s Sally Jewell Wins Confirmation as Interior Secretary"
"By a vote of 87 to 11, the Senate approved Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) chief executive Sally Jewell on Wednesday as the next Interior secretary."
Source: Wash Post, 04/11/2013
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"Obama Budget Would Increase U.S. Clean-Energy Spending"
"President Barack Obama proposed a dramatic increase in clean-energy spending on Wednesday as he sought to expand U.S. government support for electric cars, wind power and other "green" technology despite persistent Republican criticism.
The president would pay for the expansion in part by eliminating tax breaks and subsidies for oil, gas and coal industries. Previous efforts by Obama's fellow Democrats to repeal the $4 billion worth of fossil-fuel subsidies have fallen short."
Source: Reuters, 04/11/2013
EPA Nominee McCarthy Faces Senate Grilling
"COMING THURSDAY: Probably the most rough-and-tumble of the nomination hearings for members of President Obama’s second-term green team.
Gina McCarthy, Obama’s choice to run the Environmental Protection Agency, will appear before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The Senate committee includes three of Capitol Hill’s most outspoken critics of the EPA: the panel’s ranking Republican, Sen. David Vitter (La.), and Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)."
Source: Hill/E2 Wire, 04/11/2013
CREW Wins Big for All FOIA Requesters
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, saying that agencies had 20 days to respond to FOIA requests, stating "what documents would or wouldn’t be handed over and why," according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
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White House OMB Secretly Weakened Food Safety Rule
It may come as little surprise that an unknown number of Americans could die as a result of White House weakening of food safety rules mandated by Congress. The Office of Management and Budget has been secretly weakening environmental health and safety at industry request for years. The surprise is that we found out.
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Will McCarthy Face Questions on EPA Press, Openness Practices?
President Obama's nominee for EPA administrator, Gina McCarthy, faces a confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Thursday, April 11, 2013. SEJ has urged committee members to ask McCarthy about her commitment to open government and whether she will fix EPA's "badly broken" news media policies.
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Exxon "Unified Command" Locks Down Ark. Spill Site; Threatens Reporter
The March 29, 2013, spill from ExxonMobil's Pegasus Pipeline near Mayflower, Arkansas is a big deal for several reasons. But the most important thing about the Mayflower spill may be that ExxonMobil and the federal agencies involved seem to be trying to keep news media from getting close enough to see what is going on. Read SEJ's letter protesting the media treatment, and EPA's response.
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2013 SEJ Annual Conference Crowdfunding Campaign for Conference Fellowships
SEJ's 30-day "WeDidIt" crowdfunding campaign to send journalists to its annual environmental journalism conference, taking place October 2-6, 2013 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, ended on June 7th. Thank you to our generous contibutors!!
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"Washington Area Braces for Cicadas’ Return"
"They’re back. Seventeen years after a major swarm of bug-eyed cicadas staged one of nature’s weirdest — and loudest — mating rituals, their offspring are preparing to rise in Washington’s suburbs and the Mid-Atlantic."
Source: Wash Post, 04/10/2013
Enviros Urge 10 Top Retailers To Pull Potentially Toxic Products
"Health and environmental groups will launch a national campaign Thursday to prod 10 major retailers -- including Walmart, Target and Costco -- to clear store shelves of products containing hazardous chemicals."
Source: USA TODAY, 04/10/2013
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