Here are some reports of possible interest to environmental journalists from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Congress does not release them to the public, but the Union of Concerned Scientists' Government Secrecy Project does.
"In April, Republicans newly in control of Congress celebrated their agreement on a plan to save $5 trillion — that’s trillion, with a 'T' — and balance the budget in a decade. 'We continue to get things done for the American people,' boasted the House speaker at the time, John A. Boehner. Yet as the year closes, Congress instead is planning to repeal one of the few spending cuts it has passed into law since approving that budget resolution: $3 billion over a decade from subsidies for crop insurers."
"Climate change has long been a highly polarizing topic in the United States, with Americans lining up on opposite sides depending on their politics and worldview. Now a scientific study sheds new light on the role played by corporate money in creating that divide."
"A key indicator for the strength of El Niño has reached a record high, the U.S. weather agency said, adding to signs that a weather pattern known for causing extreme droughts, storms and floods could become one of the strongest ever."
"Candidates for the Democratic nomination for president are scrambling to show that they care about the coal miners and communities that are suffering due to the industry’s downturn."
"Analysis by Maplight researchers finds senators who voted against EPA rules received 17 times more coal industry money".
"SMITH ISLAND, Md. -- Fragments of marshes whittled by waves rise a few feet above the Chesapeake Bay. A boat creeps along the jagged sandy edge, fishing lines trailing, and the two men raise their hands in greeting."
"After a concerted push from the United States, members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development agreed Tuesday to slash subsidies aimed at exporting technology for coal-fired power plants."
"The Norwegian oil company Statoil said on Tuesday that it would pull out of the Chukchi Sea off Alaska, just weeks after Royal Dutch Shell abandoned the treacherous waters there after spending billions of dollars on oil exploration work."
"The UK is alone among G7 nations in dramatically increasing its fossil fuel subsidies, despite an earlier pledge to phase them out, a new report has found."
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