Environmental Politics

"Health Worries Stalk Neighborhoods in Detroit's 'Sacrifice Zone'"

"DETROIT -- A fire at the Marathon Petroleum Corp. refinery here late last month caused little structural damage, but its timing could not have been worse for the plant's owner. The blaze, which was quickly extinguished by the refinery's emergency personnel, occurred on the morning that U.S. EPA and advocacy groups were touring the plant's industrial neighborhood as part of a national environmental justice conference at a downtown conference center."

Source: Greenwire, 09/13/2011

Industry, White House May Suppress EPA List of "Chemicals Of Concern"

"The White House is under pressure from two democratic senators to release a list of chemicals the Environmental Protection Agency says could endanger human health or the environment. This so-called chemicals of concern list would include eight phthalates, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and bisphenol A."

"The chemical industry has attempted to block release of EPA’s proposed list over the past year.

Source: C&EN, 09/13/2011

"FBI Comes Knocking After Federally Backed Solyndra Fails"

"SAN JOSE, Calif. — Federal agents searched Solyndra Inc.'s Fremont, Calif., headquarters Thursday, just days after the high-profile solar manufacturer filed for bankruptcy protection and a week before its top executives are expected to testify before Congress.

Solyndra, which manufactured tubular-shaped solar panels for commercial rooftops, stunned the clean-tech community when it abruptly announced last week that fierce competition from China had forced it to suspend operations and immediately lay off 1,100 employees.

Source: McClatchy, 09/12/2011

"Pipeline Spills Put Safeguards Under Scrutiny"

"The little-known federal agency charged with monitoring the system and enforcing safety measures — the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration — is chronically short of inspectors and lacks the resources needed to hire more, leaving too much of the regulatory control in the hands of pipeline operators themselves, according to federal reports, an examination of agency data and interviews with safety experts."

Source: NY Times, 09/12/2011

"Obama Skips Clean Energy to Avoid a Political Battle on Jobs"

"President Obama gave Congress a jobs package that was boiled down to practical provisions -- and clean energy didn't make the cut. ...

He didn't mention the word "energy" once. The bipartisan topic of energy efficiency was also absent in the speech."

Evan Lehmann and Saqib Rahim report for ClimateWire September 9, 2011.

SEE ALSO:

Source: ClimateWire, 09/12/2011

"GAO Audit Sparks Battle Over Attorneys' Fees in Environmental Cases"

"Environmental groups and their critics are trading blows over the findings of a recent Government Accountability Office report on environmental litigation costs. In the face of Republican claims that environmentalists game the legal system to win attorneys' fees, GAO experts examined lawsuits filed against U.S. EPA and found 'no discernible trend' over the last 16 years."

Source: Greenwire, 09/09/2011

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