Category: Fracking (Page 1 of 2)
It wasn’t long ago that coal executives were openly discussing their dream of Republicans seizing the White House and making Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe — who believes climate change is a “hoax” concocted by greedy scientists — the head of the EPA.
Coal companies provide a product that causes mercury poisoning, climate change and other environmental hazards. The increasingly profitable way of extracting it, mountaintop removal, the process by which a mountain is blown up and the coal beneath it is gathered with heavy cranes and machinery, is being blamed for poisoning waterways throughout Appalachia.
Now, they have a second chance. As dark money groups and SuperPACs backed by millions of dollars from the fossil fuel industry are propelling Republicans to a Senate majority, climate science-denying politicians are likely to seize control of key committee chairmanships, a coup for companies seeking to pollute the atmosphere with impunity. What’s more, Inhofe is slated to become chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, with oversight of the EPA.
Take a look at how the U.S. Senate would likely change under GOP control..
WASHINGTON – The Senate voted to confirm Gina McCarthy as the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, ending what had been the longest delay for any of President Obama’s second-term Cabinet picks.
The 59-40 vote was the second such successful confirmation vote Thursday, as the Senate follows through on a deal this week to advance long-stalled executive branch nominations.
Obama announced McCarthy as his pick for the EPA post on March 4, when he also nominated Ernest Moniz to be secretary of Energy. Moniz was unanimously confirmed in May.
Republicans blocked McCarthy’s nomination as they sought answers to what they called “transparency requests” from the Obama administration over its environmental policy. Her status became part of a showdown between Senate leaders over delaying tactics that was resolved this week.
UPDATE: Cuccinelli announces his support for hydro-fracking for natural gas in the protected George Washington National Forest.
White Rocks on Little Sluice Mountain in George Washington National Forest.In the first quarter of 2013, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R) raised about $2.4 million for his gubernatorial campaign. Of that, a huge portion came from oil and gas interests — likely impressed by his long record of active climate denial.
Tea Party darling Ken Cuccinelli
A ThinkProgress review of data from the Virginia Public Access Project reveals that, by far, his largest donor in the period was the Republican Governors Association — a 527 political committee that works to aid Republican governors and gubernatorial candidates. While it is impossible to know the exact origin of the RGA’s $1 million contribution, the group receives a significant portion of its money from polluter interests.
In 2012, Koch Industries contributed more than $2 million, $800,000 from Devon Energy, and more than $639,000 from CONSOL Energy. According to a Center for Public Integrity investigation, oil and gas interests used the RGA to as a conduit for millions in donations in 2010, allowing them to circumvent campaign finance laws and invest heavily in electing candidates who supported fracking and other drilling expansion.
Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli is working with coal companies and State Policy Network groups backed by Koch Industries to rollback VA’s voluntary clean energy program.
The same Dominion that gave him $10,000 for his run for governor, on top of almost $46,000 in previous years for other political positions.
Virginia’s law needs to be strengthened in ways that increase clean energy production and the good jobs that come with it.
Dominion Power is way behind in making sure Virginians can rely on reasonable, consistent and stable electricity bills, as well as clean energy sources that don’t contribute to climate disruption. To get up to speed, its plans need a greater focus on energy efficiency as well as wind and solar power.
Instead, Dominion Power is proposing a road-map that will leave Virginia further behind the curve: a $1 billion natural gas facility in Brunswick County. It’s a poor choice because natural gas is susceptible to volatile prices and, as a fossil fuel, contributes to global warming…
via Alexandria Times.
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