Posts Tagged ‘Congress’
Virginia votes are key to protecting America’s waters from coal ash pollution
There’s a move afoot in Congress to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from passing the first-ever national rule for power plants to properly dispose of coal ash–all 125 million tons of it produced every single year. U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, of my home state of Virginia, are key votes on this…
Read MoreHouse Republicans fight for mountaintop removal mining
A lopsided legislative hearing held by the House Natural Resources committee last Friday is further proof that fans of mountaintop removal mining aren’t giving up without a fight. The hearing focused on legislation recently introduced by Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), a proud coal industry advocate, and Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), a pro-coal congressman in his…
Read MoreCommittee to Vote on Mountaintop Removal Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning at 11 a.m., the U.S. House Appropriations Committee will vote on a bill that is an egregious attack on the environment. The Appropriations bill before them would sharply cut funding for the Department of the Interior and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, and prevent the agencies from improving the regulation of mountaintop removal…
Read MoreHouse Votes to Block EPA on Coal Ash
This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2218, a bill that strips the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate coal ash. The bill fails to protect human health and the environment from the unsafe disposal of toxic coal ash waste. The bill’s supporters, led by bill author Rep. David McKinley (R-WV), continue…
Read MoreThe Environment on The Hill: Congress Continues to Undermine Essential Protections
Yesterday was a busy day on Capitol Hill. With multiple hearings on environmental issues in the House and Senate, Congress is trying to get a lot of business done before the August recess. House Natural Resources Committee Questions OSM Director Pizarchik Joseph Pizarchik, Director of the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSM) was…
Read MoreAs the Barn Burns, the House Stays Cold on Energy Efficiency
There has been much ado about energy efficiency in Congress recently, but so far there’s nothing to show for it. On June 12, we wrote about the Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP), which could help millions of residential electricity customers across the United States access low-cost financing for improving the energy efficiency of their homes,…
Read MoreTenn Tuesday: Haslam Can’t Keep Hands off the Family Business. Alexander and Corker To Support Critical Energy-Efficiency Legislation? Squirrel!
Haslam Dragged Down by Coal Ties, TVA All Over the Place, Critical Energy Savings Votes in the U.S. Senate as early as this week. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s troubles continue to be front and center in the national media, with the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal and The Tennessean reporting on Governor Haslam failure to…
Read MoreTenn Tuesday: Happy Independence Day!
I’m glad to live in a country where crazy stuff happens, but we are at least are able to stand up, criticize and even fire those in charge Welcome to Tennessee Tuesday! We’ve got our grills, our flags, and our green tomatoes just waitin to be fried. We’ll be fairly succinct this week as we…
Read MoreTenn Tuesday: More Sun! Less Surface Mining! TVA, Obama Agree on Climate Plan!
TVA says they are in line with the president’s plan on climate change! National Coal is packing their bags and leaving Tennessee! More solar is on the way! Cleaner air, healthier kids, fewer coal plants? It sure does make sense for Tennessee. We’re having our Tuesday with a dash of Wednesday today over here at…
Read MoreUPDATE: Clean Water Protection Act Gains Support
By Melanie Foley Legislative Policy and Research Assistant, Summer 2013 The Clean Water Protection Act, HR 1837, was introduced last month with 45 original cosponsors. Since then, more than two dozen additional members of Congress have recognized the need to protect our communities and rivers from pollution caused by mountaintop removal. The bill, which restores…
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