WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ten U.S. Senators pressed the Obama Administration today to strengthen its climate commitments by dropping all new fossil fuel leases from the 5-year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The letter, which was sent to Interior Secretary Sally Jewel, was signed by Sens. Jeff
WASHINGTON – Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., cheered news Friday that the Interior Department will pause and conduct an environmental review of the federal coal leasing program: “A wholesale review of the federal coal program is long overdue,” Wyden said. “This provides an opportunity to make sure taxpayers
Angering coal supporters, the Obama administration announced a temporary ban on new coal leases on federal lands Friday as part of a broad environmental and economic review of the nation’s federal coal program. The decision, which was lauded by environmental advocates, came three days after President Obama said in his State of
Two prominent Oregonians were in France Friday for the United Nations conference on climate change. Portland Mayor Charlie Hales spoke at a panel entitled “Financing City Action.” Hales said action on climate change happens slowly on the national level, but can be much faster locally. He gave the example of Portland’s recent fossil
PARIS — It is going to be O.K. That was the message from 10 Democratic members of the United States Senate who attended the Paris climate talks to reassure other countries that Washington would do its part. Of the 195 countries taking part in the talks, the United States seems
As I wrote last week in a post on supply-side climate policy … there isn’t much of it so far. Plenty of governments have been willing to pass legislation that would reduce demand for fossil fuels (by boosting renewables or imposing energy efficiency standards, for example). But few have been willing to
WASHINGTON — Two Senators are floating ambitious legislation to stop the government from issuing new leases on public land for fossil fuel extraction. The venture, pushed by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), is a gamble that would be met with fierce opposition from Republicans. Merkley said the
Over the past year, environmentalists have called for keeping significant stores of the world’s remaining fossil fuel stores in the ground in order to curb climate change — a call that’s backed up by science. Now, a new bill aims to do just that. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), along with Senator
Oregon Jeff Merkley is joining Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in calling for a halt to new oil, natural gas and coal leases on federal lands and in coastal waters. The two will unveil legislation Wednesday designed to radically reduce the production of fossil fuels, which they say is necessary to
One of the biggest environmental fights in recent years is ending with a whimper. Royal Dutch Shell said Monday that it’s abandoning oil and gas exploration off Alaska’s northern coast after an expensive well came up essentially dry. The decision ends, at least for the foreseeable future, a key battle
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