"CEO Bill Watkins wants to build a $100 million next-generation LED light factory near his Silicon Valley-area headquarters, but China wants the 2,000 jobs he hopes to create."
"Hundreds of environmentalists, union members and liberal activists converged on Rancho Mirage on Sunday to rally against what they see as the influence of two of the nation's leading financial backers of conservative causes."
"EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson spent an hour listening to residents of El Paso, Vinton, Westway, Sunland Park and other locations who spoke of health problems they believe are related to pollution from a steel plant, a landfill, chemical plants, dairies and Asarco, the shuttered smelter."
"From the sometimes bizarre front lines of the climate-change culture wars: It seems the brothers Koch, proprietors of the giant, Kansas-based industrial conglomerate and well-heeled supporters of Tea Party causes, have now set their sights on a group of anonymous pranksters who spoofed a Koch Industries press release last month — one that suggested the brothers were having a change of heart on climate change."
"The 'C-word,' climate, appears to have become to the Beltway what the 'P-word,' population, has been in climate treaty negotiations for a long time — unmentionable."
"President Obama visits green-energy companies in Wisconsin as battles brew over spending cuts back in Washington. The day takes on a football theme as Obama, a Chicago Bears fan, receives a Packers jersey and, in a factory visit, quotes Vince Lombardi."
"Texas officials granted an air permit for a proposed Corpus Christi power plant Wednesday despite calls from federal regulators to delay approval of the controversial request."
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility says the Dec. 21 memo implies that existing EPA openness policy meets White House criteria. Meanwhile, the Office of Management and Budget may again be tampering with agency science for political purposes — accused by Arizona congressman Raúl Grijalva (pictured) of censoring FOIA'd documents relating to the mid-summer estimate of Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
"President Obama’s call for Congress to pass a mandate that includes both traditional renewable energy sources like wind and solar as well as GOP favorites nuclear and 'clean coal' may be the driver needed to bang through the most aggressive and politically feasible means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions on Capitol Hill this Congress."
After illegally high levels of antibiotics were routinely found in dairy cows headed for the slaughterhouse, the Food and Drug Administration decided to test milk from the farms those cows came from. Dairy farmers, worried more about profits than antibiotic resistance that could sicken their customers, have objected. Now the two sides may be looking for win-win solutions. Meanwhile, testing is on hold.
