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    DOT Issues Emergency Order for Stricter Standards to Transport Crude Oil by Rail

    DOT Issues Emergency Order for Stricter Standards to Transport Crude Oil by Rail

    The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) yesterday issued an Emergency Order requiring all shippers to test product from the Bakken region to ensure the proper classification of crude oil before it is transported by rail, while also prohibiting the transportation of crude oil in the lowest-strength packing group. The fireball that followed the derailment and explosion […]

    4 Reasons the Sochi Olympics Are an Environmental Disaster

    4 Reasons the Sochi Olympics Are an Environmental Disaster

    By Kevin Mathews You may see a lot of gold, silver and bronze at the Olympics, but one color you definitely won’t see much of in Sochi is green. Years ago, Russia won its Olympic bid in large part by pledging to host the most environmentally friendly Games ever. Now, however, it’s clear that Sochi did not […]

    Despite $93 Billion in Profits, Big Oil Demands Continued Tax Breaks

    Despite $93 Billion in Profits, Big Oil Demands Continued Tax Breaks

    By Daniel J. Weiss and Miranda Peterson The 2013 profit totals are in for the big five oil companies—BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil and Shell. Their financial reports indicate that they earned a combined total of $93 billion last year, or $177,000 per minute. After years of oil production declines, the big five oil companies actually increased their […]

    5 Ways the Farm Bill Brings Home the Bacon for Big Ag

    5 Ways the Farm Bill Brings Home the Bacon for Big Ag

    Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Bill, which fails to make meaningful reforms to correct this imbalance in our food policy: 1. “Direct Payments” Bait and Switch The Farm Bill eliminates the “Direct Payments” program—long the poster child for wasteful agricultural subsidies, known for handing out checks to rich landowners who don’t […]

    Pesticide Exposure Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

    Pesticide Exposure Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

    By Robin Lally Scientists have known for more than 40 years that the synthetic pesticide DDT is harmful to bird habitats and a threat to the environment. Now researchers at Rutgers University say exposure to DDT—banned in the U.S. since 1972 but still used as a pesticide in other countries—may also increase the risk and […]

    New Technologies Contribute to National Driving Decline, Policy Needs to Catch Up

    New Technologies Contribute to National Driving Decline, Policy Needs to Catch Up

    U.S. Public Interest Research Group In a first-of-its-kind study, U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PRIG) compiled nation-wide evidence on transportation apps and vehicle sharing programs, and found that these advanced new tools have made it easier for Americans to drive less. Real-time apps and on-board wi-fi for public transit, as well as carsharing, bikesharing […]

    The Incredible Shrinking U.S. Coal Industry

    The Incredible Shrinking U.S. Coal Industry

    Greenpeace By Kelly Mitchell It’s been a big month for news on the state of the U.S. coal industry—from announcements that China is significantly curbing coal use, to the long-awaited unveiling of the Obama Administration’s carbon standards for new coal-fired power plants. Despite Peabody’s claims that “We have trillions of tons of coal resources in the […]

    Widespread Use of Neonicotinoids Poses Risks to More Than Bees

    Widespread Use of Neonicotinoids Poses Risks to More Than Bees

    Xerces Society A report released this week by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation moves the spotlight from the risks neonicotinoids pose to bees to the impacts of neonicotinoids to invertebrates such as earthworms or lady beetles. Beyond the Birds and the Bees provides a comprehensive review of published articles and pulls together the growing […]