Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
On my regular walk to work along Pennsylvania Avenue, I passed a big hairy "Carbon" Big Foot on the sidewalk who was cheerfully grunting offers of tar sands oil to passersby. This was not an everyday sight in my...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
Today the Obama Administration proposed the first national limits on global warming pollution from cars and trucks along with strengthened fuel economy standards. This will cut global warming pollution from vehicles by 30 percent, save 1.3 million barrels a...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
With Canadian federal elections a likelihood for this fall, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper would benefit politically from a feel good photo-op or joint announcement with the most popular politician in Canada: Barack Obama. Prime Minister Harper will be in...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Curbing Pollution , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
Yesterday, the State Department issued a permit for a new transboundary pipeline that will bring heavy tar sands oil to the U.S. Midwest for upgrading and refining. The United States is preparing for the Copenhagen meeting having made a commitment...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
The leaders of Canada's provinces are meeting today to discuss climate change, among other things. They were greeted by Greenpeace protesters with signs that Canada is dying for climate leadership. This is a theme that is likely to follow the...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
Once again, the Alberta government is using its $25 million public relations pot to mislead the public. Today, Alberta is touting the results of two new studies about tar sands greenhouse gas emissions as showing that tar sands production is...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
On Friday, the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act passed in the House signifying a major step forward for the United States in tackling climate change and building a clean energy economy. The ACES bill provides the funding to...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places , Solving Global Warming
I have been working on U.S. - Canada environmental issues for almost ten years - and many of my colleagues have done so for much longer. We have close and daily coordination among environmental groups on both sides of our...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places , Solving Global Warming
Last week the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) released a new report The Canadian Oil Sands: Energy Security vs. Climate Change. The report attempts to address a debate about whether the United States needs further expansion of tar sands oil...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places , Solving Global Warming
Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) consulting firm released a new report today about growth in the Canadian tar sands. The report acknowledges many of the environmental problems with tar sands, but then still somehow concludes that we need this source...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
Despite attempts by oil companies and Canada to say otherwise, the movement in the United States to reduce carbon pollution leaves no room for expansion of high carbon dirty fuels like tar sands oil from Canada. Just a few...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
As the U.S. is drafting new rules to reduce carbon pollution, the Canadian government is once again letting its opinion be known. Is Canada pledging to work alongside the U.S. to curb carbon pollution? No - our neighbor to the...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Nuclear Weapons, Waste and Energy , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places , Solving Global Warming
We greeted Canadian Environment Minister Prentice in DC at the start of this week. Minister Prentice has been a strong proponent of expansion of Canadian tar sands oil development, despite the high global warming pollution, and the extensive damage to...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
Canadian Environment Minister Prentice visiting Washington, D.C. for meetings on energy and climate this week, makes me wonder again why Canada is putting so much effort and money into public relations around tar sands oil instead of addressing the very...
Posted by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
With our first real snow storm of the winter predicted for Monday morning, the greeting for tar sands oil this week in Washington is likely to be as chilly as the weather. The Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice arrives in...
