With cheap oil becoming a luxury of the past, America and the world are working to build a clean energy future that will heal the economy and help fight global warming. But not everyone is willing to let go of the past: They're trying to develop even dirtier sources of transportation fuel -- derived from oil shale, tar sands and liquid coal -- at an even greater cost to our health and the environment.
Just as support for clean energy and climate solutions is growing among Americans from all walks of life--from Fortune 500 executives to Iraqi war veterans to union members--we learn new secrets about the old forces eager to keep us hooked...continued→
No one should be surprised that Big Oil talks the talk on the need to address the climate crisis while not bothering to actually walk the walk. At an industry conference this week in London, members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries showed...continued→
"Turn on more lights, burn more coal." -- Don Blankenship Don Blankenship is the CEO of Massey Energy, the largest coal producer in Appalachia and the most notorious perpetrator of mountaintop removal mining. Mr. Blankenship, known as "the scariest polluter in America", makes millions of dollars...continued→
President Obama sips on a tar sands milkshake through a large straw with the words "Clipper Pipeline" neatly painted onto it. The milkshake asks Obama, "How does it taste?" He doesn't think it's very yummy. On the other side of...continued→
You remember that old expression, the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Mirriam-Webster defines its meaning as: "one that is dominating or uncontrollable because of great size or power, e.g. like it or not, the 800-pound gorilla usually sets the...continued→
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...continued→
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...continued→
Prime Minister Harper is coming to Washington at a time of heightened concern about how tar sands oil is undermining U.S., Canadian and international efforts to curb global warming pollution. He is also coming at a time when all eyes...continued→
This Wednesday, President Obama will meet with Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the White House to talk about climate change and energy issues. The word "expansion" may not appear on the official, diplomatic schedule, but I am certain it...continued→
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...continued→
Having recently returned from the extensive tar sands oil fields of Alberta, I was alarmed to learn that our State Department just approved a new pipeline for funneling tar sands fuel straight into the U.S. Midwest. This decision locks us...continued→
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...continued→
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...continued→
After I toured some of Alberta's tar sands oil operations last week, I traveled north to Fort Chipewyan, a small village in the Athabasca River Delta. The community is only 60 miles from tar sands central in Fort McMurray, but...continued→
Most Americans recognize that our love affair with the automobile--and the oil addiction that comes with it--has implications for our foreign policy and military commitments in the Middle East. What is less well understood are the environmental and human consequences...continued→
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...continued→
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...continued→
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...continued→
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...continued→
"The U.S. should not pursue energy options inconsistent with the national response to climate change." That is the sober -- and welcome -- conclusion of a new report by the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), entitled Powering America's Defense:...continued→
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...continued→
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...continued→
The huge Congressional climate bill has been formally introduced, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454). Over a month of discussion and heavy dealmaking has finally come to an end, recalling the famous Otto Von Bismarck quote "Laws are...continued→
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...continued→
This Thursday (April 23), the California Air Resources Board has a dramatic opportunity to help solve global warming and get biofuels right by adopting the nation's first Low Carbon Fuel Standard. To do so, California must stand up against two...continued→
The US Chamber of Commerce has been drinking its own Kool-Aid again, and trying this time to get members of Congress to think it's green tea. The Chamber is attempting to convince policymakers that burdensome regulations are blocking clean energy...continued→
With the Coal-to-Liquids conference kicking off today in Washington, D.C., I think it's worth adding another point to my previous argument against the notion of converting coal into liquified transportation fuel to offset petroleum. According to the latest U.S. Department of Energy calculations,...continued→
Spring in Washington is a lovely time, with cherry blossoms about to bloom and tourists trekking to the Mall to gaze at monuments. But our fair city is about to see a different influx this week, as attendees arrive for the so-called...continued→
Our colleagues at Western Resource Advocates just released a report called "Water on the Rocks" that catalogues all the water rights in Colorado that have been acquired by oil shale interests, or could be used by them, to develop oil shale on...continued→
This headline in the Calgary Herald today made my day: "Rhetoric driving policy, says chamber". A more apt headline might be: "Rhetoric driving chamber crazy." According to the story, the U. S. Chamber of Commerce thinks the term "dirty fuel" unfairly describes Canadian tar...continued→
Last spring, I found myself entranced by a pair of red-tail hawks building a nest in Riverside Park, just a few blocks from my apartment in New York City. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of their parents and the best wishes...continued→
Ever wonder why it's been so hard to pass climate change and clean energy legislation? By now, most Americans are aware that coal, oil and other members of the carbon club spend generously on top-dollar public relations and lobbying campaigns...continued→
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...continued→
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...continued→
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...continued→
Last month, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm used her State of the State address to stake out an exciting new clean energy future for the wolverine state. By focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy, she was just weeks ahead of President...continued→
In a forceful speech tonight, President Barack Obama asked America to join him in bringing about a revolution in how we produce and use energy. Already in his young presidency, he has signaled his desire to regulate greenhouse gases from...continued→
Beyond the applause and happy smiles in tonight's Presidential address, what made me realize that we are in a new era was how the President wove his energy agenda throughout the speech. What a difference from the Presidential addresses of...continued→
It was a sweet day for President Obama in Canada. As he savored a "beaver tail" in Ottawa, security seemed the farthest issue from his mind. No, this is not an endangered species post...apparently there is a rockin' bakery...continued→
The tar sands issue will never be the same after the President's visit to Canada this week. It has been catapulted to the top tier issues between the U.S. and Canada. Now the spotlight will be on what can be...continued→
Speculation about how President Obama would handle the murky issue of tar sands oil during his first visit to Canada has been daily in the Canadian media over the past few weeks. Focusing on the imperative of tackling global warming, President...continued→
We've all been hearing the litany of problems with tar sands from the environmental impacts to the public health consequences. However, how much more needs to happen for our decision makers to act now? Scientists who have specialized in...continued→
When President Obama travels to Canada tomorrow, he will be met by cheering crowds eager to greet him along with a welcoming banner from Greenpeace that reads "climate leaders don't buy tar sands oil." Canadian tar sands oil development strip-mines...continued→
At first glance, you wouldn't think that a trip to our friendly northern neighbors would be cause for concern for environmental groups. You'd expect Canadians, with their love of outdoors and the vast wilderness, to be strong advocates for the...continued→
Well the anticipated trip of President Obama to Canada is just about to begin. The Canadian press has been reporting for a while that Prime Minister Harper will raise tar sands when President Obama makes his first international trip. And,...continued→
Tomorrow President Obama is traveling to Canada. Most American presidents head to Ottawa on their first state visits, using the trip to our northern neighbor as an easy transition to the world stage. But this time, in addition to the...continued→
As is customary, President Obama will make his first state visit to Canada this week. Prime Minister Harper will no doubt be waiting eagerly. There is a lot to talk about. Energy security will be high on both leaders' list. To quote...continued→
Just two days before visiting Canada, in an interview on Canadian TV tonight, President Obama said that tar sands "creates a big carbon footprint." Alberta's controversial tar sands oil industry is known for its damage to the Boreal forest and...continued→
As the President heads to Canada this week, the Canadian government is expected to table a proposal to "protect" their carbon-heavy tar sands operations in Northern Alberta from future global warming regulation. The Canadians are confident, apparently, that the U.S....continued→
Things looked pretty rosy in Alberta last summer when oil was trading for $140/barrel. Investments flooded in from folks all over the world eager to stake their claim on the Canadian province's cash cow: tar sands. Sure, there were...continued→
On the eve of President Obama's trip to Canada, the Canadian government is claiming that America and Canada share the same problems with dirty fuels such as coal and tar sands. Tar sands and coal are both very dirty fuels....continued→
The President will make his first foreign visit to Canada next week. This is a tradition and historically these meetings have been largely ceremonial. Not so this time. Canada is abuzz with speculation about what directions might be set -...continued→
From a birds eye view, the Syncrude tar sands mining waste ponds stretch out glistening attractively in the sun. On a long migration north to nest, I can see how 500 ducks would decide to land on one of...continued→
The release of last week's Alberta Health cancer study in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, Canada answered few questions but prompted many more. Responding to requests by the community of Fort Chipewyan, the Alberta Government conducted a health study to investigate the...continued→
The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) and the World Resources Institute recently worked together to publish "A Roadmap for a Secure, Low-Carbon Energy Economy." The Roadmap is intended to produce win-win-win recommendations that benefit energy security, our economy, and the climate. The...continued→
The Alberta and Canadian governments are under increasing public pressure for stricter regulations to protect environment and public health in the tar sands. A new Council of Canadians poll shows that there is no excuse for energy companies when...continued→
There is an air of optimism in Washington, D.C. these days with our new President in place. For me some of it comes from feeling that there is a new will in the US to find clean energy solutions. ...continued→
There is less than a week before President-elect Obama's inauguration. Tomorrow, there will be a Senate hearing on the nominee for the new Secretary of the Interior--Senator Ken Salazar. Nevertheless, despite the many changes in Washington, the Bush administration is staying...continued→
When I mentioned around the office that Canada had proposed to our new President-to-be that the ever growing greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands oil development be "protected" from global warming regulations -- the response was disbelief. "Preposterous!"...continued→
The Rocky Mountain News published a strongly pro-tar sands Op Ed from a Colorado petroleum geologist over the weekend, entitled "Oil sands spell energy security." I don't claim to have aced any spelling bees -- but I do know my...continued→
Everyone realizes that America is dangerously addicted to oil. What people need to know is that if crude oil is cocaine, tar sands oil from Canada is crack. It doesn't make any sense to replace one with the other --...continued→
How's this for an eye-catching headline? Wind, Water And Sun Beat Biofuels, Nuclear And Coal For Clean Energy That comes from a story published today in ScienceDaily, which opens with this unequivocal sentence: "The best ways to improve energy security, mitigate global...continued→
In a taped statement yesterday, President-elect Obama addressed an international meeting on climate change hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger in and co-hosted by an all-star, bi-partisan group of governors active on global warming issues (see Canada's reaction here). My colleague, Peter Miller, who was...continued→
The coal industry has a dream -- that one day our cars and trucks will run on liquefied coal. They tout this as a way to free America from its addiction to oil -- 60% of which we export from foreign...continued→
On the heels of Congress lifting the moratorium on leasing lands to develop oil shale, Rand released a study that is as interesting for what's in it as for what's been left out. RAND, a renowned non-profit that provides analyses...continued→
Over and over we hear from dirty fuel advocates that the U.S. needs to use slop like tar sands and high sulfur coal so that it does not get shipped to places like China where the environmental standards are considered...continued→
Hurricane Ike spilled at least half a million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico and the wetlands of Louisiana and Texas, according to a review of federal data by the Associated Press, released today. As proponents of...continued→
Joel Reynolds speaks about NRDC’s upcoming Supreme Court case, dubbed ‘Navy v. Whales’ on Living on Earth the nationally syndicated NPR show based out of Boston…In the LA Times Bobby McEnaney warns that tax breaks for dirty fuel refineries included...continued→
In an NPR Morning Edition news piece Wesley Warren, NRDC's director of Programs, talks about oil industry’s exploitation of the Bailout Bill as an opportunity to get funds for dirty fuels written into legislation… In the Gary Post Tribune, Ann...continued→
In the Associated Press, Craig Noble discusses the benefits of California’s newest bill providing incentives encouraging communities to grow smartly and in ways that reduce their environmental impact… In New York Times’ Green Inc blog, the writer notes that a...continued→
How to generate millions of jobs, break our dependence on oil and reduce the pollution that causes global warming.
