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Agenda for Clean Energy and the Environment

Report coverPresident-elect Obama has pledged that tackling the climate crisis and repowering America with clean energy will be central to his presidency. NRDC and a broad coalition of partners have prepared a road map, respectfully submitted to the transition team for consideration, with recommendations for achieving these goals. These bold measures will help channel American ingenuity into solving the economic, climate and environmental crises we now face.

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Changing Direction: Another Hopeful Sign with Appointment of Roy Kienitz

March 2, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
changeinwashington, greentransition, highways, infrastructure, legislation, oildependence, policy, publictransit, rail, sprawl, transportation bill, transportation policy

  A couple of weeks ago I noted some of President Obama's statements about transportation and land-development which showed that he cares about, and understands, important but oft-overlooked policies that have a huge influence on how much oil the nation...continued

Two Critical Priorities Await Vilsack at Department of Agriculture

December 24, 2008

Posted by Frances Beinecke in Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
agriculturedepartment, biofuels, farming, foodsafety, globalwarming, greentransition, obama, obamacabinet, sustainablefarming, vilsack, windpower

Once again, I greet another cabinet appointment by President-elect Obama's with respect. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack is a strong choice to lead the Department of Agriculture. His guidance will be essential on a host of issues facing the department, from restoring...continued

Salazar at the Interior Department: So Much at Stake

December 17, 2008

Posted by Frances Beinecke in Moving Beyond Oil , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places , U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
biogems, BLM, cabinetappointment, endangeredspecies, greenteam, greentransition, interiordeparment, nationalparks, oildrilling, oilleases, oilshale, publiclands, roanplateau, salazar, wildlands, wildlife

I welcome the news that President-elect Obama has appointed Senator Ken Salazar at the Secretary of the Interior. After years of corruption and corporate dominance at the Interior Department, we desperately need to change the way America's national parks, public...continued

High Hopes that Obama and Team Will Get Ocean Management Right

December 17, 2008

Posted by Leila Monroe in Reviving the World's Oceans

Tags:
greentransition, marinespatialplanning, oceans, renewableenergy

President-elect Obama and his team of advisors have shown an unprecedented level of interest in carefully considering the complexities and competing interests that must be balanced--the interests of conservation, fishing, energy, and recreation--to effectively manage and protect our vast, depleted...continued

The Environmental Appointments: Obama Means What He Says

December 11, 2008

Posted by Frances Beinecke in Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
browner, cabinetappointment, chu, energyefficiency, globalwarming, globalwarmingsolutions, greentransition, jackson, obama, ports, richardson, sutley

President-elect Obama's choices for top environment posts reveal something very important: they tell us that Obama means what he says. He means it when he says he wants to protect the planet and tackle global warming. Plenty of politicians say...continued

A High-Tech Gadget that Saves Money and Creates Jobs

December 10, 2008

Posted by Frances Beinecke in Green Enterprise , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming

Tags:
cleantech, danreicher, energyefficiency, ericschmidt, greenenergy, greenjobs, greenliving, greentransition, smartmeter

It used to be that talk of the nation's electricity grid caused most people's eyes to glaze over. Now, thanks to a confluence of volatile energy prices, a green-oriented incoming president, and a cultural fascination with high tech gadgets, that...continued

Richardson Appointment: Good News for Oceans

December 3, 2008

Posted by Frances Beinecke in Moving Beyond Oil , Reviving the World's Oceans , Solving Global Warming

Tags:
acidification, commercedepartment, fisheries, global, greentransition, marinelife, oceans, oceansgovernance, offshoredrilling, richardson, warming

Most people don't realize it, but the Secretary of Commerce has enormous influence over America's ocean resources. That's why I welcome the news that President-elect Obama is tapping Governor Bill Richardson for this position. He is well known for his...continued

Google CEO on Energy Efficiency: Doing the Right Thing Is Also the Right Thing for Business"

December 3, 2008

Posted by Frances Beinecke in Green Enterprise , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming

Tags:
energyefficiency, ericschmidt, google, greenenergy, greentransition, stimuluspackage

Just before Thanksgiving, I had the chance to introduce Google CEO Eric Schmidt at a talk he gave in New York City. The event, organized by NRDC Trustee Wendy Schmidt, was illuminating and entertaining thanks to Eric's dry humor and...continued

A New Vision for the Bureau of Reclamation

November 25, 2008

Posted by Barry Nelson in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places

Tags:
baydelta, bureauofreclamation, ecosystem, greentransition, groundwatercleanup, salmon, waterconservation, waterprogram, waterrecycling

The Bureau of Reclamation was conceived at the start of the 20th century (originally as the Reclamation Service) to meet the needs of a world that no longer exists.  Now, at the start of the 21st Century, the Bureau needs...continued

Environmental Justice for All: Protecting Communities Fairly and Fully

November 25, 2008

Posted by Al Huang in Environmental Justice

Tags:
civilrights, environmentalhealth, environmentaljustice, EPA, greengroup, greentransition, health, obama, transition

The election of Obama as President provides a transformational opportunity to make good on the promise for an America where every person, regardless of their race or income, enjoys the right to a healthy environment. Over the past 8 years we've seen unprecedented...continued

Toxic Chemicals Policy: Change Needed Here

November 25, 2008

Posted by Daniel Rosenberg in Curbing Pollution , Health and the Environment , U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
greentransition, pregnancy, publichealth, simplesteps, toxicchemicals, toxics

This is my first blog post for NRDC, and with change in the air, it seems like a good time to be writing about what NRDC, our members, colleagues and allies hope will be a wholesale change in the way...continued

Obama's Opportunities to Save Our Oceans

November 25, 2008

Posted by Leila Monroe in Reviving the World's Oceans

Tags:
greentransition, marineprotectedareas, marinespatialplanning, oceans, overfishing

As the excitement of the election transitions into action, we must ensure that the new administration is focused on our nation’s most critical environmental issues –like saving our sick oceans.  Our oceans are a vital national and global resource.  They...continued

A Three-Track Strategy on Global Warming

November 25, 2008

Posted by David Doniger in Solving Global Warming

Tags:
energysecurity, globalwarming, greenjobs, greentransition

 A broad coalition of environmental organizations, including NRDC, unveiled today our "Transition to Green" - our recommendations for President-Elect Obama and his new administration.  Our highest priority recommendations are addressed to taking quick and decisive action on climate and energy. ...continued

Saving Oil, Cutting Pollution: How to Transform Transportation

November 25, 2008

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
CAFE, cars, DOT, fueleconomy, fueleconomystandards, greentransition, rail, transportation bill, transportation policy

"If you do what you've always done, you get what you've always gotten." -Tony Robbins When you think about transportation issues, what's the first thing that comes to mind? High gas prices and troubled bridges. There was the "bridge to...continued

Tick, Tick, Tick… Time to Transition to a Healthy Budget for CDC

November 25, 2008

Posted by Kim Knowlton in Health and the Environment , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
CDC, climatechange, globalwarming, greengroup, greentransition, healthandtoxics, healthtracking, monitoring, simplesteps

In mid-November, I was hiking in the Hudson River Valley with my dog Emmett on a perfect (if unseasonably warm) autumn day, a jaunt that was marred only by my shock at the number of ticks picked off both dog...continued

Wildlife Services: Take some of the damage out of wildlife damage management

November 25, 2008

Posted by Josh Mogerman in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places

Tags:
APHIS, greentransition, helicopter, USDA, wildlifedamagemanagement, wildlifeservices, wolves

Did you know that a hefty chunk of your tax dollars go to an efficient squad of killers known to employ an array of heavy armaments and poisons to liquidate millions of targets every year?  No, it’s not the...continued

How DOE saves every American energy and money in the next administration

November 25, 2008

Posted by Lane Burt in Green Enterprise , Solving Global Warming

Tags:
appliances, buildings, codes, efficiency, energyefficiency, greentransition

The green group transition recommendations to the incoming administration were released today, and I want to highlight some of the pieces in the section dealing with the Department of Energy. There are three main issues in this section, detailing how...continued

Let's restore the integrity of the FDA

November 25, 2008

Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment

Tags:
bisphenol-a, FDA, greentransition, lindane

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has come under fire for a lot of missteps over the past 8 years.  From recalls of "blockbuster medications" like Vioxx and Baycol, to bacterial contamination of spinach and tomatoes, to pet food contamination, to the...continued

Green Transition: America’s Arctic and the Circumpolar Arctic

November 25, 2008

Posted by Chuck Clusen in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places

Tags:
alaska, arctic, arcticocean, drilling, greentransition, northslope

The Arctic Region Is under Assault by Global Warming The Arctic region of our earth is undergoing disastrous warming.  The Arctic ice pack now shrinks to roughly half the size it had historically.  While this year's ice pack decreased to...continued

Safe and Sufficient Water: A Presidential To-Do List

November 25, 2008

Posted by Jon Devine in Curbing Pollution , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places , U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
armycorpsofengineers, cleanwateract, cleanwaterrestorationact, EPA, greeninfrastructure, greentransition, mountaintopremoval

As many of my colleagues are describing today, NRDC and a host of partner groups in the environmental, conservation, and public health community have created a document, called "Transition to Green," which lays out a detailed set of policies that we...continued

Fish & Wildlife Services: A change in tone could change a ton!

November 25, 2008

Posted by Josh Mogerman in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places

Tags:
endangeredspeciesact, ESA, fishandwildlifeservice, fws, greentransition

The Green Group transition document has a number of concrete and thoughtful suggestions for US Fish & Wildlife Services (FWS) in the new administration. Frankly, I’d be happy with a simple change of tone… We’ve been focused on the...continued

Clearing the Air

November 25, 2008

Posted by John Walke in Curbing Pollution , Health and the Environment , U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:
airpollution, cleanairact, cleanairinterstaterule, cleanairmercuryrule, EPA, greentransition, mercury, newsourcereview, powerplants

This morning a coalition of environmental and public health groups issued a report entitled Transition to Green, providing priority environmental recommendations for the Obama administration transition team. I co-chaired the committee responsible for developing priority recommendations for EPA, and also chaired...continued

Detailed Actions to Restore America’s Global Leadership on Global Warming

November 25, 2008

Posted by Jake Schmidt in Greening China , Solving Global Warming

Tags:
climatechange, climatechangenegotiations, developingcountries, globalwarming, greentransition, kyoto, obama, UNFCCC

Restoring America's leadership on global warming is no easy task.  US leadership has been lost over a sustained period as the current Administration has failed to make progress on global warming.  (Sadly this is time we don't have.)  So, becoming...continued

Environmental Community Offers Obama a Green Economic Recovery Plan

November 25, 2008

Posted by Frances Beinecke in Green Enterprise , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming

Tags:
globalwarming, greeneconomy, greenenergy, greenjobs, greentransition, obama, wildlands

After 35 years working as an environmental advocate, I have done my share of consensus building and coalition tending. It's not always easy finding common ground, even among those who are fighting for the same cause. But today the environmental...continued

Clean Energy Common Sense

OnEarth: NRDC's award-winning magazine

Citizen journalism from the OnEarth magazine website

The End of the Tour But the Beginning of the Fight
by Rocky Kistner
The Arctic Circle: Science at the End of the Earth
by David Rothenberg
Road to Copenhagen: Fears Arise Outside Closed Doors
by Ben Jervey

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