It has been nearly four years since BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and neither the dirty energy industry nor politicians in Washington, D.C. have learned anything from that tragedy. Even with new evidence showing that the entire ecosystem in the Gulf
Continue readingAuthor: Farron Cousins
DeSmogBlog: Oil Industry Profited Off Polluting Oil Spills, Fraud Investigation Underway
When an oil company’s negligence leads to an oil spill, the financial costs incurred by the company can be crippling. They have to pay clean up costs, federal fines, and, in many cases, settlements to victims who have been affected by the spill. Since these costs can be such a
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Business Coalition Announces Massive Offensive Against Environmental Protections
As the Obama administration begins to take action to rein in the emissions from the dirty energy industry, big business groups all over the country have announced that they aren’t willing to stop polluting without putting up a very serious fight. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Gas Association,
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Duke Energy Spills Thousands Of Tons Of Coal Ash Into North Carolina River
Residents in the city of Eden, North Carolina are currently in danger of having their drinking water destroyed thanks to Duke Energy. The coal giant has reported a coal ash spill in the Dan River with as much as 82,000 tons of the toxic pollutant released into the waterway. According
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Senate’s “Dirty Duo” Ready To Lift Oil Export Ban
The two ranking members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee signaled they are prepared to introduce legislation to lift the ban on U.S. oil exports. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said that they would consider introducing legislation if President Obama does not otherwise lift the
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Misinformation Is Winning – Doubt In Climate Change Climbing
Climate change-related disasters have been rising for decades; yearly temperatures are rising in a nearly consistent pattern; extreme weather events are costing economies across the globe hundreds of billions of dollars. Despite the mounting evidence that climate change is both real and a major threat to our security, more people
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: House Energy Committee Votes Down Climate Reality
The House Energy and Commerce Committee had the opportunity earlier this week to pass an amendment making it clear that the House accepts the scientific consensus that climate change is real. But it seems that once again dirty energy industry money was enough to convince the Republicans on the committee
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Dirty Energy Job Numbers Don’t Add Up
A foolproof way to sell an idea to the American public is to link that idea to jobs. If you are able to convince them that your proposal will either preserve jobs already in place, or even better, create new jobs, it makes it much more difficult to ignore. This
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: West Virginia Polluter Freedom Industries Files For Bankruptcy To Halt Lawsuits
Freedom Industries, the company that recently leaked thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into the Elk River in West Virginia, quietly filed for bankruptcy this past Friday to shield themselves from the onslaught of lawsuits filed against the company. The current owner of Freedom Industries, J. Clifford Forrest, took control
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: ALEC Plans Massive Environmental Attack For 2014
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has a big year ahead of them, as they attempt to dismantle a slew of environmental protections from state to state. More specifically, the corporate front group is hoping to pass dirty energy friendly legislation to ease the rules for electric utilities. From state
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: First On 2014 Congressional Agenda: Dismantle EPA Protections That Save Lives
After nearly a month off, U.S. elected officials returned to Washington, D.C. this week. And just as they so often do after returning from vacation, one of their first legislative actions was to dismantle portions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The U.S. House of Representatives passed a legislative packet
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Coal Chemicals Taint Water Supply of 300,000 In West Virginia, Hundreds Sickened
Early Thursday, a chemical spill along West Virginia’s Elk River contaminated the tap water of as many as 300,000 West Virginia residents across nine West Virginia counties. The chemical spill occurred at a storage facility for Freedom Industries less than two miles from a major water treatment plant. Freedom Industries
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: BP Attempts To Misdirect Public With Claims Of Fraud
Oil giant BP is again attempting to convince the public that the oil spill settlement process for their destruction of the Gulf of Mexico resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and leak, is completely riddled with fraud. The company filed a fraud lawsuit earlier this week to
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Exxon Pressures Government To Lift Oil Export Restrictions
It wasn’t long ago that the dirty energy industry and their friends in Congress and the media were screaming that we needed to open up every corner of America to oil and gas drilling in order to lower energy costs and help protect our country from oil-rich countries who don’t
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Science On Trial In America As Courts and Congress Grapple with Industry Pollution
Both the science behind climate change and the efficacy of life-saving safety standards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had a trying week in Washington, D.C., as industry-backed lawsuits and politicians attempted to undermine the entire scientific community. The EPA is currently battling two major legal obstacles in the
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Backing Mitch McConnell, Other Coal Candidates In 2014
Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell is facing an uphill battle for reelection in next year’s midterms. But luckily for McConnell, his powerful allies in the dirty energy industry have deep pockets and are willing to shower his campaign with cash to help increase his chances of victory. Over the
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Report: Gas Industry’s Campaign Donations Reach Record Levels
As elected officials in Washington continue to mull the possibilities of setting stricter standards for fracking, the natural gas industry has decided to pull out all the stops to defeat these standards before they can even see the light of day. A new report from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: U.S. House Republicans Make It Clear That They Hate Renewable Energy
In Washington, D.C., money can buy power. Whether it comes in the form of lobbyists or direct campaign donations is irrelevant – it seems like every elected representative has a price. The more clever elected officials at least attempt to hide their loyalty to the industries that put them in
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: U.S. House Prepares Early Christmas Gift To Natural Gas Industry
The holiday season has officially kicked off for consumers, with massive sales and discounts being advertised in all forms of media. But the U.S. House of Representatives doesn’t have to fight the crowds to find the perfect gift for the dirty energy industry – they believe that the best gift
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Facing the Facts: Climate Change Is Bad For Business
As leaders of the industrialized world continue to squabble at home over how to address the threat of climate change – and even as they battle internal factions who don’t believe the science of climate change – one group of leaders has come out in favor of swift, comprehensive action
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