This blog was written by SACE intern Rachel Mountain and Natalie Mims. Beginning January 1, 2012, the federal government is implementing a lighting standard that requires incandescent bulbs to be at least 30% more efficient, resulting in a $7 billion reduction in consumer energy bills by 2020. Further, the lighting efficiency standard will reduce energy [...]
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still working to develop a program for safely handling coal ash, the industrial waste that is left behind after coal is burned for energy production. Coal ash is the second largest industrial waste stream in the United States, it contains numerous toxins such as arsenic, chromium, mercury, selenium and [...]
Post-Vote Update: On Wednesday, April 6, the Senate rejected all 4 amendments to a Small Business Bill (S. 493) that would have blocked the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to control carbon pollution through the Clean Air Act. On Thursday, April 7, the House voted on the “Dirty Air Act,” H.R. 910, which would have done [...]
It was a mixed week for energy policy on Capitol Hill as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially proposed new standards to reduce mercury/air toxics levels even as Congress took steps to block EPA’s ability to reduce climate pollution. The new mercury and air toxics standards would be a leap forward in terms of public [...]
Yesterday, 1Sky Florida supporters visited Senator Bill Nelson’s offices in Miami (Coral Gables) and Orlando to urge his support in protecting the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, blocking assaults on human health, and championing important environmental protections and clean energy incentives. A large coalition showed up to both offices that included [...]
With pledges to ‘reign in federal spending,’ the House of Representatives passed a spending bill (H.R.1) last week to continue funding the government through the 2011 fiscal year. This spending bill, which passed largely along party lines, was chock full of amendments to block funding for key environmental safeguards such as clean air, clean water, [...]
The basis for this post was an oped I authored, which ran today – Tuesday, February 15, 2011 – in the Tennessean. The original is published here alongside US Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s oped advocating undermining EPA authority to enforce the Clean Air Act. As parents and grandparents, there are many things we worry about for [...]
This past weekend, over 60 climate activists arrived in costume to the 1Sky Swanky South Beach Pollution Party at the Carlton Hotel to show support for a national climate policy and a clean energy economy. In keeping with the party theme, many guests came in costumes representing their least favorite form of pollution – from [...]
As the President offered his vision for positioning America to ‘win the future’ in the annual State of the Union address last night, two lines really stood out for me, “I’m asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re doing [...]
To many people, it seemed inevitable that 2010 would be The Year we passed The Climate & Energy Bill to overhaul the way we make and consume energy in this country. The stage was set in 2008 when Democrats gained control of both the Congress and the White House and pledged to reduce carbon pollution. [...]
