Posts by Eartha Jane Melzer
House passes bill giving Arizona land to mining company; Minnesota delegation splits
Opposed by environmentalists and American Indian groups, a Rio Tinto subsidiary is seeking the land swap in order to better access what it claims may be the largest copper ore body in the world.
State Dept. estimates Keystone pipeline would create fewer jobs than promised by companies
The U.S. State Department said the project would lead to 5,000-6,000 jobs, including Keystone employees, contractors and constructions workers.
House pipeline bill would delay new safety measures
The bill, which a safety advocate called a “partisan industry-driven effort,” follows a number of high-profile pipeline accidents.
Watchdogs push for more disclosure of corporate spending on elections
Target, which drew criticism because of a donation in support of Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, is held up as an example of the risks taken by companies that play in politics.
Report: Keystone XL is designed for exporting oil out of U.S.
The primary beneficiary of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline is a company that wants to refine tar sands oil into diesel and ship it to Europe while avoiding taxes, according to a new report.
Green groups, GOP hopefuls oppose corn-based ethanol subsidies
Much of the attention on corn-based ethanol has focused on the role that this supposedly renewable fuel is playing in driving up global food prices. Now environmental groups and some conservative politicians are pointing out another problem — corn-based ethanol consumes the bulk of federal funding on renewable energy and the big oil companies that blend the ethanol into gasoline are collecting subsidies to the tune of about $6 billion a year.
Congressional report: Cutting oil company tax breaks is unlikely to affect consumers
Opponents of ending tax breaks for big oil companies argue that closing tax loopholes will result in higher prices at the pump, but a report from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service finds that ending the tax breaks is unlikely to cause a rise in prices.
U.S. has 23 reactors like plant that exploded in Japan
The U.S. has 23 GE Mark 1 reactors like the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 which exploded and released radiation over the weekend — including the Monticello plant here in Minnesota.
Watchdog groups warn of risks of tar sands pipelines
As the U.S. State Deptartment considers a proposal to build a nearly 2,000-mile long pipeline to transport Canadian tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast, key questions about the safety of moving tar sands by pipeline remain unanswered, watchdog groups warned this week.
House Republicans attack CO2 regulations as bad for business
The first of several promised clashes over U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulatory powers came this week at a hearing over a Republican bill that would block the agency from regulating greenhouse gases out of concern for climate change.
