Mandy Gunasekara served in the EPA as Trump’s Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation from March 2017 to Feb. 2019. Before that, she was counsel to Sen. Inhofe, the most insistent of all climate deniers. Now she’s a climate denier
It’s not animal husbandry, but like Rachel Maddow’s new book chronicles, US crony capitalism in the Trump era can often devolve to fossil fuel kleptocracy. In today’s Arms for Dirt, the GOP demand to prosecute the Bidens distracts from the concurrent deals Rick Perry made for
< p class=”is-empty-p”> x YouTube Video In less than 400 days the US could be relieved of perhaps the stupidest self-proclaimed “environmentalist” in US history. We will need to refocus the post-Trump environmental economy to sustainable goals that reposition the discourse about economic growth, particularly energy production,
Report of an explosion aboard a National Iranian Oil Company Tanker Sinopa carrying 1 million barrels, sailing in the Red Sea near Jiddah. Block TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s state-run news agency and other media say an explosion has struck an Iranian oil tanker off
Stop me before I dance again. Rick is no stranger to jail time, among other stupid things. Perry was in contact with Ukrainians during period of the infamous call because of associated energy meetings, but none of that diminishes the reality of the Trump call,
Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of how much the electric vehicle market has been changing year to year. Not only are growth rates spectacular — 54% annually globally — but the capabilities of each new generation of vehicles rises dramatically. It is this latter aspect
A new law called the Energy Policy Modernization Act is on the fast track to being sent to President Obama to sign into law. Inside this bill is a small provision that could have wide ranging impacts. An amendment introduced by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski
Hillary Clinton’s opponents in the Democratic primary pledged to not take donations from the fossil fuel industry. It’s an appropriate response to the fossil fuel industry’s tremendous influence in Washington, despite their presenting a catastrophic threat to the future of civilization. When an Iowa voter
Seven community members and concerned citizens are blockading entrances to the Koch Carbon Transfer Terminal (KCBX) on Chicago's Southeast side. The blockade began at 8am Monday morning. By 9am they were joined by 10th ward Chicago Alderwoman Susan Garza who sat in support with the
Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis visited Chicago to host a sold out premier showing of their new documentary film, This Changes Everything. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it. I know the issue well. I've seen plenty of climate change documentaries before. But the filmmakers won
The two Democrats running to replace Aaron Schock in Illinois' 18th Congressional district supported action on climate change in a recent debate sponsored by several news organizations. Both candidates mentioned a letter from Pope Francis calling on Catholics to make combating climate change a top
When Barack Obama announced his Presidential campaign in Springfield, Illinois he spoke of climate change. Let's be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil. We can harness homegrown, alternative fuels like ethanol and spur the production of more fuel-efficient cars. We
Illinois State Senator Andy Manar is getting pushback from constituents after introducing a bill to help the heavily subsidized state coal mining industry. A coal industry lobbyist with Foresight Energy joined Manar and other legislators at a press conference for a bill to give Illinois
Illinois' largest public utility will now be overseen by a mayor who pledged to keep renewable energy as part of its energy mix. Springfield's Democratic Mayor-elect Jim Langfelder deserves credit for talking about clean energy. Some candidates avoided the topic because it's controversial after a
Nearly half of Illinois voters oppose fracking, according to a new poll by the Simon Institute. The statewide poll reveals 48.6% oppose fracking while only 31.8% believe it should be encouraged, even if there are economic benefits. Opponents outnumber supporters an all regions of the
When Rahm Emanuel became mayor, the city of Chicago was making lists of top green cities in America. During the election he pledged support to a community movement aimed at closing the polluting Fisk & Crawford coal plants. But after taking office, Emanuel significantly increased
One of Bruce Rauner's first appointments as Governor is a troubling sign for citizens hoping he'll protect the public and environment from toxic pollutants. Rauner's new Policy Adviser for Environment & Energy is Alec Messina, previously Executive Director and registered lobbyist for the Illinois Environmental
Illinois environmentalists are cheering the spectacular success of the movement to ban fracking in New York. The victory is justifiably spurring reflection on how it was done. What happened in New York that Illinois environmentalists can learn from? Environmental and public health groups made an
Any news outlet that distributes information unflattering to Republicans or views out of step with conservative ideology will be hounded with cries of “liberal media bias.” The badgering will continue until all news outlets are as “fair and balanced” as Fox News. But the most
Hillary Clinton did us a favor. At a recent speech to the League of Conservation Voters, Clinton showed that she doesn't understand what it will take to confront the climate crisis and she's unwilling to stand up to fossil fuel interests who are threatening to
