Switchboard: Natural Resource Defense Council Blog

Ending FDA Paralysis on Antibiotics with Two Court Victories and A Push for Transparency

Peter Lehner – Executive Director: Posted June 20, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably

Tags:: agriculture, antibiotics, CDC, farming, FDA, FOIA, infections, livestock, pharmaceuticals, superbugs

Twice within the past three months, history was made when a federal court ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action on the health threat posed by antibiotic misuse in animal feed. This one-two punch, which was...continued→ | comments

Amazing Young Women Leaders Remind Us Why We Are in Rio: The Future

Frances Beinecke – President of NRDC: Posted June 20, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: bankimoon, brittanytrilford, earthsummit, rio, rio+20, riosummit, severnsuzuki, unitednations, women, youthmovement

As the Earth Summit convenes today, after three days of preparatory meetings, I am reflecting on what this is all about, 50,000 people in Rio, 130 heads of state. Why are we all here? Rio is about the well-being of...continued→ | comments (1)

Exxon's "Megaloads" Scheme is Dead

Bobby McEnaney – Land Policy Analyst: Posted June 20, 2012 in Moving Beyond Oil, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places

Tags:: biogems, canada, energy, exxon, idaho, imperial, megaload, megaloads, montana, oil, oilandgas, tarsands, transportation

The original test module parked adjacent to the Clearwater River in Idaho. This shipment, which has been parked at Lolo Hot Springs in Montana since May 2011, will be demolished and cut into a series of smaller pieces. Photo credit: Dave King...continued→ | comments

At It Again: Flawed Oil Industry Study Undermines California's Efforts to Provide More Clean Fuel Choices and Cut Our Oil Dependence

Simon Mui – Scientist, Clean Vehicles and Fuels: Posted June 20, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: California, clean, economy, electricvehicles, fuel, jobs, lcfs, oil

The best way to create good American jobs, cut our energy costs, and protect our national security is to decrease our oil dependency. California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) which requires the oil industry to start investing in cleaner, alternative fuels is...continued→ | comments

A potential "win/win" solution to conflicts with wolves and grizzly bears hits bumps

Louisa Willcox – Senior Wildlife Advocate: Posted June 20, 2012 in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places

Tags:: carnivoreconflictprevention, farmbill, jontester, livestocklossmitigation, maxbaucus, montanalivestocklossboard, nonlethalconflictprevention

On Monday an amendment to the Farm Bill failed that had been proposed by Montana senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus to help livestock operations and the conservation of wolves and grizzly bears. In this era of political and...continued→ | comments

Tomorrow's House vote on fracking near schools

Amy Mall – Senior Policy Analyst: Posted June 20, 2012 in Health and the Environment

Tags:: colorado, fracking, gasdrilling, hydraulicfracturing, hydrofracking, oilandgas

Tomorrow the House of Representatives will be deliberating and voting on an energy bill that is opposed by NRDC. As my colleague Elly Pepper posted on her blog, the legislation would weaken clean air protections and sacrifice our public lands and...continued→ | comments

NYS Assembly Passes Measure Requiring Fracking Health Study

Kate Sinding – Senior Attorney: Posted June 20, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment

Tags:: cuomo, fracking, gasdrilling, heatlhimpactassessment, hydraulicfracturing, hydrofracking, marcellus, naturalgas, newyork, nysassembly, nyssenate, speakersilver

This afternoon, New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver made good on his promise - highlighted in this great new short film from Josh Fox - to pass a measure requiring the preparation of an independent assessment of the health impacts associated with...continued→ | comments

What Duran Duran Teaches Us About Rio

Mark Izeman – Senior Attorney and Director of the New York Urban Program: Posted June 20, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: bloomberg, c40, cities, climatechange, earthsummit, fossilfuels, newyork, newyorkcity, renewables, rio+20, sustainability, twitter, urban

It’s probably just me, but when I hear the word “Rio” I think of that really awful song by Duran Duran from the early 1980s. (And yes, the music video was even worse than the song.) But this week Rio...continued→ | comments

Meet the Senators Who Voted Themselves Into the Mercury & Toxic Air Pollution Hall of Shame or Fame

John Walke – Clean Air Director/ Senior Attorney: Posted June 20, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: cleanairact, congress, mercury, PM2.5, pnp, soot

Today, 53 Senators stood up for clean air and healthy kids when they voted to reject Senator Jim Inhofe’s (R-OK) Congressional Review Act (CRA) legislation [pdf] to eliminate EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants. In a 53-46 vote against Inhofe's measure, the...continued→ | comments

"What are you going to do about the crying mountains?"- In Rio+20 Latin America must take action on climate change

Carolina Herrera – Latin America Advocate: Posted June 20, 2012

Tags:: chile, costarica, earthsummit, international, latinamerica, mexico, renewableenergy, rio+20, transporation

The final Rio+20 negotiated text is out and it’s underwhelming to say the least, but there’s still time for world leaders to act and inspire us and themselves. The urgency could not be greater and so it is fitting that...continued→ | comments (2)

Clean Air Win on Mercury and Toxics Despite Dirty Votes

Pete Altman – Climate and Clean Air Campaign Director: Posted June 20, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment

Tags:: cleanair4kids, epa, inhofe, mercury, toxic

There are some things we like to think of as sacrosanct…mom, apple pie…the right of kids to be born and grown up without being exposed to dangerous amounts of brain poison. Fortunately, a majority of the US Senate agreed with...continued→ | comments

Fossil Fuel Subsidies; the Answer Lies in the Gulf

Rocky Kistner – Communications Associate: Posted June 20, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: #endfossilfuelsubsidies, bp, cleanenergy, globalwarming, gulfspill, oceans, rio+20, rioplus20

This week, much of the globe’s attention is focused on the United Nation’s Rio +20 Earth Summit, where thousands of international delegates and NGO representatives are gathering to hammer out solutions to an increasingly stressed out, warmed-up world. As the slow-burn...continued→ | comments

Dumping the Pump: Opt for Transit on June 21st

Deron Lovaas – Federal Transportation Policy Director: Posted June 20, 2012 in Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:: APTA, bus, bus rapid transit, commuter rail, dump the pump, energy, fuel, fuel prices, gas, gas tax, gasoline, infrastructure, lightrail, public transportation, rail, telecommuting, trains, vanpool, vRide

The American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) 7th Annual National Dump the Pump Day is this Thursday, June 21st—a day of awareness-raising about how using public transportation such as commuter rail reduces our need to buy gas, thus saving...continued→ | comments

New Bill Puts People's Health before Mountaintop Removal Permits

Melissa Waage – Campaign Director: Posted June 20, 2012 in Health and the Environment

Tags:: appalachia, coalmining, dirtycoal, mining, mountaintopremoval, mtr, musicsavesmountains

There is good news today in the fight to to protect Appalachian communities from the health effects of mountaintop removal mining. Yesterday Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) , Louise Slaughter (D-NY), and eleven other House members introduced The Appalachian Communities Health Emergency ("ACHE")...continued→ | comments (1)

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passes Water for the World: Now It's Time for House to Act

Elizabeth Shope – Advocate: Posted June 20, 2012 in Environmental Justice, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: statedepartment, USAID, WASH, water, waterforthepoor, waterfortheworld, worldwaterday

Yesterday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passed the Water for the World Act – a step forwards towards enacting important legislation that could bring safe drinking water and basic sanitation to as many as 100 million people around the Globe....continued→ | comments (1)

Polluted Politics: Even the GASP Act's Republican Sponsors Know the Bill Is About Dirty Air

Emily Davis – Attorney, Clean Air Project: Posted June 20, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Moving Beyond Oil, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: cleanairact, congress, edwhitfield, GASP Act, gasprices, genegreen, henrywaxman, joebarton, ozone, ozonestandards, pnp

Rep. Ed Whitfield’s (R-KY) “Gasoline Regulations Act” [pdf] (better known as the “GASP ACT”) is coming to the floor today as part of H.R. 4480, the so-called “Domestic Energy and Jobs Act” Rep. Whitfield and others have sought to portray the...continued→ | comments

New Platform to Track the "Cloud of Commitments" from Rio+20 Earth Summit

Michael Davidson – US-China Climate Policy Coordinator: Posted June 20, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: cloudofcommitments, earthsummit, rio+20, rioplus40

Ninety-eight heads of state and government are addressing the world from Rio de Janeiro over the next three days about how we are going to protect our planetary home for the next three generations and more. Will our leaders commit...continued→ | comments

House vote today could cost up to 31,000 lives per year - Rich Kassel (June 20, 2012)
Pipe Dreams - A New Report from NRDC on Water Pipeline Proposals in the West - Barry Nelson (June 20, 2012)
What if bus stops were designed as if bus stops really mattered? - Kaid Benfield (June 20, 2012)
China Environmental News Alert - Greenlaw from NRDC China (June 19, 2012)
Message to governments at Rio+20 Earth Summit: If you are not going to save our future, we are - Susan Casey-Lefkowitz (June 19, 2012)
From Rio to Reality: Judges of the World United for Change - Peter Lehner (June 19, 2012)
India Environmental News Compilation, June 11th - June 17th - Amrita Batra (June 19, 2012)
Final Outcomes for Our Oceans in Rio+20 Negotiations: Protection from Plastic, Action on Ocean Acidification and Overfishing, and a Disappointing Stalemate on a High Seas Agreement - Leila Monroe (June 19, 2012)
The Deadly Price of Delay - Emily Davis (June 19, 2012)
NRDC Sues FDA for Failing to Disclose Health Data - Avinash Kar (June 19, 2012)
Public, Politicians, & Others Rally To End Fossil Fuel Subsidies: Will Governments Listen at Rio+20 and Beyond? - Jake Schmidt (June 19, 2012)
New Lawsuit Fights Oil Spill Amnesia - David Pettit (June 19, 2012)
Gone Fishing - David Newman (June 19, 2012)
As UN-Water Hosts Water Day in Rio, Congress Poised to Take Step towards Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation - Elizabeth Shope (June 19, 2012)
House GOP Chairman Calls on EPA to Take Actions That Disregard Law, Defy Supreme Court - John Walke (June 19, 2012)
Stormy weather for fossil fuel subsidies: over 100,000 messages in 24 hours to Rio+20 Earth Summit - Susan Casey-Lefkowitz (June 19, 2012)
China's low-carbon city drive should pay attention to "sidewalk" - JingJing Qian (June 19, 2012)
The Price of Pollution Politics - Pete Altman (June 19, 2012)
New reports and resources emphasize steps communities can take to improve health - Kaid Benfield (June 19, 2012)
Hyperbole & Histrionics: 4 Senators Say Mercury & Toxics Standards Will Cause Depression-Era Deprivation - John Walke (June 19, 2012)

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Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.

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