Thursday, March 31, 2016

Clean Power Plan Backers Petition Court in Support of EPA

<> Clean Power Plan Backers Petition Court in Support of EPA - A diverse coalition of major investor-owned utilities, public power authorities, and one of the largest independent power producers, as well as a combination of cities and states, clean energy groups, and environmental groups, filed briefs with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Clean Power Plan.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Coalition Of Attorneys General Announce State-Based Effort To Combat Climate Change

<> Coalition Of Attorneys General Announce State-Based Effort To Combat Climate Change - Unprecedented Coalition Vows To Defend Climate Change Progress Made Under President Obama And To Push The Next President For Even More Aggressive Action -- CA, DC, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MN, NM, NY, OR, RI, VA, VT, WA, & US Virgin Islands Agree To Coordinate Efforts

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

EPA Urges D.C. Circuit To Dismiss Clean Power Plan Challenges

<> EPA Urges D.C. Circuit To Dismiss Clean Power Plan Challenges - 3/28/16. U.S. EPA has submitted its 208-page brief in West Virginia v. EPA Case No. 15-1363 (and consolidated cases) regarding implementation of the Agency's Clean Power Plan rule. Oral arguments are scheduled for June 2nd -- EPA maintains that, "the Rule's requirements are lawful in all respects."

Monday, March 28, 2016

Minnesota Beekeepers Compensated for Bee Kills from Pesticide Drift

<> Minnesota Beekeepers Compensated for Bee Kills from Pesticide Drift - In the first test of a landmark beekeeper compensation law that works to protect beekeepers from the effects of toxic pesticides on their hives, Minnesota has recently compensated two beekeepers for pesticide drift that killed their bees.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Supreme Court Nomination

<> Supreme Court Nomination - Vice President Biden will be speaking at Georgetown Law at 12:30pm ET on how every American will be affected if the Senate fails to act on the President's Supreme Court nominee -- "In my 36 years in the United States Senate, the Constitution was always our guidepost. Which meant that every single Supreme Court nominee got a hearing, a committee vote, and a floor vote. Period." [link to webcast] #DoYourJob

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

NRDC Petitions EPA to Stop Letting Industry Dump Chemicals, Waste in Potential Drinking Water Sources

<> NRDC Petitions EPA to Stop Letting Industry Dump Chemicals, Waste in Potential Drinking Water Sources - EPA should stop allowing the oil, gas and nuclear industries to intentionally contaminate underground water sources with hazardous chemicals and waste, according to a petition filed today (Mar 23) by the Natural Resources Defense Council -- current EPA policy has already destroyed thousands of potential drinking water supplies nationwide, primarily in areas experiencing moderate or severe water stress.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Experts & Groups Bombard Leader McConnell To #DoYourJob

<> Legal Experts, Constitutional Scholars, Civil Rights And Civil Liberties Groups Bombard Leader McConnell With Letters Urging Senate Republicans To Do Their Job And Give The President's Supreme Court Nominee A Fair Confirmation Process - Legal experts, constitutional scholars, professional lawyers, elected officials, and civil rights groups are calling on Senate Republicans to fulfill their constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on the president's Supreme Court nominee. In letters to Senate Republicans including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, these stakeholders note that the Republicans' obstructionism is unprecedented and highlight the potential impact of tied rulings.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Weekly Address: President Obama's Supreme Court Nomination

<> Weekly Address: President Obama's Supreme Court Nomination - ". . .at a time when our politics are so polarized; when norms and customs of our political rhetoric seem to be corroding – this is precisely the time we should treat the appointment of a Supreme Court justice with the seriousness it deserves.  Because our Supreme Court is supposed to be above politics, not an extension of politics."

Thursday, March 17, 2016

ANALYSIS: What President Obama's Supreme Court Nomination Means for the 2016 Race

WIMS will not be publishing tomorrow,

Friday, March 18, 2016.

 

National / International News

<> ANALYSIS: What President Obama's Supreme Court Nomination Means for the 2016 Race - Almost immediately, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell again stressed the vacancy should not be filled in an election year despite the nomination of Garland -- an ABC News/Washington Post poll last week, Americans by 63 to 32 percent said the president's nominee should get a hearing

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

POTUS announces his SCOTUS nominee

<> POTUS announces his SCOTUS nominee at 11am ET - President Obama reminds that, "Since 1875, every Supreme Court nominee has received a Senate hearing or a vote." [See also @SCOTUSnom]

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

U.S. House Hearing Part 2: 3/15/16, 10am. Examining Federal Administration of the Safe Drinking Water Act in Flint, MI

<> U.S. House Hearing Part 2: 3/15/16, 10am. Examining Federal Administration of the Safe Drinking Water Act in Flint, MI – House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing witnesses & testimony of Former Region 5 Administrator; Former MI Emergency Manager; Former Fling Mayor & Virginia Polytechnic Institute Professor

Monday, March 14, 2016

Attributing Extreme Events to Climate Change

<> Attributing Extreme Events to Climate Change - It is now possible to estimate the influence of climate change on some types of extreme events, such as heat waves, drought, and heavy precipitation, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine -- the relatively new science of extreme event attribution has advanced rapidly in the past decade owing to improvements in the understanding of climate and weather mechanisms and the analytical methods used to study specific events, but more research is required to increase its reliability, ensure that results are presented clearly, and better understand smaller scale and shorter duration weather extremes such as hurricanes and thunderstorms, said the committee that conducted the study and wrote the report.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Senate Republicans Stand by Refusal to Consider Any Supreme Court Nominee

<> Senate Republicans Stand by Refusal to Consider Any Supreme Court Nominee - As Senate Republicans on Thursday defended their refusal to consider any Supreme Court nomination put forward by President Obama, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina warned that both parties would pay the price, leading to the selection of judges with increasingly partisan views.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Senate Judiciary Committee To Debate Supreme Court nomination

<> Senate Judiciary Committee To Debate Supreme Court nomination Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) Chairman, said the Senate Judiciary Committee will have a "full-blown debate" Thursday (Mar 10) on whether to hold a hearing on a Supreme Court nomination.

Wednesday, March 09, 2016

U.S. could face up to $50B lead pipe overhaul, agency warns

<> U.S. could face up to $50B lead pipe overhaul, agency warns - The ripple effects of Flint, Michigan's tainted drinking water crisis could eventually prompt water suppliers to spend more than a quarter-trillion dollars on infrastructure upgrades faster than anticipated, a leading rating agency said Friday -- Fitch Ratings indicted that more than 6 million lead service lines exist across the country -- many of these are located in the Northeast, Midwest and older urban areas.

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

White House: $2 Billion in New Private Sector Investments to Protect Natural Resources

<> White House: $2 Billion in New Private Sector Investments to Protect Natural Resources - At a White House roundtable on environmental conservation and restoration, private sector leaders will announce more than $2 billion in new private sector and nonfederal investments to protect land, water and wildlife for future generations.

Monday, March 07, 2016

Republicans Break from McConnell-Grassley SCOTUS Loyalty Oath

<> Republicans Break from McConnell-Grassley SCOTUS Loyalty Oath, ''What's the Point of Falling On Our Swords?'' - 'What's the point of falling on our swords if Trump's going to lose,' said the lawmaker who requested anonymity to discuss his views frankly" -- Senate Republicans could suffer political damage that costs them their majority and the White House, empowering a future Democratic president to nominate a far-left jurist who would likely be confirmed by a Democratic-controlled Senate.

Friday, March 04, 2016

2015 a Transformational Year for Clean Energy

<> The Facts Are in – 2015 a Transformational Year for Clean Energy - Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) released its latest Advanced Energy Now 2016 Market Report showcasing that the total revenue for global advanced energy hit a record $1.4 trillion in 2015, growing 8 percent worldwide over 2014, more than three times the rate of the global economy overall. [link to the report with registration required]

Thursday, March 03, 2016

Supreme Court Rejects State Attorneys General Attack on Life-Saving Mercury Standards

<> Supreme Court Rejects State Attorneys General Attack on Life-Saving Mercury Standards - Today (Mar 3), Chief Justice John Roberts denied an emergency application filed by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and allied Attorneys General to "stay" the landmark limits on toxic pollution from power plant smokestacks (MATS rule). 

Wednesday, March 02, 2016

EPA To Meet With All State Water Agencies On Lead and Copper Rule

<> EPA To Meet With All State Water Agencies On Lead and Copper Rule - In a letter to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder in follow-up to the Flint water crisis, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said, "As part of the EPA's immediate effort to properly oversee state implementation of the Lead and Copper Rule my staff will be meeting with every state drinking water program across the country to ensure that states are taking appropriate actions to identify and address lead action level exceedances and fully implementing and enforcing this important rule."

Tuesday, March 01, 2016

Certiorari denied in American Farm Bureau v. EPA

<> Certiorari denied in American Farm Bureau v. EPA - American Farm Bureau v. EPA (SupCt docket 15-599), a petition for certiorari was denied by the High Court. The denial leaves the 7/6/15 Third Circuit opinion in place which upheld U.S. EPA's plan to clean up Chesapeake Bay,
     The high interest case involving many states and trade associations including Michigan, challenged EPA's "total maximum daily load" (TMDL) of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment that can be released into the Chesapeake Bay.