For the fourth year the national Sierra Club has ranked colleges and universities according to their efforts to stop climate change and educate students about sustainability. Heading the list is Green Mountain College (VT), with Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA) second and Evergreen State College (WA) third. Not all the ‘green schools’ are small colleges– the University of Washington (WA) and Stanford (CA) came in fourth and fifth, respectively.

So how ‘green’ are Western Pennsylvanian schools? Carnegie Mellon remains the best at #64, but this is down from #31 last year. Other local ‘green schools’ are Allegheny College (#91), Chatham University (#106), and Penn State (#108).   Apparently Pitt and Duquesne did not return the Club’s questionnaire, for whatever reason.

The ranking of 162 schools was based on categories such as energy supply, energy efficiency, food, purchasing, waste, investment, etc.

It is understandable for Congressmen like Rep. Mike Doyle to be frustrated with their colleagues in the Senate. In June 2009, the House passed a Clean Energy Bill (H.R.2454) designed to reduce carbon emissions 80% by 2050, develop electric cars, halt deforestation, and more. In another major step in May, the House passed the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act (H.R.5019) by a vote of 246-161. Finally, last Friday, by a vote of 209-193 the House passed the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act (H.R. 3534). Local Republicans Murphy, Shuster, and Thompson voted Nay.

This is all serious stuff. For example, the CLEAR Act creates a framework for the restoration of the Gulf of Mexico, places stricter regulations for the siting of energy facilities, for the first time provides full and dedicated funding for the important Land and Water Conservation Fund, and removes the $75M cap liability for clean-up costs. (more…)

A major factor in the political battle over an Energy/Climate bill in the Senate is President Obama’s use of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. To help shut down this pressure, Sen. Murkowski (AK) introduced a resolution that would remove the regulatory authority from EPA. On June 10, the Senate voted 53-47 to defeat the Murkowski resolution. Six Democrats joined 41 Republicans on the Nay side of the vote.

This was a major victory for the White House and for the Senators who are negotiating a Senate bill. Senators Casey and Specter deserve our THANKS.

In 2008 the operation of the Allegheny County government was responsible for producing 77,000 tons of CO2. That is the conclusion contained in the Allegheny County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report and Climate Action Plan released on June 9, and it is the baseline for a target reduction by the County of 20% by 2015. The report inventoried greenhouse gases produced by County government operations, and also suggested means by which the desired reduction can be achieved.

Developing the report required gathering all cost and utilization data related to energy, water consumption, vehicle fleet, waste hauling, and a variety of additional carbon and greenhouse gas-generating items, such as fuel tanks, fire suppression systems and mechanical equipment.

The report makes numerous recommendations on how Allegheny County could achieve and even surpass its emissions, energy and water reduction goals, including: (more…)

Audience at the
“Chill the Drills”event
at the Art Institute

A roomful of Sierra Club members and friends were given a solid dose of oil and gas drilling at the Art Institute in Pittsburgh on May 20. Erika Staaf of PennEnvironment opened with a description of Marcellus Shale drilling and what is being done to curb the environmental impacts.

See a photo spread from the event!

Moving further north, the Sierra Club’s Arctic expert Kit McGurn first made the point that warming of the Arctic ecosystem and the discovery of huge underwater mineral resources are causing the five“Arctic nations” to scramble for territorial rights. He next described the fragility of the Alaska’s North Slope, and the impact of expanding oil extraction on the ecology and the people of that area. Inevitably the question of deep sea drilling was raised after Kit’s talk, and he described the exploratory drilling by Shell Alaska.

The Allegheny Group’s Endangered Species Action Team deserves thanks for making the evening a solid success.

Photo: Sierra Club

On May 12, Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman released draft language of their comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation, known as the American Power Act. This draft legislation puts the U.S. on the path to slash the carbon emissions that cause global warming by placing an economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions of seventeen percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
(more…)

Progress on the Climate/Energy bill in the US Senate was dealt two blows this past week. After weeks of discussion and negotiation, Senators Kerry, Lieberman and Graham were scheduled to introduced a bill on April 26. That introduction was postponed when Majority Leader Reid moved immigration ahead of the Climate/Energy bill, to the annoyance of Sen. Graham.

The second blow was the emergence of the Gulf oil spill as a national calamity, renewing concern about including expanded offshore drilling in our national energy policy. Democratic Senators from coastal states like New Jersey may withhold their support of a Climate/Energy bill that relies more offshore drilling. (more…)

In a not-surprising but nevertheless disappointing move, President Obama proposed March 30 to end a moratorium on offshore drilling for oil and natural gas. Areas affected are along the Atlantic coast from Delaware south to Florida, a new portion of the eastern Gulf of Mexico near Florida, and the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the northern coast of Alaska. If there is any good in this proposal, it is the designation of Bristol Bay in Alaska as a protected area. It is also worth noting that the proposal is for necessary studies of the actual potential reserves in these new areas, and drilling will be years away.

Although there is some speculation that this move is partly designed to ease passage of a Climate Change/Energy bill in the Senate, the President’s proposal simply perpetuates the nation’s addiction to fossil fuels. Meanwhile, environmental organizations are opposed to the proposal, as detailed below, with concerns about the destruction of wildlife habitat, impact on marine life, and the potential for oil spills contaminating beaches. (more…)

Although environmentalists were disappointed with President Obama’s Offshore Drilling proposal, they were elated on April 1 when the EPA and Dept. of Transportation finalized new standards for vehicle emissions. The standards apply to passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles, covering model years 2012 through 2016.

The new standards will raise the fuel economy to 35.5 miles per gallon and carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced to 250 grams per mile. Estimated efficiency gains in the autos sold under these standards will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil. (more…)

In a move welcomed by the Sierra Club, Sen. Bob Casey joined twenty-one other Democratic Senators in calling for floor action this year on a comprehensive energy and climate change bill. The group of moderate Senators signed-on to a letter from Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) to Majority Leader Reid that began “Representing a diverse group of States and regions, we believe the United States Senate should consider bipartisan and comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation this year with a renewed focus on jobs and reduced dependence on foreign oil.”

There are several currents swirling around climate/energy legislation; while some Senators want to pass a stand-alone energy bill without setting limits on greenhouse gas emissions, others are concerned that if the Senate does not act this year on CO2 emissions the EPA’s authority to regulate will come under even stronger attack.

Sen Casey deserves a note of thanks for pushing the energy/climate bill forward.

Unfortunately, Rep. Tim Murphy has chosen to join 104 other members of Congress in an attempt to upturn the EPA’s finding that the emission of CO2 from stationary sources such as coal-fired power plants endangers the nation’s health. The measure, House Joint Resolution 77 was introduced by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) and supported by the Republican leadership. Disappointed constituents are encouraged to contact Rep. Murphy and urge him to withdraw his co-sponsorship of H.J.Res. 77.

The fear of the coal and utility industries is that if passage of a climate/energy bill is delayed too long, the EPA will use its court-approved authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

Joining other leaders around the nation, on March 23 Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto called on members of Congress to retain EPA’s authority over regulation of CO2 emissions from stationary sources such as power plants. Following Peduto’s lead, Council passed the following resolution.

BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh
(more…)

While most attention was focused on the health care bill, representatives of twenty leading environmental and climate groups met March 18 with Senator John Kerry to discuss his bipartisan comprehensive climate and energy proposal. After the meeting the groups issued the following statement:

“We are encouraged by the progress being made by Senators John Kerry, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman to craft comprehensive climate and energy legislation to bring to the Senate floor later this year.

“Their stated goal and commitment to a 17% reduction in carbon pollution by 2020 and an 80% reduction by 2050 represents the leadership needed by the US Senate to create jobs, increase energy security, reduce carbon pollution and protect public health. Legislative details are important, and are not settled yet, and we will be working closely with the senators, their staffs and others to make sure these details achieve the goals.”

The last sentence of that statement is important, for environmental groups are working hard to counter industry efforts to weaken any climate change/energy security legislation.

Last week we reported that Sen. Bob Casey had joined Sen. Rockefeller (D-WV) in urging EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to place a hold on the EPA’s regulation of CO2 emissions from coal-fired power stations. We also pointed out that Administrator Jackson had responded to Sen. Rockefeller. We are pleased to report that Jackson’s letter appears to have satisfied Sen. Casey, and we thank all who took time to contact our Senator.

Meanwhile, trouble is brewing in the House where the fossil fuel industries are putting pressure on our local members of Congress to support several bills or resolutions aimed at weakening or gut the Clean Air Act. Our Representatives needs to hear from us.

ACTION: Please contact your Representative and encourage him or her to refrain from any weakening of the Clean Air Act, especially as applied to the control of greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.

In his first three years in the US Senate, Bob Casey scored 100 pct on the League of Conservation Voters scorecard. A recent move by the Senator may blemish that record.

On Feb. 19 Sen. Jay Rockefeller wrote to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson requesting that EPA suspend regulation of greenhouse gases from stationary sources such as coal-fired power plants. Sen. Casey was one of the eight Democratic Senators signing the Rockefeller letter, a letter clearly designed to satisfy the coal and utility industries.

Sen Casey’s move disappoints environmentalists, for strict limitations on greenhouse gases from coal-fired power plants is a cornerstone of any sincere effort to curb climate change. Furthermore, the Rockefeller letter seems to be in line with the efforts by Sen. Murkowski (AK) to completely remove from EPA authority the regulation CO2 emissions under the Clean Air Act (more…)