Environment and Health
Tar Sands Illustrated
President Obama: End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
I remember the first mountaintop removal coal mining site I ever saw. Those images of Kayford Mountain in southern West Virginia have never left my mind — a barren landscape where there was once lush forest. And right around the destroyed site, homes where people were...
A Green and Golden Legacy
Much of the nation is still suffering the worst drought in half a century, which began in 2012. Consumers are just now beginning to feel its effects in the form of higher food prices. Texas suffered another catastrophic drought in 2011. Full recovery from Superstorm...
Safety Net Under Siege
Peace of mind. That's what Medicare and Medicaid mean for nearly one in every three Americans. Almost 50 million Americans have paid into, and are beneficiaries of Medicare, our national health insurance program for seniors and people with disabilities. And almost 50...
University Research, Sold Out
In 1862, the federal government created the land-grant university system to produce critical agricultural research. Since then, America has relied on these schools to inform and guide independent scientific advances in areas like food production and energy...
Nixing Nuclear Energy
Atoms make Those turbines fly; Just not safe For you or I. You’ll be pleased to hear that after decades of diligent negotiations, nuclear weapons are no longer the greatest danger to the world today. You’ll be less pleased to hear that the top danger now is nuclear...
Jobs or the Environment?
I know what it’s like to depend upon coal to feed a family.
Our Health Care System is Still Sick
It’s great living here in our rich country, as long as you’re rich yourself. Take our health care system. Unlike other wealthy countries, our nation’s medical apparatus allows those at the top to receive top-notch care, while the working class has to scrounge to survive.
Mother Nature Belongs at the Bargaining Table
As the highly scripted stagecraft of the presidential campaign fades from the headlines, there’s a new show in Washington. ”Fiscal Cliff” stars President Barack Obama, who urges Republicans and Democrats to agree on a ”grand bargain” that would soften the economic shock of the impending across-the-board tax and spending cuts. But that bipartisan handshake would be nothing to celebrate.
The Answer Is Blowing in the Wind
There’s money to be made in wind and solar power, but so far, not very much. And that’s the way fossil fuel giants aim to keep it. As of today, they’re winning the energy battle because federal subsidies for renewable energy are about to expire, unlike Uncle Sam’s giveaways to the oil, gas, coal, and nuclear industries.
