Environmental Politics

"The group of Cabinet secretaries and White House advisers who meet regularly to craft the president's energy and environmental agenda now numbers 13, double what it was during the administration's early days. It's just one of the signs that the administration is stepping up its push to pass energy and climate legislation this year."

The US Chamber of Commerce violated its own rules to reach a climate change position that has driven companies out of its fold. That is the picture painted by interviews with current and former US Chamber board members, several of whom divulged new revelations about the Chamber's internal climate controversy.

"The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted [Thursday] to confirm Pennsylvania's controversial mining director as the director of the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement."

"The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is hemorrhaging staff as it faces a critical test in the coming weeks to pass a comprehensive global warming bill."

"Apple is pulling out of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of the organization's strident criticism of plans to reduce U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions, the computer giant said Monday."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently denied that it was in denial about climate change. But in filings earlier this year with EPA, it questioned the science behind climate change, suggested air-conditioning would protect people, and theorized that global warming would be good for people anyway.

Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) is blocking Senate confirmation of Paul Anastas to head EPA's Office of Research and Development -- demanding that EPA have the National Academy of Sciences review its assessment of formaldehyde risks.

"Nike announced Wednesday that it would resign from the board of the United States Chamber of Commerce, becoming the latest company to break with the group over climate policy."

"Environmentalists and others are concerned over whether the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce can be an unbiased party on a big climate change debate because of his affiliation with Union Pacific."

Alan Carlin, a 72-year-old analyst and economist made a splash in June with his contrarian views on global warming. He -- and conservative commentators and Congressional Repuplicans -- claimed EPA had muzzled him. But documents disclosed in response to a FOIA request show that scientists challenged his views, that his scholarship was shoddy, that he had no academic qualifications on climate, and that he was free to talk to the press.