LIVE NOW: Salazar confirmation hearing
The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is webstreaming the confirmation hearing of Sen. Ken Salazar to be Secretary of the Interior.
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The gas fracturing fracas: What we still need to know
It's turning into an epic battle of wills and words over a series of articles on evidence of water contamination by a gas drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing.
Instead of hashing out the complex pro-energy and pro-environmental positions on the issue, the Independence Institute's Dave Kopel, and Abrahm Lustgarten of the nonprofit investigative journalism outlet ProPublica have treated readers to pissing matches over what "anecdotal" means. Meanwhile, online commenters have tapped into their worst instincts — blaming the messenger.
Hydraulic fracturing controversy over water contamination rages on
In his Jan. 10 column in the Rocky Mountain News, Independence Institute analyst David Kopel significantly misstates the record on the environmental risks posed by the gas drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing.
Using carefully culled quotations and selected statistics, Kopel asserts "indisputably false facts" in ProPublica's reporting.
In fact, it is his column that is indisputably misleading.
Energy firm set to begin Roan gas drilling
Falling natural gas prices and more stringent state drilling regulations won’t deter some energy companies from going full bore on Colorado’s Western Slope, but conservation groups hope their lawsuit in U.S. District Court will at least block drilling on the Roan Plateau near Rifle.
Key senator wasn’t notified about Salazar selection to head interior
Sen. Dianne Feinstein wasn't the only Senate committee chief surprised by an Obama Cabinet pick. New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who runs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, "never got official notice" that Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar would be nominated to head the Department of Interior, or that scientist Steven Chu would be tapped as secretary of energy, the Los Angeles Times reports Monday in an article about tension between the new administration and Congress. Bingaman's committee staff "pestered aides on the Obama transition team for clues" and eventually "(ferreted) out the names through their own efforts."
What will I bid for the American Wild?
We've all seen those sitcoms or movies in which someone stumbles into an art auction and, not knowing how it works, idly scratches his nose or pulls his ear and finds himself the owner of a Rembrandt.
Better yet, there's one of my all-time favorite films, “North by Northwest.” Surrounded at an auction by the bad guys, Cary Grant makes outrageous bids and yells insults until the police arrive and unknowingly haul him off to safety. (“How do we know it’s not a fake?” he shouts about one painting. “It looks like a fake!” A woman sitting in front of him turns and replies, “You’re no fake. You’re a genuine idiot.”)
Michael Brown, FEMA and the bark beetle: Talk about your looming disasters
Wind-whipped wildfires that chased disgraced former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Michael Brown from his Left Hand Canyon home near Boulder Wednesday carried with them the scent of even richer irony than the mainstream media stumbled all over itself to report on Thursday.
DeGette survives Waxman’s energy committee housecleaning
As my Washington colleague Mike Lillis points out, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Cal., is making good on promises to make the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee more environmentally friendly after wresting the chairmanship from longtime auto industry ally Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.
While other high profile members are out and two subcommittees have been combined, Denver Democrat Diana DeGette made the cut and will continue as vice chair despite backing Dingell to retain the leadership post.
Grijalva, Dombeck to push Obama administration for national roadless rule
Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, a Democrat at one time under consideration for the secretary of the interior post being filled by Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar, is joining forces with former Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck to push the Obama administration for a national roadless rule.
Report: War on Warming may be only way to dodge World War IV
Remember the good old days, when every time you turned around the government was waging a war on something? The War on Drugs, the War on Poverty, the War on Terror? Everything but a War on War.