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BlueGreen Alliance Updates
Education Secretary Arne Duncan, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley today announced the Department of Education’s first-ever Green Ribbon Schools at an elementary school in Washington, D.C. Read more.
The standard will require new plants to emit fewer greenhouse gases, or carbon pollution, into the air when they operate. This means new plants will be built cleaner and more energy efficient than current plants. Read it here.
Take Action
Tell Congress to Pass Clean Energy Tax Credits
Support Workers and the Environment: Oppose the USDA's Poultry Inspection Rule
Pass the Senate Transportation Bill
Interested in volunteering at Good Jobs Green Jobs in Detroit, Michigan?
The final Good Jobs, Green Jobs Regional Conference is happening in Detroit May 10-11. Read more about opportunities here.
BGA Blogs
AFL-CIO’s Housing Investment Trust (HIT) Creating Competitive Returns and Thousands of Jobs
Partner News
April 19 – ATU urges maintaining key Senate transportation bill provisions
April 18 – Sierra Club applauds new EPA natural gas, clean air protections
April 18 – NRDC on the second anniversary of BP explosion and progress thus far
April 17 – SEIU rallies on tax day, demand all pay their share
April 12 – UCS report on electric vehicle emissions savings
Clean Energy News
Cogeneration: International Paper, Green Wood develop biomass plantation in Poland
Brookings: Beyond Boom and Bust: Putting Clean Tech On a Path To Subsidy Independence
Sacramento Bee: Report: Q1 Clean Energy Announcements Could Lead To 46,000 Jobs In 42 States
Legislative News
April 19 – House passes next transportation bill with eyes on Senate conference
The House of Representatives passed the tenth extension of current transportation policy, allowing a long-term reauthorization of federal transportation programs to move forward. This newest House version is intended to be conferenced with a bipartisan Senate transportation bill, but contains controversial items such as a preventing the EPA from regulating coal ash and lax environmental review processes. Read more.
April 18 – Senate Committee addresses rising sea levels
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee convened a hearing on the impact on energy and water infrastructure from rising sea levels due to climate change. Read more.
April 18 – House looks at economic, efficiency benefits from waterway transport
Witnesses from the Army Corps of Engineers and transport and commerce groups testified on how waterway investments increase efficiency and economic competitiveness. Read more.
April 17 – Democrat introduced debt reduction, increase gas tax
Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee Kent Conrad has initiated a markup of the Bowles-Simpson plan, prescribing long-term debt reduction, including among other provisions, a 15-cent increase in the price of gasoline beginning in 2013. Read more.
April 16 – Buffet Rule fails in Senate
Senate Republicans voted down the “Buffet Rule,” otherwise known as the Paying a Fair Share Act, aimed at closing tax loopholes. Read more.
Administration News
A Presidential Proclamation was issued on Earth Day celebrating the advances in environmental stewardship and conservation since the first Earth Day more than 40 years ago. Read more.
The Environmental Protection Agency updated its achievable air pollution standards for oil and natural gas, specifically fractured gas, which is aimed at reducing implementation costs of proven, effective control technologies for natural gas. The EPA reports that these technologies are already in use in around half of current facilities. Read more.
President Obama urged Congress to provide an additional $52 million in funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to increase oversight of oil speculators linked to inflating the price at the pump. Read more.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the construction and operation of a facility in Louisiana, sparking a debate around the consequences of export infrastructure for liquid national gas (LNG), including the exporting jobs, inflating prices of domestic natural gas, and reaching an energy export goal set by the President. Read more.
The Obama Administration announced an Executive Order promoting interagency collaboration for the safe, efficient and responsible development of natural gas resources in the United States. The initiative received considerable support from natural gas industry groups.Read more.
The New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency were published in the Federal Register, setting off the sixty-day comment period. Read more.
Climate Corner
New research shows U.S. recognition of extreme weather and climate change
A study performed by George Mason University and Yale University revealed that more and more Americans are “connecting the dots” between unusual and increasing destructive weather patterns and climate change. Read more here.