[Source: The Los Angeles Times] Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency cast doubt on whether California should continue to have power to impose its own emission rules for cars and trucks, an authority the state has enjoyed for decades that is also the cornerstone of its efforts to fight global warming. Oklahoma Atty. Gen. Scott Pruitt said Read More…
Category: U.S. News
Gov. Jerry Brown warns of major ripple effects in California if Obamacare is repealed
[Source: The Los Angeles Times] Gov. Jerry Brown issued a terse but pointed response Friday to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s request for input on repealing the Affordable Care Act, warning of spiraling damage to healthcare coverage, premium costs and the state budget. Brown’s letter to McCarthy argued that repealing Obamacare without an alternative plan would lead Read More…
Global economic forces conspire to stymie US manufacturing
[Source: The Hill] One factor contributing to the rise of populist sentiment in the U.S. has been the decline in manufacturing jobs, from 17 million in 2000 to 11 million in 2010, with a small bounce-back since then. President-elect Trump promises to bring manufacturing jobs back. In thinking about policies that might accomplish this, it Read More…
Who is Scott Pruitt?
[Source: Cosmopolitan] He’s a climate change skeptic who is currently suing the EPA. Earlier this month, President-elect Donald Trump announced his pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. As has been the case with many of Trump’s nominees, the choice has raised concerns, especially from Democrats. Here’s what you need Read More…
Small business owners’ optimism skyrockets following Trump victory
[Source: Bloomberg Markets] Small businesses seem to like a unified Republican government. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. elections is a giant leap for small businesses, according to a survey of their owners. The November reading of the National Federation of Independent Businesses’ small business optimism index jumped to 98.4 from 94.9 — its Read More…
Trump’s policies raise concerns for environmental organizations at UCLA
[Source: Daily Bruin] Several students and professors expressed their apprehension for the climate’s future under president-elect Donald Trump’s policies on environmental issues. Trump promised voters during his campaign that he will dismantle the United States Environmental Protection Agency and withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Instead of focusing on the environment, Trump aims to prioritize the Read More…
Trump taps climate-change skeptic to oversee EPA transition
[Source: The Washington Post] President-elect Donald Trump has made no secret of his disdain for the Environmental Protection Agency, saying the regulations it has put out under President Obama are “a disgrace.” He has vowed to roll back Obama’s signature effort to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, known as the Clean Power Plan, and to scrap a litany Read More…
Regulation buster Trump takes aim at the EPA
[Source: CNBS News] Among the Obama administration’s major accomplishments during eight years in office was a sweeping series of environmental regulations governing everything from clean air and water to greenhouse gas emissions and auto fuel efficiency. It looks like much of that work may be reversed in just a few days of the new Trump Read More…
Scientists accidentally discover efficient process to turn CO2 into ethanol
[Source: Popular Mechanics] The process is cheap, efficient, and scalable, meaning it could soon be used to remove large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee have discovered a chemical reaction to turn CO2 into ethanol, potentially creating a new technology to help avert climate change. Their Read More…