“Environment” on The Daily Caller

During the 2010 midterm elections, California voters rejected Prop. 23 – a provision that would have postponed the implementation of the state’s cap and trade program until unemployment was down for five consistent years. But in a ruling published on Monday, a San Francisco superior court judge went a step further and halted the entire program, arguing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) was “unable to make an informed decision” because it had failed to consider other alternatives. (more)

We have established that Obama’s war on coal hinges on the assumption that 100 new nuclear reactors will be built in the U.S. in the next few years. Without the power from those 100 new nuclear reactors, Obama’s plan will cause the lights to go out. You cannot rule out half of our electricity supply and pretend otherwise. (more)

In the past, I have made fun of the World Wildlife Fund-sponsored “Earth Hour,” which will once again be held around the world this coming Saturday, March 26th, from 8:30-9:30 p.m. in each local time zone. Previously I have pointed out that past Earth Hours haven’t affected energy consumption levels, even in California, the “greenest” state in the country. (more)

Republicans in the House and Senate made major gains Tuesday in efforts to block Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. (more)

SOMA, Japan (AP) — Japan’s nuclear crisis deepened dramatically Tuesday. As safety officials sought desperately to avert catastrophe, the government said radioactive material leaking from reactors was enough to “impact human health” and the risk of more leaks was “very high.” (more)

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan is appealing to the Japanese to unite in overcoming what he says is the nation’s worst crisis since World War II. (more)

Lawmakers approved a bill to block Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on carbon dioxide emissions in a key House subcommittee, Thursday. (more)

The House Energy and Power subcommittee has scheduled a vote for Thursday on a bill that would block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating carbon dioxide emissions. (more)

At long last, Congress is launching a counteroffensive to President Obama’s war on fossil fuels. (more)

This week, a coalition of animal rights activists filed a petition with the Department of Interior to list African lions as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act — their latest attempt to impose restrictions on hunters. As usual, the activists use sensationalized, emotional messaging that has nothing to do with the science of wildlife conservation. (more)

San Francisco is full of crap — literally. A few years ago, the city fathers forced “low-flow” toilets on the populace. According to the people’s enlightened representatives, these things save water, are better for the environment, etc. While on the surface the concept seems straightforward and harmless enough, city officials should have heeded the words of Mark Twain: “No good deed goes unpunished.” (more)

As Ken Salazar heads to Capitol Hill Wednesday for the first of two days of hearings, the interior secretary will be facing pressure from all sides of the deep-water drilling debate. Despite his own personal agenda, Salazar is in many ways the middle man between two opposing forces pushing on him to act in different directions on issuing permits to drill in the Gulf of Mexico. (more)

While Congressional leaders in Washington are diligently working to keep our government open, thousands across North Africa and the Middle East are fighting to close their governments down. (more)

Despite having already sunk millions of dollars into the “environmentally friendly” car market, Washington is pedaling the gas for more. In his 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama vowed to “break our dependence on oil” and said that the U.S. would “become the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.” Though this may just be an arbitrary ploy for environmental romanticism, the president believes that market sovereignty is only achieved through government assistance. (more)

In 2006, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the creation of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), an initiative championed by then-Republican Gov. George Pataki. Less than five years later, 10 states had signed onto the cap and trade plan as a way to reduce emissions. But now, one of them may be about to withdraw, citing budget and economic concerns. (more)

In Tunisia, a president is toppled after 23 years in power. In Egypt, the 30-year reign of its president is abruptly ended. The swiftness and power of these popular uprisings have caught many Americans by surprise, leaving policymakers scrambling to grasp the consequences. While political corruption and soaring unemployment have grabbed the headlines as driving forces of these uprisings, the dangerously destabilizing force of rising food prices is also at work and looms as a further threat to the stability of governments, global economic growth, and U.S. national security. (more)

Millions of Americans in the military put on their uniforms each day to defend our national security. (more)

In a recent and wonderful New York Times essay, John Tierney documented the pervasive left-leaning bias of the social sciences in particular and academia in general, which he persuasively painted as the home of tired ideological groupthink. No doubt his essay was an eye-opener for anyone without much experience in the ivy morass, even as it came up short in its search for causation. (more)

Last week, the price of oil broke $100 a barrel for the first time since 2008, due in part to the political unrest in Egypt. As gasoline prices rise, Americans are reminded that the consequences of this unrest are not confined to Egypt. The impacts will be felt in our country as well. (more)

Top GOP oversight official Rep. Darrell Issa asked 150 industry groups which of President Obama’s regulations they think are impeding economic growth. (more)