The Wilderness Blog

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Discussing renewable energy and brownfields in New Orleans

I’m in The Big Easy today to engage in a national dialog on redeveloping  brownfields for renewable energy. (Brownfields are parcels of land that have been previously used for industrial purposes). The Environmental Protection Agency, under the leadership of Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus, is doing some exciting things to capitalize on this remarkable opportunity. more

Documentary on natural gas and hydraulic fracturing airs this weekend

If you’re new to the issue of natural gas development or still confused by the plethora of information about the consequences of drilling, you may want to grab some popcorn and check out the new documentary Split Estate airing this Saturday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. Eastern on Planet Green. The film will also re-air the following Thursday at 11 p.m. Eastern. Watch the trailer. more

Senate climate bill: What’s inside for wild places

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There’s a joke here in town that D.C. is Hollywood for ugly people; meaning that the celebrities we see out on the town are not beautiful movie stars, but rather average looking politicians and appointees. Well, it felt like a red carpet event this morning in the shadow of the Capitol dome as a team of Wilderness Society staff and interns gathered with over a hundred other supporters for the release of the Senate’s clean energy and climate bill. more

Everyone wants clean energy — But where do we put the turbines?

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This feature was first published in the 2009 Wilderness Magazine. To receive the annual magazine and quarterly newsletters from The Wilderness Society, become a member today! more

Senate Introduces Climate Bill: Clean Energy Jobs Act Builds on House Momentum

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Building on the momentum generated by passage of a comprehensive energy and climate bill (H.R. 2454) in the House in late June, the Senate today introduced its own clean energy jobs bill — the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act — at a Capitol Hill event this morning. more

My afternoon as a Polar Bear

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There was a bit of hesitancy in communications director Kathy Westra’s voice last Thursday when she asked me how I would feel about wearing a polar bear costume to an outdoor mid-day rally at the Department of the Interior to raise awareness about oil drilling in Arctic waters. As a communications intern new to Washington, I jumped at an opportunity to draw attention to myself, and I then proceeded to research the issue more in-depth, so I would know why I was wearing this enormous furry outfit in the noonday Washington heat. more

Gale Norton: Was She a Shill for Shell on Shale?

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A remarkable news item surfaced this past week that Gale Norton, President George W. Bush’s first Secretary of the Interior from 2001-2006, is under a federal criminal probe due to her potentially inappropriate, unethical, and illegal relationship with Royal Dutch Shell over the federal lands that a Shell subsidiary was awarded for oil shale development when Norton was Secretary. more

Our Take: Press stories got Nature Conservancy report wrong

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Some clean energy opponents have put a false choice forward in recent press stories pitting land conservation priorities against needed renewable development. This shortsighted view misses the real opportunity to accomplish both of these national priorities which we've been advocating for regionally and nationally. more