Exxon is a heavy hitter in Washington, and I’m not just talking about campaign contributions and lobbying. The world’s largest corporate carbon emitter has bought itself top billing at Washington’s new – supposedly green – baseball park. Its hard to name the many ways in which this is offensive. Besides the obvious greenwash of Exxon’s … Read More
Author: Steve Kretzmann
Worst. Idea. Ever.
OK, so the McCain/Clinton gas tax holiday idea would probably get some stiff competition, but its in the running, for sure. It will encourage more driving, thus driving up demand, thus meaning higher prices. It will simultaneously discourage investments in alternatives, which are our only hope to end our oil addiction and get out of … Read More
Don’t Buy It! Tar Sands Oil Still Dirty
Deputy Premier of Alberta Ron Stevens is in Washington this week, meeting with Bush Administration officials and members of Congress to promote the importation of dirty tar sands oil to the United States. Oil Change and our coalition partners took out an ad (pdf) to greet him. Stevens is expected to advocate that tar sands … Read More
Iraq = 25 million new cars, and counting
On the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, a new report from Oil Change International, entitled A Climate of War (pdf) quantifies both the greenhouse gas emissions of the Iraq War and the opportunity costs involved in fighting war rather than climate change. Here are some facts on the war and warming: Projected total US … Read More
RIP Milton Copulos
The movement to reduce the United States’ addiction to oil suffered a blow today, with the passing of Milton Copulos. He was President of the National Defense Council Foundation, senior fellow at Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS) and a founding member of the Set America Free Coalition. Oil Change International extends our … Read More
US Congress says no to tar sands (quietly)
Here’s one that somebody missed. Apparently Section 526 of the Energy Bill signed into law by Bush less than a month ago stated that the U.S. government would not purchase transportation fuel from nonconventional petroleum sources that have higher life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from production and combustion than equivalent conventional fuel. That means that the … Read More
Eight hours and 180 degrees
Auto makers finally face higher fuel efficiency standards in the US. Sort of. After years of holding out against anything to do with climate change, President George Bush finally signed into law an energy bill establishing higher fuel-economy standards for new cars and other conservation measures. And then 8 hours later he completely sabotaged states … Read More
Merry Xmas, Big Oil
All spin aside, you have to say this was a bad last few days for the planet. The week started off well in Oslo, but then we get the terrifying news that the Arctic might be sea ice free by 2013. Next, the US Congress backs down from taking away oil industry subsidies and requiring … Read More
Aiding Oil, Harming the Climate
Bali, Indonesia – Oil Change International today released a new database and report that reveals over $61.3 billion in international public financing has benefited the oil and gas industry since 2000. Just last week, the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed language calling for an end to fossil fuel financing by the European Investment Bank and Export … Read More
Post finds a gusher underneath the Smithsonian
The American Petroleum Institute has withdrawn its offer of sponsorship for a planned Smithsonian Institution exhibit on oceans at the Natural History Museum. Kudos to James Grimaldi and the Washington Post for exposing this story, and giving it the prominence necessary to persuade the Smithsonian’s board, and embarrass its corporate sponsors.