What a difference a few years makes. Last time he was on Capital Hill, Al Gore had to formally swear in George Bush who had just beaten him in the battle for the White House. Yesterday Gore returned to talk about climate change. He is a changed man. Gore’s film An Inconvenient truth has not … Read More
US politics
Dem Leaders Endorse Iraqi “Oil Theft” Law
Among the many problems with the Democrats War Supplemental is the not so small fact that it endorses passage of the Iraqi Oil Law. “Democratic leadership is actively handing over Iraq’s oil to U.S. companies as some sort of war bounty,” said Antonia Juhasz, analyst with Oil Change International. Not so fast, say Dem Leaders … Read More
Hansen Attacks “Gagging” by White House
James Hansen, the Nasa scientist who first warned the US government about global warming, yesterday delivered a withering critique of the way the White House has “interfered” with climate scientists at the space agency. In a detailed written testimony before the House of Representatives, Dr Hansen said that there had been creeping politicisation of climate … Read More
Giuliani Oil Lobby “Scandal”
US Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is embroiled in controversy over the antics of his law firm which lobbies for Citgo Petroleum, which is controlled by the Venezuelan state oil company and President Hugo Chavez. Records filed at the Texas Ethics Commission showed the law firm, Houston-based Bracewell & Giuliani, may have received up to … Read More
Iraqi Leader’s Catch-22 Over Oil Law
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, fears the Americans will torpedo his government if his parliament does not pass Iraq’s controversial oil law. In what could be construed as diplomatic blackmail, American support for the al-Maliki administration is dependent on passage of the Oil Law which essentially gives control of Iraq’s oil wealth to foreign … Read More
Step it Up On Climate Change
Britain may have committed itself to a 60 per cent cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, but others are trying to go further. The New York Times profiles the efforts of Bill McKibben and others who are organizing a national day of action on climate-change called Step It Up that will happen on April … Read More
Senate Bill Expands Drilling Closer to Shore
Oil-drilling advocates are pushing for a new bill that would allow energy exploration 45 miles from Florida’s coast, much closer that the current 125-mile limit. Senator Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and Senator Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., will propose more offshore drilling in a bill that would allow U.S. companies to drill in waters close to Cuba as … Read More
Chomsky: US Foreign Policy Driven by Oil
A great article by Noam Chomsky in today’s Guardian arguing that “Washington’s escalation of threats against Iran is driven by a determination to secure control of the region’s energy resources.” For the US, writes Chomsky, “the primary issue in the Middle East has been, and remains, effective control of its unparalleled energy resources. Access is a … Read More
Oil-Rich Mexico Output Declines
The State oil company of Mexico, Pemex is in trouble, reports the New York Times. Its production and proven reserves are falling, and it has no money to reverse the slide. This is important for the US because Mexico is the second-largest supplier of imported oil to the United States, after Canada. If the company … Read More
US Carbon Emissions to Rise by 20%
The first rule of how to manage bad news is to bury it. The Bush Administration has delayed a report for over a year that admits that emissions of greenhouse gases by the United States will rise by 2020 to 20% above 2000 levels Flying in the face of warnings from scientists that drastic action … Read More