Energy
EWG is working toward an energy future in which clean, safe and economical sources such as solar and wind power replace dirty, dangerous and expensive coal and nuclear power. We're also investigating the use and disposal of hazardous chemicals in oil and gas drilling, toxic gasoline additives such as corn ethanol and MTBE, uranium mining on public lands, and the transport of nuclear waste through American cities.
Culminating a hike of several hundred miles, West Virginia grandfather Ed Wiley will arrive in Washington tomorrow to ask the federal government to help where his local officials’ resources fall short. Wiley, a former coal industry contractor, wants to see Marsh Fork Elementary moved from its current location, just yards from a coal silo he says makes kids sick--informal surveys indicate that many of Marsh Fork’s 220 students do have asthma or chronic bronchitis.
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This summer, kids will be getting toy Hummers with their Happy Meals thanks to a new McDonald's promotion to bring “the fun and excitement of Hummer vehicles” to “McDonald’s youngest guests.” In a time of record gas prices, when even our oil-friendly leader has admitted that America is "addicted to oil," it seems a bit irresponsible for McDonald's to be advertising the Hummer to its youngest and most impressionable customers.
Read MoreThe U.S. would have imported about 20 percent less foreign oil in 2005 if automakers met federal fuel efficiency or miles per gallon (MPG) standards based on real world driving conditions. That reduction is equivalent to more than 1.3 times the amount of oil imported from Saudi Arabia in 2005, or about two million barrels of oil per day. For consumers this translates into 33 billion gallons of gasoline saved that year.
As many of us celebrated the 50th birthday of our nation's highway system and the 230th birthday of America with a roadtrip, it's a good time to ask how we plan to get around for the next fifty years. Even greenies like me are not going to stop driving, so as a nation we'd better figure out how to stabilize gas prices.
Read MoreThis shot was submitted by Susan A. from Dallas who would like to remind us that: "While consumers are paying record-breaking high prices for gasoline, former Exxon CEO Lee Raymond got a $400,000,000 compensation package in 2005."
Read MoreCongress and the Bush Administration have done nothing to solve the USA's addiction to fossil fuels. Even worse, they are subsidizing Big Oil at a time of record profits.
Read MoreAmericans in 50 metro areas will pay $83 billion more for gasoline this year at $3 per gallon, compared to the prices they paid in February 2003 — and even more if prices continue to rise as expected, says a new Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis that calculates the increased cost of gasoline per family in the 50 largest metro areas.
Whether or not you agree with the Bush Administration on energy policy, one thing is clear: when a President brings up the need to become energy independent in a State of the Union address, public debate increases. And as Martha Stewart says, "that's a good thing."
Read MoreIt depends on what your definition of "import" is. Turns out the president was simply, well, exploiting American anxiety when he vowed during his State of the Union speech to break our addiction to Middle East oil in coming decades.
Read MoreThe Bush administration continues to combat the country's energy problems with industry giveaways, now allowing oil and gas drilling permits on public lands to be issued without environmental reviews or citizen comment.
Read MoreConstruction on 9,500 new oil and gas wells in western Colorado is creating erosion and runoff that's clogging towns' irrigation systems and raising cleanup costs.
Read MoreDrivers in sprawling southern cities with few transportation options are forced to send more of their gasoline dollars abroad, including to Middle East oil producers where an unknown amount of oil money flows to anti-American extremists. Amid rising gas prices and calls for energy independence, an original Environmental Working Group analysis of oil dependence by metro area underscores the urgent need to broaden transportation options for gridlocked, car-dependent communities in order to decrease reliance on Middle East oil sources and increase national security over the long hau
Read MoreDuring debate over the energy bill in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Tuesday, Representatives Hall, Green, Murphy, Rogers, Pickering, and Committee Chair Barton, among others, voiced their opposition to any restrictions on future oil and gas exploration within the United States. The committee majority shot down a number of minority amendments, including an amendment by Rep. Stupak of Michigan to prohibit directional, slant, or offshore oil and gas drilling on the Great Lakes.
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Two years ago, support for Tom DeLay's MTBE liability shield for oil and chemical companies stalled when documents surfaced showing the companies had, contrary to their claims, aggressively lobbied for MTBE's adoption as a gasoline additive. The memos and other correspondence showed that oil companies knew the toxic chemical would pollute drinking water, and that they — not the government — had pushed for its adoption anyway.
A new analysis of Department of Energy (DOE) figures shows that in the wake of the 2002 Senate vote to approve the Yucca Mountain dumpsite, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission quickly and quietly approved license extensions at nuclear reactors nationwide.
Read MoreThe oil and gas industry and federal officials repeatedly claim that environmental protections have blocked their access to Western lands and hurt efforts to reduce dependence on foreign sources of energy. However, a year-long review of Department of Interior records by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) shows the oil and gas industry has enjoyed decades of access to an enormous amount of Western lands. Yet during this period, U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources has continually increased.
Read MoreRefineries, power plants and other large industrial facilities in California that violate clean air laws typically pay penalties lower than what an SUV driver may legally be fined for a smog violation, according to an investigation of enforcement records by Environmental Working Group (EWG).
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As Congress prepares to reauthorize a six-year transportation bill worth close to $300 billion, a first ever investigation of metro area transportation spending by the Environmental Working Group found that commuters in 176 metropolitan areas paid a total of $20 billion more in federal gas taxes than they received in federal highway trust fund money for both transit and highways from 1998 through 2003.
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