Topic: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Featured

Opinion Five ways Americans can save water through food choices

As eaters and consumers, Americans can profoundly reduce water waste and water consumption through the food choices they make. Here are five ways American food consumers can help save water.

All Content

Heat wave spreads across US. When will it end?

The largest heat wave of the summer has spiked dangerously high temperatures across large swaths of the country for days. Relief from the heat wave is within sight, but cooler weather can't come soon enough.
In Gear New Corvette Stingray: good gas mileage, for a sports car

New Corvette Stingray gets 29 mpg highway and 17 mpg in the city for a combined rating of 21 mpg. That puts the new Corvette Stingray well ahead of its main rival, the Porsche 911.
Senate averts 'nuclear option,' but leaves deeper questions unanswered

After a rare, closed meeting senators agreed to confirm several controversial Obama nominees. The deal avoided a 'nuclear option' that would have changed Senate rules on filibusters.
Filibuster fight: Senators still wrestling over nominees (+video)

A series of roll call votes are planned for Tuesday morning to confirm seven presidential appointees whom Republicans have so far blocked from receiving yes-or-no votes.
Fracking research: What's behind EPA's abandoned studies?

Fracking studies have pit the Environmental Protection Agency against the oil and gas industry, which says the agency has over-reached on fracking and that its science has been critically flawed. The recent closing of EPA fracking investigations has some environmentalists worried that the agency is feeling the effects of industry pressure and tight budgets.
Energy Voices Fracking at the corner of energy abundance and water scarcity

Fracking for oil and gas amid water scarcity has created a public-private crossroads, with both sides attempting to further their goals, Warren writes. Nowhere is the water-energy nexus so apparent as it is in the fracking (hydraulic fracturing) for oil and gas.
Energy Voices Climate change threatens nation's energy, DOE report warns

Climate change and extreme weather are disrupting the ways we generate, distribute, and consume energy, according to a report released Thursday by the US Department of Energy. It's part of a growing acknowledgement among officials for a need to adapt to the planet's changing climate.
In Gear 2014 Mazda6: Impressive mileage, sporty package.

Although it's neither a hybrid nor a diesel, the efficiency-maximizing 2014 Mazda6 boasts 40 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg in the city.
In Gear 2014 Mazda 3 unveiled

The 2014 Mazda 3, which made its debut Wednesday, is a compact hatchback that uses high-compression engines to deliver efficient driving.
Energy Voices How Obama's climate change plan promotes natural gas

President Obama's broad climate change plan highlighted renewable energy, but the biggest near-term potential for reducing emissions is in the switch from coal to natural gas, Holland writes. Obama's plan for new EPA regulations will firmly entrench natural gas over coal as the fuel of choice for electricity generation.
Climate change: Obama announces new curbs on existing power plants (+video)

A feisty Obama – 'We don't have time for a meeting of the flat earth society' – cited a list of projects to address climate change, but the centerpiece is crimping smokestack emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Energy Voices What Obama's climate plan means for his pick to head EPA (+video)

President Obama's plan to combat climate change may help the environment, but it will likely put one potential member of his cabinet in political jeopardy. Gina McCarthy, his pick to head the EPA, is already facing heated opposition from some lawmakers. The climate change plan Obama outlined Tuesday could make McCarthy's confirmation process even more complicated.
Obama to unveil climate change plan with sweeping emissions cuts (+video)

President Obama is expected to announce Tuesday a comprehensive new plan to combat climate change that includes cutting greenhouse-gas emissions from existing coal-fired power plants – a move that could lead to a wave of plant closings.
Energy Voices Supreme Court sides with ethanol in renewable fuel debate

Renewable fuel advocates praised a Supreme Court decision Monday not to hear a challenge to higher ethanol blends of gasoline, while opponents warned of potential mechanical damage. The Supreme Court decision comes as fuelmakers struggle to meet federal renewable fuel standards.
In Gear 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid hits stores this fall

The 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid, rated at 47 mpg, will go on sale in October. The new Honda Accord Hybrid boasts among the best EPA fuel efficiency ratings in its class, as well as informational graphics showing how its fuel economy changes from moment to moment.
The Monitor's View Obama's cold calculation on global warming

Hundreds of existing coal-burning plants could be shut down under expected EPA rules aimed at curbing climate change. But such action must be accompanied by Obama appealing directly to people in coal-dependent states who would be making the big sacrifices.
In Gear Best time to drive a hybrid? When traffic is bad.

Hybrid cars can cost thousands of dollars more than their traditional counterparts, but in cities racked with congestion, they can easily save nearly that much in gas, a Carnegie Mellon University study found.
In Gear Average gas mileage of new cars hits record high

The average gas mileage of new cars in the U.S. hit a new high of 24.8 miles per gallon in May. In comparison, in October 2007, the average gas mileage of new cars was 20.8 miles per gallon.
Energy Voices EPA biofuel rule: energy solution or economic burden?

The EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard program has attracted controversy for driving up food prices and the cost of gasoline. Republican lawmakers lambasted the EPA's fuel standard in a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, but supporters say the standard is flexible and an important part of a transition to alternative fuels.
Obama secret email accounts used by political appointees, report says

Obama secret email: Presidential cabinet secretaries and other federal government employees are using secret email accounts, according to the Associated Press. Obama appointees using secret email runs counter to the President's pledge for an open government.
In Gear Ford rises, Prius falls in hybrids' solid start to 2013

Hybrids and plug-ins together took 3.71 percent of the US auto market last month, Voelcker writes, just 0.01 percent below their all-time high share of 3.72 percent last December. The more hybrids and plug-ins that are sold, the more economies of scale can kick in to lower their component costs, from lithium-ion cells to electric traction motors.
Energy Voices Ernest Moniz confirmed unanimously as Energy secretary

Ernest Moniz earned bipartisan approval Thursday as the Senate voted 97-0 to confirm the nuclear physicist as the next secretary of the Department of Energy. The support for Ernest Moniz is in contrast to divided opinions over Gina McCarthy, President Obama's pick to head the EPA.
In Gear Should EPA gas-mileage ratings tests change?

Major disparities in the listed MPG and the actual performance of two Ford hybrids have put the EPA's mileage tests under scrutiny. With most vehicles, the EPA is essentially on target, but changes might be on the horizon.
GOP senators boycott vote on McCarthy for EPA

Frustrated by what they call a lack of transparency from the EPA, all eight Republican senators on the Environment and Public Works committee boycotted a scheduled vote on Obama nominee Gina McCarthy to head the EPA.
Opinion Smoking gun in West, Texas, fertilizer blast: lack of government oversight

While the cause of the blast in West, Texas, is still undetermined, what is clear is that the West Fertilizer Company stored large quantities of reactive products in the middle of a small town with little state or federal oversight. Citizens must be empowered to act when regulators don't.