Energy & Environment: Markey Wants Answers on Rare Earths
• Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., "is pressing the Obama administration for information about alleged Chinese restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals used in defense and energy technologies, warning of threats to U.S. interests," The Hill reports.
• "Three months after BP capped its runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico, the state of Louisiana is still building a chain of sand berms off its coast to block and capture oil even as federal officials and many scientists argue that the effort will prove pointless," the New York Times reports.
• An Idaho couple has "sued the state to stop the shipments by Imperial Oil and ConocoPhillips" to an oil sands site in Canada, "arguing that the" truck loads delivered there "would threaten the integrity of Idaho's historic portion of U.S. 12, as well as the safety of communities that depend on it as the main road in and out of the area," the Times also reports. "National environmental groups and climate change activists are supporting their efforts, seeing a broader opportunity to stall development of Canada's oil sands, which they denounce as a dirty source of energy. "
• "Combating climate change has long taken a back seat to coal production in West Virginia, but in the hard-fought House race in this state's 1st district, global warming hasn't even made it onto the bus," The Hill reports. "In interviews on Thursday, both the Democratic and Republican nominees for Congress voiced skepticism of the science behind global warming, and the Republican, David McKinley, flatly called concerns about climate change 'an attack on coal.'"
Contributor
Chase Huntley
Biography provided by participant
Chase directs renewable energy policy at The Wilderness Society (TWS) with a focus on sustainably managing energy production on the nation's public lands in the face of global warming. Prior to TWS, he served for more than six years at the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, evaluating development of public resources. Chase also worked on the U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy and Resources focused on energy security issues, and served in the office of the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment. Chase holds Masters Degrees from the University of Michigan with a focus on resource policy and ecosystem management, and a BA from Claremont McKenna College in Government and Philosophy.
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