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
Chuck Gray
Biography provided by participant
Gray was appointed executive director at NARUC in 1999 after serving as general counsel and deputy general counsel for the association. NARUC represents the nation's state utility commissioners, who regulate the rates, terms, and conditions of utility services such as electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, water, and transportation. As executive director, Gray oversees NARUC's Washington office of 25 staff members. In this role, Mr. Gray has represented NARUC in congressional debates over the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the recent Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and Senate floor debate over climate-change legislation. He has also overseen NARUC's advocacy work before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Department of Energy, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
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