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
Jan Lars Mueller
Biography provided by participant
Jan Lars Mueller is the Executive Director of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas (ASPO-USA), a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering present and future generations of Americans to prosper in a world of Peak Oil and other resource constraints. ASPO-USA takes the "study" in its name seriously and works to illuminate "Truth in Energy" through a critical examination of evidence and diverse perspectives.
Jan is an expert in energy issues related to transportation--including fuels, vehicles, alternative transportation modes, land use, and travel demand--as well as local-level energy strategies.
Prior to joining ASPO-USA, he served as Senior Policy Associate for Transportation and Community Energy at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), a research and educational organization founded by a bipartisan, bicameral group of Members of Congress to provide independent information to Congress on energy and environmental issues.
Mr. Mueller previously led the transportation policy program at National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Mr. Mueller began his career as an urban and regional planner, including work as a project manager for a housing development company. He holds graduate degrees in natural resource policy and landscape architecture, and an undergraduate degree in economics, all from the University of Michigan.
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