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
John T. Whatley
Biography provided by participant
John Whatley, joined the Alliance as Assistant General Counsel in 1999 later becoming Vice President and General Counsel. The Alliance is a trade association of twelve car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz USA, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen Group of America and Volvo Cars North America.
His responsibilities include coordination of industry positions on franchise, product safety, environmental, and consumer protection issues as well as litigation management. Mr. Whatley was Assistant General Counsel at the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers from 1987-1999. Prior to 1987, he was with the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis.
Mr. Whatley holds a B.A. from Emory University, an MA, M.Phil. and PhD from Yale University and a J.D. (cum laude) from Georgetown University, where he was Managing Editor of the Georgetown University Law Journal. He was law clerk to Hon. Oliver Gasch, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, from 1981-1982.
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