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Climate Change and the Environment

Democrats question whether controversial Interior watchdog pick was vetted

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POLITICO |  Democratic lawmakers are asking the association of government watchdogs whether it has vetted a controversial candidate who is slated to become the Interior Department’s inspector general and take over the ongoing probes into Secretary Ryan Zinke. The letter from Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee to the head of the inspectors general group…

Leading Committee Democrats Urge Scrutiny of New Interior Inspector General – Change Could Interfere with Zinke Investigations

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Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and leading Democratic Committee members sent a letter today to Michael E. Horowitz, chairman of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), raising concerns about the replacement of Department of the Interior (DOI) Deputy Inspector General (IG) Mary L. Kendall with Suzanne Israel Tufts, a political appointee from…

Bonamici, Beyer Lead 96 Colleagues in Opposing Plans to Eliminate the EPA’s Office of the Science Advisor

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Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s Environment Subcommittee, and Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Science Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, led 96 of their colleagues in calling on Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler to abandon his plans to dissolve the…

Safe Climate Caucus Urges EPA To Rescind Clean Power Plan Replacement Proposal

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Today, the Congressional Safe Climate Caucus sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging him to rescind the Agency’s proposed so-called Affordable Clean Energy Rule, or at least allow for additional public hearings and time to comment. The Members cited the abundance of scientific evidence, including EPA’s own analysis, which indicated…

Congress seeks endangered species law changes after grizzly hunt axed

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Associated Press |  Galvanized by court rulings protecting grizzly bears and gray wolves, Congressional Republicans on Wednesday pushed sweeping changes to the Endangered Species Act despite strong objections from Democrats and wildlife advocates who called the effort a “wildlife extinction package.” Republicans began with a morning vote in the House Natural Resource Committee to…

Beyer, Dingell, And Grijalva Lead 100+ Members In Call To Safeguard Endangered Species Act

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Today, Reps. Don Beyer, Debbie Dingell, and Raúl M. Grijalva led a group of 105 Democrats in a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross urging them to withdraw recently proposed changes that weaken the Endangered Species Act. The changes would weaken protections for endangered species and their habitats and impair the consultation process between federal…

Watchdog Won't Investigate Former Superfund Leader's Qualifications

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The Hill |  The EPA’s Office of the Inspector General will not investigate weather EPA’s former head of Superfunds was unqualified for the job, according to a letter sent by IG head Arthur Elkins to Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) dated Sept. 13. Beyer first requested the IG look into EPA’s Albert Kelly in late April. It was first reported last December that Kelly was banned from working in…

Democrats: 'Storm of a lifetime' shows cost of Trump's climate rollbacks

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POLITICO | Democrats pounded the Trump administration on Friday for ignoring climate change, warning that failing to take action would leave the U.S. at the mercy of more extreme weather events like Hurricane Florence. Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry and Al Gore all ripped the Trump administration for gutting the efforts to curb the burning of fossil fuels and reneging on U.S. promises to…

Udall, Carper, Grijalva, Dingell and Beyer Join Advocates in Defending Endangered Species Act

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U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) and U.S. Representatives Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), and Don Beyer (D-Va.) joined scientists, faith leaders, environmental advocates and the public to gather in support of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the nation’s most effective tool to safeguard wildlife facing extinction. The…

Safe Climate Caucus: Methane Rule Rollback Is “Last Thing The Federal Government Should Be Doing”

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its plan today to gut safeguards on methane and other pollutants from the fossil fuel industry. Safe Climate Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Don Beyer (VA-08) and Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) released the following statement in response:  “Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler confirmed that an EPA under his leadership will not miss a beat in…