Energy, Climate Change,
and Our Environment

The President has taken unprecedented action to build the foundation for a clean energy economy, tackle the issue of climate change, and protect our environment.

Energy and Environment Latest News

  • Pipeline Modernization Plan Means Safety and Jobs

    Posted by Ray LaHood on April 23, 2012 at 2:48 PM EDT

    Ray LaHood Speaks About Pipeline Modernization

    U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood speaks in Pittsburgh, April 23, 2012. (by Photo courtesy Michael Henninger/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

    Ed. note: This is cross-posted from the Department of Transportation's Fast Lane blog

    One year ago, I gathered pipeline operators together and asked each of them to take a serious look at their infrastructure and to identify those sections that need to be repaired or replaced.

    I pledged that if operators stepped up and created modernization plans, then DOT would do everything in our power to help cut bureaucratic red tape to put people to work and get shovels in the ground more quickly on these important projects to make America's communities safer.

    NiSource, Inc., answered that call in Pittsburgh last Friday, and they are setting an example for the entire industry by investing more than $4 billion dollars in 1,000 miles of modern diameter pipeline. This massive modernization project will take place in Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, and it will promote the safe and reliable delivery of energy resources across the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the U.S.

    DOT will hold up our end of bargain as well. We all know how important it is to get these infrastructure projects moving so we can put Americans back on the jobsite and make our neighborhoods safer. That's why President Obama signed an executive order to fast-track crucial infrastructure through review and permitting, and that's exactly what we plan to do in these states.

    read the rest
    Learn more about Energy and Environment

  • From the Archives: The Obamas Visit Yellowstone National Park

    Posted by Colleen Curtis on April 23, 2012 at 11:11 AM EDT

    In the summer of 2009, President Obama took his family to Yellowstone National Park. The President had first visited the park on a summer-long cross country trip he took as a young boy with his mother, grandmother and sister, who joined him this time as well. Take a look and see for yourself why he remembers his days in Yellowstone of the highlight of that vacation.

     

    Check out the extended version of this video

    Learn more about Energy and Environment,

  • Happy Earth Day! Protecting the Air You Breathe

    Posted by Megan Slack on April 22, 2012 at 3:00 PM EDT

    Did you know?

    To better protect the health of American families and the air they breathe, the Obama Administration has issued landmark clean air standards that will save lives by cleaning up air pollution in communities across the country. 

    The Administration has established first-ever national limits for mercury, arsenic, and other toxic air pollution from power plants; put in place a program that will slash smog and soot-forming pollution from power plants that cross state lines and create health problems in downwind areas; and taken common-sense steps to limit mercury and other pollutants for the largest sources of industrial air pollution, including cement plants, industrial boilers, and waste incinerators. 

    These clean air standards will provide enormous public health benefits: each year, they will avert tens of thousands of premature deaths, prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks and hospital visits, and alleviate hundreds of thousands of childhood asthma attacks. 

    The Administration has also proposed the first national standard for carbon pollution from new power plants under the Clean Air Act, which will ensure that the next generation of power plants employ widely available, American-made technologies to produce electricity more cleanly and efficiently. 

    Learn more about Energy and Environment

  • Happy Earth Day! Avoid Feeling Green Guilt by Recycling Responsibly

    Posted by Colleen Curtis on April 22, 2012 at 1:00 PM EDT

    Earth Day Recycling

    Did you know....

    that recycling is a proud American tradition? During the First and Second World Wars, families participated in scrap drives, gathering cloth, paper, and metals for reuse in manufacturing that helped fuel our military and our economic growth. Today, the Obama Administration is committed to bolstering recycling programs through individual action, community engagement, and national initiatives, and we have broadened our efforts to include a vast array of pioneering industrial processes that will drive our clean economy and create green jobs. These advances cut waste, preserve our natural bounty, and spur the robust and sustainable economic growth that will carry us through this century and into the next.

    To meet the economic and environmental challenges that confront our country today, we must devise new strategies to accommodate emerging technologies. Our nation generates over two million tons of used electronics annually, and without following proper recycling and management practices, the disposal of our old computers, monitors, and cell phones can release toxic materials into our environment, endanger human health, and prevent the recovery and reuse of valuable resources. For the well-being of our people and our planet, we must consider the full lifecycle impacts of our products and strive to manage our resources in a sustainable way.

    To ensure America remains a global leader in developing new, sustainable electronics technologies, President Obama launched the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship in 2011. The strategy establishes a framework for responsible electronics design, purchasing, management, and recycling that will accelerate our burgeoning electronics recycling market and create jobs for the future here at home. To lead by example, the Obama Administration is committed to efficient use, reuse, and proper disposal of electronics within the Federal Government, and we are collaborating with certified recycling centers to handle and dispose of used electronics safely and effectively. We are also forging new partnerships with the private sector that will advance electronics recycling across our country. Through collaboration and shared responsibility, we are protecting public health, preserving environmental quality, and laying the foundation for a 21st century economy.

    Learn more about Energy and Environment

  • Happy Earth Day! Why Cycling Makes Sense

    Posted by Colleen Curtis on April 22, 2012 at 11:00 AM EDT

    Earth Day Ride a Bike

    Did you know...

    that the United States is comprehensively cataloging greenhouse gas emissions from the largest sources – an important initial step toward measurable and transparent reductions in carbon emissions, which will reduce air pollution and protect the health and welfare of the American people. In January 2012, the Administration launched an online tool that makes comprehensive greenhouse gas emission data publicly available for 29 different industrial categories and other large sources of greenhouse gas pollution.

    President Obama has also directed the Federal Government – the largest energy consumer in the U.S. economy – to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from direct sources such as building energy use and fuel consumption by 28 percent by 2020. He also directed Federal agencies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from indirect sources, such as those from employee commuting, by 13 percent by 2020. By meeting these goals, Federal agencies can save up to $11 billion dollars in energy costs and eliminate the equivalent of cumulative 235 million barrels of oil over the next decade. In 2011, the Administration released the first-ever comprehensive Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory for the U.S. Government, allowing agencies to leverage data to gauge the effectiveness of their renewable energy investments and their energy and fuel efficiency efforts.

    Learn more about Energy and Environment

  • Celebrating National Parks Week

    Posted by Neil J. Mulholland on April 22, 2012 at 9:00 AM EDT

    Girls hiking in the Olympic National Park

    Young girls hike a trail at the Olympic National Park, which is west of Seattle on Washington's Olympic Peninsula (by Christine Korkalo)

     

    IT’S NATIONAL PARK WEEK! 

    Did you know that there are nearly 400 national parks across our country? That’s right!  And this week we celebrate all of them.  From the Grand Canyon to Gettysburg, the Virgin Islands to Hawaii Volcanoes – each of our parks is a place to explore, learn and be active. And this week, they are all free! 

    Now before you head out the door, you may ask, what can I do to make this trip special? Let me give you an idea --- bring a young person with you.  Introduce them to a world that will fascinate them for a lifetime.  Invite them to explore, get outdoors and get active in the most awe-inspiring places this nation has to offer.  

    You see, our national parks belong to every one of us. As Americans we own 84 million acres of breathtaking landscapes, historical sites and cultural treasures – and all that is asked in return is that we support and enjoy these places, passing them on unimpaired, so the next generation may enjoy them too.  

    It is this guiding principle that drives us at the National Park Foundation to provide our young people, from all races, ethnicities and backgrounds, the opportunity to experience America’s treasured places. 

    That is why we are bringing more than 30,000 students to national parks just this year alone through our “Ticket to Ride” program.  It is why we are working with teachers in all 50 states to embrace national parks as classrooms and centers for active learning.  It is why we have provided more than 3.5 million dollars to national parks through educational grants and programs in the last three years. 

    read the rest
    Learn more about Energy and Environment, Rural