Environment : Public policy

More than eight months after the U.S. Senate passed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which included a handful of programs designed to promote energy efficiency among small businesses, provide loans for purchasing energy efficient products, and encourage the use of renewable energy by small businesses, the Small Business Association has yet to act on those programs.

The already-controversial tax has added 2.34 Canadian cents per liter to the pump price, but some stations pushed up prices more than 4 cents, the Vancouver Sun reported on Wednesday.

 Read more about the Canadian carbon tax here.

 

Why divorce? "When people separate, families are divided and that results in an increase of the number of residences, which leads to a higher space occupation and consume of energy and water," explained Mannato to O Globo.

A U.S. carbon-capping bill aimed at curbing climate change has died in the Senate but its supporters looked to the next president to enact a global warming law as early as 2009.

The Senate has opened a raucous debate over climate change legislation even though it will put supporters of the bill, including all three presidential candidates, on the spot — essentially forcing them to come out in favor of high energy costs at a time when American consumers are paying record fuel prices.

The Bush administration has proposed keeping potentially oil-rich wetlands in Arctic Alaska off-limits to drilling because of their ecological sensitivity, a reversal of its earlier plan.

As food prices surge on grocery store shelves, Republican lawmakers said Congress should reverse course and slow a fivefold boost in biofuel use by 2022, or even drop entirely mandates to use ethanol blended from corn.

Several local bottled water companies and manufacturers worry that the new measure will boost costs and delay sales. While the measure has won praise from environmentalists, some analysts say it could violate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by unfairly restraining international trade

Air-quality experts worry that proposed changes to clean-air regulations may allow developers to build the plants near pristine areas.

The Bush administration has appealed a court ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency violated the federal Clean Air Act when it issued less stringent requirements to reduce mercury releases from power plants.