Tag Archives: Auto Industry

ENERGY: President Obama announces new energy policy

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It will be the policy of my administration to reverse our dependence on foreign oil.

- President Obama

Despite past lobbying efforts by the auto industry, President Obama wants to reverse the Bush Administration’s policies on auto emission standards.  The President issued a memorandum to “order the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider the Bush administration’s past rejection of the California application, [but] while it stops short of flatly ordering the Bush decision reversed, the agency’s regulators are now widely expected to do so after completing a formal review process.” During today’s speech, President Obama embraced scientists and the American workforce as solutions to our dependency on foreign energy souces. The President also discussed the need to remedy climate change. However, the President criticized rigid ideaolody and rhetoric, which haven’t done anything to further or progress America.

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AUTO INDUSTRY: Auto bailout failure could mean the end for GM, Chrysler

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Republican leadership and policy has been disastrous on so many levels from Iraq to the environment to gay marriage. In my mind, the GOP leadership represents a continuation of over consumption (since it can”t grasp that natural resources are limited); a continuation of environmental degradation (their environmental policies or lack thereof, do not serve the environment and are over negotiated); a continuation of hawkish and ill informed foreign policies (do whatever it takes to keep America in the status quo); and conflict-ridden politics. The party really needs to do something, or it will become obsolete. I agree with this comment from The Huffington Post:

These are the same Republicans who have no problem funding the Iraq fiasco to the tune of 10 billion a month, awarding billions in no-bid contracts, and supporting every sort of assault on basic protections guaranteed by the Constitution. These are “poser patriots.” Although I am no fan of American cars, and I’ve owned Fords, Mercs, Chevvys, Pontiacs, Dodges, Plymouths, etc., I think the root cause of the Republican opposition to the bailout is their hatred of the UAW and their desire to bust it. Of course, having Toyota, Honda and Nissan building stuff in the deep South in “right to work states” is a huge factor. They sicken me.

More on Auto Bailout
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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AUTO INDUSTRY: The Big Three are out of touch

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detroitceo-richard-wagonerIMAGES: The first image shows graffiti on a street in Detroit, which is the home of the Big Three: Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors. The image is by Spencer Platt/Getty Images. Detroit, according to the Los Angeles Times, “is among the nation’s most impoverished cities and could be hard hit if the companies fall into bankruptcy.” The second image shows the Chairman and CEO of General Motors Richard Wagoner prior to testifying before the Senate on “December 4, 2008 in Washington, DC.” This image is by Chip Somodevilla/Getty.

BREAK

GM has criticized “hybrids as late as January 2004, and only recently announced a half-hearted effort to match Toyota.” Furthermore, GM has fatally embraced large, expensive, and inefficient vehicles such as the Hummer that ultimately have no utility in a world where resources are becoming more and more scarce. Recently, the Big Three traveled on private jets to Washington D.C., in order to beg for loose taxpayer money without any accountability or transparency attached. Now, the Big Three have returned to our nation’s capital to beg for money, but this time they arrived to Washington by hybrid car and with promises to make fuel-efficient or environmentally friendly cars. However, the Big Three have spent big money to lobby against the environment by lobbying against improved Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. The Big Three’s leadership is clearly out of touch and has been out of touch. As a result, a condition on receiving any kind of bailout, or loan if you prefer, should be major restructuring—starting with the resignation of the Big Three’s leadership.

On the Net:
Special Detroit Free Press Editorial: Invest in America

Image Found Here
Image Found Here

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QUOTE: Congressman Gary Ackerman reacts to chief executives from the big three U.S. auto industry who decided to fly their private company jets to Congressional hearings, where they begged for taxpayer money

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There’s a delicious irony of seeing private luxury jets flying into DC, and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hands, saying that they’re going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses. It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo. Kind makes you a little bit suspicious as to whether or not…we’ve seen the future. There’s a message there. Couldn’t you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled to get here? It would have at least sent the message that you do get it.

- Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY)

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ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS PICKS

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fall-leafALGAE-BASED FUEL: Colorado Company Takes Algae-Based Fuel to the Next Level

ANIMAL WELFARE: Activists Throw Flour On Fur-Clad Lindsay Lohan

ASTRONOMY: Sun Shows Signs Of Life: Long-Awaited Solar Cycle 24 Starting To Take Off, Cassini Finds Mysterious New Aurora On Saturn, NASA: A Bubble in Cygnus

AUTO INDUSTRY: Reasons to Bail Out GM, Here’s Why We Need A General Motors (GM) Bailout, You F***er

BALLOT INITIATIVES: Mixed Bag for State Environmental Ballot Initiatives

BIG OIL: In secret agreement, Shell nets 25-year monopoly on S. Iraq’s gas, Blow to Brown as BP scraps British renewables plan to focus on US

CHERNOBYL: Chernobyl. 21 years later

CLIMATE CHANGE: Impact Of Climate Warming On Fish: International consensus on the reality of climate change is now apparent: global warming is ascribable in large part to human activities. It is causing rapid deterioration of the environment and is increasing the threat to biodiversity. However, the mechanisms of its impact are still poorly known, particularly in the aquatic environment., Warming Trend Is Steepest in 5,000 Years, Canada Offers Continental Climate Pact, Lemming Numbers Dwindling Under Warming

CLONING: Frozen mice cloned – are woolly mammoths next?

COAL: EPA Blocks Coal Plant, Could Change Power Landscape

DIESEL ELECTRIC HYBRID: Hybrid tugboat may give local ports a green push

ENDANGERED SPECIES: Water restrictions ordered to help California fish

ENERGY MIX OF THE FUTURE: How Floating ‘Energy Islands’ Could Power the Future

FOSSILS: Marine Plankton Found In Amber: Marine microorganisms have been found in amber dating from the middle of the Cretaceous period. The fossils were collected in Charente, in France. This completely unexpected discovery will deepen our understanding of these lost marine species as well as providing precious data about the coastal environment of Western France during the Cretaceous.

FUNGAS-BASED FUEL: Microbes: Fuel of the Future?, Rainforest fungus makes diesel: Colorized environmental scanning electron microscope photo of Gliocladium roseum, an endophtic fungus that produces myco-diesel hydrocarbons.

FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS: New York City’s Green Taxi Program Red Lighted By Federal Judge:

GREEN: Best of what is new in green technology 2008, In Times Square, a Company’s Name in (Wind- and Solar-Powered) Lights: The first eco-friendly billboard is coming to Times Square, entirely powered by the sun and the wind — but there is one small catch.

GREEN CONSTRUCTION: 10 Amazing Buildings Made of Dirt and Straw

HIV/AIDS: AIDS Patient Reportedly Cured, T Cell-based HIV Vaccine Candidate Demonstrates Positive Results: The question of whether or not to continue to pursue the development of T-cell-based HIV-1 vaccines has been a source of controversy following last year’s widely publicized failure of the field’s most promising candidate, a vaccine developed by Merck known as V520.

INAUGURATION TICKETS: It’s time to plan your inauguration trip: Festivities could last 10 days, but hotel rooms, flights to D.C. will be scarce

INVASIVE SPECIES: Scientists: Reverse Age-Old Engineering Or The Great Lakes Suffer

LED LIGHTS: Would You Buy This Funny-Looking Bulb?

LIGHT POLLUTION: Efficiency’s Mark: City Glitters a Little Less: The bright lights of the big city are getting a little bit duller — with just a hint of green.

MARINE CONSERVATION: Sea Snakes Seek Out Freshwater To Slake Thirst

MARINE MAMMALS: Killer Whales Are Discriminating Diners

NATURAL GAS: Does Natural Gas Have an Ally in Rahm Emanuel?

NATURE: Venom Hunt Finds ‘Harmless’ Snakes A Potential Danger, Tiny Radio Tags Offer Rare Glimpse into Bees’ Universe

NANOWASTE: Plants Can Accumulate Nanoparticles In Tissues

NUCLEARIZATION OF ENERGY SOURCES: Mini nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes: £13m shed-size reactors will be delivered by lorry

OCEANS: Mysterious Microbe May Play Important Role In Ocean Ecology: An unusual microorganism discovered in the open ocean may force scientists to rethink their understanding of how carbon and nitrogen cycle through ocean ecosystems., Elusive Microbe Fertilizes Oceans

PESTICIDES: Organic Farmer Murdered After Protesting Toxic Dumpsite: An Indian organic farmer and anti-pollution advocate was shot to death on Monday while in the midst of exposing an illegal dumpsite on his property to the media.

PIRATES: Somali Pirates Seize Supertanker Loaded With Crude

POLITICS: Prop 8 Myths, Fox’s Shepard Smith Disputes Idea That The Media Secured Win For Obama, Senate Dems To White House: Preserve Records (Especially You, Cheney)

POLL: Should Cape Wind be built?

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: California gives green light to high-speed train

RECLAIMED OR RECYCLED WATER: NASA astronauts to drink their own urine: As NASA prepared to double the number of astronauts living aboard the International Space Station, nothing did more for crew bonding than a machine being launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on Friday.

RECYCLING: Eat & Drink from Recycled Bottles, Recycling By the Numbers: The Truth About Recycling: Americans haul 82 million tons of trash to recycling centers each year—but that’s still just 32.5 percent of what we throw out. Here’s how much energy recycling saves and how much that’s worth., Is Recycling Worth It? PM Investigates its Economic and Environmental Impact: Americans haul 82 million tons of trash to recycling centers each year. But does it pay off—for the environment or the economy? PM has some real answers.

SCIENCE: New Path Found To Antibiotics In Dirt, Forced Evolution: Can We Mutate Viruses To Death?, Mystery solved: How bleach kills germs, Octopus Family Tree Traced Using New Molecular Evidence, Rock-Eating Bacteria “Mine” Valuable Metals

SEA LEVEL RISE: Mass Relocations Planned as Sea Levels Rise

SOLAR: Mid-East’s Largest Solar Panel Manufacturing Plant to be Built In Dubai, Coating helps solar panels soak up more of the sun

THE MEGAFISHES PROJECT: Giant Prehistoric Fish Rebounding in Canada

WATER POLLUTION: Freshwater Pollution Costs US At Least $4.3 Billion A Year: Pollution by phosphorous and nitrogen isn’t just bad for lakes, streams and other bodies of fresh water. According to researchers at Kansas State University, it’s also bad for Americans’ pocketbooks., Thousands of factory farms will be exempt from needing permits that limit water pollution thanks to a new Bush Administration rule signed today. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency did not adopt improved controls for bacteria and other pathogens that can pose risks to human health and wildlife.

WATER WARS: Atlas of hidden water may avert future conflict

WIND POWER: Pickens Delays His Wind Farm Plan, Largest Wind Farm in World Halted By Credit Crisis, Wind power blights la belle France

YEAR OF THE FROG: Global Warming Link To Amphibian Declines In Doubt

ZOOLOGICAL CONSERVATION: 90 Year-Old Giant Tortoise Mates, Lonesome George, the World’s Rarest Tortoise, Isn’t Ready to Be a Dad, Breeding program may fail to produce progeny for Galapagos’ Lonesome George, VIDEO: Last Tortoise’s Hopes Dim

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