Free Republic

If the "liberal" green movement had the political power during earlier periods of our nation's history that it has now, we would not have built the railroads. Also, there would be no interstate highway system, and the electric grid system that powers our country would be disconnected and shattered. What else can one conclude when a significant and vital energy pipeline, the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline from West Virginia into the southern states, has been canceled because of environmental activist opposition? Another pipeline, the Dakota Access Pipeline, has been suspended by a federal judge's order in recent days. Even the...

More than 3,500 Amazon employees have signed a letter urging the e-commerce giant to take action on climate change, adding to growing activism by technology workers directed at their companies. The letter, published Wednesday on the blogging platform Medium, calls for Amazon to publicly detail how it plans to handle disruption brought on by climate change and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. "Amazon has the resources and scale to spark the world’s imagination and redefine what is possible and necessary to address the climate crisis. We believe this is a historic opportunity for Amazon to stand with employees and...

Environmental activists rode buses up to Albany from New York City to tell Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to mandate the use of 100 percent green energy and move the state away from fossil fuels … wait, what? That’s right. Activists affiliated with the group Food & Water Watch will converge on New York’s capital to “demand 100% renewable energy & a ban on fracking infrastructure,” the group tweeted. Food & Water Watch backed New York’s ban on fracking in 2014, and now wants the state to get off all “fracked” gas — that’s pretty much all their gas. Food &...

Electric cars are often touted as the most environmentally friendly vehicles out there, but the devil is always in the details. While charging tends to be the focus of environmental assessments, the entire life cycle of the vehicle needs to be considered.

MARSHALL, MI – A man protesting the Enbridge Inc. pipeline, the source of the 2010 oil spill, has lodged himself into the open pipeline and is refusing to come out, according to reports. WWMT is reporting that the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department and rescue crews are on the the scene and are worried about the man’s oxygen intake. Channel 3 is reporting a woman on the scene, who said she is with MI CATS, the Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands, identified the man in the pipe as Chris Wahmhoff, an organizer for Occupy Kalamazoo. The group, which demands Enbridge remove...

Car thieves avoiding Toyota Prius By Zach Bowman RSS feed Posted Nov 21st 2012 4:30PM The National Insurance Crime Bureau has taken a closer look at how often car thieves target the Toyota Prius. As it turns out, the most popular hybrid on US roads has a very low theft rate, and when it does get stolen, law enforcement are quick to return the machine to its rightful owners. All told, 2008-2012 Prius models saw a theft rate of one in 606 vehicles compared to one in 78 for all models on the road from the same model year period....

The Australian government says it is its priority to make sure the three West Australian protesters who have spent more than 24 hours detained on a Japanese whaling security ship were being well cared for. The three West Australian men boarded the Shonan Maru No.2 in the early hours of Sunday morning off the coast of Bunbury in an attempt to force it to abandon its pursuit of the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin. Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said the government had been in touch with the Japanese government to find out exactly where the ship was in Australia's exclusive economic...

Welcome. Come on in. My name is Jay Shafer and since 1997 I have been living in houses smaller than some people’s closets. I call the first of my little hand built houses Tumbleweed. My decision to inhabit just 89 square feet arose from some concerns I had about the impact a larger house would have on the environment, and because I do not want to maintain a lot of unused or unusable space. My houses have met all of my domestic needs without demanding much in return. The simple, slower lifestyle my homes have afforded is a luxury for...

What 'culture war'? At the conventions, they'll try to stir up red-blue divisions. But most Americans hold un-partisan views. By Dick Meyer August 27, 2008 As the nation's attention reluctantly turns to the political parties' conventions, with their scripted suspense and stage-managed sentiment, it is important to keep in mind that these are phony representations of American political life. But the slick video profiles, the teary appearance of a beloved party elder -- these are not what is most phony about the conventions. This gathering of America's civic tribes -- and the reporters who love them -- in separate cities...

PARIS (AFP) - Sun screen lotions used by beach-going tourists worldwide are a major cause of coral bleaching, according to a new study commissioned by the European Commission. In experiments, the cream-based ultra-violet (UV) filters -- used to protect skin from the harmful effects of sun exposure -- caused bleaching of coral reefs even in small quantities, the study found. Coral reefs are among the most biologically productive and diverse of ecosystems, and directly sustain half a billion people. But some 60 percent of these reef systems are threatened by a deadly combination of climate change, industrial pollution and excess...

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCERhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/303306_joel12.html Peer into future after car ban -- it isn't prettyMonday, February 12, 2007By JOEL CONNELLYP-I COLUMNISTA longtime friend came up at a party last week, asking what it would take to get me on board the campaign that seeks to tear down the Alaskan Way Viaduct and not replace it.I cited a prediction by Department of Transportation boss Doug MacDonald that the "street option" would mean 12 hours of daily congestion on Interstate 5. "Good!" said my friend, once on the Seattle School Board. "Cars suck," added a woman chiming in on our exchange.Inspired by her persuasive depth,...

WASHINGTON - Saying they share a moral purpose, a group of evangelicals and scientists said Wednesday they will work together to convince the nation's leaders that global warming is real. The Rev. Rich Cizik, public policy director for the National Association of Evangelicals, and Nobel-laureate Eric Chivian, director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, were among 28 signers of a statement that demands urgent changes in values, lifestyles and public policies to avert disastrous changes in climate. "God will judge us for destroying the Creation. Therefore, we as evangelicals have a responsibility to...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (AP) — Regulators responsible for cleaning up the air breathed by about half of California's population want to phase out the most commonly used dry cleaning solvent, saying it endangers public health. Their efforts could make the greater Los Angeles area the first place in the nation to ban perchloroethylene, or perc. But the proposal faces opponents as big as the chemical industry, and as small as the corner dry cleaner. Dry cleaners say perchloroethylene is a must for clean clothes. But officials with the South Coast Air...