EcoTalk's Archives

Frank O'Donnell on Bush's slooow turn towards the light

Clean Air Watch President (and EcoTalk favorite) Frank O'Donnell weighs in on the President Bush's pledge to abide by the Clean Air Act (or at least mouth words to that effect). "I think that the president has come up with a strategy to stall off any kind of action, and essentially put the US EPA into a straitjacket of bureauracratic process," Frank tells Betsy. Does this have to be "a long process", as the President says? LISTEN (10 min)

Frank O'Donnell: The Supreme Court sees the Obvious

Clean Air Watch President Frank O'Donnell stops by to celebrate this week's momentous Supreme Court decision in Mass. v. EPA, asserting that the White House is indeed authorized to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Theoretically, the Bush Administration (or, more concretely, the next administration) could act to regulate emissions without first going through Congress: "Now the Supreme Court has gone on record as saying global warming is indeed not only a problem but is something that can be dealt with even under current law. Now the onus is on the Bush Administration to do something about it." LISTEN (11 min)

A Win For Wildlife

National Wildlife Federation Global Warming Director Jeremy Symons gives us his reaction to the Supreme Court's decision in Mass. v. EPA: "This kicks open a whole new front on the fight against global warming. We've got a number of new options that are gonna put pressure on the Bush Administration and Congress, and open up doors to states." Hello, California (and all those states that have signed on to Cali's plan)! LISTEN (7 min)

Asian Pollution Affects Pacific Storms

As Betsy says, "More proof that we all live downstream." When it comes to pollution and environmental degradation, it's often not so much what we bring on ourselves, its what we pass along to others. A new report out this week draws conclusive links between carbon emissions in China and India with intensifying storms in the Pacific North. Report co-author Renyi Zhang, a scientist at Texas A&M's Department of Atmospheric Sciences says that storms are not necessarily becoming more plentiful in the Northwest, but that they are increasing in strength and intensity. LISTEN (11 min)

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Frank O' Donnell: Smog and the risks with Ethanol

Frank O'Donnell talks about the risks linked to smog for women and the consequences of the increased use of ethanol.
LISTEN (7 min) 
picture: all that smog

Frank O'Donnell on the State of the Union: Cars, Coal, and Corn

EcoTalk's very own Clean Air Correspondent Frank O'Donnell waxes funny and fiery on President Bush's State of the Union speech: "He's starting to talk the talk, but he's a long way from walking the walk. He's tip-toeing in the right direction, but he is not coming forward with any plan at all to actually limit emissions related to global warming." LISTEN (11 min)

Sherry Boschert: Plug-In Hybrids!

In Plug-In Hybrids: The Cars that Will Recharge America Sherry Boschert chronicles the coming together of Americans of all political stripes, from "left greenies" like herself to neoconservative hawks like James Woolsey, to call for 100mpg (100mpg!) Plug-In Hybrids as a solution to our environmental, energy, national security, and pocketbook problems. Let's do it! LISTEN (12 min)

Frank O'Donnell: A Dick Cheney Christmas

Correspondent Frank O'Donnell talks about the 13 states who filed a suit to force the EPA to strengthen particle soot standards and safeguard public health. You'd think we wouldn't have to ask them to do their jobs.
ALSO: What is the White House giving their friends for the Holidays? Frank tells us here.
PART 1 (11 min)  PART 2 (7 min)

Daniel Kammen: China takes One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

As Berkeley Professor Daniel Kammen tells Betsy, it's great that the Chinese government is considering a tax on industrial polluters. Less great, though, is that a coal-fired power plant opens there every ten days. As for the Republic of Texas.... LISTEN (11 MIN)

Frank O'Donnell: EPA takes a dive for the Oil Industry

Clean Air Watch Correspondent Frank O'Donnell continues his extensive chronicling of the Bush Administration's outright disrespect of the EPA's dedicated scientists, and their undying fealty to Big Oil. LISTEN (10 min)