Breaking News -- Senator Bernie Sanders issues statement regarding Keystone Pipeline

Senator Bernie Sanders

By: Emily Chassman

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont issued a statement discussing his position on the Keystone Pipeline project just moments ago.  He stated:

"I believe that it is absolutely necessary for us to move away from using fossil fuels. If the Keystone Pipeline XL is approved then not only is the possibility of moving away from fossil fuels further diminished, but also the pipeline will add to the already gigantic crisis of global warming.  I believe that we need to move as aggressively as possible to move towards energy efficiency. We need sustainable energy to lower carbon pollution, as well as make America less dependent on foreign energy sources. I believe that moving towards energy efficiency will open the door for new, and good paying jobs. Large oil companies who have had record profits in the trillions want the United States to continue to be dependent on oil. Humans have been the major cause for global warming, and we desperately need to move away from fossil fuels. I am deeply disturbed by the desire to build the Keystone XL pipeline, a pipeline that could carry as much as nine hundred thousand barrels of dirty tar sands from Canada across America every single day. I believe that the United States has the potential for better energy options. Also lets not forget what happened just in 2010 with the BP oil spill in the gulf of Mexico, a spill that destroyed many human lives, as well as plants and animals. This spill also significantly harmed the fishing industries along the gulf.  The time is now to make a change to prevent global warming and reduce the risk of dangerous spills." # 

Breaking News -- President Obama to appear on CNN for an exclusive interview

President Obama

By: Emily Chassman and Naomi Bernstein


Tune in today at 12/11 central for an exclusive CNN interview with President Obama.  Lisa Jackson of the EPA as well as many other special guests will also be joining us.  Don't miss this special segment. 

GOP White House hopeful Mitt Romney releases energy policy

GOP White House hopeful  Mitt Romney released his comprehensive energy policy today.  Mr. Romney criticized President Obama's energy policy calling it "a policy which has created a greater dependency on foreign oil, contributed to unemployment, and cost American families thousands a year during a recession."

Mr. Romney presented his policy as one that "will consist primarily of seeking, promoting, and utilizing domestic sources of oil."

For the full story, follow this link: http://romney2012-sim.blogspot.com/

Breaking News -- White House issues statement in response to inaccurate reporting by FOX

By: Emily Chassman


Communications Director and Press Secretary, Jay Carney, came out with a statement on behalf of the White House only a few hours ago. He stated the following:


"Fox News’ reported that President Obama tried to convince Democratic Senators to vote against the project, which is simply false and misleading information. The administration, along with Congress, was fully aware of these two Democrats’ position in regards to supporting the initial pipeline proposal, given that they publicly voted for it. We had no intention of changing their vote.

The administration felt that it would be beneficial to have the two dissenting Democratic Senators release statements detailing the reasons for their approval of the pipeline. These clear and direct statements were intended to inform the public and leave less room for speculation and manipulation. These Senators have their reasons for approving the pipeline, which this Administration completely respects, and we wanted them to have an opportunity to openly justify their position. Unfortunately, Fox News decided to take an antagonistic approach in their reporting, using Republican rhetoric and unfounded accusations to twist the realities of the situation." #

EPA Administrator stresses the importance of Cleaner Tomorrows

EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, answers questions today at House Oversight Committee Hearing

By: Matthew Brincko

EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, stressed the capability of Cleaner Tomorrows in todays house hearing.  Ms. Jackson faced a series of questions from Congressman Elijah Cummings about the qualifications of Cleaner Tomorrows, a firm hired by the EPA to assist with the drafting of environmental impact statement about the Keystone Pipeline. 

Cummings asked Ms. Jackson, “Do you remember why Mendax said that Cleaner tomorrows was illegitimate to do this project?”, to which she replied “ I believe it was that Cleaner Tomorrows was not in the Top Five. [Cardinal Entrics was] definitely not [in the top five]. According to Engineering News Record…Cardinal Entrics was not even in the top 400 of contracting companies listed. And it only had about 5,000 employees while on average the bigger contracting companies have tens of thousands of employees. The fact that Mendax said that cleaner tomorrows was too small to take on the challenge because they were not in the top five is really false and unfair.”

Mr. Cummings responded by asking “So was this June 6^th 2011 report just as trustworthy as the Cardinal Mendax report?” to which Jackson responded by stressing the substantial improvement on the Cardinal Mendax report.  “Yes definitely. It is definitely more thorough than the supplemental draft of the environmental impact statement. What Cleaner Tomorrows helped the EPA do, they investigated further and not only pointed out where there were flaws in the original report, but they pointed out ways to fix those flaws”.  Jackson went even further saying, “The final environmental impact statement will be even better because Cleaner Tomorrows helped us."

Cummings wrapped up his questioning of Ms. Jackson with his final question, (Referring to the 60 day timeline) “Would more time make it more thorough?”, to which Jackson responded “Of course. I think that the more time that we have, we will be able to investigate more and understand more about how the environment will be effected by the pipeline."

Clearly this isn’t the last we’ve heard about the Keystone pipeline as coverage of this topic will be continued in the ensuing days. #

A Clarification on Behalf of Wade Henderson

Pres. Wade Henderson, a misunderstood man

Skepticism arose today during the House Oversight Committee's questioning of Wade Henderson, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Henderson, in one of his responses, stated that 95 to 97 percent of businesses are owned by white males. The statistic is in fact accurate, according to the National Organization for Women.

Mr. Henderson went on to reference participation goals called set-asides. Some misunderstood Henderson, thinking he was referring to unlawful quota programs. These set-asides have to do with funding, not hiring practices. In addition, they are limited to cases where no race-blind measure can be taken. They have been deemed "narrowly tailored" and found legal by the courts.

White House clarifies statements made by Speaker Boehner

By: Emily Chassman

CNN – Washington

On Tuesday, March 13^th 2012, the White House issued a statement in response to Republicans, specifically Speaker Boehner’s, previous statements the day before.  The executive branch made it perfectly clear that they “are not opposed to the pipeline as a whole” but they would like to ensure the safety and well-being of the American people” first and foremost.

Similarly to today’s House Oversight Committee Meeting, tension was clear over the facts and staticstics each party referenced.  Press Secretary Jay Carney blatently stated that Speaker Boehner and his Republican colleagues have “decided to play political football with the issue.”  In addition, Carney accused Boehner of “gross[ly] exaggeration [] the real statistics.  Even the most generous estimates coming from the oil lobbying firms list [was] less than 10% of what Speaker Boehner stated.” 

The White House appears calm and confident about their position and decisions regarding the pipeline thus far, “not [having to] default to participating in the artificial world of political gamesmanship, but has a proven record of putting the American people first”

To read the full White House statement visit http://apgovwhitehousepress.blogspot.com/  #