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News you can use
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WASHINGTON — The long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline cleared a major hurdle toward approval Friday, a serious blow to environmentalists' hopes that President Barack Obama will block the controversial project running more than 1,000 miles from Canada through the heart of the U.S. The State Department reported no major environmental objections to the proposed $7 billion pipeline, which has become a symbol of the political debate over climate change. Republicans and some oil- and gas-producing states in the U.S. — as well as... Full story
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says it is prepared to talk one-on-one with Iran to find a diplomatic settlement to the impasse over Tehran's reported pursuit of nuclear weapons, but there's no agreement now to meet. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Saturday that President Barack Obama has made clear that he will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and will do whatever's necessary to prevent that from happening. Vietor said Iran must come in line with its obligations, or else faced increased p...
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he's denying an application for a Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline because a GOP-mandated deadline didn't allow time for a full review. AP Photo/Susan Walsh White House Press Secretary Jay Carney speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Wednesday. Obama says his decision isn't a judgment on the merits of the proposed $7 billion pipeline. Rather, he's citing the "arbitrary nature" of the Feb. 21 deadline that was set by a GOP-written provision in a recent tax bill...
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he's denying an application for a Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline because a GOP-mandated deadline didn't allow time for a full review. AP Photo/Susan Walsh White House Press Secretary Jay Carney speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Wednesday. Obama says his decision isn't a judgment on the merits of the proposed $7 billion pipeline. Rather, he's citing the "arbitrary nature" of the Feb. 21 deadline that was set by a GOP-written provision in a recent tax bill...
WASHINGTON — The Canadian company trying to build the disputed Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S. submitted a new application for the project Friday after changing the route to avoid environmentally sensitive land in Nebraska. TransCanada said it applied again to the State Department for permission to build the pipeline to carry oil from tar sands in western Canada to a company hub in Steele City, Neb. From there, the project would link up with other pipelines operated by the company to carry oil to refineries on the Texas Gulf...
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Friday it will for the first time require companies drilling for oil and natural gas on public and Indian lands to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations. The proposed "fracking" rules also set standards for proper construction of wells and wastewater disposal. AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File Signs opposing the hydraulic fracturing process of drilling for gas, or "fracking" are posted in Evans City, Pa. The Obama administration said Friday it will for t... Full story
Indian leader: Unleash energy on tribal lands WASHINGTON — To achieve energy independence, the United States should focus on tribal lands with vast untapped supplies of coal, natural gas, oil and wind, the leader of the nation's largest Indian organization said Thursday. Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians, said tribal lands contain about 10 percent of U.S. energy resources, but provide less than 5 percent of national energy production. He blamed bureaucratic obstacles that prevent tribes f...
Indian leader: Unleash energy on tribal lands MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press WASHINGTON — To achieve energy independence, the United States should focus on tribal lands with vast untapped supplies of coal, natural gas, oil and wind, the leader of the nation's largest Indian organization said Thursday. Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians, said tribal lands contain about 10 percent of U.S. energy resources, but provide less than 5 percent of national energy production. He blamed b... Full story
Lawyers seek to double fees in Indian claims case MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Lawyers representing Native Americans helped win a record $3.4 billion settlement with the federal government. Now they want a judge to double their fees. Instead of being paid up to $99.9 million, as initially agreed, attorney Dennis Gingold says he other lawyers deserve at least $224 million for their work on the case since 1996. He and other lawyers "have achieved a stunning landmark victory in this case," Gingold wrote in a 2...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush have designated public land as national monuments, using a federal law to protect from development sites judged to have natural, historical or scientific significance. Now some House Republicans, saying the 105-year-old law has been misused, have introduced bills to limit or block the president's ability to make such designations without approval from Congress. GOP Rep. Denny Rehberg of Montana compared the 1906 Antiquities Act to the mythical sword of Dam...
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has approved a pair of sweeping settlements that could lead to endangered species protections for hundreds of animal and plant species by 2016. Friday's order by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan means the government must act on imperiled species ranging from the northern wolverine and Pacific walrus to dozens of snails, mollusks, butterflies and plants. The order comes after the Obama administration reached deals with environmental groups that filed lawsuits challenging the government's h... Full story
WASHINGTON — Under pressure from Congress, the Obama administration is backing away from a plan to make millions of acres of undeveloped land in the West eligible for federal wilderness protection. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a memo Wednesday that his agency will not designate any of those public lands as "wild lands." Instead Salazar said officials will work with members of Congress to develop recommendations for managing millions of acres of undeveloped land in the West. A copy of the memo was obtained by The A...
President Barack Obama pauses to speak with with Rep. George Butterfield, D-N.C., after signing the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 which settles long-standing lawsuits by African American farmers and Native Americans against the federal government, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, part of the White House complex, in Washington, Wednesday. The act also authorizes $1.15 billion for black farmers who say they were discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite WASHINGTON...
