Environmental Politics

"The Farm Bill is the Olympics of U.S. food and agriculture policy. Every five years or so this important legislation comes up for renewal and the games begin. The federal government awards medals in the form of billion-dollar budgets that will determine what foods we eat and how we grow them. The current Farm Bill is set to expire on September 30, 2012, and the debate over who will dominate the food system is well underway."

"Standing in front of a row of pipes, President Barack Obama pledged on Thursday to accelerate approval of the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline, seeking to deflect criticism that his rejection of the full project helped create a climate for high gasoline prices."

"Shell Oil plans to explore for petroleum off Alaska's north coast this summer. The native people of Alaska have a big stake in both oil revenue and environmental protection. That conflict has played out in recent trips by Inupiats to Washington, D.C., to argue their case."

"England expects every Tory to do their duty and support British wind power. That is the unmistakeable message of a new advertising campaign with a union flag and wind turbine appearing in the right-of-centre Spectator magazine this Thursday."

A new poll shows that U.S. public attitudes toward energy are changing.

Funds for the Centers for Disease Control to use in preventing lead poisoning have been cut by Congressional deficit hawks for fiscal 2012. That will mean serious and permanent harm to kids' health in some 35 of the states who get CDC grants under the program. Health advocates are trying to get the funds restored for fiscal 2013.

"Industry and public health groups are gearing up for a fight over the regulation of cosmetics, as the House begins consideration of sweeping Food and Drug Administration legislation."

"The U.S. public favors greater regulation of hydraulic fracturing, a natural gas drilling technique that has reduced prices for consumers while raising environmental concerns."

"A Heartland Institute front man phoned a Greenpeace activist and lied about his identity in an effort to get her to turn over UN climate conference documents to which he had no legitimate access. Heartland senior fellow James Taylor then boasted about the scam in a press release decrying what he described as Greenpeace's preferential access to UN information."