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Recent Press Clips
Following are press clips from national publications that relate to PEER issues, campaigns and news releases.
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DEP RULES UNDER REVIEW, AGENCY'S FATE UNCERTAIN App.com — February 6, 2010 But Bill Wolfe, a former DEP analyst and director of New Jersey Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said the DEP's mission is to protect the environment and public health. "That's being lost here," he said. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA REVEALS HIGH HAZARD POTENTIAL AT MORE COAL ASH PONDS Environmental News Service — February 5, 2010 PEER says the coal ash industry has been working in concert with EPA behind closed doors to counter state proposals for stricter regulation of coal ash waste and help the industry market this waste as an additive to construction materials and to spread on agricultural land or use in land reclamation ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OBAMA IMITATES BUSH ON GAG ORDER The Daily Astorian — February 2, 2010 Now, a year in office, some in the Obama administration sound eerily like those they replaced. In an e-mail brought to light by PEER, a publicity flack for the U.S. Forest Service sternly warns employees to refer all calls to her if reporters for national news outlets ask about touchy issues. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DRUSINA IS NEW IBWC CHIEF El Paso Inc. — February 1, 2010 Drusina replaces interim Commissioner Bill Ruth, who left in December after firing IBWC’s general counsel, Robert McCarthy. McCarthy’s firing came three days after he lodged allegations of waste, fraud and abuse against Ruth and the agency last July. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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WATCHING GOVERNMENT: PARK SERVICE PROPOSES CHANGES Oil & Gas Journal — February 1, 2010 In its comments, PEER lauded NPS's proposals, but added they should be extended beyond oil and gas to coal, sand, gravel, and other extraction operations. There presently are no rules governing nonfederal mineral operations within national parks ot ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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BATTLE OVER COAL ASH A YEAR AFTER TRAGIC SPILL The Epoch Times — February 1, 2010 One year later, the area is economically and environmentally dead, says Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, an environmental advocacy group. “My impression is that it’s a wasteland. Generally nobody recommends it [coal ash] comes into contact with human beings." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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NEW ENGLAND OUTGUNNED ON US RAIL FUNDS The Boston Globe — January 29, 2010 New England found itself on the short end of federal stimulus funding yesterday as President Obama announced that most of the $8 billion for high-speed rail projects will go to other parts of the country. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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THE COAL ASH INDUSTRY MANIPULATED EPA DATA Truthout — January 29, 2010 PEER stated that the Environmental Protection Agency allowed the multibillon-dollar coal ash industry to have virtually unfettered access to the EPA during the Bush administration and now under President Obama. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PEER REPORT: EPA LET INDUSTRY EDIT COAL ASH REPORTS The Charleston Gazette — January 28, 2010 Jeff Ruch said, "For most of the past decade, it appears that every EPA publication on the subject was ghostwritten by the American Coal Ash Association." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OBAMA PUTS 'GAG ORDER' ON FEDERAL EMPLOYEES Sustained Outrage — January 28, 2010 Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, said, "How can a government be transparent when public servants are forbidden from disclosing facts?" ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIROS TAKE ACTION TO COUNTER THE MIGHT OF THE COAL ASH LOBBY Grist — January 28, 2010 The effort comes the day after revelations from the watchdog group PEER that EPA has for years allowed coal ash industry representatives to edit official government reports, brochures and fact sheets about coal ash to remove references to potential dangers and to emphasize alleged benefits. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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FOR SALAZAR, A YEAR OF INTERIOR RE-DESIGN New West Politics — January 26, 2010 Ruch praises Salazar for settling a troubling Indian trust fund lawsuit left over from the Bush administration and repealing some of the 11th-hour Bush rules, but he criticizes him for not doing enough to protect species like the wolf and grizzly and for not taking stricter measures against drilling ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SHELL FACES LEGAL CHALLENGE OVER ARCTIC DRILLING NBN — January 24, 2010 The US portion of the Chukchi Sea is believed to hold 15bn barrels of recoverable oil and 76tn cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, according to the interior department. It is also home to endangered bowhead whales, threatened polar bears and rich and varied fish stock. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CHECK OUT A SCARY FISCAL PORTENT The Post and Courier — January 22, 2010 The federal Interior Department's Inspector General sent PEER a check for $1,789 to cover attorney fees and costs in settlement of a lawsuit alleging a violation of FOIA. Unfortunately, the check bounced. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PRISON COMPUTER RECYCLING PUT STAFF, INMATES AT RISK, NIOSH FINDS Government Computer News — January 21, 2010 “Computer components came into loading bays, they were handed to crews of inmates who broke them up with hammers and the only containment was a cardboard box,” said Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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A FINE MESS The Washington Post — January 20, 2010 The IG's office duly sent PEER a check for $1,789, which the group promptly deposited. But the check bounced. The bank said last week that the account had been closed. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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THE ECO-WARRIOR Rolling Stone — January 20, 2010 "Under her watch, New Jersey's environment only got dirtier, incredible as that may seem," Jeff Ruch, president of PEER. Jackson herself now admits that those initial approvals were mishandled. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STUDY FINDS PATERSON HAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTANTS NorthJersey.com — January 14, 2010 A study of air pollution in Paterson found significantly higher levels of pollutants – some of which increase the risk of cancer — than in a comparison rural community, the result of the city's concentration of commercial and industrial facilities. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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NEW JERSEY DEP HOPES OUTSOURCING WILL SPEED UP CLEANUPS PressofAtlanticCity.com — January 9, 2010 “When you weaken DEP powers, you open the door to constant negotiation that results in gridlock," says Bill Wolfe of NJ PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EDITORIAL: MORE THAN HOPE The Gainesville Sun — January 6, 2010 There are an estimated 100 wild panthers remaining in Florida. The litigants have identified three critical areas in southwest Florida that must be protected from development to give the panthers a fighting chance at survival. Failing habitat preservation, hope really is all that remains. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CARNEGIE STATE PARK CLOSURE THWARTED AT 11TH HOUR InsideBayArea - The Oakland Tribune — December 29, 2009 Carnegie state park will remain open to off-roaders until an appellate court decides its fate, state parks officials said Monday. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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RECORD NUMBER OF PANTHERS KILLED BY VEHICLES IN 2009 Naplesnews.com — December 29, 2009 Scientists cite habitat loss as a key threat to panther survival; panthers require a large swath of land for hunting and mating, and do not tolerate sharing that habitat with other panthers. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ROCK MINE EXPANSION PROPOSED FOR PANTHER HABITAT IN WEST BROWARD Orlando Sentinel — December 28, 2009 The Seminole tribe has asked for permission to destroy 198 acres of wetlands to mine limestone on its Big Cypress Reservation, a place of pastures, forests and wetlands where panthers hunt deer, hogs and other prey. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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A FIGHT OVER FLORIDA PANTHER HABITAT Herald Tribune — December 25, 2009 The bad news, he said, is that the loss of the other 20 to 25 percent of that land will likely mean an equivalent loss for the panther population. And with only about 100 Florida panthers remaining, that loss would be significant. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUPS READY TO SUE OVER PANTHER News-Press.com — December 24, 2009 Three environmental groups have filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for not responding to a petition demanding that 3 million acres be set aside as critical habitat for the endangered Florida panther. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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CONTROVERSY MOUNTS OVER CARNEGIE STATE PARK OFF-ROAD ACTIVITY BAN Contra Costa Times — December 24, 2009 Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ordered the park's closure on Dec. 8, touching off one of the hottest environmental fights in the region in recent history and arousing the wrath of off-road enthusiasts, who say they are being targeted by water-quality activists. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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WATCHDOG GROUP ACCUSES BLUE GRASS OF LAX CW OVERSIGHT NTI — December 23, 2009 Leaks of chemical warfare materials at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky at times was not reported for weeks on at least one occasion, according to information posted online yesterday by PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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U.S. WANTS FARMERS TO USE COAL WASTE ON FIELDS Washington Post — December 23, 2009 "This is a leap into the unknown," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER. "This stuff has materials in it that we're trying to prevent entering the environment from coal-fired power plants, and then to turn around and smear it across ag lands raises some real questions." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS THREATEN SUIT OVER FAILING PROTECTIONS FOR FLORIDA PANTHER Naplesnew.com — December 22, 2009 Environmental groups are lining up to sue the federal government over protections for the endangered Florida panther. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUPS FILE NOTICE REGARDING FLORIDA PANTHER The Associated Press — December 22, 2009 Three nonprofit organizations have filed a joint notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over its handling of the endangered Florida panther. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA, USDA PUSH FARMERS TO USE COAL WASTE ON FIELDS Associated Press — December 21, 2009 With coal wastes piling up around the coal-fired plants that produce half the nation's power, the EPA and U.S. Department of Agriculture began promoting what they call the wastes' "beneficial uses" during the Bush administration. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PUBLIC EMPLOYEES PETITION NOAA TO AMEND SEA GRANT GUIDELINES, PROTECT FACULTY SPEECH The Fire — December 18, 2009 The non-profit organization PEER, which has been advocating on Steiner's behalf, has been a vocal critic of NOAA throughout this episode, and, as announced yesterday, has now petitioned NOAA to clarify its guidelines for those accepting its research grants... ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GREEN GROUPS CRITICIZE BIOPROSPECTING PLAN Jackson Hole Daily — December 17, 2009 Environmental groups are criticizing a plan that allows national parks to claim a cut of the profits from products that result from scientific discoveries made within their borders. The plan has important implications for researchers who study the who study the unique microbes found in Yellowstone. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PUBLIC EMPLOYEES PETITION NOAA ABOUT ACADEMIC FREEDOM RULES KTUU.com Alaska's News Source — December 17, 2009 NOAA officials cited guidelines discouraging researchers from taking "positions on issues of public debate." PEER is asking NOAA to clarify its guideline so it doesn't affect academic freedom or free speech. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STATE FIGHTS OFF-ROAD PARK CLOSURE Recordnet.com — December 16, 2009 Stockton-based Bill Jennings - head of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, which sued along with PEER - said the judge was simply enforcing the law. State-run parks "should be a model for promoting reasonable off-roading," PEER said. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GROUPS CRITICIZE PARK SERVICE PROFIT-SHARING PLAN The Associated Press — December 16, 2009 Groups including PEER say the plan would be impractical, unnecessarily costly and compromise resource protection and ethical principles. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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STATE PARK GETS SHUT DOWN Cycle News — December 15, 2009 In a recent court action, a judge in Alameda County has ordered a closure of one of California's State Parks. The order stems from a complaint filed by PEER and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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THE MUDDY FUTURE OF CARNEGIE Tracy Press — December 15, 2009 An Alameda County judge has ruled that a local park must close trails to off-roaders until it comes up with a plan to limit pollution that ends up in Corral Hollow Creek. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PENALTIES VS. MINES ARE OFTEN REDUCED The Arizona Republic — December 13, 2009 State Rep. Daniel Patterson, D-Tucson, said he thinks the fine amounts issued by MSHA are small and do little to deter "risky" behavior by operators. "The fines become a cost of doing business," said Patterson, Southwest director for PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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BAD ACTIONS JUST PRODUCE BAD OUTCOMES Kentucy.com: Lexington Herald-Leader — December 13, 2009 One coal story that hasn’t gotten much play is the release of an inspector general’s report on the Martin County coal waste spill in October 2000. Thanks to Mine Safety and Health News publisher Ellen Smith’s persistence, most of the report was released last month. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA: NO URGENT CONCERN OVER ARTIFICIAL FIELD SURFACES Philly.com — December 11, 2009 "We still call on the EPA to remove their endorsement since they say they don't have information one way or another to say it's safe," Ruch said, referring to the EPA's endorsement of rubber crumb surfaces because they break falls and lessen sports injuries. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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HUNTERS NOW IN ENVIRONMENTALISTS' SIGHTS The Sun — December 11, 2009 Telling the Department of Fish and Game and the Fish and Game Commission they'd sue them if they didn't get their way, a collection of environmental groups has petitioned the commission to close the Mojave National Preserve to hunting much of the year... ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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UPDATE: SOUTH PLAINFIELD GETS $30 MILLION TO CLEAN UP FORMER INDUSTRIAL SITE myCentralJersey.com — December 11, 2009 The removal of tons of toxic soil from the Cornell Dubilier waste site is getting a $30 million boost from the federal government. In addition to soil contamination, chemicals migrated into the nearby Bound Brook and several homes, noted Bill Wolfe of PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DESPITE BUDGET & SERVICE CUTS, STATE PARKS HAS AN EXTRA $60 MILLION, SAY ADVOCATES The LAist — December 10, 2009 “The lion’s share of fuel tax revenues that make up the [Off Highway Vehicle] Trust Fund come from people driving on dirt roads to access hiking, fishing or camping and these people should be able to benefit from their own tax contributions,” said Karen Schambach, state field director for PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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BIG GREENS CRITICIZED FOR CLIMATE COMPROMISE truthout — December 8, 2009 "EPA is abusing ethics rules to gag two conscientious employees who have every right to speak out as citizens," stated Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility's executive director, Jeff Ruch, who reposted the original script and accompanying video. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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SALAZAR PLOTS CAUTIOUS COURSE AT INTERIOR The New York Times — December 1, 2009 Mr. Salazar’s tenure has been a balancing act, trying to slow the commercial exploitation of public lands while developing new climate-friendly sources of energy. Environmental leaders voice some wariness that Salazar may be too willing to compromise, particularly on oil development issues. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DIRECTOR OF THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT: WHO IS BOB ABBEY? AllGov — December 1, 2009 Confirmed on August 6, 2009, President Obama’s Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a twenty-five year veteran of the agency. Abbey spent more than 32 years in public service, working with state and federal land management agencies ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ADVOCACY GROUP IS CRITICAL OF OSHA RECORDKEEPING BLR — November 30, 2009 OSHA is falling down on the job when it comes to protecting workers from toxic exposures. That’s the view of Kristen Stade, advocacy director for PEER. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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N.J. BILL PROMPTED BY DISCOVERY OF CONTAMINATED SOIL AT PARAMUS SCHOOL ADVANCES NorthJersey.com — November 30, 2009 New Jersey school officials would be required to notify parents whenever pesticide pollution is detected on school grounds under a bill that cleared a state Assembly committee on Monday. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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DEPT. OF TRANSPARENCY The Texas Observer — November 27, 2009 Blowing the whistle on government misconduct may be right and just, but as anyone who’s done it will tell you, it’s not exactly fun. Whistleblowers risk losing their jobs, careers and friends, and frequently end up mired in long court battles. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PARK PROFIT-SHARING GETS MIXED REVIEWS Jackson Hole News & Guide — November 25, 2009 A plan that allows national parks to claim a cut of the profits from the commercial applications of scientific discoveries made within their borders is getting mixed reviews. While conservation groups were largely supportive of the plan, Jeff Ruch said the document is unnecessary. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ECO-LOBBY FRETS OVER RULES FREEZE APP.com — November 23, 2009 Gov.-elect Chris Christie won a surprise endorsement from an environmental group during his campaign, but some activists are wary of his plan to freeze proposed state rules and review red tape. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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TOXIC TURF? In These Times — November 23, 2009 The EPA has yet to issue a single report on the potential adverse effects of using crumbled tire particles to build artificial fields. Advocacy groups such as PEER have criticized the agency for not only endorsing something it has not thoroughly examined... ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FURTHER DELAYS COMMUTER RAIL The Boston Globe — November 22, 2009 From the start, the state's effort to extend commuter rail service to Fall River and New Bedford was going to be a long a complicated process...Kyla Bennett, who represents PEER, and who opposes the Stoughton Alternative expressed relief at slowed process. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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POLLUTION PARTNERS NOT ALL PARAGONS The Journal Gazette — November 22, 2009 Twenty-two of IDEM’s 58 "partners" have been fined by the agency for environmental violations. "We call it promiscuous partnering," said Jeff Ruch. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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TOXIC DRINKING WATER FINALLY TIED TO OLD MINE MSNBC — November 21, 2009 The new samples likely never would have been taken if not for a whistleblower, a preacher's wife, a tribal consultant and some stubborn government scientists who finally helped crack the toxic mystery that has plagued this rural mining and farming community for decades. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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PANELISTS: CITIZEN SCRIBES CAN HELP SOCIETY APP.com — November 19, 2009 " I produce content for citizens to be activists on public policy issues," said Bill Wolfe, who says he started his environmental news blog Wolfenotes.com to help make up for the shortfall in state government news coverage. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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NEW SURFACE MINING CHIEF CRACKS DOWN ON MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL, VALLEY FILLS Environmental News Service — November 18, 2009 A long-time Pennsylvania mining regulator, Pizarchik is "well liked by industry and loathed by coal community groups and environmentalists," many of whom opposed his confirmation, said Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER, in a statement in August before his Senate confirmation he ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA EMPLOYEES SILENCED FOR CRITICIZING CAP AND TRADE Fox News — November 17, 2009 When Zabel and Williams released a video on the Internet expressing their concerns over the Obama administration’s plans to use a cap and trade program to fight climate change, they were told to keep it to themselves. "It's censorship," Jeff Ruch, told Fox News. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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THE EPA'S PARANOID STYLE The Wall Street Journal — November 12, 2009 Williams and Zabel are dismayed by Democrats' approach to climate, though for different reasons. Dedicated environmentalists, they created a YouTube video arguing Congress's convoluted cap-and-trade bill was a "big lie" that is too weak. They instead propose imposing taxes on fossil fuels. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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AT EPA, A CASE OF CENSORSHIP? OhMyGov! — November 11, 2009 In a surprising move on Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a directive to two of its employees to either make changes to a YouTube video they created or face disciplinary action. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA TELLS WORKERS TO TONE DOWN YOUTUBE CLIP ABOUT CLIMATE BILL The Washington Post — November 11, 2009 The EPA cited a federal regulation that says government employees may note their official position when making statements on their own time -- as long as their title is "given no more prominence than other significant biographical details." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EYE OPENER: IS EPA SILENCING OBAMA CRITICS? The Washington Post — November 10, 2009 "EPA is abusing ethics rules to gag two conscientious employees who have every right to speak out as citizens," PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch said in a statement. Ruch re-posted the original video and its script on the PEER Web site. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA: VIDEO TAKEDOWN ORDER WAS ABOUT ETHICS, NOT CONTENT Government Executive — November 10, 2009 The issue, according to EPA, is not the content of the video but whenever agency employees use their profession "to accent the credibility of your personal opinion..." ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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AGENCY THREATENS TO DISCIPLINE STAFF LAWYERS OVER VIDEO CRITICIZING CLIMATE POLICY New York Times — November 10, 2009 E.P.A. officials said the agency did not object to the content of the video or the op-ed article or challenge the couple’s right to express their opinions. But they said that government ethics rules required them to state that the opinions were their own and not those of the agency. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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GAGGED? EPA CLAMPS DOWN ON COUPLE CRITICAL OF CAP-AND-TRADE Wall Street Journal — November 9, 2009 Now Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has jumped into the fray. The organization, which groups public-sector employees concerned with environmental questions, has re-posted the banned video and come out in defense of the two attorneys. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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OSHA RECORDKEEPING MASKS WORKPLACE HEALTH THREATS The Hill — November 9, 2009 OSHA, the supposed guardian of worker safety and health, has been falling down on the job. Even as workplace exposures to toxic substances have risen steadily in recent decades, the agency’s monitoring of these exposures has dropped off dramatically—by a factor of three between 1988 and 2007. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
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EPA LAWYERS ORDERED TO REMOVE THEIR PRIVATE CONCERNS ON CLIMATE CHANGE FROM YOUTUBE Cold Truth — November 9, 2009 You have to wonder a bit about the Environmental Protection Agency’s often-stated promise of transparency and openness to its employee’s opinions. ...more Read the PEER story >> |
