For the Record | Green Energy News

June 22, 2003 – Vol.8 No.13

FOR THE RECORD.

--- According to reliable news reports, a statement referring to climate change - “has global consequences for human health and the environment” - was changed (under the encouragement of the White House) in an early version of Draft Report on the Environment released this week from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to - “may have potentially profound consequences” for a later version. Now the Draft Report says only - “does not attempt to address the complexities of climate change”.

--- Missing from the final Draft Report is a graphic showing a sharp rise in global temperatures during the 1990’s and a report sponsored in part by the American Petroleum Institute that challenged global warming research, which the White House apparently wanted to include to replace the graph.

--- Also not appearing in the Draft is a study - actually commissioned by the White House - showing that recent warming was unusual and probably due to human activity.

--- Officially the EPA claims it didn’t want to hold up the entire Draft Report because of differences of opinion on what to include regarding global warming/climate change.

--- EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman said she was “profoundly comfortable” with the edited version of the Draft Report.

--- The last day of work for Administrator Whitman was Friday, June 27, 2003.

Whitman, who supported action by the U.S. on climate change, and had a good environmental record when Governor of New Jersey, was often at odds with the Bush White House on environmental policy including global warming.

--- The day before Whitman was to clean out her desk, her second in command, Deputy EPA Administrator Linda Fisher, also decided to call it quits. She had been on the short list of possible replacements for Whitman. Fisher will be gone by July 11.

--- According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the U.S. EPA has been silently cutting funding for the ENERGY STAR (tm) program by as much as 30 percent.

ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program to encourage consumers and businesses to purchase appliances, office equipment and other products based on their high energy efficiency. Products carrying the ENERGY STAR label meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and the Department of Energy. ENERGY STAR products are in a sense certified and the manufacturers can promote them based on this certification.

--- Oil exports from Iraq are expected to top 1 million barrels per day - possibly as high as 1.8 million - sometime in July. To bring exports up to 3 million barrels per day, as seen in the mid-1990’s, more than $1 billion and about 18 months would be needed.

For the Draft Report visit the EPA at http://www.epa.gov/ , the ACEEE at http://aceee.org/ , ENERGY STAR (tm) at http://www.energystar.gov/ .