Author: Richard Eskow

President Obama issued an executive order today, directing the federal government to lower its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent, the Associated Press reported. The order also says that the government needs at least 30 percent of its energy to come from renewable sources. According to the White House, the changes could save taxpayers up to $18 billion in electricity costs over the next decade. “These are ambitious goals, but we know they’re achievable goals,” Obama said while touring the Department of Energy after signing the order. Specifically, Obama’s executive order will require the federal government to: Cut energy...

Florida State Rep. John Wood (R) recently said that he doesn’t consider carbon dioxide a pollutant because it comes from God, the Tampa Tribune reported. During a discussion with Rep. Dwight Dudley (D) about the effects of air pollution on public health, Wood said, “If you consider CO2 to be a pollutant, than everybody zip up their mouths and don’t exhale for the rest of the meeting because you are polluting the air. CO2, in my opinion, is not a pollutant. God gave us CO2 to grow plants, for us to exhale, everything else.” Currently, the Florida Department of...