A Welcome Change: Obama’s 1st Year Environmental Record

When it comes to the environment, many view the Obama Administration’s record as related to two areas: energy and climate legislation; and the clean energy and efficiency provisions of the Recovery Act. Beyond the very impressive funds disbursed by the Department of Energy (DOE), we hear little about what’s happening in the many government agencies that also address the multitude of environmental issues our nation faces. This article summarizes a white paper produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) that outlines the remarkable number of actions Obama and his administration have taken during their first year. They have done more to protect the environment this year than in the past decade under the Bush Administration, when the environment took a back seat to every single corporate interest. While much work remains, the level of protection has been raised in many areas and much of the damage from the previous administration has been reversed. Just today (end of January), President Obama signed an executive order requiring the federal government to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 28% by 2020. The federal government is the nation’s single largest energy consumer and GHG emitter and spends $25 billion a year on energy […]

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