arctic

President Obama sent mixed signals on his commitment to environmental protection when he announced his nominations to lead the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. 

His EPA nominee, Gina McCarthy, is a tried and true environmental advocate with a proven track record on regulating pollution that causes global warming. But Obama's nominee to run the energy department, Ernest Moniz, is an apologist for fracking and nuclear power who said that renewable energy isn't ready to power our economy (obviously we know it is).

If this administration is going to seriously tackle global warming, it needs leaders like McCarthy, not Moniz. And we're going to need McCarthy to step up, and if necessary step OVER Moniz and other less-bold climate warriors in Obama's cabinet. Here's what we think should be on her to-do list as soon as the Senate confirms her appointment:

I have great news -- Shell Oil announced Wednesday it will not resume its oil drilling efforts in the Arctic until at least 2014.* While this is not a promise to drop its goal of putting oil platforms in the wild, remote Arctic, it is an admission by Shell that their plans are fraught with problems. 

Earlier this month, we launched an action calling on the President to drop his support for his so-called "all of the above" energy policy and to instead use the first State of the Union address of his second term to lay out a clear plan to stop global warming.

Since then, President Obama said some pretty momentous things about climate change in his inaugural address. And policy advisors from the Vice President on down have been backing up the sentiment by promising more real action on global warming. And that's all good news. 

In fact, it’s so good that a bunch of people have asked, "Should we really be picking on the President? Why not go after Congress and demand action? Or the oil and coal companies?"

Of course — the answer is that we should do all those things — and a bunch more. But there's a really good reason to KEEP our attention focused on the President. Only President Obama can say "NO" to five of the 14 biggest climate-killing projects in the world:

For the sake of the Arctic, I wish I were making this up, but it's true: last week Shell oil's drilling platform ran aground in Alaska -- AGAIN.

This latest blunder underscores the fact that Shell and the other Big Oil companies are utterly unprepared to drill in the dangerous climate of the Arctic, and that drilling is likely to cause massive environmental damage to this pristine and wonderful part of the world

Your weekly news roundup on everything environment

In this week's issue:

Arctic Sea Ice Levels to Break Record Within Days

Romney’s Energy Plan: A Giveaway To His Big Oil Donors

Judge Rules Keystone XL Has Eminent Domain

U.S Court of Appeals Strikes Down EPA Rule on Coal Pollution