Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Jeff Flake, Arizona senator: Trump using techniques ‘popularized by Joseph Stalin’ to demonize press
President Trump is employing techniques "popularized by Joseph Stalin" to demonize the press, Sen. Jeff Flake said. Published January 14, 2018
Kirstjen Nielsen, Homeland Security chief, calls Hawaii missile warning an ‘unfortunate mistake’
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Americans stillshould take government warnings seriously even after Hawaii's false alarm over an incoming ballistic missile. Published January 14, 2018
California attorney general on Trump: ‘He is a racist’
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Sunday became the latest Democrat to label President Trump a racist, saying the commander in chief's display of bigotry makes him dangerous. Published January 14, 2018
Condoleezza Rice urges caution on #MeToo movement: ‘Let’s not turn women into snowflakes’
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the weekend said the #MeToo movement shouldn't "infantilize women" or turn them into "snowflakes." Published January 14, 2018
Marijuana growers pressed on mass electricity use
The cannabis industry is outpacing many other areas of the economy in energy use, racking up massive electricity bills as more and more Americans light up. Published January 7, 2018
White House wants to open up nearly all federal waters for offshore drilling
The White House on Thursday rolled out a preliminary plan to ramp up offshore drilling, potentially opening up nearly all of American's federal waters to energy development — and in the process picked a fight with a key Republican ally. Published January 4, 2018
Donald Trump rolls out massive offshore drilling expansion, vows U.S. will be ‘energy superpower’
In a massive rollback of the Obama administration's energy policy, President Trump's Interior Department on Thursday released a draft proposal that would open nearly all of the nation's coastal waters to offshore drilling, sparking yet another battle with environmental groups and states that say they'll fight the plan at every turn. Published January 4, 2018
Don Blankenship energizes Republican Senate primary in West Virginia
Don Blankenship said the Environmental Protection Agency has become "the biggest polluter in the world" by forcing U.S. jobs to carbon-spewing countries like China. Published January 1, 2018
Climate change lawsuit argues government failed to protect kids
On climate change, President Trump's most dangerous foe could prove to be a bunch of kids. Published December 31, 2017
EPA ethanol study now more than 8 years late
Five months into the Obama administration, the Environmental Protection Agency was supposed to complete a study looking at ethanol's effect on American air quality. Published December 27, 2017
Georgia regulators say nuclear reactors, nation’s first since 1978, will be finished
In a decision that could help shape the future of American nuclear power, Georgia regulators on Thursday said a troubled $25 billion reactor project that's over budget and years behind schedule can continue -- though state electricity customers will have to foot less of the bill moving forward. Published December 21, 2017
Greenpeace accepts bitcoin despite fossil fuel need to ‘mine’ cryptocurrency
Greenpeace, perhaps the world's most iconic environmental organization, is standing by bitcoin, even as others in the conservation community worry about catastrophic effects, saying the energy it takes to "mine" the cryptocurrency could be hastening climate change. Published December 19, 2017
EPA chief Pruitt spent $9,000 to sweep office for bugs, install biometric locks: report
Already under fire for spending $25,000 on a soundproof phone booth, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt also reportedly spent $9,000 to sweep his Washington office for bugs and to install biometric locks. Published December 19, 2017
Nebraska rejects motion to change Keystone pipeline route, project in doubt
The Keystone XL oil pipeline suffered yet another setback Tuesday as Nebraska regulators rejected calls to reconsider the project's route through their state. Published December 19, 2017
Trump’s revamped national security strategy drops climate change as legitimate threat
From flooding that could damage coastal infrastructure to extreme temperatures that threaten electrical systems, the Obama-era Pentagon identified a host of challenges in arguing climate change was a legitimate national security threat to the nation — a conclusion President Trump reversed Monday. Published December 18, 2017
EPA takes first step toward replacing Obama-era carbon rule
The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday kicked off a process to replace the highly controversial Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era regulation designed to limit carbon emissions from power plants. Published December 18, 2017
Drilling in section of ANWR included in final GOP tax-reform package
With Republicans set to achieve a decades-long policy goal of opening a section of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, environmentalists over the weekend launched a last-ditch effort to halt the initiative, though their efforts almost surely will be in vain. Published December 17, 2017
House Republicans invite Patagonia founder, leading critic of Trump’s monument cuts, to testify
House Republicans on Friday offered a top critic of President Trump's decision to trim two national monuments the chance to testify before a key committee, saying that all viewpoints in the contentious debate deserve to be heard. Published December 15, 2017
Michael Dourson, Trump’s pick for EPA chemical safety, withdraws
President Trump's highly controversial choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency's chemical safety office withdrew Wednesday night amid bipartisan opposition. Published December 13, 2017
Green group sends ‘endangered species condoms’ to Trump appointees
One of the nation's top environmental groups on Wednesday sent boxes of "endangered species condoms" to six top officials at the Department of Health and Human Services. Published December 13, 2017
