STRASBOURG, France (AP) — The European Union parliament on Wednesday pushed for a drastic reform of fishing policy in a landmark vote seeking to end decades of overfishing that have decimated many of the stocks in Atlantic and Mediterranean EU waters.
Sally Jewell appeared Wednesday to face few immediate obstacles to Senate confirmation as the next head of the Interior Department, potentially giving President Barack Obama a chance to add the first woman to his second-term cabinet without controversy.
Obama announced his nomination of Jewell at the White House with praise for her background in the oil industry, banking sector and as the president and CEO of influential outdoors gear retailer Recreational Equipment, Inc.
President Barack Obama will nominate Recreational Equipment Inc. President and CEO Sally Jewell as his next Interior Department secretary, according to an administration official.
Jewell has led the company since 2000. She is a former commercial banker and engineer for Mobil Oil Corporation.
Bruce Babbitt stirred up a hornet's nest on Tuesday by attacking one of the oil industry's top goals in Washington -- access to public lands.
His proposal to set aside one acre of land for every acre leased to drillers was a direct shot at industry and Republicans who say President Barack Obama has kept the drillers out of new public areas. But it was also the latest effort from the left to pressure Obama to do more in his second term to protect the environment.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, "Oversight Hearing on Implementation of Corps of Engineers Water Resources Policies." Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy, Corps Commanding General and Chief of Engineers Lieutenant General Thomas P. Bostick to testify.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is urging President Barack Obama to step up efforts to conserve public lands as he begins his second term.
Asian Pulp & Paper announced it would halt its use of wood from Indonesia's rain forests for production and agreed to help indigenous communities preserve their land, The Washington Post reports.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Football League are working together on a program to bring awareness to wetland preservation during Super Bowl weekend, Water Technology reports.
The Environmental Protection Agency's "Bay Barometer" report found the Chesapeake Bay still faces problems meeting restoration goals but is regaining resilience against natural and man-made threats, The Baltimore Sun reports.
The Energy Information Administration said coal's market share for electricity generation rebounded since March 2012 on higher natural gas prices, MarketWatch reports.
Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe switched his position on offshore drilling of the state's coast, supporting a pro-drilling bill introduced by Virginia's Democratic senators, The Washington Post reports.
Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer urged NRC Chairman Allison Macfarlane to complete an investigation and hold a public hearing before allowing the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to restart, Southern California Public Radio reports.
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., called for a GAO report on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's procedures for determining the costs of new regulations, Platts reports.
FracFocus, an industry-backed registry for hydraulic fracturing chemicals, will update its system to allow regulators to search through a database of chemicals next week, Bloomberg reports.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee sent four staffers to assist Gabriel Gomez in the Massachusetts Senate special election, Roll Call reports.
A group of two dozen Senate Republicans urged President Obama against making Keystone XL pipeline approval contingent on "unrelated" climate change policies, The Hill reports.
The American Petroleum Institute issued a white paper projecting new federal rules could increase gasoline prices by as much as 25 cents a gallon, The Washington Examiner reports.
California Jerry Brown contended news media inadequately report on climate change and give too much coverage climate skeptics, The Sacramento Bee reports.
