10 Items

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska., speaks during a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing

Pool via AP/Leigh Vogel

Analysis & Opinions - The Hill

Why Biden's Interior Department isn't Shutting Down Oil and Gas

| July 23, 2021

Joel Clement describes the influence of U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Joe Manchin over the Department of the Interior and advises that a forward-looking legislator in a fossil-fuel state would be wise to fight aggressively for financial commitments to make the people in their state part of the vanguard of the new clean energy economy, rather than set back the U.S. economy by fighting the inevitable energy transition itself.

Long exposure of the full moon rising over Lake Isabella reservoir

Wikimedia CC/Junkyardsparkle

Analysis & Opinions - The Hill

Fires, Smoke, Floods, Droughts, Storms, Heat: America Needs a Climate Resilience Strategy

| May 02, 2021

In the face of advancing impacts of climate change — fires, smoke, floods, droughts, storms, and heat— Lara Hansen and Joel Clement argue for changing the way the country does business in every facet of the economy, with an eye toward reducing risk, increasing resilience, and ensuring equity and justice.

Oil and gas drilling rig

Flickr CC/Mark Watson

Analysis & Opinions - Union of Concerned Scientists

Fossil Fuels and Public Lands: How the US Interior Department Can Act on Climate Right Now

| Apr. 06, 2021

Joel Clement describes some immediate opportunities—and emphasize specific recommendations—to establish the Interior Department as a purposeful catalyst for a fair and just transition to clean energy, healthy ecosystems, and thriving communities.

herd of caribou on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP, File

Analysis & Opinions - Union of Concerned Scientists

President Biden's Fast Start at the Interior Department

| Jan. 26, 2021

President Joe Biden started signing executive orders and announcing new hires after his inauguration. Joel Clement, a former senior executive and whistleblower at the Interior Department, elaborates on what this would mean for his former agency.

Analysis & Opinions - Los Angeles Times

Calming the West's Water Wars

| May 3, 2013

"The president and Congress, despite the political and organizational barriers, can nonetheless take steps to help end America's water wars. First, Congress should restore funding for the U.S. Water Resources Council and the regional River Basin Commissions. Before they were de-funded during the Reagan administration, these bodies served as focal points for water policy and as useful platforms for dialogue between states and the federal government. By fostering sustained, structured communication among Washington and the states themselves, they can help prevent disputes from arising in the first place."

The construction site of Shahe Aqueduct Project, part of the South-North Water Transfer Project, in China's Henan province, May 10, 2012. It is the world's largest aqueduct project.

AP Photo

Analysis & Opinions - International Herald Tribune

China's Massive Water Problem

| March 28, 2013

"Beijing needs to stop relying on technology to avoid making hard choices about scarce resources. The United States and the rest of the world need to push the Chinese government to make its development more sustainable through political reform, lest China's economy and social stability be endangered."

Analysis & Opinions - The Boston Globe

Cape Wind Damage

| Mar. 14, 2005

"Massachusetts is one of the few states in the country that has decided to address the climate problem and restrict carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. On paper, it has extolled the virtues of renewable energy and has put in place requirements that will force its utilities to purchase an ever increasing amount of their power from renewable sources. At this time, the only feasible renewable option for meeting a significant portion of these requirements is to build a measurable amount of wind generation. Since no one is suggesting that the state or federal government build this capacity themselves, private developers have to be willing to step up to the plate and invest their money to meet their goals."