Wow — watch Tony Hayward of BP say some things that would be hambone-slappin’ hilarious if they weren’t so extremely wrong. The vid is from NRDC, btw.

Here’s an update on the sitch that Environmental Defense Fund just sent me. It’s nice to get a perspective that’s outside the mainstream media for a wider viewpoint & political perspective. We’ll continue to keep you posted with interesting stuff we find re: the oil spill. From EDF.org:

  • A new voice has joined the fight for clean energy. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced a new clean energy proposal on Wednesday. The bill has two co-sponsors: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). EDF President Fred Krupp called Lugar’s engagement “a welcome sign of bipartisan momentum for energy and climate legislation,” although it falls short of being the comprehensive energy policy we need to cut pollution and oil imports enough.
  • On Thursday, the Senate voted 53-47 against a resolution by Sen. Murkowski that would have blocked the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases. Opponents called the measure a Big Oil Bailout and a vote against the science behind global warming; many supporters said they wanted Congress, not the EPA, to have the authority to set climate change policy. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters the vote was “helpful to us” for efforts to pass a climate and clean energy bill: “Its obvious people want some rules and regulations.” (E&E, June 10)
  • Reid met with his Committee Chairs today about strategy for a comprehensive climate and clean energy bill. They did not announce any decisions about their plans for moving forward. The full 59-Senator Democratic caucus will meet to discuss energy next Thursday.
  • The latest estimate for the amount of oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico is 1.275 million gallons – or about five times the amount leaked by the Exxon Valdez. The Coast Guard has spent at least $70 million on cleanup efforts over the last seven weeks; BP reportedly plans to reimburse the government that amount by the end of next week.  Yesterday, Congress voted to let the Coast Guard withdraw more money from the $1.5 billion oil spill “trust fund.”

    • EDF will continue to send updates as events happen, on Capitol Hill and off, to make America energy independent and address our addiction to oil. The decisions being made now will have a lasting impact on America’s economy, environment, and national security far into the future.

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