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1 Year Later: Could BP Spill Actually Save the Gulf Coast?
By Dave Thier - AOL NewsA year ago, when crude oil started to wash ashore in the wetlands of the Gulf Coast, the environment it entered was far from pristine. The BP oil spill, which began after the Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20, 2010, was the most dramatic environmental disaster to hit the region since Hurricane Katrina. But the Gulf Coast has been abused for decades. And now, residents and activists alike worry that if extensive action isn't taken soon, the region could be headed for another disaster. Erosion may be the most pressing challenge facing wetlands: The land itself is literally slipping into ...
Obama's Proposed Budget, Possible Spending Cuts, to be Delayed
By Tom Diemer - Politics DailyCall it the law of unintended consequences. President Obama's huge 2012 budget will be delayed for about a week due in part to a "hold" that a Democratic senator had put on the confirmation of Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew. The budget for the fiscal year beginning next Oct. 1 won't be released until mid-February, the Washington Post reports, a week past the deadline specified by the 1974 Budget Act. No one will be penalized. The budget is a planning document, which could approach $4 trillion and will be hashed over for months by the spending and authorizing committees in ...
Right for America or Wrong for Illegals? DREAM Act Takes Center Stage
By Jill Lawrence - Politics DailyThe most ardent proponents of the DREAM Act know their chances of victory in the next few weeks are slim, but they also know that failure is pretty much inevitable if they wait until next year. Thus we are in the midst of a full-court press on yet another cause that once had substantial bipartisan support, but may not any longer. DREAM, expected to come up for a vote in the year-end lame-duck session of Congress, is catchy shorthand for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. Translation: The act would offer a path to citizenship – and economic prosperity -- for undocumented ...
Jacob Lew Confirmed as Budget Director After Mary Landrieu Drops 'Hold'
By Tom Diemer - Politics DailyNothing much comes easy for this White House. Four months after Jacob Lew was nominated -- amid predictions that he would be quickly confirmed -- the Senate finally gave him the go-ahead Thursday as director of the Office of Management and Budget. His confirmation had been stalled, in part, due to a "hold" on it by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who was protesting something that had nothing to do with Lew -- the Obama administration's moratorium on deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The moratorium was lifted on Oct. 13, so Landrieu did not object when Lew's nomination sailed through on a ...
Obama Administration Lifts Gulf Drilling Ban
By Joseph Schuman - AOL News
(Oct. 12) -- The Obama administration today announced an early end to the moratorium on deepwater oil drilling off American shores, but it has added tough safety rules for the drilling companies and a regime of government tests that could delay the start of new operations for weeks or months. The drilling ban had been put in place following the April 20 explosion at a BP well in the Gulf of Mexico and was set to end Nov. 30. But Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the moratorium would end sooner because the government was satisfied with its new oil and gas safety reforms, the improved state ...
Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu to Block Obama's Budget Director Nominee
By Christopher Weber - Politics DailySen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said Thursday she would block Jack Lew's nomination for White House budget director until the administration lifts its moratorium on deep-water oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Landrieu wrote that while she believes Lew is qualified to serve as head of the Office of Management and Budget, he lacks "sufficient concern for the host of economic challenges confronting the Gulf Coast." Landrieu has been an outspoken opponent of the drilling moratorium, which she says has a negative impact on the economy of her home ...
Sealing of BP Oil Well Doesn't Eliminate Questions and Anxiety
By Ben Sandmel - Politics DailyNow that the BP oil spill has been capped for two months -- and completely sealed for good as of Sunday -- national interest in its aftermath has slackened considerably. But unresolved issues continue to concern the people living along the Gulf of Mexico who are caught in a swirl of anxiety and contradictory data. Such pressing matters include these question: Is it safe to eat local seafood? Has all the spilled oil been accounted for? Will people who lost months of pay and profit really get full compensation from BP via the federal government? There are few conclusive answers, and ...
Senate Clears Hurdle for Small-Business Measure
By Joseph Schuman - AOL News(Sept. 14) -- Senate Democrats cracked a months-long GOP filibuster of a bill to provide new loans and tax breaks for small businesses after two Republicans broke with their party to back a measure President Barack Obama has promoted as one of his top economic priorities. Republican Sens. George Voinovich of Ohio and George LeMieux of Florida today joined a unanimous Democratic caucus in the 61-37 vote to close debate on the Small Business Jobs Act. The bill would create a $30 billion fund that community banks can access for loans to small businesses and provides some $12 billion in tax ...
Louisiana Unprepared to Protect Children in Disasters
By Peter W. Fulham - Politics DailyFive years after Hurricane Katrina, the state of Louisiana remains unprepared to protect children in the event of a natural disaster, according to a new report issued by Save the Children, the non-profit relief organization. The report, which the group published last week, revealed that Louisiana child care centers and public schools do not have plans in place to evacuate children, notify families of their children's location, or care for children with special needs during a crisis. The report is the second from Save the Children on the nation's readiness to protect children in disasters; the ...
Small-Business Lending Bill Blocked by Republicans
By Brian Schneider - Politics DailySenate Republicans on Thursday blocked a lending bill aimed at small businesses, saying it wouldn't do enough to help them or the economy. "The small-business lending bill contains many positive provisions, yet I do not believe that any member in this chamber truly believes that this bill will do enough to solve our job creation problems," said Sen. Orin Hatch (R-Utah). "This is because it ignores the main problems afflicting the economy and preventing the kind of job creation that we need right now. The bill before us misses the boat." Democrats needed 60 votes to advance the measure. On ...
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