Savethe Possums: Enviros Play Dead in Weekend Feature in the Wash Post - Say They'reDown and Out, But Influx of Lots MoreCash Could Change All That. WashingtonPost (8/29) reports, "On Thursday, some of the country's most respectedenvironmental groups - in the midst of their biggest political fight in twodecades - sent a group of activists to Milwaukee with a message. We're losing.A year ago, these groups seemed to be at the peak of their influence, needingonly the Senate's approval for a...

EtTu, Grumet? Fmr. Obama Energy Advisor Drops Heavy Political Ordnance on WhiteHouse in Form of New Report Calling for Obama Offshore Ban to Be Lifted.Bloomberg (8/26) reports, "President Barack Obama's moratorium on deep-water drilling isno longer needed because new rules reduce the risk of an uncontrolled spill,according to a report for a panel investigating BP Plc's blowout. Rules issuedin June by the Interior Department "provide an adequate margin of safety toresponsibly allow the...

Rockin'Bakken: Innovative Technology, Leadership of Folks from Whiting, Others,Helping Transform North Dakota's Economy - So Much So that Even NPR Is Smitten. NPR(8/25) reports, "JEFF BRADY: Head out to the wheat fields south of Stanley, andthe peace and quiet folks around here value is interrupted.  Whiting Petroleum owns this talldrilling rig and plans to drill about 400 wells in the region. It can take 20days to drill just one, according to the company's Blaine Hoffman.  Mr. BLAINE...

BadNews for Markey: National Science Lab in Berkeley - the One that Secretary ChuHeaded Up - Says Undersea Plume of Oil Has Been Completely Eliminated. Greenwire (8/24, subs.req'd) reports, "The Gulf of Mexico's undersea oil plume is no more. For nearlya month, scientists sampling the site of a deepwater plume stretching southwestfrom BP PLC's failed well in the Gulf have been foiled. Their sensors have gonesilent. Where once a vibrant -- if diffuse -- cloud of oil stretched for miles,3,600...

AlternateReality: Biden, Chu Set to Release Report This AM Arguing Green Stimulus CashIs Actually Working, Notwithstanding Paucity of Jobs. The WhiteHouse announced the following in a recent (8/23) media advisory: Tuesday,August 24th,  Vice President Bidenwill hold an event unveiling a report with new analysis on the impact ofRecovery Act investments in innovation, science and technology.  The Recovery Act is investing over $100billion in innovative and transformative programs that span...

Collateral Damage: WSJ FindsObama Knew Well the Damage His Offshore Ban was Likely to Visit Upon Gulf Coast- 23K Lost Jobs; Think He Batted an Eyelash? WallStreet Journal (8/21) reports, "Senior Obama administration officialsconcluded the federal moratorium on deepwater oil drilling would cost roughly23,000 jobs, but went ahead with the ban because they didn't trust theindustry's safety equipment and the government's own inspection process,according to previously undisclosed documents. They...

WarmBoot: In Fitting Eulogy to Cap-and-Raid, White House Quietly Removes AllReferences to Policy on Energy and Environment Website - Like It NeverHappened. E&E News (8/19,subs. req'd) reports, "The White House has recently revised its energy andenvironment website, stripping references to a cap-and-trade program forgreenhouse gases and a pledge to funnel $150 billion into clean energyresearch. Gone from the site is a section titled "Closing the CarbonLoophole and Cracking Down on Polluters."...

WarmBoot: In Fitting Eulogy to Cap-and-Raid, White House Quietly Removes AllReferences to Policy on Energy and Environment Website - Like It NeverHappened. E&E News (8/19,subs. req'd) reports, "The White House has recently revised its energy andenvironment website, stripping references to a cap-and-trade program forgreenhouse gases and a pledge to funnel $150 billion into clean energyresearch. Gone from the site is a section titled "Closing the CarbonLoophole and Cracking Down on Polluters."...

Ragin'Cajun: Landrieu Calls President's Decision to Institute Blanket Ban on GulfExploration - And Then Fight to Keep It There - "Uninformed," "Reckless." TheHill (8/17) reports, "Senate Small Business chair Mary Landrieu(D-La.) on Tuesday sharply criticized President Obama's reaction to the oilspill in the Gulf by halting nearly all drilling activity in the area. "Thedecision to stop virtually all new energy exploration in the Gulf of Mexico wasuninformed and in my view borders on...

Know Your Audience: Obama VeryCareful on Where Drops a Line for Cap-and-Raid During Trip Out West - Waits ‘Til$1 Million Fundraiser in Los Angeles to Let ‘Er Rip. LATimes (8/17) reports, "Onlookers lined Olympic Boulevard, snappingcellphone photos. One person held a small sign declaring, "We needjobs." "I was an Obama supporter, but ... was stopped by police fromcrossing Olympic to get home ... during my daily dog walk," Amy Christinesaid on the website. "I've lost all belief in his...