BY CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, NJ SPOTLIGHT In October, back-to-back hurricanes deluged the Southeast, causing catastrophic flooding from Florida to the Carolinas including destruction to underlying infrastructure like roads and pipes. It was a sobering preview of our shared future: As the planet heats up, we can expect heavier rainfall and more frequent floods. New Jersey experienced heavy rainfall earlier this year, but for the past two months, the state has been in a drought. Climate [...]

Photo by SoloTravelGoals via Unsplash   BY ALISON HARFORD, SIERRA CLUB In late January, when Representative John Curtis kicked off his campaign for the Utah Senate seat vacated by Mitt Romney, he spoke to a crowd made up mostly of his fans. About 300 people packed into a space owned by an Orem, Utah, pest control company, and many of them had been Curtis supporters since he was elected mayor of Provo in 2010. It [...]

BY CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, NJ.COM Like governors before me, I fought hard during my time as New Jersey’s 50th governor to preserve our state’s beautiful open spaces, clean up industrial contamination, and reduce automotive air pollution – all in an effort to protect the health and safety of our communities and the vibrancy of our ecosystems. Later, as administrator of the U.S. EPA, I saw firsthand the impacts of strong, pragmatic environmental policies and grew [...]

BY CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN AND JAMES J. FLORIO, NJ.COM Government serves many purposes. As former governors, we led debates about what programs, priorities and initiatives it should undertake, but at the core of government is the ability to conceive of and carry forward bold, transformative projects that provide broad benefit to citizens. Few things are as transformative as ensuring access to clean water. We turn the faucet on and water comes out. Water travels down [...]

BY CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN AND LEON PANETTA, POLITICO When world leaders gathered last fall at COP26, it was billed as the “world’s last best chance” to save the planet from the climate crisis. The conference ended with real uncertainty as to whether comprehensive action will be taken, here and abroad, to avoid catastrophe. Fortunately, one of the best opportunities for progress is all around us: the waves, wind and water along the U.S.’s nearly 100,000 [...]

BY ZACK BUDRYK, THE HILL Two former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrators praised Michael Regan, President Biden’s nominee for the position, before a House panel Wednesday and expressed hope that the Biden administration would restore morale among the agency’s rank and file. Christine Todd Whitman, who served as EPA administrator from 2001 to 2003, issued veiled criticism of the Trump administration EPA without specifically naming the former president. “In recent years, EPA leadership has suffered under [...]

BY JON HURDLE, NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS If you want to know whether your local water system contains lead service lines, meets state requirements for treating bacteria, spends money on annual maintenance, or has an affordability program for households, where do you turn? Customers can now get all that and a slew of other information from Jersey Water Check, a website — believed to be the first of its kind in the United States — that consolidates granular [...]

BY CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Following four years of regulatory rollbacks from a president determined to ignore the pressing reality of climate change, President Joe Biden’s first few weeks in office are a welcome change. Biden’s swift series of executive orders will move our country forward toward a future powered by clean energy — a move we can’t afford to delay. Taking action on climate through executive orders certainly has pitfalls. Executive orders limit [...]

BY KELSEY TAMBORRINO, POLITICO ON 02-01-21 BIPARTISAN GROUP LAUNCHES TO PROTECT AMAZON: A bipartisan group of former Cabinet officials and climate negotiators is pressing the Biden White House to protect Amazon rainforests, issuing a spate of policy recommendations Congress and special climate envoy John Kerry can take to mobilize $20 billion. The group's recommendations call for invoking public and private funding, trade, supply chains and diplomacy. Dubbed The Climate Principals, it includes Bruce Babbitt, former Interior secretary under President Bill [...]

Photo by Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research   STANFORD INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC POLICY RESEARCH (Past event. Watch recording here.) The Stanford Environmental and Energy Policy Analysis Center invites you to join us on Wednesday, October 21 at 1 pm PT for a conversation with two leading U.S. environmental policy decision-makers – Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).  Senator Murkowski is Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a member of the [...]