Obama reiterates strong support for clean energy

WASHINGTON -- Speaking at Georgetown University, Obama reiterated today his commitment to renewable energy and reducing our dependence on oil. Citing China and Germany as examples of leadership in the wind and solar industries, Obama stated his plans to increase American investment and industry expansion in order to lead the clean energy economy of the 21st century.

"I want America to be that nation. I want America to win the future," the president said.

Obama's energy policy under attack by GOP

Republicans are tapping into Americans’ growing anxiety over rising oil and gas prices to step up attacks on President Barack Obama’s energy policies.

This week, they’re taking to the Senate floor, issuing news releases and chatting up constituents back home to make clear that the recent spike in gasoline prices could be lessened by lowering taxes and easing restrictions on domestic drilling.

US files lawsuit against BP for oil spill

The U.S. Justice Department today filed a civil oil-spill lawsuit against BP and several other companies.  The suit is the federal government's first major legal action in the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

The other defendants are subsidiaries of Transocean Ltd., which owned and operated the Deepwater Horizon oil rig; Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and MOEX Offshore 2007, which had financial stakes in the oil well; and QBE Underwriting Ltd./Lloyd's Syndicate 1036, a BP insurer.  Halliburton Co., which designed and pumped the cement used in the well, wasn't named in the lawsuit.

House passes oil spill legislation

On Friday the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of an energy bill responding to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but Senate Democrats are struggling to find 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican filibuster of their bill. The House bill, called the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act, passed by a rather narrow margin of 209-193, as some oil-state Democrats joined Republicans in opposition.

Oil spill could spur climate change legislation

Tragedy can be a catalyst for change. The Clean Water Act was passed shortly after the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Ohio. The Clean Air Act was the result of toxic air plaguing the nation for years. CERCLA (Superfund) was enacted within months after a second State of Emergency was declared at the Love Canal site in New York. The Oil Pollution Act was signed into law in August 1990, largely in response to rising public concern following the Exxon Valdez disaster in March 1989. Decisionmakers are often swift to react after a catastrophe strikes.