Byron York at the Washington Examiner reports that a staffer working for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R. Iowa) found this little tidbit in a Bureau of Labor Statistics notice dated March 16 - there is “no widely accepted standard definition of ‘green jobs.’” The staffer then looked back at some of the Labor Dept. announcements:
“U.S. Department of Labor Announces $100 Million in Green Jobs Training through Recovery Act
U.S. Department of Labor Announces $150 Million in “Pathways Out of Poverty” Training Grants for Green Jobs
U.S. Department of Labor Announces Nearly $190 Million in State Energy Sector Partnership and Training Grants for Green Jobs”
But wait there’s more -
The resolution introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to deny the EPA the power to regulate carbon and other greenhouse gases was defeated yesterday 47-53. Six Democratic senators, however, crossed over to support the Murkowski resolution - Evan Bayh (Ind.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Mark Pryor (Ark.) and Jay Rockefeller (W.V)
Daniel Foster writes at NRO that the Soviet Union successfully used nuclear devices to stop gas leaks on land five times between 1966 and 1970.
It looks like Mr. Obama is at least willing to explore the possibility of using a nuclear explosion to seal the leak. The Telegraph reported two weeks ago, that Mr. Obama and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu sent a group of nuclear physicists –including 82-year-old Richard Garwin, designer of the first hydrogen bomb - to the Gulf to help find a solution to capping the well. (But see UPDATE below)
The oil spill is a challenge testing environmental nerves. Today the New York Times reported on another setback, “The latest attempt to contain the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico hit a snag Wednesday when a diamond-tipped saw operated by an underwater robot got stuck in the riser pipe it was intended to slice off, federal officials said.” Latest Effort to Stop Oil Flow Hits a Snag ( This video and additional links next page.)
While we all want to rush to aid the birds soaking in BP oil, cleaning them, however, may not be the best answer. A German animal biologist says that the most humane course of action is to euthanize the birds.