Articles by Richard Cowan

Bill to Eliminate Oil Liability Limit Comes Under Fire

Republicans and some moderate Democrats in the U.S. Senate Wednesday began picking apart a new energy bill that they complained goes too far in holding oil companies responsible for accidents like the massive Gulf of Mexico spill. “I think people …

Congress Set to Tackle Oil Spill Liability, Drilling Safety

U.S. Senate Democrats are set to unveil a slimmed-down energy bill Tuesday aimed at reforming offshore drilling, but House lawmakers are taking up a tougher bill on Friday that adds another hurdle to get a bill signed into law this …

Poll Finds More Americans Say Global Warming Exaggerated

A growing number of Americans, nearly half the country, think global warming worries are exaggerated and more people doubt that scientific warnings of severe environmental fallout will ever occur, according to a new Gallup poll. The new doubts come as …

US Climate Envoy Says China Tepid on Climate Change Agreement

A senior U.S. official Tuesday criticized China and other leading developing countries for trying to weaken the Copenhagen Accord to fight global warming and raised the prospect that a fuller international pact may be not be struck by year’s end. …

UN Reports Natural Disasters at Decade Low in 2009

The world this year suffered the fewest number of natural disasters in a decade, but floods, droughts and other extreme weather continued to account for most of the deaths and economic losses, according to a United Nations report released on …

Senator Boxer Sees no US Accord in Time for Copenhagen Conference

Senator Barbara Boxer Tuesday predicted that the United States will not reach a consensus on carbon emission reduction goals for 2020 in time for December’s international global warming summit in Copenhagen. Boxer, who chairs a Senate environmental panel, cited disagreements …

Senator Kerry, UN’s Ban Ki-moon Upbeat on Climate Bill Prospects

U.S. Senator John Kerry said Tuesday he will try to “outline” a compromise climate control bill before December’s international global warming conference and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave an upbeat assessment of Washington’s intentions. “From what I heard today, there …

UN Climate Change Treaty May Need Extra Year

A U.N. climate treaty may need an extra year beyond the December deadline to agree on details, delegates at U.N. talks said on Thursday, even as a U.S. Senate committee approved a carbon-capping bill. The Nov. 2-6 meeting of 175 …

U.S. Warned to Prepare Now for Disasters Caused by Global Warming

As Congress considers curbs on carbon dioxide pollution, a U.S. report has urged the White House to prepare now for flooding and other natural disasters brought by global warming. Federal agencies, working with Congress, state and local governments, should “develop …

Senate to Vote Tonight on Revised Wall Street Bailout with Tax Cuts

Leaders in the U.S. Congress have deployed their best weapon for winning passage of a $700 billion financial industry bailout just weeks before the elections, attaching tax cuts to an otherwise bitter pill. The Senate aims to vote at some …