CHARLESTON, West Virginia, March 15 (TNSPol) -- The Center for Biological Diversity issued the following news release on March 14, 2022: Following a petition and lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated 446 stream miles of critical habitat for the Big Sandy and Guyandotte River crayfish in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. "These unique crawdads exist nowhere else in the world and would soon be snuffed out by destructive coal minin  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- The Department of Energy's Office of Legacy Management issued the following news on March 14, 2022: With its brilliant black-and-orange wings and indispensable role as a pollinator, the Monarch butterfly is one of the most easily recognizable - and cherished - insect species in North America. Celebrated for its beauty, revered for its role in nature, the Monarch butterfly is now drawing attention for being elusive. In 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated M  more

MUNICH, Germany, March 15 -- ifo Institute issued the following news release on March 14, 2022: In the short term, a halt to Russian energy imports could cost Germany up to 3 percent of its gross domestic product. This is the result of estimates by the EconPol Europe network calculated with a simulation model. Oil and coal could be replaced by imports from other countries, but it is harder to find replacements for gas, the authors write. "Germany should take quick and decisive action to reduce   more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, March 15 -- Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM BOARD Sarah Doherty will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois State Museum Board./* Doherty is an Associate Professor of United States and Public History at North Park University. She was previously an Oral Historian at DePaul University, where she conducted interviews for the Dr. Helmut Epp Oral History Project. Doherty was appointed to the Village of Oak Park His  more

CHIPPENDALE, Australia, March 15 -- The Nature Conservation Council issued the following news release: "The federal government's so-called environmental reform package /1 is a gift to coal and gas giants and a kick in the guts for threatened wildlife and the Australian bush," Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said. "This package is just a green light for coal mines. "It strips away hard-fought protections for native species under the pretext of efficiency. "The gover  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, March 15 -- The Pennsylvania Senate Republicans issued the following news release on March 14, 2022: Senator Doug Mastriano (PA-33) and Senator Scott Hutchinson (PA-21) announced today that they will soon introduce legislation to stabilize energy costs for Pennsylvanians, protect against economic and international volatility in the long term, and utilize Pennsylvania's unique natural resources to finally cement the commonwealth as a premier energy powerhouse. To spur   more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) authored an op-ed for FoxNews.com about how President Biden's war on American energy, like canceling the Keystone XL pipeline and placing a moratorium on all new oil and gas drilling, has fueled Vladimir Putin's barbaric invasion of Ukraine. Whip Scalise highlighted that the Biden Administration's anti-American energy policies have made the United States and it  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following fact sheet: Disabled coal miners face barriers to adequate compensation and benefits for black lung disease. Under the Black Lung Benefits Act, coal miners who are totally disabled from black lung disease are entitled to modest benefits of roughly $700 per month plus medical benefits associated with the disease. Unfortunately, coal miners face numerous barriers to   more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following fact sheet: Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2022 (H.R. 6102) TITLE I - BLACK LUNG BENEFITS Part A - Improvement in the Process of Filing and Adjudicating Claims for Benefits Section 101. Providing Assistance with Claims for Miners and Their Dependent Family Members This section expands services provided by black lung clinics to assist miners, surviving s  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, Republican leader on the House Ways and Means Committee, issued the following news release: Ways and Means Republican Leader Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Republican Leader of the Trade Subcommittee Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), joined by all Ways and Means Republicans, today introduced the "Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act." The legislation is a House companion to the bipartisan Senate Finance bill introduced on Monday by  more

WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced a bill to prohibit the United States from importing Iranian and Venezuelan crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas. This follows Daines' push to ban Russian oil imports. "Banning Russian oil imports is important, but it's not enough," Daines said. "We need to increase American energy development and support our allies, not run to foreign dict  more

WASHINGTON, March 10 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: In a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing, Senator Steve Daines today stressed the importance of supporting an all-of-the-above American energy portfolio to lower energy costs for Montana families and support our partners and allies. Daines slammed the Biden administration for trying to shut down traditional American energy production and emphasized that what's happening in Europe and Russia sho  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, issued the following news release on March 14, 2022: U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today highlighted several of her key priorities that are set to become law when President Biden signs the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Omnibus appropriations bill that the Senate passed last week. "Our state and our nation are stronger when we invest in our communities and families--and that's what this bipartisan funding agreement does," Duckworth said.  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: At a recent press conference with his Senate Republican colleagues, Senator John Hoeven outlined the impact of inflation on American families across all sectors of the economy, and the need to produce more energy in the U.S. in order to combat rising prices. The senator highlighted how increased energy costs are driving prices higher for all goods and services and are particularly affecting agriculture   more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, issued the following weekly report: When President Biden took office, Mississippians were paying $1.88 for a gallon of gasoline. Today, we are fast approaching $4 per gallon after just 14 months under his leadership. The President has blamed Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war on Ukraine for the latest price increase, but gas prices had already been soaring long before Russia invaded. President Biden needs to admit that his anti-energy agend  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following opening statement at a hearing on March 1, 2022, on energy legislation: * * * Before we turn to the legislation before us today, I want to take a moment to acknowledge Russia's invasion of Ukraine and how Putin has used energy as a weapon to gain leverage over our European allies. One thing that hasn't been talked about as much is that during this time  more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee issued the following opening statement by Geraldine Richmond, under secretary of Energy for science and innovation, involving a hearing on March 1, 2022, hearing on energy legislation: * * * Thank you, Chairman Manchin, Ranking Member Barrasso, and distinguished Members of the Committee. It is with great pleasure that I join you today to represent the Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) at this hearing. As membe  more

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, March 15 (TNSPol) -- The Sierra Club issued the following news release: Last Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Biden Administration's proposed Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which will protect Americans from dangerous cross-state air pollution from coal-burning power plants and other industrial sources in 26 states, including Arkansas. Cross-state air pollution is the air pollution from upwind states that crosses state lines and affects ai  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, March 15 (TNSPol) -- The Sierra Club issued the following news release: Last Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Biden Administration's proposed Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which will protect Americans from dangerous cross-state air pollution from coal-burning power plants and other industrial sources in 26 states. The announcement comes weeks after notice was given to Louisiana and 18 other states that their state implementation plans to   more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, March 14 -- The West Virginia Legislature issued the following news release: The West Virginia House of Delegates adjourned Saturday, March 12 at midnight having completed 293 bills, including a budget bill. Senate Bill 250, the budget bill, was a compromise among the Senate, House and the Executive branch. The measure passed the full House after a two-hour debate during which House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, spoke in support of the bill for both fiscal and polic  more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, March 15 -- West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore issued the following news release on March 14, 2022: State Treasurer Riley Moore today announced that West Virginia has taken a significant step to protect coal, oil and natural gas industries and jobs in the state with the passage of Senate Bill 262 on Saturday, a bill the Treasurer proposed to lawmakers. The bill will allow Treasurer Moore to prevent state agencies from entrusting billions of taxpayer dollars to  more