George W Bush

Court Grants Obama Administration Request to Reconsider Weak Bush-Era Standard

April 23, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit yesterday granted the Obama Administration’s request to reconsider weak efficiency standards of residential furnaces, one of the home’s biggest users of energy. The case was brought to the U.S. DOE by several states, and environmental and consumer groups.

A stronger standard for residential furnaces would save at least enough gas to heat four out of every five U.S. homes for one year, net about $11 billion in direct consumer savings and cut global warming pollution by the amount emitted by 25 million cars in a year.    » read more »

Application for Part 1 of California's State Stabilization Funds Approved Today

April 17, 2009 -- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that nearly $4 billion is now available for California under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts. California will be eligible to apply for another $2 billion this fall. Today's funding is being made available per California's successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available April 1. California is the first state to be approved for the first round of state stabilization funding.    » read more »

Oil Spills are a Real, Costly Risk We Face in Light of the Recently Lifted Moratorium

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 24, 2009) – Twenty years after the massive Exxon Valdez oil disaster in Alaska, oil spills still occur and the risk of them happening up and down the East and West Coast has increased after the more than three-decade moratorium on offshore drilling was lifted in the waning months of the Bush Administration.    » read more »

Washington (March 10, 2009) – EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson today issued proposed emissions reporting that will provide the framework for federal regulation of global warming pollution. Congress ordered EPA to establish monitoring and inventory rules for greenhouse gas emissions in 2007, but action was blocked by the Bush administration.

With this announcement, Administrator Jackson is demonstrating that the EPA will move forward with a system for reporting the emissions of heat-trapping pollution by all major polluters in the United States. EPA estimates that the new reporting requirements will cover 85 to 90 percent of U.S. global warming pollution from major industries and transportation.    » read more »

March 9, 2009 -- "For nearly two centuries, Presidents have issued statements addressing constitutional or other legal questions upon signing bills into law (signing statements). Particularly since omnibus bills have become prevalent, signing statements have often been used to ensure that concerns about the constitutionality of discrete statutory provisions do not require a veto of the entire bill.    » read more »

March 9, 2009 -- EXECUTIVE ORDER

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. Research involving human embryonic stem cells and human non-embryonic stem cells has the potential to lead to better understanding and treatment of many disabling diseases and conditions. Advances over the past decade in this promising scientific field have been encouraging, leading to broad agreement in the scientific community that the research should be supported by Federal funds.    » read more »

(As prepared for delivery)

March 9, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Today, with the Executive Order I am about to sign, we will bring the change that so many scientists and researchers; doctors and innovators; patients and loved ones have hoped for, and fought for, these past eight years: we will lift the ban on federal funding for promising embryonic stem cell research. We will vigorously support scientists who pursue this research. And we will aim for America to lead the world in the discoveries it one day may yield.    » read more »

Washington, DC -- March 9, 2009 -- Listed below are the individuals who will attend today’s event.

Stage Participants

Energy Secretary Stephen Chu Dr. Peter Agre
Dr. Patricia Bath
Dr. H. Robert Horvitz
Dr. Janet Rowley
Dr. Harold Varmus

Dr. Peter Agre    » read more »

March 9, 2009 -- Today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. Its time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore Americas place as the world leader in science and technology. - President Barack Obama

Today, in conjunction with the issuance of a new Presidential memo on scientific integrity, President Obama is signing a Presidential Executive Order removing barriers to responsible scientific research involving human stem cells.

This Executive Order by President Obama revokes the Executive Order signed by President Bush on June 20, 2007 and the Bush Presidential statement of August 9, 2001 that limited federal funding of research involving human embryonic stem cells.    » read more »

March 9, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Energy Secretary Steven Chu made the following statement regarding President Obama's decision to allow promising stem cell research to go forward under strict ethical guidelines:

“One of the reasons I joined President Obama’s cabinet was his commitment to making decisions on the basis of sound science rather than ideology – a commitment he demonstrated again today with his thoughtful, compassionate decision to allow ethical stem cell research to go forward.    » read more »

Statement on President Obama's Executive Order and Presidential Memorandum By Ralph J. Cicerone, President, National Academy of Sciences, Charles M. Vest, President, National Academy of Engineering and Harvey V. Fineberg, President, Institute of Medicine

March 9, 2008 -- "On behalf of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, we applaud the orders issued by President Obama today.    » read more »

March 9, 2009 -- Statement of Joseph Heyman, MD, Board Chair, American Medical Association:

"The American Medical Association supports President Obama's decision to lift the ban on federal funding of stem cell research.

"Stem cell research holds great promise to treat diseases that science has so far been unable to cure, and this change in policy will allow researchers to accelerate their efforts by applying for federal research funds.

"The AMA supports biomedical research on stem cells and has encouraged strong public support of federal funding for this research.

"Today's action by President Obama will help scientists realize the potential of stem cell research to benefit the many Americans living with diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's."

Source: AMA

March 9, 2009 -- "I thank you for your executive order on federal support for human embryonic stem cell research, and applaud your decision to issue presidential guidance on scientific integrity," AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner, executive publisher of Science, wrote in a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama. It was the association's first letter to Obama since his 20 January 2009 inauguration as president of the United States.

Read the full text of AAAS's letter to President Barack Obama (pdf).    » read more »

Teamsters, Safety Advocates Petition Court to Review Hours-of-Service Rule

March 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Teamsters, Public Citizen, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and the Truck Safety Coalition asked an appeals court today to review a dangerous Bush-era regulation that increased the amount of time truck drivers can spend behind the wheel.

The groups also sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking him to begin work on a new regulation that would reduce truck crashes caused by fatigue.

“We have taken this action with the conviction, based on research and scientific data, that longer driving and working hours are unsafe and promote driver fatigue,” the letter said.    » read more »

March 09, 2009 -- MADISON – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s plans to sign an Executive Order that lifts restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research.

“President Obama’s commitment to lifting the restrictions on stem cell science is a great step forward, and I want to thank him for his decision.

"The ultimate goal of stem cell research is curing illness, alleviating suffering and saving lives. It is in the best interest of patients and families that we pursue all the promising avenues of stem cell research, and studying embryonic stem cells is essential to scientific discovery and future breakthroughs.    » read more »