Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Energy Dept. rebuffs Donald Trump’s request for list of climate-change workers
In another sign that the transition isn't proceeding as smoothly as President Obama professes, the Energy Department refused Tuesday to provide President-elect Donald Trump's team with a list of federal employees who have worked on climate-change programs. Published December 13, 2016
EPA’s final report on fracking raises more questions than it answers; no verdict on water impact
The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it could not definitively determine whether fracking is a "systemic" threat to drinking water supplies across the country in an exhaustive report that does little to settle the debate around the drilling technique. Published December 13, 2016
Congress fails to pass end-of-year energy bill
Continuing a decade of futility on the issue, House and Senate negotiators fell short yet again last week in crafting a comprehensive energy bill, and punted the issue to the next Congress and the incoming Trump administration. Published December 12, 2016
Donald Trump selects Scott Pruitt to head EPA
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday officially announced his plans to nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Published December 8, 2016
Scott Pruitt to be Trump’s EPA chief: Report
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a report by Reuters. Published December 7, 2016
U.S. will fall short of ethanol, biofuels targets under Renewable Fuel Standard: GAO
Federal watchdogs confirmed Monday what critics of the Renewable Fuel Standard long have claimed: The ambitious program will fall far short of its goals as the cost of producing ethanol and other biofuels remains higher than expected. Published November 28, 2016
Jill Stein’s Wisconsin recount kicks off as critics decry ‘fund-raising, notoriety-driven fraud’
Despite no evidence of fraud and a widespread belief that the entire effort will change nothing, Wisconsin election officials this week will begin a statewide recount of the presidential vote, adding yet another chapter to the fight between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Published November 27, 2016
Tim Ryan says Dems no longer ‘a national party,’ challenging Nancy Pelosi as House minority leader
Rep. Tim Ryan said Sunday that the Democratic Party no longer represents the nation as a whole and has lost touch with the economic concerns of middle-class Americans. Published November 27, 2016
Donald Trump will undo Cuba deal absent major changes, Reince Priebus says
Incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus says Donald Trump will undo the Obama administration's diplomatic reset with Havana unless Cuba addresses rampant human rights abuses. Published November 27, 2016
Ted Cruz won’t say whether he still thinks Trump is a ‘pathological liar’
Ted Cruz on Sunday would not walk back comments he made during the GOP presidential primary in which he called Donald Trump a "pathological liar." Published November 27, 2016
Kellyanne Conway warns against picking Mitt Romney for secretary of state
Kellyanne Conway on Sunday offered a clear warning against picking Mitt Romney as secretary of state. Published November 27, 2016
Bernie Sanders downplays Wisconsin recount: ‘Nobody cares’
Bernard Sanders on Sunday dismissed the presidential vote recount in Wisconsin, saying "nobody cares" about it. Published November 27, 2016
Lands activists urge Trump to revoke Obama’s national monuments
Western lands activists are urging Donald Trump to test the limits of executive power by revoking millions of acres that President Obama set aside as national monuments, setting up a landmark legal battle over one of the nation's most frequently used environmental protections. Published November 24, 2016
EPA hikes ethanol blend requirement in gasoline
Over the objections of many lawmakers who say the entire program has failed, the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday hiked the amount of ethanol that must be blended into the nation's gasoline supply next year. Published November 23, 2016
Trump can’t revive fossil fuel industry, EPA’s Gina McCarthy taunts: ‘Train has left the station’
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy on Monday said President-elect Donald Trump will fail in his efforts to revitalize America's sagging coal industry and put fossil fuels back at the center of the nation's energy portfolio, taunting an incoming administration that is primed to roll back some of her agency's initiatives. Published November 21, 2016
Obama undermines Donald Trump with ambitious new climate change plan
President-elect Donald Trump says he'll abandon his predecessor's global climate change deal, but that didn't stop the Obama administration this week from rolling out a new, even more ambitious plan to cut U.S. emissions by 80 percent by 2050, undermining the incoming president on the world stage two months before his inauguration. Published November 17, 2016
Donald Trump has little power to scrap Common Core
Donald Trump vowed to scrap Common Core if elected to the White House, but supporters and critics alike agree the incoming president has little, if any, power over the education standards that already are in place across the vast majority of states. Published November 16, 2016
Donald Trump can easily reverse Obama, fast-track Keystone pipeline
A Trump White House, with the stroke of a pen, could reverse the Obama administration's course on the Keystone XL oil pipeline and put the once-shelved project on a fast track to completion. Published November 15, 2016
Martin O’Malley weighing run for DNC chair
Former Maryland Gov. and 2016 presidential candidate Martin O'Malley said Friday he's taking a "hard look" at running for Democratic National Committee chairman. Published November 11, 2016
Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren vow to work with Donald Trump
Sens. Bernard Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the twin pillars of the liberal movement in Congress, said they're ready to work with President-elect Donald Trump to try to rebuild a frustrated working class that largely feels abandoned by the Democratic Party. Published November 10, 2016
