On Monday the Environmental Protection Agency recognized 20 Green Power partners for generating the most green electricity on site.

The amount of renewable electricity generated by these partners could power 61,000 American homes annually.

The top five partners from the list of 20 are Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, City of San Diego, San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant and CalPortland. The entire list is available on the EPA website.

“These companies are leading a nationwide move to the clean energy economy, one that can create million of jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and protect against global climate change,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.  “Our Green Power Partnership leaders are setting the standard for our clean energy future.”

The green power generated by the partners came from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and hydropower. The partners then use the on-site energy directly rather than sending it to the central power plant.

The EPA said that the 20 partners are generating and consuming more than 736 million kilowatt hours annually.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order Monday morning, asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider California’s request to create its own limits on automobile carbon dioxide emissions. The state’s goal is to reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2016. To make that goal, automakers would be required to manufacture automobiles that get better mileage. While the state’s requirements would be stricter than any national standard, 13 other states may follow California’s lead.

In his address on the executive order, he said, “I want to be clear from the beginning of this administration that we have made our choice. America will not be held hostage to the dwindling resources, hostile regimes and a warming planet.” Along with the EPA request, Obama asked that automakers enhance their fuel efficiency standards nationwide for 2011. He also is looking for more ways that federal agencies can save energy.

According to Union of Concerned Scientists President Kevin Knobloch, "This is the first of a number of campaign promises President Obama needs to fulfill when it comes to bolstering our economy and protecting the environment. Cleaner cars will strengthen our domestic auto industry. Cutting emissions from the transportation sector is critical to avoiding the worst consequences of global warming. By directing the Department of Transportation to revisit federal fuel economy standards, Obama has an opportunity to make even greater gains in cutting our oil consumption and saving consumers money at the pump.”

You can watch more of what Obama said in the video below.

The cosmetics industry may be getting a whole lot prettier — at least in the eyes of environmentalists. According to an article in Cosmetics Business, officials are wary that the Obama administration might make several changes involving industry regulations and the scope and authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which could cost cosmetics companies a lot of money, meeting new registration requirements and perhaps even replacing ingredients that are commonly used in perfumes and cosmetics.

As of now, the cosmetics industry is not included in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which gives the EPA authority to regulate chemicals. Cosmetics manufacturers are only required to test chemicals for human safety, not environmental protection. However, Congress has already made several proposals that could change that.

For starters, California Representative Henry Waxman’s proposed Kid-Safe Chemical Act would enhance requirements for chemical testing, and has already been endorsed by a number of environmental groups. Another proposal may require cosmetics manufacturers to register all new facilities, products and ingredients with the FDA. Registration fees (which are currently voluntary for cosmetic manufacturers) would be $2,000 for American-based companies and up to $10,000 for foreign ones. It may be expensive, but the cosmetics industry will get the chance to make the world more beautiful — in a way that’s healthier for their customers and the environment.

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Last month coal ash from a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power plant flooded parts of eastern Tennessee. An official, Tom Kilgore, from the coal-burning power plant testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Thursday and admitted that the plant’s containment ponds had not been adequately repaired after previous leaks.

The inadequate repairs along with heavy rains may have lead to the dike-break on Dec. 22 at the Kingston Fossil Plant, which released 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash sludge. The sludge covered hundreds of acres in rural neighborhoods and contaminated the Emory River compromising the drinking water supply.

No one was injured but coal ash contains heavy metals such as, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury. In large amounts, these metals have been linked to cancers, respiratory diseases, nervous system disorders and reproductive damage.

Kilgore said TVA is willing to buy the affected properties from residents and possibly sell them back after the clean up. But some view this as a larger environmental issue.

The New York Times reported that Senate Committee Chairwoman, Barbara Boxer, of California, passed around a large Mason jar of sludge from the spill at the committee hearing. She said the spill showed the need for strict regulations of fly ash and closer oversight of the TVA.

“The federal government has the power to regulate these wastes, and inaction has allowed this enormous volume of toxic material to go largely unregulated,” Boxer said.

Boxer has pushed for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to declare coal ash a hazardous waste and create national standards for its storage.

Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee agreed.

“TVA needs to do more, the state needs to do more and it may be that the federal government through the EPA needs to do more,” Alexander said.

According to the New York Times, more than 1,300 dumps in the United States contain billions of gallons of fly ash, leaving legislators worried about the possibility of another major spill.

Friday is the last day to participate in Repower America’s campaign to encourage the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon dioxide pollution, a major contributor to global warming. Repower America advocates 100 percent clean energy use in 10 years.

Cathy Zoi, Repower America CEO, sent an action alert e-mail urging supporters to post comments, which will appear on the EPA Web site.

The EPA will rule on whether it considers carbon dioxide and other pollutants a danger to public health and welfare under the Clean Air Act.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the EPA has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide if it harms public health and welfare in April 2007.

The court ruled five to four that the EPA violated the Clean Air Act by not regulating new-vehicle emissions standards to control pollutants contributing to global warming.

"EPA has offered no reasoned explanation for its refusal to decide whether greenhouse gases cause or contribute to climate change," Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the majority.

Repower America has been critical of the Bush administration for taking the side of oil and coal lobbyists on the issue of global climate change, but thinks the new Obama administration will be more receptive to the public comments.

If you have an opinion on the EPA’s decision, comment by Friday, Nov. 28.

Ben & Jerry’s has found yet another way to cool down our environmental concerns. In addition to using natural ingredients and eco-pints, they have now teamed with Greenpeace to launch a climate-friendly freezer.

The Cleaner, Greener Freezer — as the company likes to call it — uses Greenfreeze technology, which uses hydrocarbons as a refrigerant instead of fluorinated gases. It specifically eliminates the need for hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the most common greenhouse gas with 1,400 times the global warming impact of carbon dioxide.

The new-to-the-U.S. technology was actually developed in 1992 by Greenpeace engineers, but it hasn’t been allowed in the States until now. The EPA is allowing Ben & Jerry’s to test out 2,000 Greenfreeze-equipped units this fall in the Boston and D.C. areas. Even though the freezer is already used in 300 million refrigerators worldwide, Ben & Jerry’s hopes to be the first to bring it to America.

Unfortunately, our nation has been behind the curve on yet another green issue, but thanks to Ben & Jerry’s, at least our ice cream will be freezing just like the rest of the world’s soon enough. Read more about the company’s eco-friendly quest here.

There’s nothing like drinking a glass of ice cold water — that is, until it’s deemed unsafe. And as of now, not even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can claim what water is or is not suitable for drinking. According to an article from theWashington Post, the EPA has yet to set a standard for perchlorate in drinking-water. Perchlorate is the main ingredient for rocket fuel, and because rocket test sites, military bases and chemical plants do a poor job disposing of the chemical, it continues to be found in soil and water.

According to the EPA, an estimated 16.6 million Americans are exposed to the chemical at levels that many scientists say are unsafe, and that directly link to thyroid problems in women, infants and young children. Independent researchers, using federal and state data, say that a more accurate number of exposures could be anywhere between 20 and 40 million.

EPA scientists that believe regulation of the chemical is necessary have been in a six-year battle with White House and Pentagon officials, who think otherwise.

A new EPA proposal, craftily edited by officials of the White House Office of Management and Budget, claims that the maximum perchlorate contamination level allowed in drinking-water is 15 times higher than what they suggested in 2002. The document claims that setting a drinking-water standard for perchlorate will not be meaningful for health risk reductions, but it also says that Americans will continue to be exposed to higher levels of the chemical if nothing is done.

So, why not start doing something? The perchlorate cleanup could cost hundreds of millions of dollars from the Department of Defense funds, which makes the situation … hmmm … questionable at best. Read more of the article here.