EPA Administrator JohnsonU.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson dismissed his own agency's findings that greenhouse gases threaten the public. Instead, he'll open a lengthy public comment period asking for input on greenhouse gases, before acting on a U.S. Supreme Court order requiring the EPA to regulate polluters. Johnson's move effectively delays any federal action to limit greenhouse gas emissions until well past the end of George W. Bush's final term in office. According to the Los Angeles Times, Johnson's slow approach "mirrors that advocated by a coalition of industry groups and conservative think tanks, including the Heritage Foundation." A Sierra Club attorney called the delay "outrageous." Representative Henry Waxman said the Bush administration was "recklessly abandoning its responsibility to address the global warming crisis." An EPA spokesman disagreed, calling the move "an historic moment" because "no administration has taken this step to evaluate this new pollutant."

Listen to this week's edition of the "Weekly Radio Spin," the Center for Media and Democracy's audio report on the stories behind the news. This week, we look at BP's dirty oil, a front group against teen drinking and what state might ban drug industry goodies for doctors. In "Six Degrees of Spin and Fakin'," we name a few people who have stepped through the revolving door. The Weekly Radio Spin is freely available for personal and broadcast use. Podcasters can subscribe to the XML feed on www.prwatch.org/audio or via iTunes. If you air the Weekly Radio Spin on your radio station, please email us at editor@prwatch.org to let us know. Thanks!

In an unprecedented move by one of the Big Green environmental groups, the "Sierra Club's national board voted March 25 to remove the leaders of the Club's 35,000-member Florida chapter, and to suspend the Chapter for four years." What did the chapter do? According to Peter Montague, it was "highly critical of the national board's decision in mid-December 2007 to allow The Clorox Company to use the Sierra's Club's name and logo to market a new line of non-chlorinated cleaning products called 'Green Works.' In return, Clorox Company will pay Sierra Club an undisclosed fee, based partly on product sales." Sierra members outside of Florida are also concerned. "The Club's Corporate Relations Committee examined the proposed deal with Clorox and rejected it, but was overridden by the national board," writes Montague. Grassroots members have pointed out that "Clorox was fined $95,000 for violating U.S. pesticide laws" even as it was negotiating the Sierra Club deal. The Sierra Club told chapter leaders not to "seek public media coverage of this internal board decision," reports the Palm Beach Post. Some leaders said "they fear punishment from the national organization" if they speak out.