Last week President Obama and his administration outlined changes that would greatly alter the fuel economy and emissions standards of the auto industry. Not only would these changes reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted into the air by cars, but they would also save the average car buyer thousands of dollars in fuel.

So far both environmental organizations and lobby groups seem to be on board for the car fuel economy changes.

From 1998 to 2005 scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, an organization whose mission is to provide scientific information to describe the earth, studied over 1000 fish from 291 streams across the nation, and what they found in regards to high mercury levels was pretty astounding.

Every fish that was sampled had some of the toxic mercury substance in it, and that raises concern over the rising amount of pollution in water across the country.

According to a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-profit organization that provides grants to improve public policy, the U.S. states of Oregon, Colorado and Tennessee have emerged as the top leaders for job growth in the clean-energy sector.

The study looked at green job growth in 38 states from 1998 to 2007.

Along with the U.S., China is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. In 2006 the World Bank, which offers financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world, declared that 16 out of 20 of the world’s most polluted cities are in China.

So last Friday China announced that it is considering collecting environmental taxes from polluting companies.

Today is Earth Day, a special day that raises awareness about the environment. It’s also a great day for thanking everyone whose environmental initiatives are having a positive impact on the preservation of the planet.

Using data from river groups, local governments and environmental organizations, American Rivers, the top conservation organization in the U.S. that supports healthy rivers, has determined the 10 most endangered rivers in the nation.

These endangered rivers are not just threatened by water pollution, but also by dams, industries, development, or all three.

The first attempt to turn the White House into a green house occurred in the 1970’s when President Jimmy Carter installed a solar energy water-heating system. The system cost $30,000 to install and only saved $1,000 a year. That was obviously a failure.

Twenty-three years later in 1993 Bill Clinton successfully saved more than $1.4 million in six years thanks to his “greening the White House” project. Now it’s Barack Obama’s turn to show America that anyone can turn their home into a green home.

Since its creation in 1999, the G-20 (the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors) has helped to strengthen the economic stability of nations around the world.

This week on April 2, the summit will not only tackle the financial crisis, but it will also try to develop a stimulus plan to tackle global climate change.

Yesterday President Obama signed a $787 billion stimulus plan that would help get the U.S. economy back on its feet again. One of the best parts of the plan was the $78.6 billion that Obama promised to spend towards clean renewable energy and green vehicles.

Our friend Susan Torres from Environment Massachusetts, a citizen-based environmental advocacy organization in Massachusetts working for clean air, clean water, and open space, sent us this great information…

Tomorrow is the BIG day: Barack Obama will be officially sworn in as the forty-fourth president of the United States! This inauguration will be historical for two very big reasons:

• Obama will be the first African American President in U.S. history
• The ‘New Energy for America Plan’ will soon go into effect

If you don’t know what the ‘New Energy for American Plan’ is then you can check out our Green Politics blog post…