Media

The White House has decided to sideline a proposed fee on Christmas trees, after the fee was ridiculed by critics as a tax on Christmas.

Is the Obama administration really taxing Christmas trees? No, but the White House said Wednesday it was reversing its decision to approve an industry-sponsored Christmas tree promotion program after conservatives accused the Agriculture Department of spoiling Christmas with a new tree tax.

WASHINGTON -- Despite support from President Barack Obama and influential congressional Republicans, a bill that would channel 80 percent of BP oil spill fines to the Gulf Coast is far from enactment. Louisiana lawmakers remain upbeat, pointing to the bipartisan support for the legislation, approval by a key Senate committee and a scheduled Dec. 7 hearing on the bill in a House panel.

As his re-election campaign heats up, President Obama finds himself in an awkward position trying to defend his environmental policies against Republicans and disillusioned environmentalists who backed his campaign in 2008.

Because restoring Louisiana's coast is not just a matter of fairness, but a matter of survival, I am glad that House members from both sides of the aisle joined together to introduce a bill that will ensure that 80 percent of penalties paid by BP and others responsible for last year's Gulf oil disaster are used to help restore the region, not for unrelated federal spending.