We hear plenty about the divisions that make reaching a global climate agreement in Copenhagen daunting. "Negotiators at Climate Talks Face Deep Set of Fault Lines," as the New York Times put it on Sunday. Indeed, the opening salvos from the negotiators confirm that they have a long way to go in less than 2 weeks. As knotty and intractable as these "fault lines" may seem, they are surface creases in the scheme of things. Dig down a bit, and we are all in the same, deep stuff. Here are the fault lines laid out in the NYT piece on …

If I began this column with "some advice for my friends in the nuclear industry," you'd probably brace for a big fat cream pie in the industry's face. I've been a vocal critic of the industry that presided over what Forbes Magazine called "the largest managerial failure in American history." So before offering my advice, I should explain.  Four years ago, I was appointed to the Executive Board of Energy Northwest (formerly WPPSS), which operates Columbia Generating Station, the Northwest's one remaining nuclear plant.  I accepted the appointment in part because I believe the climate crisis is so severe and …

It's all about the cap Photo: ne* via Flickr Climate and energy policy touches everything. So it's no surprise that as Congress finally sets to work on a national climate policy, it confronts a blizzard of complexities. But at the end of the day, Congress will face some stark questions. Will they step up to a real commitment to reduce fossil fuel dependence? Will they launch an economic recovery that delivers sustained, broadly-shared prosperity, or just a short-term stimulus and bailout? Will they fight for real, effective climate solutions -- as big as the problem? If we're too clever and …