In Brief
Snippets from the news
Posted at 2:45 PM on 28 Aug 2008
• Feds' rush to weaken workplace safety rules hits the federal register.
• Exxon will pay 75 percent of damages.
• Lawmakers want E.U. to allow more carbon offsetting.
• Nuclear reactor deemed national historic landmark.
• Pineapple production harms environment in Costa Rica.
• Exxon will pay 75 percent of damages.
• Lawmakers want E.U. to allow more carbon offsetting.
• Nuclear reactor deemed national historic landmark.
• Pineapple production harms environment in Costa Rica.
Tiger Balm
Tigers and elephants applaud expansion of Sumatra park
Posted at 1:26 PM on 28 Aug 2008
sources: Reuters, The Telegraph, World Wildlife Fund
Xcel-lent Adventure
In landmark deal, utility will disclose climate-change risks
Posted at 12:21 PM on 28 Aug 2008
In a first-of-its-kind deal, utility Xcel Energy has agreed to give its investors detailed information about the risks that climate change poses to business. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo subpoenaed Xcel and four other utilities in September, asking them to determine whether their plans to build new coal plants posed undisclosed risks to investors -- from lawsuits and the cost of complying with carbon regulations to the impacts of drought and rising seas. So far, Xcel is the only one that has agreed to analyze and disclose potential impacts. The landmark agreement "sets a new industry-wide precedent," says Cuomo, adding, "Coal-fired power plants can significantly contribute to global warming, and investors have the right to know all the associated risks." Xcel, which powers the abodes of customers in eight states, is quickly rising to the top of our Favorite Utilities List: it's clean-powering both political conventions, recently announced plans to shutter two Colorado coal plants, and is deploying a smart grid in Boulder.
sources: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Xcel Energy, Pioneer Press
sources: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Xcel Energy, Pioneer Press
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PAYD in Full
California to offer pay-as-you-drive insurance plan
Posted at 10:37 AM on 28 Aug 2008
sources: Los Angeles Times, The Union-Tribune, The Mercury News, Insurance Journal
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In Brief
Snippets from the news
Posted at 6:54 AM on 28 Aug 2008
• Utility Xcel agrees to disclose its financial risks from climate change.
• Suit against ExxonMobil for violence in Indonesia can proceed, judge says.
• Habitat for endangered elephants and tigers in Sumatra to be expanded.
• Some 40 percent of Australia is largely untouched by industrial civilization, study finds.
• Indicted Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) wins primary race.
• Suit against ExxonMobil for violence in Indonesia can proceed, judge says.
• Habitat for endangered elephants and tigers in Sumatra to be expanded.
• Some 40 percent of Australia is largely untouched by industrial civilization, study finds.
• Indicted Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) wins primary race.
Waste Is a Terrible Thing to Mine ... Or Is It?
High oil prices in future could spur plastic mining from dump sites
Posted at 6:02 AM on 28 Aug 2008
Sustained high oil prices on into the future could prompt entrepreneurs and scavengers to seek oil and oil derivatives from plastic items long ago thrown away in landfills, according to waste experts. "By 2020 we might have 9 billion people on the planet ... and we could be in a really resource-hungry world with the oil price climbing and a supply situation ... where natural gas is limited," said waste-management guru Peter Jones. "It is those drivers, those conditions, which will encourage the possibility of landfill mining." The potential for useful-materials recovery from landfills is huge, including reuse and recycling of metals as well as a vast wealth of buried plastics. Experts estimate that even just in Britain, some 200 million tons of old plastic could potentially be recovered from landfills for recycling or conversion into fuel; at today's prices, such a bounty would be worth some $110 billion. "Once plastic is in a landfill site, it pretty much sits there doing nothing -- and the beauty of that is that you're able to go back and recapture it in the future," said Peter Mills of recycler New Earth Solutions.
source: Reuters
source: Reuters
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You've Got a Visible Party Line
GOP platform acknowledges human-caused climate change, leaves out ANWR drilling
Posted at 4:59 AM on 28 Aug 2008
The Republican platform for 2008, hammered out by the Republican National Committee ahead of the party's convention next week, is mildly greener than in 2004, making it "the greenest platform we've ever had," according to a member of the committee. The draft platform acknowledges humans' role in climate change but still takes digs at the issue and only supports solutions where no one has to alter their lifestyle. "The same human activity that has brought freedom and opportunity to billions has also increased the amount of carbon in the atmosphere," it says. However, solutions should not "force Americans to sacrifice their way of life or trim their hopes and dreams for their children." The platform had said at one point that "Increased atmospheric carbon has a warming effect on the earth," but the phrase has now apparently been removed. The draft platform also dropped specific calls to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as delegates thought the pro-ANWR-drilling stance could hurt McCain's electability. But that doesn't mean the ANWR issue is dead; party officials said they'd focus on changing McCain's position post-election.
sources: The Washington Post, Associated Press, Congressional Quarterly, Bloomberg
sources: The Washington Post, Associated Press, Congressional Quarterly, Bloomberg
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Veep Impact
Joe Biden and Bill Clinton say Obama's the man to solve the energy crisis
Posted at 10:07 PM on 27 Aug 2008
In his convention speech on Wednesday night, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said an Obama administration will make "alternative energy a national priority ... creating 5 million new jobs, and finally breaking us from the grip of foreign oil." Biden accused John McCain of being wrong on everything "from Amtrak to veterans," and said, "John voted again and again against renewable energy -- wind, solar, biofuels. That's not change, that's more of the same." In an earlier speech, Bill Clinton said Obama will find "economically beneficial ways to fight global warming ... and when Barack Obama unleashes them, America will save lives, create new jobs." Clinton also tossed in a little climate humor, noting that the tight race between Obama and Hillary Clinton earlier this year "created so much heat, it increased global warming." In other convention fun, we've got photos of the "clean coal" and wind-power displays around Denver. And be sure to check out the rest of Grist's convention coverage.
new in Muckraker: On Joe Biden's speech
new in Muckraker: On Bill Clinton's speech
new in Muckraker: On Joe Biden's speech
new in Muckraker: On Bill Clinton's speech
Oil Me Once
Santa Barbara County officials give thumbs-up to offshore drilling
Posted at 4:18 PM on 27 Aug 2008
Santa Barbara County supervisors on Tuesday voted 3 to 2 in favor of allowing offshore drilling along their coastline -- a move that has no practical impacts, but is rich with symbolism. The southern California county was hit with a devastating 3-million-gallon crude oil spill from an offshore platform in 1969; it coated beaches, killed wildlife, and helped to kick-start the modern environmental movement. While the vote will do nothing to change congressional and state policy, it shows how attitudes are changing in the face of high gas prices. Fifty-one percent of Californians now say they approve of offshore drilling, up from 41 percent last year, according to polling conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) supports Congress' moratorium on offshore drilling, but the three supervisors who voted in favor of drilling are urging "The Governator" to reconsider, arguing that new technologies make offshore drilling much safer. Opponents say the supervisors are getting their info from faulty studies and point out that new offshore drilling won't actually lower gas prices anytime soon.
sources: The New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press
sources: The New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press
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In Brief
Snippets from the news
Posted at 9:49 AM on 27 Aug 2008
• Summer Arctic sea-ice drops to second lowest level on record.
• China's carbon emissions from power plants to increase by a third this year, report says.
• Japan publishes "research" on 4,500 whales it's killed.
• German study finds going veg can cut carbon emissions.
• Massive flooding in India incites food riots.
• Federal appeals court says U.S. government must repay oil companies for their leases off California coast.
• Japanese companies start work on solar-powered ship.
• Wind turbines may mess with bats.
• China's carbon emissions from power plants to increase by a third this year, report says.
• Japan publishes "research" on 4,500 whales it's killed.
• German study finds going veg can cut carbon emissions.
• Massive flooding in India incites food riots.
• Federal appeals court says U.S. government must repay oil companies for their leases off California coast.
• Japanese companies start work on solar-powered ship.
• Wind turbines may mess with bats.
Revolution by 'Natural' Selection
Consumers express renewed interest in natural-gas vehicles
Posted at 5:52 AM on 27 Aug 2008
High oil prices, increased domestic natural-gas production, and a well-publicized push from a former oil man have all boosted interest in natural-gas vehicles in the United States lately. This spring, the natural-gas equivalent of a gallon of gasoline was selling for about $1.50 less than gasoline on average nationwide. And in some places like Utah, where vertical integration of natural-gas utilities keeps prices unusually low, the difference is even larger. Energy independence enthusiasts in and out of Congress are (naturally) gassed about the possibilities. Right now, the U.S. only imports some 2 percent of its natural-gas supply and new drilling techniques that extract natural gas from shale deposits have analysts predicting a sustained boom in domestic production for years to come. However, a dearth of natural-gas pumps at gas stations is a major hurdle to increased use of the cleaner cars; less than 1 percent of U.S. gas stations carry natural-gas pumps for vehicles. Another infrastructure problem is the lack of commercially available natural-gas vehicles. Honda's Civic GX is the only model currently available, though GM has said it might also get into the biz.
sources: The Washington Post, The Salt Lake Tribune, The New York Times
sources: The Washington Post, The Salt Lake Tribune, The New York Times
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You're Not Fueling Anyone
Ending fossil-fuel subsidies would help climate and economy, U.N. says
Posted at 4:21 AM on 27 Aug 2008
Ending fossil-fuel subsidies around the world could slash greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 6 percent and help the economy at the same time, according to a new United Nations report [PDF]. Globally, governments spend some $300 billion on fuel subsidies that encourage consumption, delay transition to cleaner energy sources, and mainly benefit the already-rich even though most of the programs are intended to help the poor with fuel costs. "In the final analysis, many fossil-fuel subsidies are introduced for political reasons but are simply propping up and perpetuating inefficiencies in the global economy," said U.N. Environment Program director Achim Steiner. "Governments should urgently review their energy subsidies and begin phasing out the harmful ones." Instead of subsidizing dirty energy, the report recommends employing more direct programs to help the poor as well as enacting tax breaks and other financial incentives to promote cleaner energy sources. Russia is the largest fuel-subsidy spender, throwing down some $40 billion a year mainly to subsidize natural gas; Iran is in second place, spending about $37 billion a year on fuel subsidies.
sources: Reuters, Associated Press
sources: Reuters, Associated Press
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Party Animals
Clinton, Warner, and Schweitzer cite energy as they stump for Obama and bash McCain
Posted at 9:49 PM on 26 Aug 2008
In a rousing speech endorsing Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton said her erstwhile rival would "transform our energy agenda by creating millions of green jobs and building a new, clean energy future." Virginia Senate candidate Mark Warner also addressed energy and climate (as he told Grist he would): "If we actually got ourselves off foreign oil, we can make our country safer," he said in his keynote address. "We'll start to solve global warming, and with the right policies, within 24 months, we'll be building 100-mile-per-gallon plug-in hybrid vehicles right here, with American technology and with American workers." And Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer bashed John McCain's record on energy: "At a time when American families are struggling to keep their gas tanks full, john McCain voted 25 times against renewable energy, biofuels, solar energy ... wind energy." Read more Grist coverage of the Democratic National Convention.
But What Will They Use for Sleds?
Colleges forgo cafeteria trays to save water and energy
Posted at 4:07 PM on 26 Aug 2008
sources: Associated Press, Time
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America's Next Top Priority?
Obama would make cap-and-trade program a top economic priority
Posted at 2:37 PM on 26 Aug 2008
Photo: barackobama.com
sources: The Wall Street Journal
see also, in Gristmill: A look at Obama's economic thinking
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These Refiners Could Be Finer
States sue EPA over greenhouse-gas emissions from refineries
Posted at 1:35 PM on 26 Aug 2008
Twelve states, the city of New York, and the District of Columbia are suing the U.S. EPA for not regulating greenhouse-gas emissions from oil refineries. The suit accuses the agency of violating the Clean Air Act by refusing to issue standards for controlling carbon dioxide emissions from new or updated refinery equipment. In essence, the suit is an attempt to force the Bush administration to address climate change. The Supreme Court ruled last year that the EPA has the power to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, but it has yet to do so. "The EPA's s refusal to control pollution from oil refineries is the latest example of the Bush administration's do-nothing policy on global warming," said New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who's leading the suit.
sources: The Wall Street Journal, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
sources: The Wall Street Journal, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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Whatever Slows Your Boat
Bush admin proposes scaling back speed-limit zone meant to protect right whales
Posted at 6:33 AM on 26 Aug 2008
On the same day that President Bush moved toward creation of marine sanctuaries in the Pacific, his administration proposed cutting by 10 nautical miles a speed-limit zone in the Atlantic meant to protect critically endangered right whales. The proposal would cut the area covered by the speed zones to 20 nautical miles offshore from the original 30; ship collisions are the most common cause of death for the 300 or so North Atlantic right whales that comprise the world's entire remaining population. The speed zones would be the first to take effect on behalf of wildlife on the East Coast and would be in force each year during the whale's annual migration, requiring ships to slow to 10 knots. Environmentalists and wildlife advocates have decried the weakened proposal, arguing that the right whale is so extremely endangered that any dip in protections could push them into extinction. The shipping industry has strongly opposed speed zones of any size, arguing that time is money in the shipping industry. A speed-limit zone on behalf of right whales was first proposed in 2006.
sources: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Associated Press
sources: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Associated Press
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Send in the Marines!
President Bush exploring creation of massive marine sanctuaries in Pacific
Posted at 4:56 AM on 26 Aug 2008
On Monday, President Bush took the first step toward protecting three unique marine areas in the Pacific Ocean that are under U.S. jurisdiction, including waters around the Mariana Islands, Rose Atoll in American Samoa, and other coral reefs and atolls in the central Pacific. If all of the proposed areas are eventually protected, it would add 891,000 square miles of marine sanctuaries and/or national monuments to U.S. waters. Bush has not yet indicated what type of protection the areas will receive, if any, but he directed his cabinet on Monday to look closely at the three areas and explore the implications of such designations. Even if the areas eventually receive special status, commercial fishing, oil and gas drilling, or deep-sea mining could still occur in the protected areas unless they are specifically prohibited by Bush; environmental and conservation groups are lobbying hard for such prohibitions. One of the areas under consideration for protection is the deepest spot in the world's oceans, the Mariana Trench, which reaches a depth of some 36,000 feet.
sources: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Reuters
see also, in Grist: Bush creates world's largest marine protected area
sources: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Reuters
see also, in Grist: Bush creates world's largest marine protected area
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Polar Party
Polar bears in open water prompt more worries about climate change
Posted at 2:48 PM on 25 Aug 2008
sources: The New York Times, Associated Press
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Just What a Border Line Needs: A Borderline Fence
Border-fence design exacerbated flooding along U.S.-Mexico border
Posted at 6:33 AM on 25 Aug 2008
The hastily built new fence along the U.S.-Mexico border has apparently exacerbated flooding in parts of Arizona and Mexico due to poor fence design. Environmentalists and others had warned the Department of Homeland Security that rushing border-fence construction could cause eco-troubles, but Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff nonetheless waived applicable environmental laws last year in order to speed the fence's construction. On July 12, a flash flood at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and surrounding areas was made worse by water redirected from debris-laden mesh fences that backed up natural water flows and caused substantial erosion to some of the fence's foundation. Earlier this month, a report by Organ Pipe monument's staff found that the fence didn't meet Army Corps of Engineers hydrologic standards, but environmentalists said that the poor design was self-evident even before the report. "It doesn't take an expert hydrologist to anticipate the potential for these walls to become like dams," said Matt Clark of Defenders of Wildlife.
source: Associated Press
see also, in Grist: Why environmental groups have been slow to fight the border wall
source: Associated Press
see also, in Grist: Why environmental groups have been slow to fight the border wall
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