Climate Politics
All Stories
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Climate finally getting more notice in Senate with energy-bill amendments
The climate-change debate is beginning to move forward inside the Beltway — at a glacial pace relative to the rest of the industrialized world, of course, but these days even glaciers are moving at a discernable clip. Heat is on in Senate as climate starts getting more attention. As the energy bill goes through the […]
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Weakened in Review
Bipartisan efforts to revamp the Endangered Species Act begin A hearing of the Senate fisheries, wildlife, and water subcommittee last week kicked off what is likely to be an extended process of revising and updating the Endangered Species Act. There is bipartisan agreement on several measures, including providing grants and incentives to private landowners to […]
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Coast Riposte
House blocks attempt to lift ban on coastal drilling; more to come An attempt to weaken the U.S. moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling — established by Congress in 1982 and renewed every year since — was blocked yesterday in the House by a 262-157 vote. However, drilling opponents view it as just the […]
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That’s Hot
States sue EPA over new mercury rules and the “hot spots” they’ll create A coalition of 11 states filed suit against the U.S. EPA in federal court yesterday, charging that the agency’s recently issued mercury emissions rules, which establish a “cap and trade” system whereby coal-fired power plants can trade pollution credits, pose an unacceptable […]
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New Apollo Energy Act contrasts sharply with “Jurassic” GOP energy bill
On April 21, Congress stepped back in geologic time when the House of Representatives passed an energy policy of the dinosaurs, by the dinosaurs, and for the dinosaurs. This energy bill is truly a “Jurassic” piece of legislation that relies on a limited energy source derived from creatures and plants that died millions of years […]
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Mr. Hanky
Bush touts biofuels and his energy bill With his approval ratings plunging due in part to high gas prices, President Bush is fighting back by … sniffing a hanky. Let us explain. Yesterday, Bush visited a biodiesel refinery in West Point, Va., to tout the alternative-fuel subsidies in his energy bill, which the Senate will […]
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Subsidy Slickers
Nuke subsidies being added to McCain-Lieberman climate bill The latest draft of the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act proposes hundreds of millions of dollars in new subsidies for the nuclear power industry, in the form of a cost-splitting arrangement that would have the feds shoulder half the expense of developing and getting regulatory approval for three […]
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On a Wing and a Mayor
U.S. mayors form coalition to fight climate change, one city at a time A bipartisan coalition of 132 U.S. mayors — led by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels (D), and recently joined by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) — has issued a high-profile rebuke of Bush administration inaction on climate change. The leaders have […]
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Onward Christine Soldier
Washington gov signs groundbreaking renewable-energy legislation Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) has signed into law two bills that some are calling the most progressive renewable-energy legislation in any U.S. state. The measures earned bipartisan support thanks to their focus on creating a renewables market that would generate jobs and boost the state’s economy. One bill […]
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We Can’t Handle the Truth
Court rules that Cheney may keep task-force deliberations secret In a major political and legal victory for the Bush administration, a federal appeals court has ruled that Vice President Dick Cheney is not obliged to release records on his secretive 2001 energy task-force meetings, effectively ending the long-running legal challenge brought by the Sierra Club […]
