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Rand Paul: “I believe business should be left alone from government.”

  Sure the WashPost mocked Sen. James Inhofe (R-OIL) as “the last flat-earther.” But that was a purely metaphorical description of the pro-pollution right-winger.  Turns out U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul’s (R-KY) actually thinks a lot of Kentucky would be “quite desirable” if it were literally flattened by big coal. The scientific reality is quite […]

Got a clever solar slogan? Tell us!

The New York State Legislature has been debating a big solar program — the New York Solar Industry Development and Jobs Act would add 5 GW of solar to the state’s energy mix — but we’re getting to the homestretch on the legislative calendar, and it’s do-or-die time in Albany. We’d like to send them […]

Un-democracy and the U.S. Senate, undercutting EPA edition

Last week, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) sponsored a measure to ban the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from large industrial facilities under the Clean Air Act, as ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court.   The Senate voted 53 to 47 against Murkowski and in favor of EPA’s authority to regulate carbon […]

Oil execs lined up for Washington grilling

The Deepwater Horizon rig, pre-explosion and pre-tipping.Photo: TransoceanBig Banking, Big Auto, and Big Coal have all been to the woodshed in the last little while. Tomorrow it’s Big Oil’s turn. Capitol Hill Summer Theater kicks off in style when the top execs of the world’s five largest oil companies report for their very own congressional […]

New safety guidelines for poultry producers won’t change much

(USDA photo) If you’ve ever fallen ill with a case of food poisoning, Big Food would like you to know that it’s probably your fault. A few weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued new safety compliance guidelines for the poultry industry. They’re notable for several reasons: they drastically reduce the allowable levels of […]

Energy politics in the Senate: why Merkley’s oil plan matters

This morning Sen. Jeff Merkley will introduce “America Over a Barrel: Solving Our Oil Vulnerability” (PDF) [UPDATE: video below], a policy plan devoted to reducing oil use, at an event at the Center for American Progress. I think it could make a big difference in the debate. To understand why, let’s back up and have […]

Ask Umbra wipes up the confusion on TP, pee rags, and bidets

Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, We’ve been using “pee rags” for a while now, but are trying to find a way to do away with toilet paper all together. The obvious option is washing, but is the impact of water use for washing close to or equal to the small amount of […]

Enemies of the Earth

It is extremely disheartening that serious climate change policy appears unlikely to pass Congress this year, and may very well not be on the agenda for years to come (if ever). I blame Obama for not making comprehensive energy reform a serious priority, and not using the disaster in the Gulf to make a forceful […]

Fight for the right to clean air and clean water

A new proposed initiative for the California ballot purports to defend the people of California’s unalienable right to air, water, energy, and natural resources by prohibiting the government from regulating the industries that exploit these common resources. This referendum is either an attempted shell game on the citizenry or a product of dire ignorance. If […]

Friday music blogging: Ratatat

Ratatat is two guys in New York City, one who plays guitar, the other a synthesizer-bass-producer polymath. It’s hard to know exactly what to call their stuff. It’s got programmed dance beats like DJ music, but also guitar, strings, keyboards, and songs that actually sound like songs and not endless loops. One thing Ratatat has […]