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CBO: Household costs under Waxman-Markey likely much lower than report reflects

Last Friday, the Congressional Budget Office answered some questions from Sen. John Kerry about its much-discussed report (PDF) on the costs of cap-and-trade. You’ll recall the report’s principle conclusion: a cap-and-trade program would reduce the deficit over the next decade. Despite that positive outcome, the report contained some scary numbers, like the fact that the […]

What does the CBO report on Waxman-Markey actually tell us? (Not much).

The Congressional Budget Office recently issued its report on the Waxman-Markey bill. The Washington Times soon trumpeted: “CBO puts hefty price tag on emissions plan: Obama’s cap-and-trade system seen costing $846 billion.” This is quite misleading. Actually, the CBO report tells us virtually nothing about the economic costs of the bill or how much consumers […]

Raining on the climate parade

At the Bonn climate talks, environmental groups showed their displeasure with Japan’s proposed carbon emissions cuts by comparing Prime Minister Aso with former U.S. president George W. Bush.Climate Action Factory via FlickrEven the skies wept last week when the latest cold front slammed into the ongoing effort to draft a new international climate treaty. The […]

Enviros cringe as Senate committee approves energy bill

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved an energy bill on Wednesday that has the environmental community up in arms. The plan, enviros say, relies too heavily on fossil fuels and doesn’t do enough to advance renewable energy. The American Clean Energy Leadership Act was approved by a vote of 15-8. The bill passed […]

House ag chief Peterson: what, me worry about a warming planet?

Peterson, right, with combine rep: With climate change and big diesel-guzzling combines, we can grow lots of corn!After researching my story last week about the ag lobby’s attempt to turn Waxman-Markey into a cash cow for the agrichem and ethanol industries, I assumed that Waxman would quietly make some unspeakable deal with House ag chief […]

Bonn was disappointing, and Copenhagen will be too. Who to blame?

Photo: rolandFirst up, the climate talks are not going very well.  After a rousing start in Rio in 1992, from which we returned with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the negotiations have been anything but inspiring.  1997’s Kyoto Protocol defined the rich-world actions – the first steps – that would put meat on […]

It’s time to act “after many years of dithering and delay”

The Administration has put together a terrific new website, globalchange.gov, on its landmark 13-agency report, Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States.  Every possible summary and graphic you could want is there – heck, they even have the embed codes for their slideshow: GlobalChange.Gov-US Impacts Summary [vodpod id=Video.16092247&w=425&h=350&fv=] If you didn’t catch the live […]

The NYT buries White House “exclusive” on the landmark U.S. climate impacts report

The big story featured on the NYT website at 11 am Tuesday ain’t about climate: “With consumers in revolt, it was almost a relief that Tracey Ullman did not shy away from a bit of a roast at American fashion industry’s annual awards night” (see photo below). This is the NYT as People magazine, except […]

“We’ll get the votes”: One more day to finish talks with farm state Dems

We would appear to be closing in on a final deal and ultimate passage of the Waxman-Markey climate and clean energy bill by the House.  E&E News Reports (subs. req’d): House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) yesterday said he expected a floor victory, although he added that no scheduling decisions have been made. “I think […]

NOAA: “Business as usual” means scorching over inland US

If humanity stays near our current greenhouse gas emissions path, then Americans face hell – every state will be red: The thermometer in this landmark U.S. government report puts warming at 9 to 11°F over the vast majority of the inland U.S. – and that is only the average around 2090 (compared to 1961-1979 baseline).  […]