Latest Articles
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Obama likely to tap Nobel Laureate physicist Steven Chu to head DOE
Steven Chu. Photo: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory CNN is reporting (and others are following suit) that the Obama team has officially tapped Nobel laureate and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory director Steven Chu to be secretary of energy. Chu (whom Joe Romm just touted below) shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics, has advocated for scientific […]
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Join us March 2 as we protest a coal-fired power plant near Capitol Hill
There are moments in a nation’s — and a planet’s — history when it may be necessary for some to break the law in order to bear witness to an evil, bring it to wider attention, and push for its correction. We think such a time has arrived, and we are writing to say that […]
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D.C. buzzes about Stephen Chu, Nobel laureate and head of Lawrence Berkeley, for DOE
Steven Chu. No, I’m not talking Al Gore. The big buzz is about Dr. Steven Chu, the Nobel-laureate director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He would be a terrific choice for many reasons, as the Wonk Room has already noted, see “Energy Secretary Contender Dr. Steven Chu: Transform The Energy Landscape To Save ‘A […]
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Senate and House divided over state emission standards in auto bailout plan
It seems the House and Senate have reached an impasse on the automaker bailout bill, and it focuses on whether to force automakers to abide by state emissions regulations. The disagreement over the rules on doling out the $15 billion in loans centers on a single word — “federal.” The Senate bill says in order […]
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Umbra on e-books
Dear Umbra, I have noticed that digital book readers have started to enter the market and wonder if they are more ecologically sound than conventional books. I am interested in buying one but suspect that they are full of metals that damage the environment in their production. Also, they would use up energy when in […]
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L.A. Deputy Mayor Nancy Sutley may head up Obama’s Council on Environmental Quality
Nancy Sutley. Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Nancy Sutley is expected to be appointed to head President-elect Barack Obama’s White House Council on Environmental Quality, a transition team member told me Wednesday. Sutley has a long but mixed track record in California on environment and energy policy, according to several people who have worked with and […]
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Missouri Senator says Obama will have to delay his cap-and-trade program
At a panel yesterday morning hosted by National Journal, Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill (D) made some comments about Obama’s cap-and-trade proposal that are strikingly off-message. Or are they? The panel was focused on Obama’s first 100 days. McCaskill — a key Senate ally of Obama’s and the first female Senator to endorse him in the […]
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A roundup of reports I ought to read but in reality have only skimmed
So many reports, so little time! Greenpeace: The True Cost of Coal It’s well-known that coal’s price is artificially low, since many of its costs — health maladies, climate change, polluted water, etc. — are externalized. But how much do those externalized costs add up to? This report delves into that subject in great detail. […]
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Speculation on Granholm and Reicher as possible picks for energy secretary
The internets are abuzz with speculation that Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) is going to be tapped as secretary of energy (see here, here, and here). She’s meeting today with Obama’s transition team to discuss energy issues. Michigan Messenger has a longer piece about the Granholm rumor that’s worth checking out, including info on her […]
