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California to slash greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020

California officials this week committed to a comprehensive plan to cut the state’s greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 through regulating GHG emissions from vehicles, investing in energy efficiency, and sourcing one-third of the state’s electricity from renewables, among other initiatives.

Obama’s green administration picks signal major shifts in policy

The Green Team. Clockwise from top left: Carol Browner, Lisa Jackson, Nancy Sutley, and Steven Chu. Obama’s green team hasn’t yet been made official (and probably won’t be until next week), but his rumored choices are eliciting passionate reactions nonetheless. Enviros, for the most part, are pleased with the picks, while business-oriented interests are offering […]

Rachel Maddow takes on ‘clean coal’ and its carolers

Good stuff: [vodpod id=ExternalVideo.1011990&w=425&h=350&fv=launch%3D28167243%26width%3D400%26height%3D320]

The moral voice on climate can become policy brokers or enviro activists

[In my effort to highlight other climate bloggers, I’m reprinting this post from Richard Graves, of It’s Getting Hot in Here, since it’s their future we “adults” are destroying.] The world is halfway through the process to create a global climate treaty to respond to Global Warming. In the halls around me, government, NGO, and […]

What I heard on the radio blew me away

I know green has saturated our cultural chatter to the point where it shouldn’t be surprising to hear it mentioned … everywhere. But sometimes I’m still surprised. Like last night: I’m in the car, I’m scanning through the radio, and something catches my ear. And there it is: two DJs shooting the smarmy sh*t about […]

Sussing out some of the criticism of likely EPA head Lisa Jackson

In our post last night on Lisa Jackson, the likely head of EPA under Obama, we noted that the group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), which advocates for state and federal environmental employees, has been highly critical of her work in New Jersey. The group put out a scathing press release about why she […]

What is a green job?

Green jobs are living-wage, career-track jobs that contribute to preserving or enhancing environmental quality. They have some important characteristics: Green jobs are today’s jobs repurposed and expanded in a low-carbon economy. Diverse localities across the United States are already using green development strategies to make impressive strides in job creation, workforce development, and environmental stewardship. […]

NYT: Temporarily relax regulations to allow Big Three’s European models in the U.S.

The Big Three make high-quality, fuel-efficient cars. No, really, they do. They just sell them in Europe — Ford Ka, anyone? And now that $15 billion of the the $25 billion designated in the 2007 energy bill to provide funds for fuel-efficiency retooling will likely serve as loan guarantees to keep GM and Chrysler solvent, […]

Pressure rises for a reform-minded USDA pick

The Obama transition team is taking its time mulling candidates to head up USDA. That’s a good thing, considering the generally dismal names that dominate the circulating short-lists. Meanwhile, the temperature is rising around Obama to pick a real reformer, not a business-as-usual politician or outright industry flack. The latest: New York Times op-ed pundit […]

Obama’s environmental team is centered around a long-time Gore acolyte

When Obama and Biden met with Al Gore on Tuesday, they were purposefully bland about what was discussed. Now that Obama has revealed his green team, it appears they may have been asking Gore’s blessing. Of the four environment/energy appointees announced (or leaked), three worked in the Clinton/Gore EPA, and one, Carol Browner, was a […]