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Waxman’s win signals shift in Congress on climate and energy policy

Henry Waxman. House Democrats unceremoniously dethroned John Dingell (D-Mich.) as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, installing Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) in his stead — a move that will have resounding implications for climate and energy policy going forward and demonstrates growing strength among the party’s more liberal wing, especially when it comes to […]

NOAA: Second warmest October on record

NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center reports: Based on preliminary data, the globally averaged combined land and sea surface temperature was the second warmest on record for October and ninth warmest on record for the January-October year-to-date period. Given that this report is just out, I’m assuming they have sorted out the data entry issues that […]

Shell Oil can’t drill in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea, says appeals court

Shell Oil’s plans to drill in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea have been shot down by a federal appeals court. The Minerals Management Service failed to take a “hard look” at the impact of drilling on whales and subsistence hunters, the court ruled, and there remain “substantial questions as to whether [the plan] may cause significant harm […]

Police spy on climate activist while global warming goes unarrested

Terrorist Activist Mike Tidwell (at podium) exhibiting clearly threatening behavior.   Photo: chesapeakeclimate   I’m not sure what’s more shocking: the news that the Maryland State Police wrongfully spied on me for months as a “suspected terrorist,” or that, despite surveillance of me, officers apparently wouldn’t recognize me if I walked into their police headquarters […]

My robo-call from Gingrich

Here’s the call I got this morning, loosely paraphrased, initially from a live person and then with a recording from Newt. Newt (paraphrased): “I’m calling business leaders like yourself who understand the way that taxes cripple our economy, to ask for your support in the development a flat tax structure to lower the cost on […]

Pelosi may keep House Global Warming Committee going

Ed Markey. In the wake of news that Henry Waxman will take over the House Energy and Commerce Committee, there’s been some speculation that Speaker Nancy Pelosi would scrap the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which she created this past session to throw a spotlight on climate change. (The committee is […]

Cash from U.K. carbon auction may not go toward fixing climate

The United Kingdom held the E.U.’s first carbon-permit auction this week, raising some $80 million — but has angered environmentalists by socking away the funds into general coffers instead of promising to put the money toward tackling climate change.

Senator announces two climate bills to be introduced in January

Today, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, announced that she will introduce two pieces of green legislation in January. Barbara Boxer. The first is a proposal to create a grant program that would hand out $15 billion a year to support clean energy innovation. This is in line […]

Climate activists take heart from Obama’s remarks

  It was snowing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning as hundreds gathered to ask for action — the kind of omen that those of us who obsess about global warming look for. Maybe the incoming Obama administration really is ushering in a new climate to our nation’s capital! The president-elect certainly sent a strong […]

The new administration’s success with climate policy will depend on where they start

A few observations as to what we can expect from the incoming administration: What they ultimately get done may be a function of what they do first. First off, our economic downturn is going to be long and deep. The headlines about over-leveraged companies going bust or paying down massive amounts of debt essentially mean […]