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Obama plans green listening tour

Originally posted at the Wonk Room. —– Dan Kammen, the director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at UC Berkeley and a top adviser to President-elect Barack Obama, has told E&E News ($ub. req’d) that Obama may conduct a nationwide “listening tour” to allow his team to hit the ground running for a green […]

Obama’s 100-days energy agenda

I’ve been on the phone with top Obama aides all day, and the first 100 days of energy policy are coming into focus. Here’s what I’m told is on the way: Nationalize the oil, gas, and coal industries. And the grid. Ban meat. Impose mandatory federal four-day work week. Impose strict per-capita limits on driving […]

On election day, King Coal celebrates public relations ‘landslide’

Originally posted at the Wonk Room. —– The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), the coal industry’s propaganda front group, is upbeat about this election day, as indicated by their press release today. ACCCE VP Joe Lucas claimed: If “support for the use of coal for generating electricity” were on the ballot today, it […]

Ethanol industry struggling

Big Ethanol, once all the rage, is tanking under the triple threat of inconsistent corn costs, the shaky economy, and falling prices for the product. Plans for new plants have been put on hold, and several companies have filed for bankruptcy; many analysts say significant consolidation is in the cards.

No shame in being a progressive

For a generation, Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign was cited as an example of how not to run for the White House as a Democrat: Not only did Mondale run on a liberal platform, but he also went so far as to promise to raise Americans’ taxes — a promise that was widely blamed for […]

How Obama can revive the economy and heal the planet

A few days before the election, Barack Obama told Time‘s Joe Klein: Finding the new driver of our economy is going to be critical. There’s no better driver that pervades all aspects of our economy than a new energy economy … That’s going to be my No. 1 priority when I get into office. That’s […]

Enviro-backed congressional candidates win a number of seats, but not as many as hoped

Oil industry leaders are predicting “dark days” for fossil fuels under President-elect Barack Obama, while environmentalists are celebrating the election as a win for clean energy. But much will depend on the makeup of Congress. Though a number of enviro-backed congressional candidates got the nod last night, there weren’t quite as many pick-ups as greens […]

Fungus in rainforest foliage has promise as biofuel

A fungus hiding out in the trees of a Patagonian rainforest could be “a better source of biofuel than anything we use at the moment,” according to the scientist who accidentally discovered it.

Obama considers RFK Jr. for EPA

Holy sh*t: President-elect Barack Obama is strongly considering Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Environmental Protection Agency, a Cabinet post, Democratic officials told Politico. I must say, I don’t see this: The selection of Kennedy would be a shrewd early move for the new presidential team. Obama advisers said the nomination would please both […]

Obama on dealing with dumb debate questions

“I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, ‘You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.’ Instead of being appropriately [the tape is garbled]. So when Brian Williams is asking me about what’s a personal thing that you’ve done [that’s green], and I say, you know, […]