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Three key energy and climate questions and why conservatives just don’t get why they lost, part 1

Obama ran on clear and detailed energy and climate plans. The election poses three over-arching questions: On solutions: Does Obama have a clear mandate to enact his plans to transform our energy and climate policy? On science: Will the transformation he is actually able to enact be sufficient to avert the worst climate impacts (and, […]

Happy international folk

Avaaz brings you happy people who hope Obama will get cracking on an international climate agreement:

One more environmental Cabinet position that counts particularly for oceans

In its feature “Stocking the Cabinet,” Grist speculated on Barack Obama’s potential nominees for the “top environmental jobs” in his administration. For the oceans, however, the most pertinent post isn’t the head of the EPA, or the secretary of agriculture, energy, or interior, all of which were included in Grist’s guessing game. Guess what is? […]

‘Poor quality control’ in nuclear construction? Heaven forfend.

“Although the technical issues vary, inspections repeatedly identify a lack of contractor oversight and poor quality control in concrete placement.” — the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in a report about problems at the Savannah River nuclear plant

More EPA speculation

Reuters adds a few names to the list of candidates being considered to head EPA: Governors Janet Napolitano of Arizona and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, and World Resources Institute head honcho Jonathan Lash. That’s in addition to the usual names of Kathleen McGinty and Mary Nichols. I’m beginning to think reporters are just pulling these […]

Tensions mounting among House Dems as Waxman lobbies to replace Dingell

More from Politico on Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) challenging John Dingell for the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Apparently, some on the Hill are accusing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) of “plotting to overthrow” Dingell: But there’s a history of bad blood between Dingell and Pelosi — she stripped him of authority over global […]

Clean energy investment provides a truly clean opportunity for the Obama administration

Cross-posted at the NDN blog. —– The historic victory of Barack Obama last night and increased majorities for Democrats in the House and Senate create a huge opportunity to build a high-productivity, low-carbon economy. The last eight years have been lost economic years — the exceptions of the housing and financial markets have now, of […]

Canada proposes joint climate agreement with U.S. to spare its oil-sands projects

Less than a day after Barack Obama won the U.S. presidential election, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper proposed a joint climate agreement with the United States that aims to save Canada’s oil-sands projects (and the oil they produce) from any climate-related restrictions the U.S. may enact in the future.

As material prices fall, U.K. grapples with mounds of un-recycled recyclables

Thousands of tons of recyclables in the United Kingdom — including bottles, cans, and newspapers — are sitting un-recycled following the sudden collapse of materials prices a few weeks ago. Recycling companies are asking the government to ease regulations temporarily to allow them to store the mountains of rubbish in secured warehouses and former military […]

Obama names advisers to his transition team for energy and environmental issues

The Obama campaign on Wednesday officially announced members of the transition team that will set up the next administration. Included in the advisory board are Carol Browner, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Clinton, and Federico Peña, who served in the Clinton administration as secretary of transportation from 1993 to 1997 and secretary […]