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House passes an energy bill that combines increased drilling with expansion of renewables

After a day-long debate over energy legislation, the House passed the Democrats’ “Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act,” a bill that both opens up new areas of the country to oil extraction and increases support for renewables. “The energy bill puts us onto that path of independence by having a comprehensive legislation which […]

Markey on House Dems’ energy bill

The House just passed the Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act [PDF] (more on that in a moment). In the meantime, here’s video of Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming Chair Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on the floor earlier with one of the more passionate speeches of the day:

The GMO seed giant expects Roundup to generate $1.8 billion in profits in 2008

Monsanto positions itself as a green company. “Using the tools of modern biology,” its website informs us, “we help farmers grow more yield sustainably so they can produce more and conserve more.” Compare that twaddle to this bit from Monsanto’s announcement on Tuesday: [Monsanto’s Chief Financial Officer Terry] Crews will indicate that Monsanto’s Roundup® and […]

None shall use the L-word

Another brutal fact check on the Palin “20 percent of domestic energy” lie knowingly repeated falsehood, from an increasingly fed-up MSM.

In a Monday townhall meeting, McCain voices distaste for MTR and support for Big Coal

From the Wonk Room. —– In a townhall meeting yesterday in Orlando, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was asked if he supported an end to the economically and ecologically destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining. His reply: I do. Mountaintop removal is decimating Appalachia — 25 percent of Wise County’s historic mountain ranges have been […]

Snippets from the news

• Bushmeat should not be banned, says U.N. • Chamber of Commerce opposes carbon-dioxide regulation. • Public transit system makes profit by lowering fares. • Accounting system at Minerals Management Service found inadequate. • Greenpeace releases guide to greener electronics.

Physics For Future Presidents twists facts on electric vehicles and nuclear blasts

The following post is by Earl Killian, guest blogger at Climate Progress. —– Part 1 of this book review looked at the (mis)handling of climate science in two books by Professor Richard A. Muller — his textbook and general public book, which, confusingly, are both named Physics for Future Presidents. Here I turn to portions […]

Ozone hole bigger this year than last

Happy International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer! Sad to say, the hole that plagues the ozone is already bigger this year than last, and will likely not max out in size until late September or early October. As of Saturday, the hole measured 10.4 million square miles; last year, at its biggest, […]

New Zealand conservative party introduces green agenda

New Zealand’s center-right National Party released its proposed environmental agenda last week. The center-left Labour Party and the Green Party both denounced it as tepid. Check out what’s included, and imagine for a moment that it had been offered by Republicans in Congress: • A legislated target of 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions […]

Will New York Gov. Paterson gut the regional northeastern-state carbon cap?

New York State relies heavily on Wall Street as an economic engine. With the financial-services industry in its deepest funk since the Great Depression, New York politicians are extremely skittish about the state’s economic prospects. That’s why Gov. David Paterson has been scrambling to help prop up AIG, the wobbly New York-based insurance behemoth. And […]