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Country songs dedicated to your favorite climate personalities

Dedicated to the coal and nuclear industries: Lorrie Morgan's What Part of No Don't You Understand?

Dedicated to Scott McClellan: Randy Travis' Pray for the Fish:

Post-post mortem on Boxer-Lieberman-Warner debate

OK, so the long-dead B-L-W bill got propped up and dragged around for a few days. (Tagline: B-L-W may be dead, but it's the life of the party!) But I think the debate was quite useful for two reasons:

1. The opponents of (even modest) action played and overplayed their cards. Now we know that the health and well-being of future generations is of no interest in them. Now we know what their primary arguments will be. This is the opportunity for progressives and moderates and hopefully President Obama to design a better messaging strategy -- and to get pro cap-and-trade businesses to weigh in.
2. The many flaws in the bill (other than the fact it wouldn't actually save the climate) were exposed: not enough money returned to taxpayers, too much money given away to too many groups, too complicated, your flaw here -- I'd very much like to hear your ideas for how the bill could be simplified and improved.

I will be offering my recommendations for what a better bill would look like later this month. Clearly, the bill should be designed to achieve more reductions and to be easier to explain and defend.

After all, the original Weekend at Bernie's was kind of fun and made money. But did anybody actually see (and enjoy) Weekend at Bernie's 2? We don't want a lame remake next year.

Caribbean monk seal is extinct

The Caribbean monk seal is extinct, U.S. officials declared Friday. The seals, also called West Indian seals, have been on the endangered-species list since 1967; the last confirmed sighting of one was in 1952. The Caribbean monk, native to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, is the only seal that has gone extinct directly […]

Public transit ridership is up, but no one’s talking about a better system

But how long will they wait for infrastructure improvements? Photo: Sharat Ganapati One year ago, as America prepared for the traditional summer-driving crush, op-ed pages nationwide fretted over a disturbing trend. Only a decade earlier, oil had plumbed depths near $10 per barrel, and dirt-cheap gas had allowed us to roll over the nation’s blacktop […]

California launches database of green state buildings

Some day I’ll stop being surprised at the eco-dreaminess of California. But for now, I’m still tickled by even relatively minor developments — say, the creation of the country’s first statewide map of government-run green buildings. Sites are color-coded (and searchable) by whether they’ve achieved LEED certification, are pursuing it, or are being “retro-commissioned.” And […]

Snippets from the news

• Toyota develops new fuel-cell hybrid. • Yucca Mountain safety plan is “doomed.” • British eco-town plan could be cut from ten to five. • Three air pollutants decline in China. • Report on oil-sands pollution yanked from website. • Drought makes Old Faithful less faithful.

USA Today: oil prices drive up asphalt costs, derail road maintenance

For decades, public cash has gushed into building infrastructure designed to get us around in those little (or not-so-little) privatized pods. Indeed, the mobilization to create and maintain our road and highway network probably counts as our greatest public achievement of the last half-century. Meanwhile, while the highway rode high, our rail-transportation network crashed. Attacked […]

McCain says he hearts Everglades, despite opposing bill with restoration funding

Sen. John McCain swung through Florida last week, taking time for a boat tour of the Everglades on Friday. The Obama campaign promptly criticized McCain for his opposition last year to a water bill that included major funding for Everglades restoration. McCain said he would have supported a stand-alone Everglades bill, but the broader water […]

Peter Barnes on cap-and-dividend in U.S. News & World Report

Peter Barnes' proposal is popping up everywhere these days, most recently in U.S. News and World Report. The idea is simple: Put a cap on emissions, and divide that cap into permits. Sell those permits upstream -- mostly to just a few hundred fossil fuel producers and importers. They in turn will pass the cost of those permits on to consumers. Divide the revenue from the auctions among consumers, which makes up for the higher prices.

Read the article for details.

Update: "Rebate" changed to "Refund" as GreyFlcn suggested.

From Turnoff to Turn-on

Just don’t hit eject Overpopulation give you pause? Then give it pause, boys, with a remote control that halts sperm in its tracks. Perfect for dates on fast-forward — though it does involve microchipping your manhood. But did we mention the remote control? Booty call to action If you’re bummed about climate change, panty up […]