Latest Articles

Bush admin backs off appeal of nixed forest-management rules, to release new ones

The Bush administration has backed off of an appeal of a March 2007 ruling that overturned controversial management rules for national forests. The struck-down rules allowed national forest managers to approve logging, mining, cell-phone towers, and other commercial projects without undergoing environmental reviews and were found to violate the Endangered Species Act. The Bush administration […]

Why the West should worry about transportation emissions

Well, Clark and I are traveling to Portland for a batch of meetings related to the Western Climate Initiative.

On the off chance that you'll miss us, I thought I'd share some of what we're working on with WCI. Our biggest obsession right now is transportation fuels. Namely, we believe it's critically important that transportation fuels be covered by an "upstream" cap in the first phase of the program.

Here's more:

Why should the WCI cover transportation fuels in an economy-wide cap?

More than half of all fossil fuel emissions in the WCI states come from transportation. In contrast, electricity generation represents 26 percent of fossil fuel CO2 in the region -- only about half of the emissions from the transportation sector.

If the WCI region is to reduce its emissions by 80 percent by 2050, it will have to start dealing with transportation as soon as possible.

Is it complicated to cap transportation fuels?

It's actually fairly straightforward to include transportation fuels in an economy-wide cap. As with all aspects of cap-and-trade, the politics may be tricky. But technically, covering transportation fuels may be simpler than electricity -- and certainly simpler than load-based regulation of the electricity sector.

How would it work?

The fuel supply chain has several "choke points," well upstream from consumers and filling stations. At a chosen choke point, fuel handlers -- either purchasers or sellers -- would be required to track fuel volumes, and obtain emissions permits for the carbon that will be released when those fuels are burned.

What "choke points" would work for transportation fuels?

We'd suggest two possibilities:

Clinton wins Democratic primary in New Hampshire

Hillary Clinton won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary, beating Barack Obama by a slim margin and John Edwards by a sizeable one. Clinton has a strong, comprehensive climate and energy plan — but then again, so do her Democratic competitors. Check out Grist’s interview with Clinton and fact sheet on Clinton to get the full scoop […]

McCain wins in New Hampshire, after trolling for green votes

Unseasonably warm weather brought out a surge of voters in New Hampshire’s primary — and is it mere coincidence that the only Republican with a real plan to tackle climate change won? Well, OK, probably yes. But John McCain, who handily prevailed in the Granite State’s GOP primary, did make a deliberate appeal to New […]

McCain and Clinton win

I go get my hair cut and look what happens. McCain has won the NH primary with 37 percent to Romney’s 30 percent. That’s roughly what was expected. The huge news, though, is that Clinton is ahead, with 39 percent to Obama’s 36 percent. If Clinton pulls out a win in NH it’s going to […]

GM crops reduce emissions and could be used as carbon offsets, says biotech company

Money paid to offset greens’ sins by emission could go toward planting of genetically modified crops in China, if biotech company Arcadia Biosciences gets its way. Arcadia says its rice requires less nitrogen fertilizer, and farmers planting it should be rewarded with carbon credits for reducing their emissions of greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. The company […]

A review of six hand and body lotions

January, 1993. I am a college freshman returning to school after the holiday break. Rushing upstairs to see my friends, I burst gleefully into a dorm room, only to have one of them greet me with horror. “Dude, what’s wrong with your face?” Love the skin you’re in. Until that moment, I hadn’t known anything […]

Study touts environmental benefits of switchgrass-derived biofuel

Fast-growing switchgrass makes for a super-duper biofuel, says new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The five-year study of 10 Midwest farms concluded that switchgrass-derived biofuel can produce more than five times the energy consumed in manufacturing it, and emits 94 percent less greenhouse-gas emissions than gasoline. “This clearly demonstrates […]

Elizabeth Edwards says her hubby is the man to build a social movement

From Ezra Klein’s short but interesting interview with Elizabeth Edwards: Ezra Klein: The message you seemed to be previewing on Sunday was that Obama’s a great guy, he’s got a great philosophy, really good ideas, but it’s in his head and not in his heart. Elizabeth Edwards: Except for the ideas part, sure. His health […]

Warm in NH

Time has a nice little story on the "Eight Keys to New Hampshire." Number six: global warming. It may be Al Gore’s ultimate political triumph: climate change as a key election issue. Everywhere they go throughout the state, candidates from both parties field questions about global warming from voters who are looking for more than […]