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Some reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of Hillary’s new proposal

Efficiency and permit auctions and R&D, oh my! Hillary Clinton released her comprehensive energy and climate plan today. It is thoughtful, comprehensive, and though disappointingly conventional in a few areas, inspiringly bold in others. With the release of Clinton’s plan, all three Democratic frontrunners for the presidency now have visionary, far-reaching energy plans that would […]

Louisiana will crack down on oil industry waste-disposal practices

Oil companies accustomed to a hodgepodge of regulation will soon see stricter oversight from a new initiative in Louisiana, which will pool the resources of 15 state and federal offices to crack down on Big Oil’s waste-disposal practices. The program will train some 100 field officers to identify oil and brine-water spills in the Gulf […]

Call your senator today

As most people following the story know by now, the 2007 Farm Bill is looking pretty grim with respect to fundamental reform. The U.S. government seems hell-bent on pushing a policy that on balance rewards farmers for gross output at all costs — environmental considerations be damned. However, as the Senate debates the ag committee’s […]

A conference call with Clinton’s energy advisors, about her new energy plan

I was just on a conference call with the Clinton campaign’s energy advisors, who were answering questions from the press. A couple of interesting tidbits: I noted that the cap-and-trade system laid out by Clinton dramatically exceeds what’s contained in the Lieberman-Warner bill, both in terms of the permit auctions and the overall targets, and […]

Four principles that should guide federal climate change policy

The following was written before and during NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg’s address to the U.S. Mayors Conference on Friday, Nov. 2. Technical problems and, um, life intervened, so I’m only now getting it up. Sorry. Michael Bloomberg: Pro carbon tax, anti ethanol subsidies Photo: U.S. Mayors Conference Well, here I am, in a restaurant on […]

Public hits the streets to rally for global-warming action

Speaking of people who make it difficult for us to maintain our well-earned cynicism, Saturday’s Step It Up 2 climate rallies were, by all accounts, a grand success. Following up on the first Step It Up in April, the movement — spearheaded by author Bill McKibben — spurred some 1,000 rallies across the U.S. From […]

The full text of Clinton’s plan

Here is Hillary Clinton’s comprehensive new climate and energy plan, just introduced: —– Powering America’s Future: Hillary Clinton’s Plan to Address the Energy and Climate Crisis Hillary understands that we face two immense energy and environmental challenges: a growing climate crisis, and an increasing reliance on foreign oil that is driving up energy costs for […]

Clinton lays out her new energy policy

UPDATE: The full transcript of the speech is here. Hillary is getting ready to unveil her new energy strategy in a speech in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Afterwards, her campaign advisors will be taking questions from the media. I’ll be live-blogging the speech, below: Climate change is bad; high energy prices are bad; importing all our […]

U.S. mayors hit Seattle to plot climate strategy and get a dose of hope

More than 100 mayors from across the U.S. gathered in Seattle late last week to share lessons from their efforts to address climate change, producing the world’s first climate conference that didn’t lead to a spike in Prozac sales. Perhaps it was the uncharacteristic sunshine in the Emerald City, but mayors could barely contain their […]

7 easy steps to reduce your carbon emissions

Grist’s valiant leader was on the Today show this morning. Check it out: Seven steps to save energy