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Latest Articles

  • Prepared statements of those testifying before the committee

    Prepared statements, now available:

    Brian Beutler Politics

  • Cardin wants more money for public transit

    Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) says he can support the bill if it provides more funds for public transportation, including at the state level.

    He said this in the context of a response to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who wants the bill changed to a sector-by-sector (as opposed to economy-wide) cap-and-trade system. Cardin suggested that Senators shouldn't be demanding extraordinary changes to the legislation and threatening to withhold support unless their demands are met.

    My guess? Cardin's suggestion is futile.

    Brian Beutler Politics

  • Tom Carper requests improvements in ASCA

    Tom Carper (D-Del.) has said he will be able to support the legislation if it:

    • includes provisions to mitigate pollutants like nitrogen oxide and mercury found most widely in the northeastern United States;
    • moves to a more just allocation system -- one that devotes more credits to cleaner energy sources;
    • contains no built-in punishment of early actors, companies that have already begun mitigating their emissions.

    Not the most ambitious of demands, but there they are.

    Brian Beutler Politics

  • New tool helps groups assess large retail proposals

    Big-box stores have significant impacts on a community's economy, environment, and character. The Big Box Evaluator (created by the Orton Family Foundation, which offers numerous programs that aid good land-use planning) is a new online tool designed to help citizens, activists, and municipal officials get the basics on these impacts in an unbiased manner.

    It's interactive, and lets you plug in variables like tax rates, community demographics, size of a hypothetical big-box proposal, and much more. The outcome is a well-rounded assessment of probable impacts, the good as well as the bad, which will help its users ask important questions when proposals like this come to town.

    Erik Hoffner Technology

  • Target asks USDA to let it label meat treated with carbon monoxide

    Under pressure from Democrats in Congress, Target Corp. has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to let it attach warning labels to meat it sells that has been treated with carbon monoxide to make it appear fresher than it is. The proposed label reads: “CONSUMER NOTICE: Carbon monoxide has been used to preserve the color […]

    Grist staff Technology

  • Al Gore joins big-name venture-capital firm, will focus on green investment

    Former vice president Al Gore has joined a notable venture-capital firm that’s aiming to step up investment in green businesses. In his role as a partner at California-based firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Gore will investigate the potential growth of alternative-energy start-up companies and counsel the firm on related greenish investments. No stranger to […]

    Grist staff Technology

  • The cost of the FutureGen ‘clean coal’ plant doubles

    This from Greenwire today ($ub req'd): "The DOE FutureGen program has announced that their "clean coal" plus carbon sequestration is checking in at $1.8 billion for a 275 MW plant, or $6500/kW."

    OK, so it's at an early stage, but even if you cut that cost in half, it still doesn't pencil out. How long before we get over the illusion that coal is cheap?

    Story below the fold. (Note that I have given them the benefit of the doubt that their description of the plant as a "275 watt" facility was a typographical error.)

    Sean Casten Climate & Energy

  • Umbra on fireplace ashes

    Dear Umbra, What should we do with ashes from the fireplace? I’ve heard that they’re great for the garden and I’ve heard that they may not be so good for the garden. Are they a good replacement for salt on slippery sidewalks? Janet Allen Syracuse, N.Y. Dearest Janet, Why not make some soap? Here come […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Everything comes down to whether fighting climate change will hurt ordinary voters

    Many, many, many, many people have criticized the astonishingly stupid headline on last Tuesday’s front-page Washington Post story: "Climate Is a Risky Issue for Democrats." The Republican base still clings to denial of plain reality, the Republican leadership is openly in hock to fossil-fuel companies, media coverage of climate has never been more intense, fighting […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • Eensy-weensy Smart car getting a big embrace from U.S. drivers

    The Smart car ForTwo is coming to a dealer near you this winter — or at least, semi-sorta-near you. About 70 dealers around the U.S. will sell the eight-foot-long two-seater starting in January, and more than 30,000 people have put down $99 to reserve theirs. Drawing comparisons to a golf cart and eagerly awaited by […]

    Grist staff Culture