Latest Articles
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Sleep tight!
I would be remiss if I did not point out that legendary climate scientist Jim Hansen finds it "almost inconceivable that ‘business as usual’ climate change will not result in a rise in sea level measured in metres within a century." That’s some scary sh*t. Hansen seems way out ahead of what any glaciologist is […]
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Grist’s own Tom Philpott and his farm get written up
Grist’s own Tom Philpott is apparently too humble to draw attention to the media adulation with which he is being showered. It’s a task I’m happy to take up. The Winston-Salem Journal has a fantastic long piece on Maverick Farms, the small organic farm Tom runs with his co-conspirators. As the piece describes in detail, […]
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Are wack
In his SOTU speech earlier this year, Bush proposed updating and reforming CAFE standards. Skeptical? Good. You’re not stupid. As I wrote here, one of his reforms is to make the whole CAFE system "attribute-based," meaning different mileage standards would apply to different classes of vehicles based on their, um, attributes — mainly size. This […]
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It’s not the same as a carbon tax, and it’s not cool
I’ve noticed that lots of people talk about a carbon tax and a gas tax as if they’re interchangeable, or the same thing, or connected parts of some larger package. That’s bad. Please stop it. A carbon tax is just that: a tax on carbon content. It could take numerous forms, but it’s generally agreed […]
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A note to the environmentally self-righteous
Frequently, when a small, incremental measure to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions is proposed, environmental commentators argue that it should be rejected. Why? Because it is a "distraction," a way of enabling us to continue our horrid, depraved lifestyle, methadone for our addiction to iniquity, a sop to our corporate overlords, mere playing of games, a highly […]
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Your government at work
This is how we make energy policy: A one-sentence provision buried in the Senate’s recently passed energy bill, inserted without debate at the urging of the nuclear power industry, could make builders of new nuclear plants eligible for tens of billions of dollars in government loan guarantees. Lobbyists have told lawmakers and administration officials in […]
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A look at John Edwards’ environmental platform and record
Update: John Edwards dropped out of the presidential race on Jan. 30, 2008. During his single term representing North Carolina in the U.S. Senate, John Edwards received a middling 63 percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters — a score lower than might have been expected because he missed a number of key votes […]
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How does the Home Interest Mortgage Deduction affect sprawl?
Now that the housing market is tanking, is it a good time to talk about the absurdity of the Home Interest Mortgage Deduction?
I mean, it's truly crummy social policy. The biggest benefits go to the people in the highest tax brackets, own expensive homes, and earn enough income that they can itemize their deductions. So in essence, the HIMD is a ginormous housing subsidy for the well-off -- and one that dwarfs all of the housing subsidies to lower-income folks. This NY Times article lays out the case nicely: apparently, half the benefit of the deduction goes to the 12 percent of taxpayers who make at least $100 grand per year.
But the conventional wisdom is that the home interest mortgage deduction isn't just crummy social policy, but crummy environmental policy as well. Allowing homeowners to deduct mortgage interest on their taxes gives people an incentive spend more of their money on housing than they otherwise would. And people with extra money to spend on housing tend to buy larger homes on bigger lots -- which, in theory at least, means that the HIMD primes the pump for low-density sprawl.
But is this really true? Does the HIMD really accelerate low-density sprawl?
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It’s dirty and fat, but … charming!
According to a new report from the Environmental Integrity Project, the most of the nation’s dirtiest power plants are in the South. According to CNN, most of the nation’s obesity problem is in the South. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the states with the highest level of children in poverty, the highest level […]
