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Watch out, EPA dudes!

Kevin Drum flags this little bit from the latest Evans-Novak Political Report:

He understands you … and you too

Let's discuss Barack Obama, shall we?

I'm about 3/4 of the way through his book. The first half or so is mostly him telling stories -- his own history, stories from his campaigns, stories about his fellow senators. The writing is just spectacular: clear, engaging, slyly funny, self-deprecating, perfectly paced. It's got those touches of idiosyncrasy no ghostwriter can capture (if you've read ghostwritten books, you know they all have a certain feel). It's clear he's uncommonly self-aware, intelligent, authentic, and charismatic. It's impossible to resist the guy.

But when he turns to discussion of the issues, the tic emerges. In every case, there are two moldy, entrenched positions, politicized extremes advanced by shrill partisans. In every case, neither of those moldy positions adequately addresses our current realities. He, however, has a clear-eyed, above-the-fray position of his own that synthesizes all the best of both extremes.

Folks, We’re Encountering Some Turbulence

E.U. and U.S. at odds over emissions cap for intercontinental flights In two weeks, E.U. environment commissioner Stavros Dimas will unveil draft rules for capping airline emissions, and we’ll give you one guess who’s blocking the runway. At issue is whether to regulate intercontinental flights that use European airports for takeoff or landing, or to […]

We Mine the World

Nuclear-hungry nations eye Africa’s uranium deposits In the 1980s, western nations tried to help Africa by assembling celebs to croon about its woes. Today we see how silly that is, so we’re back to extracting resources instead. It’s so much more direct, and with energy consumption rising, it will help for a long time! As […]

Lunguna Beach

Study says California diesel responsible for 1,100 premature deaths Overpopulation plaguing your state? Follow California’s lead and kill ’em off! A Union of Concerned Scientists study says diesel emissions from old construction equipment contributed to 1,100 premature deaths and half a million sick days in California in 2005, costing an estimated $9.1 billion. “Construction equipment […]

They’re getting nervous

When it comes to global warming, Andrew Revkin of The New York Times is without peer at clarifying the science and Elizabeth Kolbert of The New Yorker is the scariest writer in the land.

But this year, The Washington Post established itself as the newspaper best at showing us how global warming is happening right now, with superb articles on the alarming spread of the mountain pine beetle, on changes in the movements of butterflies, polar bears, and mountain water sources, on energy producers ready for regulation of carbon emissions, and this past weekend a major story on how the insurance industry has changed its attitude about homeowner policies in Florida and along the East Coast, thanks to global warming.

Joel Garreau is not the first reporter to cover the story, but his story -- "A Dream Blown Away" -- brings it home with more clarity and verve than any in memory.

To wit:

A look at the impacts of biofuels production, in the U.S. and the world

Nothing but blue skies from now on? Photo: house.gov Great news! We can finally scratch “driving less” off our list of ways to curb global warming and reduce our dependence on foreign oil! Biofuels will soon not only replace much of our petroleum, but improve soil fertility and save the American farmer as well! Sound […]

Find out which cars can run on ethanol and biodiesel

Going bio with your auto doesn’t mean you have to invest in some strange contraption your neighbors will stare at. In fact, upward of 4 million cars currently on the road in the United States are already compatible with E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. More automakers are making new […]

Bird flu will enter the U.S. from the south, say researchers

While the pure panic over a global avian flu pandemic seems to have died down, the virus continues to spread. To date, H5N1 has showed up in 55 countries, but has not yet touched the Western Hemisphere. Also to date, the U.S. government has assumed that the most likely route for bird flu's arrival into the lower 48 would be through wild birds; accordingly, they've put some $29 million into surveilling wild birds migrating from Asia to Alaska and down.

Sweeping political repudiation …

... isn't going to stop Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) from being a tool.