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Texas gov. loves him some coal companies

A new raft of coal plants proposed in Texas may damn the world to decades of increased climate warming, but they sure seem to be paying off for Texas Gov. Rick Perry:

An interesting thesis on why the disgraced Congressman suddenly switched on Cafta.

Did President Bush and the House leadership not only know about Mark Foley's predilection for page-chasing, but use their knowledge last year to blackmail him to vote "yes" on Cafta?

Not as dirty as it sounds

I've had the pleasure of covering all sorts of environmental matters, and interviewing fellow enviro-writers, in the past few years, often for Grist. But so far no piece has reverberated quite like Naughty by Nature: Ever thought about the toxins in your sex toys? Not that I'm complaining; my reputation as the author of this article consistently precedes me into various NYC green gatherings, leading to all manner of astonishingly frank conversation with casual acquaintances or total strangers. And when asked at dinner parties to explain what I do as an environmental journalist, it sure beats the melting Arctic or the destruction of the Everglades for upbeat chat.

Happily for the sexual health of every American, interest in this topic just won't quit. To wit: I have a couple soundbites in this inaugural installment of TreeHugger Radio, a partnership between our pals at TH and EcoTalk Radio. As a huge fan of radio -- and environmental journalism in all media formats -- I wish them the best of luck.

Living in the suburbs may not be so cheap

The conventional wisdom is that it's cheaper to live in the outer suburbs (i.e., a long drive from jobs, stores, or schools) than closer to a town or city center. I suppose that's true enough -- if you're looking only at the cost of housing.

But if you live a long way from most of the places you want to go, you wind up driving a lot more. And that, of course, costs money too -- not just for gas, but also for depreciation on your car, maintenance and the like.

Which leads to the obvious question: what happens if you combine transportation costs and housing costs into a single budget? Is living at the urban fringe still cheaper?

There have already been a couple of attempts (see, e.g., here) to look this issue. Now there's a new study, noted here in The Washington Post. The key finding: when you combine travel and housing, living in a suburban outpost can cost more than living closer to a town or city center. According to the study's author:

Umbra on chocolate

Dear Umbra, Although I buy most of my chocolate as fair trade or organic, I was wondering if you might enlighten me on the politics and economics of the chocolate (cocoa) industry. Where is most of it grown? What are the working conditions of those who are employed there? How effective is fair trade in […]

Global warming goodness

As if you need more reason to watch the meteorological smorgasbord that is the Weather Channel, every Sunday they are now showing the Climate Code, an hour long program focusing on climate change causes, effects, and solutions. I haven't seen the show yet, but if the website is any indication, it should be great.

Add it to the list

I know Pombo's in thrall to the energy industry and all, but this is really un-effing-believable:

Wow

A landslide in Japan:

Turns out its done by single-driver car

The Transportation Research Board has released its third annual report on Commuting in America. The news is pretty much all bad. Kevin Drum summarizes:

... the number of workers has increased by 31 million since 1980 while the number of workers who drive alone to work has increased by 34 million. Despite the population increase, carpooling is down (except in the West), transit use is down (except in the West), walking is down, and motorcycle use is down. The only bright spot is an increase in people like me, who work from home.

Here's the report's top ten list of commuting tidbits:

Property-rights initiatives threaten environmental protections in four Western states

Field of dreams or field of nightmares? It depends who you ask. Photos: iStockphoto When you hear the phrase “a perfect storm,” it’s likely to conjure images of roiling whitecaps, perhaps a daring Coast Guard rescuer dangling from a helicopter to pull half-drowned sailors from their foundering vessels. Chances are the last thing it will […]