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Grist’s Poverty & the Environment on EcoTalk

Grist's own editor-at-large, Kathryn Schulz, appeared on EcoTalk to chat about our Poverty & the Environment series. Listen to the 12-minute interview.

More on the case of the lost oil-drilling royalties

Over on Daily Grist, we've given pretty extensive coverage to the story of how oil companies will manage to dodge some $7 billion worth of royalty payments over the next five years (up to $35 billion, depending on the outcome of a court challenge). What with Bush Scandal Fatigue, the story didn't get the attention it should have. Oh, another $7 billion out of taxpayer pockets to subsidize the world's wealthiest industry? Ho hum.

Anyway, there's a fantastic piece in today's New York Times that provides much-needed context.

Originally, the incentive program to persuade oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico was supposed to cost taxpayers nothing. Then, you know, one thing led to another. Now it's gonna run them $7 billion. How'd that happen?

Checking in with the Kossacks

I've known in a vague way that a person with the nom de blog "Jerome a Paris" does a lot of eco-blogging over on Daily Kos, but I must confess I don't have the fortitude to wade into that site very often.

However, via an Oil Drum open thread I stumbled on Jerome's "Countdown to $100 oil" series, which is very cool. Here's the latest entry, about the recent sharp rise in oil-futures prices -- it also has links to all 24 (!) previous entries in the series.

He's also involved in the dKos' community's "Energize America" plan -- of which you can read the fourth draft here.

Speechifying.

Hmm ... New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is writing editorials for the Manchester Union-Leader? Whatever interest could the governor have in New Hampshire?

The piece itself verges on parody, it is such a generic recitation of Democratic talking points on energy. "Foreign oil," check. "Apollo-like project," check. "Can't drill our way out of the problem," check. "Big oil companies with record profits," check.

Of course, I think it's all to the good that this has so quickly become conventional wisdom. It's all true. But Richardson has always struck me as a bit smarmy and unimaginative. This piece of writing, which may as well have come from the Democratic Central Computer's Energy Phrase Generator, only reinforces that impression.

Earth bites SUV

A water main break beneath 73rd Street and 4th Avenue in Brooklyn's Bay Ridge neighborhood opened up a 12-foot-wide sinkhole that literally swallowed an SUV. You bite the earth, she bites back. (The driver was not seriously injured.) On the other hand, maybe bad eco-karma isn't at fault: the water also flooded into a subway tunnel, disrupting thousands of eco-friendly commutes on the R train.

Photos available from Newsday.

Stockholm syndrome II

A while back I mentioned that Stockholm, Sweden was starting a short-term trial of congestion pricing -- essentially, making drivers pay to enter downtown. London instituted a similar system in 2003, which has proven unexpectedly popular: It's reduced traffic levels by 15 percent, while boosting downtown driving speeds considerably. Stockholm's experiment seemed like it was off to a rockier start -- the city was far less congested than London, and the charges were, if anything, even less popular with commuters.

So it may come as something of a surprise that Stockholm's trial has been greeted with less opposition than predicted:

Jason Edens, rural solar advocate, InterActivates

Low-income households are often the most gravely affected by energy crises, says Jason Edens of the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance, yet they are the least able to afford renewable-energy alternatives. As InterActivist this week, Edens chats about installing solar-heating systems in rural areas of Minnesota and empowering families to warm themselves (but not the earth!). Send Edens a question of your own by noon PST on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

Jason Edens, rural solar advocate, answers questions

Jason Edens. Where do you work? I work at the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance, a grassroots nonprofit organization whose mission is to make solar power accessible to people of all income levels. What does your organization do? At RREAL, we install solar heating systems onto the homes of low-income families qualifying for energy assistance. In […]

What’s really disturbing about the new coal-fired ethanol plants.

David's post about ethanol and coal inspired me to do a bit of research on just how much coal goes into producing G.W. Bush's favorite "renewable," "clean-burning" fuel source.

What I found is ... disturbing.

Bait and Switchgrass

New coal-powered ethanol plant a sign of things to come Greens leery about jumping on the biofuels bandwagon have new reason for trepidation: An ethanol plant that opened last December in Iowa is burning 300 tons of coal a day to transform corn into ethanol … in order to beat global warming. Mmm, taste the […]