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Oregon tests out an alternative to the gas tax — pay-by-the-mile taxes

There was a bunch of comment in the blogosphere yesterday about hiking gas taxes, with the rough consensus that it's OK environmental policy, tough on the poor, and politically risky (though perhaps not quite as unthinkable as it once was).

So it's interesting to note that Oregon -- often considered a policy innovator among U.S. states -- is in the middle of an experiment that could eventually lead to a repeal of the state gas tax.

Wealthy strive for

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately," wrote Henry David Thoreau. His experiment in stripping down has inspired generations of environmentalists to cast off possessions, or at least aspire to -- but simple living doesn't look so appealing when it's the only choice you have. Today, anthropologist Elizabeth Chin puts a new spin on environmental consciousness as she examines rich and poor consumers, and the difference between simple living and survival.

An interactive illustration of how the other half lives

You know how, in grade school, it was easier to understand multiplication when there were pictures of fruit and panda bears involved? Today we bring you that. Only, the multiplication is now stats about poverty and the environment. And the pictures of fruit and panda bears are now an original illustration by Keri Rosebraugh. Which has pop-up factoids. We bet you haven't had this much fun since grade school. Check it out.

A simple change that can help utilities and their customers conserve energy

This is good news: According to NW Current, more and more utilities are becoming interested in "decoupling" -- which could be the single most cost-effective step I've heard of for encouraging conservation.

An interactive illustration of how the other half lives

Click on the image to see a full-size version. The wrong side of the tracks: we often talk about a figurative gulf between rich and poor in the United States, but as this phrase suggests, there is also a literal chasm between the classes. If you live in poverty in this country, odds are you […]

Global Warring

Climate change a major security problem, says U.K. defense chief U.K. Defense Secretary John Reid has echoed a growing number of analysts by stressing that global warming is not just a weather problem, or a health problem, or a problem for biodiversity. It’s a global security problem. In a Monday speech, Reid called on the […]

Repent, Ye Synners

Shady synfuel industry making billions off tax-credit loophole A budget bill currently being hashed out in Congress may help a few dozen coal plants continue to get filthy rich off of taxpayer money. The backstory: In 1980, Congress enacted tax incentives for turning coal into synthetic fuel, requiring only that the coal be chemically altered […]

Bring in Da Illinois, Bring in Da Hunk

Obama speechifies for energy independence, chemical-plant security Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is calling for a bipartisan effort to create a cabinet-level national director of energy security, who would coordinate federal policies to cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil. In a Tuesday speech to U.S. governors, Obama touted several policies to promote oil-free energy, among them […]

Mardi Grist

By all accounts -- that is, all accounts from people who were privileged enough to attend, as opposed to people who were told that their presence was not worth the price of a subsidized plane ticket and hotel room, even though they totally would have rocked the party, hmph -- last night's Mardi Grist in NYC celebration was a resounding success.

You can see some pictures from the bash here, courtesy of fiftyRX3.

That man’s got a pair, you gotta give him that

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) delivered a major speech on energy independence today. The setting was a meeting of the National Governors Association -- specifically, the Governors' Ethanol Coalition.

I'll probably have more to say about it in coming days, but for now, I've just reprinted the entire speech below the fold, for your viewing pleasure.

I think it's pretty ballsy. But let me know what you think.