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Development in NYC

Way back in June (seems so long ago, doesn't it?) I posed the question of what constitutes a city. People frequently cite the statistic that half the world's population will soon live in cities, but those 3.4 billion people will not be living in anything close to downtown Manhattan. The definition of "urban" under which the majority of the planet's people live in urban areas is more inclusive than what people usually think of as a city -- the mega-cities like New York or London.

Considering this, I picture the view looking west from Manhattan. The first time I saw it, it hardly looked like a major city at all, just abnormally dense suburbia. While it does have the efficient mass transportation net characteristic of many cities, Brooklyn is lacking in density.

It ain’t pretty

The energy bill passed through the House today, and is expected to pass the Senate by a wide margin on Friday.

The nation's editorial boards have not taken kindly to this bill. The folks at Campaign for America's Future sent around a sampling of responses, which I've included below the fold. I've added some links. If you have links to other op-ed reactions, leave them in comments.

The CAFTA vote

Don't miss Sam Rosenfeld's post on last night's CAFTA vote. It enough to turn the stomach. See also tpmcafe for a discussion thread and this intriguing mention of possible House voting shenanigans.

Over at redstate, of course, they're pleased as punch.

Also, as I forgot to mention last time: We ran a great op-ed on CAFTA back in June.

Solar Grove

Is it me or is this a way-cool and efficient use of a parking lot?

Kyocera recently installed its first public "Solar Grove" consisting of 25 "solar trees" that converts a 186-vehicle parking lot into a 235 kW solar electric generating system. The system's 25 solar trees form a carport in a Kyocera employee parking lot, utilizing a total of 1,400 Kyocera KC-187G solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and 200 custom-manufactured, light-filtering PV modules.

Pictured here:

(via TH c/o GCC)

Turns out the Apollo folks don’t like it either

Beneath the fold is an op-ed written in reaction to the energy bill by Robert Borosage and Joel Rogers. Borosage is co-director of the Campaign for America's Future and co-founder, with Rogers, of the Apollo Alliance.

A letter from a dozen green groups to Congress

Yesterday, a letter opposing the energy bill was sent to Congress, signed by the following environmental groups: Alaska Wilderness League, American Rivers, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, National Audubon Society, National Environmental Trust, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, U.S. PIRG, and Union of Concerned Scientists.

The full text of the letter is below the break.

In Garbage Land, Elizabeth Royte talks dirty

Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte, Little Brown and Co., 320 pgs., 2005. Our soda man delivers. He comes bounding up the steps, easily cradling an ancient-looking wooden crate under one arm. The contents are 24 seven-ounce bottles of cola and birch beer, for which we hand him $7, and […]

Beach Blanket Politico

Green activist Donna Frye leading in race for mayor of San Diego San Diego may soon get a jolt of green in City Hall. Veteran surfer chick and longtime environmental activist Donna Frye (D) took 43 percent of the vote in the city’s mayoral election on Tuesday, far ahead of the 27 percent earned by […]

Thrill Spill Cult

Water should keep pouring over Northwest dams to aid salmon, court says Salmon will continue to find a watery way over several Northwest dams. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week voted to uphold a federal judge’s June order for the feds to aid migrating salmon by spilling water over five dams in […]

Dirty Financing: Havana Nights

Environmental groups unanimous in distaste for energy bill Yesterday, a letter signed by reps from more than a dozen environmental organizations was sent to Congress with a strong message about the energy bill that recently emerged from conference committee: it stinks. It does nothing to wean the U.S. from its dependence on foreign oil. It […]