Articles by David Roberts

‘Kulongoski’ is almost as fun to say as ‘fungible’

A) How did I miss this, and B) did Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski really just say that he wants 100% of the state government's energy to come from renewable sources by 2010?

(via WattHead)

Meta-trackback

The other day I indulged in one of my favorite hobbies: Chauncey Gardiner-esque musings on oil and geopolitics. Even more auto-delightfully, I used the word "fungible" a bunch.

Well, over at The Oil Drum, Yankee linked to said musings and kicked off a comment thread that ended up containing all sorts of fascinating reflections, some more related to what I actually said than others. Definitely worth a peruse. The thread is capped by this magisterial pronouncement from TOD proprietor Dave (no relation):

All these considerations are inter-related. This question has so many independent variables in it that no meaningful prediction or opinion can really be expressed.

Ha ha, but you can't stop me, Dave! I have a blog!

‘Eco-terrorism’: A non-retraction

The other day I linked to a letter to the editor in the Toronto Star in which the head of the U.S. Humane Society defended his organization against accusations by the Center for Consumer Freedom that it is tied to "eco-terrorist" organizations. Today another letter, from David Martosko at CCF, insists that no such accusations were made. Martosko sent me a link to the letter and asked, "care to retract?"

As it happens, no, I don't. I don't know any of the specifics about what CCF may have said about HSUS, or why HSUS may have misinterpreted it, but I'm perfectly willing to accept that CCF did not make the accusations in question. But the specific accusation was never my point. Martosko makes much of the distinction between HSUS and other animal-rights groups:

Current crappy air-quality regulations preserved … yipee!

The Bush administration got a serious kick in the pants today from the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, which ruled that a proposed change in rules governing power plants violated the Clean Air Act -- in fact, that the EPA's interpretation of the law reflected "a Humpty Dumpty world." Ah, those federal judges. Cards.

At issue is the "new source review" provision of the CAA, which requires power plants and other industrial facilities doing anything beyond routine maintenance to add up-to-date anti-pollution technology. Industry hates this rule, and squashing it has been a top Bush administration priority from the beginning.