Articles by David Roberts
David Roberts was a staff writer for Grist. You can follow him on Twitter, if you're into that sort of thing.
All Articles
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Clean energy grants extended for a year; still a dumb way to do things
It looks like a one-year extension of the renewable-energy grant program has made it into the tax bill now brewing in Congress. It's much, much better than the alternative, but it's also no way to run a country.
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New report shows dirty coal doing even more damage than you thought
A new study shows EPA has been undercounting the externalities imposed by ozone pollution, and thus understating net benefits of its new ozone rules.
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Is EPA running scared from the incoming Republican Congress?
I've been worrying aloud on the blog that the Obama administration doesn't seem to be doing much to prepare for the relentless assault on EPA that's already underway, not only on its coming greenhouse gas regulations but on its entire agenda. Instead, the agency looks to be backing down.
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How can clean electrons compete with dirty electrons?
One of the most fundamental challenges facing clean power is that, to put it simply, electrons are electrons. Power from a solar power plant, once it enters the transmission system, is indistinguishable from coal, nuclear, or natural gas power. To the end consumer, it's all just electricity -- or rather, it's all just lights coming on and dishwashers running. Given that, how can consumers be sold on clean electricity?