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.

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  • Are the South and the Midwest splitting on energy?

    There’s one interesting aspect of the Waxman-Markey vote worth highlighting in its own post. Ron Brownstein’s analysis contains this intriguing information: The sponsors also maintained substantial support for the legislation even in the Midwestern states expected to generate the most opposition because of their heavy reliance on coal for electricity. Overall 48 of the 60 […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • Analysis of Waxman-Markey vote from around the web

    What does Friday’s close Waxman-Markey vote in the House tell us? (The 219 yes votes represented exactly one more than the minimum necessary.) In an excellent analysis (complete with interactive map), National Journal‘s Ron Brownstein notes: Of the 49 House Democrats who represent districts that McCain carried last year, fully 29 voted against the measure. […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • Obama strategy on climate bill: get it passed, then let markets make the argument

    In a post earlier today I argued that “official” estimates of how much climate/energy legislation will cost are likely systematically overstating costs and understating benefits. It’s worth noting that this is not an idiosyncratic opinion of mine. It is shared by President Obama, his team, and key Democratic leaders, and helps explain some of the […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • Why we overestimate the costs of climate change legislation

    Recent days have seen a flurry of blogospheric back-and-forth about the new CBO and EPA reports, and more generally about the costs and benefits of climate change legislation. As someone who believes the costs are overestimated and the benefits underrated, I thought I’d weigh in. Here are three key questions: How available and affordable are […]

    David Roberts Politics