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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Screwing up environment not so great for economy, studies find
Let’s take a look at a few studies that have come out recently and see if we can find a common thread. A West Virginia University researcher found that “coal mining costs Appalachians five times more in early deaths as the industry provides to the region in jobs, taxes and other economic benefits,” reports the […]
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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 […]
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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. […]
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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 […]