Articles by Grist staff

Give a Hoot, Don’t Dilute

House leadership dilutes energy bill for easier passage As the U.S. House of Representatives edges ever closer to approving an energy bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has been orchestrating compromises to make it more palatable to the so-called “hydrocarbon Democrats.” Language that would have raised vehicle fuel-economy standards has been dropped. Dems are backing off […]

Russia stakes claim to North Pole, and more

Read the news items highlighted in this week’s podcast: How Green Is Your Candidate? Will Santa Be Evicted? We Wouldn’t Kid About This Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Crappiness Pimp My Shrimp Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: How Green Is Your Candidate? Tide Died Take Me To Your Seeder

A look at Barack Obama’s environmental platform and record

Updated 22 Aug 2008 In the early months of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, enviros were skeptical of his (now heavily qualified) support for coal-to-liquids technology and unvarnished enthusiasm for ethanol, but he earned their respect with his aggressive climate and energy plan. The plan centers on a cap-and-trade system that aims for 80 percent emission […]

Liquid Dreams

Could “renewable petroleum” be coming our way? Picture a liquid fuel that is derived from the same feedstocks as cellulosic ethanol (switchgrass, sugarcane, corn stover) but contains 50 percent more energetic content and is made via a process that uses 65 percent less energy. Unlike cellulosic ethanol, this fuel can be distributed via existing oil […]