Climate Politics

On the Roadless Again

State leaders sue feds to bring back “roadless rule” Top officials from three Western states are suing the Bush administration in hopes of bringing back a rule banning road building on 58.5 million acres of national forests. The attorneys general of California and New Mexico, along with Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D), filed suit this […]

Rays and Confused

Partisan divide stalls California’s solar-roofs bill As its initial bipartisan support devolves into a partisan food fight, California’s Million Solar Roofs legislation may die on the vine. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) withdrew his formerly enthusiastic backing for the bill — which could put $2 billion toward solar-energy generation by 2019 — after Assembly Democrats inserted […]

A Hop and a Prayer

Eco-activists team with prayer network to save hapless toad This summer’s It amphibian — the endangered arroyo toad of California, famously dismissed as “hapless” by Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts — is in the news again. The Center for Biological Diversity has teamed up with Christians Caring for Creation to sue the Bush administration […]

Are fuel-efficiency standards a smart way to reduce oil consumption?

Fareed Zakaria has a nice rundown of the many ways our hunger for oil distorts our foreign policy and makes a mockery of our efforts to fight terrorism and spread democracy. At the end, he briefly mentions solutions:

It's true that there is no silver bullet that will entirely solve America's energy problem, but there is one that goes a long way: more-efficient cars. If American cars averaged 40 miles per gallon, we would soon reduce consumption by 2 million to 3 million barrels of oil a day. That could translate into a sustained price drop of more than $20 a barrel. ... I would start by raising fuel-efficiency standards, providing incentives for hybrids and making gasoline somewhat more expensive (yes, that means raising taxes).

Matt Yglesias thinks that fuel-efficiency (CAFE) standards -- however beloved by greens and progressives -- are a bit of a red herring:

What the Tuck?

Governator appoints industry flacks as state eco-regulators California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) earned green esteem early in his tenure, but as important regulatory appointments take on an increasingly pro-industry tinge, his cred is starting to fade. The latest is Cindy Tuck, chosen to chair the state’s Air Resources Board after working for more than 15 […]

Raider of the Last Parks

Proposal to change national-park rules stirring up controversy National parks are cool and all, but you know what they really need? More people on cell phones! That — along with more snowmobiling and off-roading — could happen under revisions to National Park Service policy proposed by Bush appointee Paul Hoffman, deputy assistant secretary of the […]

And Miles to Go Before I NEPA

U.S. government sued over climate impacts of overseas energy projects U.S. efforts to find fossil-fuel supplies overseas will create significant climate disruption, harming not only people in those countries but folks at home, according to a lawsuit filed against the federal government by a coalition of green groups and U.S. cities. Ranging from Greenpeace to […]

Power Play

Northeast states crafting plan to cut CO2 emissions from power plants The cantankerous Northeast — last seen suing the U.S. EPA over mercury regulations — is at it again. Fed up with the feds, nine states in the region have preliminarily agreed to reduce their carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants. The coalition — organized by […]

Go Truck Yourself

Bush admin unveils weak new fuel-economy rules for light trucks The Bush administration surveyed the landscape — gas prices rising, fears of oil dependence spreading — and concluded that bold leadership was required. So it invaded an oil-rich country. Heh, well … on to Plan B! Yesterday, the administration proposed a new set of auto […]

I Fjord Your Pain

McCain, Clinton, other senators take global-warming tour in Alaska Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), and two other Lower-48 colleagues are touring Alaska this week to see for themselves the destructive impacts of climate change. They’ve flown over Yukon forests devastated by spruce bark beetles — believed to be thriving thanks to unusually high […]