Climate Politics

Debate wars episode II: the empire strikes back

The second presidential debate was, by any measure, better than the first. Bush recovered from his twitchy, petulant performance of Sep. 30 and Kerry was, if anything, even more concise (lo, a miracle!) and direct. More importantly, the questions from audience members were better -- more substantive, less circumspect -- than anything asked by the "official" media-types refereeing the VP and first presidential debates.

However, Kerry flubbed one question that should have been a home run for him.  As you might guess, I'm talking about the environmental question.  Here's a policy area where, unlike many others, Kerry has a clear, consistent, and almost uniformly strong record.  Bush, on the other hand, is rated the worst environmental president ever by just about everybody -- including, increasingly, members of his own party, mid-level officials in his agencies, and conservationists from the traditionally right-leaning hook-and-bullet crowd.

But Bush dodged the bullet.

Pump it up

Thomas Friedman is back at The New York Times after a two-month hiatus. I don't always agree with his stands (and enjoyed the alternative voices that appeared in The Times during his absence), but find it heartening that his second op-ed upon returning has an environmental bent:

Of all the shortsighted policies of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, none have [Editor's Note:  Grist editors would not have let slip this misuse of have] been worse than their opposition to energy conservation and a gasoline tax. If we had imposed a new gasoline tax after 9/11, demand would have been dampened and gas today would probably still be $2 a gallon. But instead of the extra dollar going to Saudi Arabia -- where it ends up with mullahs who build madrasas that preach intolerance -- that dollar would have gone to our own Treasury to pay down our own deficit and finance our own schools. In fact, the Bush energy policy should be called No Mullah Left Behind.

Interesting perspective -- and certainly not one we've heard from the Kerry campaign.

Like a Camel Through the Eye of the Tax Code

Congress moves to close SUV-friendly tax loophole It looks like Congress may soon close one of the U.S. tax code’s most egregious provisions (and that’s quite a distinction!). In 2003, lawmakers raised the business-equipment tax deduction to $100,000, clearing the way for a massive luxury SUV to be written off as a business expense — […]

Bush admin tries to take the whistle away from potential blowers at the EPA

Last week, when a House of Representatives committee approved new whistle-blower protection legislation, the Bush administration flew into a tizzy, saying such protections would open the door to gratuitous complaints against its officials and create needless headaches. But the House committee held strong, citing more than a dozen plights like that of Teresa Chambers as […]

Kyoto will shake things up in the U.S., whether Americans like it or not

Last Thursday, when the Russian cabinet moved to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, international leaders called it the dawn of a new era. Putin (left) and Bush take opposing views on Kyoto. Photo: Eric Draper, WhiteHouse.gov Top officials from Canada, Japan, the European Union, and other Kyoto-supporting countries applauded Russia’s progress toward ratification, which will be […]

FUV

European SUV backlash spreads Beads of sweat are gathering on the foreheads of European automakers, as a backlash against sport utility vehicles spreads across the continent. Several countries have passed or are weighing measures that could hurt SUV sales. London Mayor Ken Livingstone displayed his usual delicacy when he referred to SUV drivers as “complete […]

All Quiet on the Rocky Mountain Front

Bush administration cancels plans to drill in Rocky Mountain Front The Bush administration announced yesterday that it will suspend plans to drill for oil and gas in Montana’s beloved Rocky Mountain Front pending a comprehensive study of the area — a study that will not begin until 2007 and will last at least two years, […]

It’s Worse Than You Think

Energy bill a prime example of legislative process run amok The Boston Globe is running a three-part series on how the Republicans now in control of Congress are reshaping the legislative process. It ain’t pretty. Part two follows the path of the massive (and currently stalled) energy bill, which began with closed-door meetings of the […]

Terry Tempest Williams sends dispatches from an election-season tour

Acclaimed author Terry Tempest Williams is currently on the road for a cross-country “Open Space of Democracy Tour” sponsored by Orion Magazine and Orion Books, publisher of her most recent book, The Open Space of Democracy. Photo: Mark Babushkin. Wednesday, 6 Oct 2004 SALT LAKE CITY, Utah When two young Canadians embarked on an extraordinary […]

Who You Gonna Believe, Us or Some “Inspector”?

EPA inspector general blasts Bush admin’s power-plant rules The U.S. EPA came under harsh criticism yesterday from environmental fringe extremists … oh, wait, no … actually, from its own top investigative official. The agency’s inspector general issued a scathing report saying that enforcement of clean-air laws has been crippled by the Bush administration’s decision to […]