Climate Politics

The gas tax is actually super low, thanks to inflation

Eric Cantor thinks that bike sharing is siphoning off way too much of the country's gas tax revenue. And for a Republican like him, raising the tax is out of the question, never mind that, as Greater Greater Washington's Matt Johnson points out, in inflation-adjusted dollars, the gas tax has gone down by 34 percent since 1994, the last time it was raised. And, again in inflation-adjusted dollars, the gas tax was actually highest in 1960. 

Chris Christie met with Koch brother before pulling out of climate pact

Tape of a secret meeting between Christie and one of the Koch brothers sheds light on Christie's decision to pull out of a regional climate initiative.

Representative thinks Obama controls the weather

Yeah, that's Rep. Joe Wilson, of the "You lie!" outburst. Is it possible the reason they don't believe in science is that they actually believe in magic?

Rick Perry: Just because global warming is a 'fact' doesn't mean it's real

Oh, Rick Perry. He's like a feudal lord who was just defrosted from the 13th century, only better-coiffed and less handy with a lance. He's like his own personal Renaissance Festival. Science? Forsooth, milord, what dost thou mean?

In last night's debate, Perry offered the following extremely convincing (to other 13th-century refugees) argument against global warming:

1. Not all scientists believe in it, I am pretty sure.
2. I can't name any scientist who doesn't, but then, I can't name any scientists at all.
3. Even if they do say it's a fact, that doesn't mean it's true.
4. Because Galileo.
5. Hey, Galileo! He's a scientist who probably didn't believe in global warming!
6. QED.

Mitt stakes: Romney botches 9 energy facts

Mitt Romney released his much-hyped jobs plan Tuesday. In the energy section alone, there are 9 inconsistencies and factually incorrect statements.

Here’s what happens to EPA whistleblowers (hint: it isn’t pretty)

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo's new book, No Fear: The Whistleblower's Triumph Over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA, tells about the ordeal she went through while working at the EPA in the 1990s. She told NPR:

For me, working at the EPA was a very harrowing experience. … I was surprised that the in environment of the EPA, instead of being rewarded for being proficient in what you do, loyalty was a much greater value. When I began questioning U.S. policy, I was considered disloyal. And at that point, at the minds of many people at the EPA, I had become their enemy.

Coleman-Adebayo says she faced racial and gender-based discrimination during her time at the office. But her real problems started when she questioned her supervisors' reaction to a problem she found out about while working with the 1996 Gore-Mbeki commission in South Africa.

Missouri puts payoff of local power in peril

The Missouri legislature's move to jeopardize the state's renewable energy standard misses the huge economic benefits of local clean energy.

How do you solve a problem like neoliberalism?

There's been an interesting online debate over neoliberalism in the past few months. I'd like to weigh in with some thoughts on an under-discussed aspect of the debate: how climate change and climate policy change the equation.

Jon Huntsman speaks out on climate change

In a tweet last week, Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman made the apparently super-controversial claim that he "trust[s] scientists on global warming." This weekend, he went a step further, telling ABC's Jake Tapper that his opponents' opposition to the idea of climate change is wrongheaded and extremist.

Politics, farmers, and change: The end of rural America

Big Ag-friendly policy has put family farms in crisis, but Obama can reverse the trend if he delivers on campaign promises.