Climate Politics
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Obama finally pitched an energy tent big enough to attract Republicans
George Will, the conservative columnist who predicted Obama would try to "stroke every erogenous zone in the electorate" with his State of the Union speech, must be smoking a cigarette in bed by now.
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Building lots of infrastructure sounds great. Paying for it won't be easy
Obama isn't backing down from his push to make high-speed rail part of his legacy. But with transportation infrastructure, funding remains an issue.
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Obama's energy gambit: a call for less coal
None of the targets Obama offered in his State of the Union -- 80 percent clean energy, 80 percent access to high-speed rail, a million electric cars -- have any policy force. They are offered as signaling devices, attempts to frame political debates to come. In that context, I thought what he did on energy was quite a bit more interesting and significant than it's being given credit for.
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What's behind Newt Gingrich's proposal to abolish the EPA?
Everyone on the internets is busy mocking Newt Gingrich's call to abolish the EPA. And that is as it should be -- I would never ask anyone to stop mocking Newt Gingrich. Rarely has the universe mixed pomposity and dimwittery into such an exquisitely mockworthy package. I do want to note, however, that what Gingrich is trying to pull off is not just old-fashioned Republican-style "leave corporate polluters alooooone!" Don't get me wrong: Newt wants to remove constraints on polluters! But he knows (unlike his buddies in Congress) that such a baldly retrograde position will not be popular with the public, which actually likes clean air. So he needs some kind of alternative. That's why he's proposing to replace the EPA with something called the Environmental Solutions Agency.
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Obama's regulatory reform will focus on fairness
Obama's executive order adds "human dignity" and "fairness" to the list of considerations.
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Carol Browner is leaving: does it matter?
President Barack Obama's top energy and climate change adviser will step down in the coming weeks. Was there any reason for her to stay?
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Rising commodity prices and extreme weather events threaten global stability
Get ready for a rocky year. From now on, rising prices, powerful storms, severe droughts and floods, and other unexpected events are likely to play havoc with the fabric of global society, producing chaos and political unrest.
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Obama's State of the Union: what he should say but won't
The best climate hawks can hope for from Obama over the next two years is to defend the EPA. Here's what he should say about it in his State of the Union.
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Obama’s executive order could actually be a win for the environment
Progressives have weighed in on Barack Obama's regulation executive order with criticism. A close look reveals much of the complaints are unwarranted.
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Where the GOP presidential contenders stand on climate [UPDATED]
All of the leading hopefuls for the Republican presidential nomination vociferously oppose cap-and-trade systems. On climate science, there's more variety, ranging from loud denial to quiet acquiescence.
