Climate Politics
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The filibuster is giving enviros unwarranted self-esteem issues
The dysfunctional state of the Senate has damaging consequences that extend into virtually every corner of American politics. There's just one in particular I want to focus on today, namely: it gives progressives a complex!
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Lessons from Senate climate fail
Here are some lessons learned from the perspective of someone who spent the last few years trying to push a real bill through the real Congress.
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Recently elected Dem senators want more 'fight’ for green economy
In a series of interviews with the Wonk Room at Netroots Nation, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) described the challenges of confronting climate pollution in the sclerotic legisla
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Smoking vs. obesity: Which health issue most deserves taxpayers' dollars?
Anti-smoking spending is down, while anti-obesity spending is up. Is this really a problem?
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Congress rolls out its spill bills
Finally we got a look at what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) considers climate and energy legislation. Don't cheer all at once.
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School lunch reform still alive — but in critical condition
The school lunch reform bill is finally moving in Congress -- but perhaps not fast enough to save it.
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Attack on clean air protections planned in Senate
NRDC has obtained a copy of amendments that Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) appears poised to lodge next week in the Senate Environment Committee to wage a sweeping attack on the Clean Air Act on behalf of dirty power plants.
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Energy bill could save PACE clean-energy program — if a Republican will help
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he is willing to add PACE-restoring legislation to a scaled-back energy bill, but only if a Republican cosponsor signs on to the plan. That may be the best hope of restoring the popular finance tool.
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Are environmentalists responsible for climate failure?
Environmentalists and their allies have expressed “disappointment” at the failure of the Senate to cap carbon pollution this year. A few bold voices have even suggested, gingerly, that President Obama might bear just a teensy bit of responsibility for this failure by not aggressively lobbying the Senate to take action or launching a consistent public campaign for action. Meanwhile, the White House isn’t shying from putting the blame squarely on environmentalists.
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What are the prospects for comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation in the coming years?
The chances for either an economy-wide shrinking cap on greenhouse gas emissions or a major push on clean energy investment over the next several years are not large. The best one could plausibly hope for in the next Congress, assuming only modest Republican gains, is some sort of weak cap on utility emissions, though that would still require Obama to do what he refused to do under more favorable political circumstances -- push hard for a bill.
