Climate Politics

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  • What’s up with Murkowski and Graham? Formerly climate-conscious GOP senators flail around

    He’s the senior senator from South Carolina, a smooth-talking one-time Air Force attorney and JAG instructor whom a lot of Republicans don’t trust and call a RINO (Republican in Name Only).   She’s the senior senator from Alaska, first appointed to the Senate by her father, considered “squishy” on social issues like abortion by right-wingers, and […]

    Randy Rieland Politics

  • The Murkowski Resolution is a political assault on science

    Cross-posted from the Wonk Room. The Senate is now debating Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) resolution to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific finding, mandated by the Supreme Court, that manmade greenhouse gases endanger the American public. This is nothing less than a crass political attempt to defuse an existential threat by pretending it does not […]

    Brad Johnson Politics

  • Call Your Senators Now to Stop Big Coal, Big Oil in Murkowski Vote

    Today will see a major vote in the U.S. Senate – one that could hugely benefit Big Oil and Big Coal if it passes. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) will introduce her disapproval resolution that would block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from taking action to limit global warming pollution – even from the biggest polluters […]

    Bruce Nilles Politics

  • Will the EPA score the true costs AND benefits of the climate bill?

    This afternoon, the EPA is said to be sending its economic analysis of the climate bill proposed by Kerry and Lieberman to the Senators’ offices. It’s a scoring of how the legislation would affect the American economy. Hopefully that analysis will include the benefits, not just the costs of the measure. The agency has not […]

    Michael A. Livermore Politics

  • New poll shows (again) that public likes clean energy, doesn’t like taxes

    I guess I should have something to say about the big new poll/survey from Jon Krosnick’s Political Psychology Research Group at Stanford. The results, in sum, are as follows: large majorities believe in climate change and want the government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, make polluters pay, and support clean energy. The one thing they […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • What the Super Tuesday primary races mean for climate and clean energy

    So much for the Gulf oil spill as a political game-changer. In Tuesday’s primaries, the BP stink didn’t sink anyone. In fact, the winners included a number of candidates with oil under their nails. Let’s survey the damage: Blanche Lincoln. Arkansas Senate race You’re not from around these parts, are ya?: If anyone was going […]

    Randy Rieland Politics

  • California rejects shady Proposition 16

    California voters yesterday swatted down the state’s misguided Proposition 16, which is a glimmer of good news for clean-energy expansion. The proposal was basically a market-share protection plan for the large utility PG&E; it would have made it more difficult for more ambitious, green-minded municipalities to create or expand their own public power services. The […]

    Jonathan Hiskes Politics

  • Graham says he won’t vote for the climate bill he wrote

    Lindsey Graham — an original cosponsor of the Senate climate bill — has been backing away from that bill for a while. Now, according to CongressDaily, he’s gone entirely: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., today said he would vote against a climate change strategy he helped develop with Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • State of the planet: Cynical tweets edition

    Lindsey Graham, one of the “more sensible” Senate Republicans, said he won’t support a climate change plan, because, well, the challenge is too hard. The National Journal reports (behind a paywall): Graham said his advice to lawmakers is to “start over and scale down your ambitions.” This includes allowing electric utilities more time to meet […]

    Jonathan Hiskes Politics

  • Does Obama need more oilmen, not fewer, in his administration?

    Does good governance require a certain amount of this? Last week, I suggested that Obama “purge his administration of oil hacks.” I identified three: William Reilly, co-chair of the administration’s oil-spill investigation commission and a well-compensated director of ConocoPhillips since 1998; Steve Koonin, who took the a top Department of Energy post in 2009 after […]

    Tom Philpott Politics