Politics

Afghanistan sitting on a motherlode

Mountains in Afghanistan.Photo courtesy Paolo Alfieri via FlickrNothing like the revelation of precious metals in a far off land to get the hyperbole flowing — and stir up the cynics. And so it goes in the wake of James Risen’s New York Times report that the U.S. has identified nearly a trillion dollars in mineral […]

Randy Rieland Politics

Time to get tough with BP on dispersants

As of June 9, BP had applied at least 1.1 million gallons of toxic chemical dispersants to address its ongoing oil leak in the Gulf. That’s the most that has been used in one place since 1979, when the Mexican government dropped between 1 million and 2.5 million gallons on a leak off the coast […]

Tom Philpott Politics

Retrofitting 75,000 houses would save as much energy as in the Gulf spill

Here’s a visceral way to represent potential energy savings in the built environment: Source: EnergySavvy That’s via the folks at Energy Savvy. If only the Senate had some sort of legislative strategy that could put this information to use … oh, wait, it does! Home Star legislation will spur the retrofit of 3.3 million homes, […]

David Roberts Politics

Oil, jobs, and the environment — a New Deal solution to the spill?

Cross-posted from New Deal 2.0. Franklin D. RooseveltPhoto: uncgspecial via FlickrIn the wake of recent revelations that far more oil is spilling out into the Gulf than was originally estimated, and as it now appears more and more likely that BP will not be able to completely shut off the flow of oil until perhaps […]

David Woolner Politics

Van Jones on Obama’s ‘megaphone moment’: ‘People want to be called to service’

Cross-posted from the Wonk Room Center for American Progress senior fellow Van Jones believes that the American public want to be “called to service” by President Barack Obama to respond to the Gulf oil disaster. Appearing on TV One’s Washington Watch with Roland Martin, Van Jones described the challenge the president faces in moving from […]

Brad Johnson Politics

Obama’s oil reform opportunity

President Barack Obama has made four trips to visit gulf state communities affected by the BP disaster and now plans to give his first-ever Oval Office speech to the nation this Tuesday evening to address the issue. This manmade calamity threatens the nation’s economy, health, and environment. This is also a crucial moment in the […]

Daniel J. Weiss Politics

Got a clever solar slogan? Tell us!

The New York State Legislature has been debating a big solar program — the New York Solar Industry Development and Jobs Act would add 5 GW of solar to the state’s energy mix — but we’re getting to the homestretch on the legislative calendar, and it’s do-or-die time in Albany. We’d like to send them […]

Adam Browning Politics

Un-democracy and the U.S. Senate, undercutting EPA edition

Last week, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) sponsored a measure to ban the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from large industrial facilities under the Clean Air Act, as ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Senate voted 53 to 47 against Murkowski and in favor of EPA’s authority to regulate carbon […]

Alan Durning Politics

Oil execs lined up for Washington grilling

The Deepwater Horizon rig, pre-explosion and pre-tipping.Photo: TransoceanBig Banking, Big Auto, and Big Coal have all been to the woodshed in the last little while. Tomorrow it’s Big Oil’s turn. Capitol Hill Summer Theater kicks off in style when the top execs of the world’s five largest oil companies report for their very own congressional […]