Climate Politics
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Fed investigation fuels White House/BP breakup
Trudging through sludge along the Louisiana coast.Photo: Daniel Beltra/Greenpeace USAWith Attorney General Eric Holder now huddling with Gulf states attorneys general, the uneasy relationship between BP and the Obama administration is taking the ugly but inevitable “see you in court” turn. The White House is so anxious to separate itself from the BP stink that […]
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American Power Act: Allowance allocation
Following up on last week’s preliminary analysis of the Kerry-Lieberman climate bill, here’s a closer look at how allowances are distributed under the cap-and-trade program. High level: the allowances allocated over the life of the program, from 2013 to 2050, heavily favor consumer benefits. Smaller chunks are dedicated to deficit reduction, industry, and other objectives. […]
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What’s next for coal ash?
This is the final installment in Facing South’s week-long investigation into the growing national problem of coal ash waste and the looming battle over regulation. To read earlier installments in the series, visit here. A series of coal ash disasters — both catastrophic, like the spill of a billion gallons of toxic ash at a […]
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Climate bill aside, there are lots of smaller bills that could get us moving
The Obama administration hasn’t done much to use the BP Gulf oil disaster to push good energy policy. The best we’ve gotten is yesterday’s press conference, where Obama included a pro forma paragraph “calling on” Congress to pass the American Power Act, the climate and clean-energy bill in the Senate. (No threats, no anger, not […]
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Now is the time to transform our energy system
The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an unmitigated disaster. Its full consequences will not be known for decades. What we do know, however, is that BP President Tony Hayward was incredibly wrong when he stated that the spill will have “a very, very modest environmental impact.” Quite the contrary! In fact, […]
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Success of oil capping bid won’t be clear for 48 hours
A mobile offshore drilling unit (front) drills a relief well in case this week’s top kill/junk shot attempt fails.U.S. Coast GuardBP’s latest one-two punch–pumping “heavy drilling fluid” with a junk-shot chaser–seems to be slowing the leaking Gulf oil well. But don’t uncross those fingers yet. “It’s going pretty well, according to plan,” BP chief Tony […]
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The Climate Post: BP oil spill washes up on Potomac shores
First things first: Oil-spill updates continue to gush out of the Gulf and Washington at volumes difficult to estimate. BP initiated its risky “top kill” maneuver Wednesday and the Coast Guard reported cautiously this morning that the oil stream has abated. If the effort works, BP will begin to plug the well with concrete in […]
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A chat with energy analyst Trevor Houser about how to assess climate legislation
Trevor HouserPhoto: Peterson Institute for International EconomicsTrevor Houser is a green energy wonk’s green energy wonk. In the last few years, he has produced, among other things, congressional testimony on greening the stimulus bill, an astute take on the market failures around energy efficiency in buildings (PDF), and a comprehensive assessment (PDF) of the Copenhagen […]
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Finally: Obama halts new offshore leases and stumps for climate bill
See, I have a Decider pose tooCourtesy White HouseNow we’re getting somewhere on the offshore drilling problem. Some progress from the top: Mr. Obama ordered a further six-month moratorium on new permits for new deepwater oil and gas wells; suspended the planned exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off the coast of Alaska; canceled […]
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How utilities plan to continue evading toxic air pollution controls
Cross-posted from the Wonk Room. As federal authorities struggle to deal with the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, it is probably useful to remember that power companies continue poisoning water bodies throughout the nation. The power industry’s successful campaign to sidestep toxic pollution controls has left a legacy of poisoned rivers and […]
