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  • Kerry-Boxer clean energy bill: Chairman’s mark and EPA analysis released

    Sen. Boxer speaking at a CEJAPA rally at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Photo courtesy The Sierra Club via Flickr At close to 11pm Eastern, Boxer’s office has finally released the chairman’s mark of the Kerry-Boxer bill. This is the version of the bill that will be debated in hearings next week. Concurrently, the […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • White House loads policy initiatives into a few hours of fun at Healthy Kids Fair

    Cross-posted from Obama Foodorama. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack watches Mrs. Obama make remarks at the opening of the Fair.Photo: Obama FoodoramaA challenge for change, and White House Chefs demo’ing delicious, nutritious recipes… The autumn sunshine was very bright, the weather unseasonably warm, and there was a party atmosphere at the White House for Wednesday’s […]

    Eddie Gehman Kohan Politics

  • Obama says ‘It’s hard to say’ why critics of clean energy accuse him of socialism

    Cross-posted from the Wonk Room This afternoon at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, President Obama challenged the nation to explore the “new frontiers” of the “clean energy economy of tomorrow.” He praised Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for working on legislation to make our energy system “more […]

    Brad Johnson Politics

  • Confusion in the Senate regarding allowance allocation

    According to an October 22nd  story in Environment & Energy Daily (“Climate:  GOP Fence Sitters Voice Concerns Over Allocations” by Darren Samuelson), several key swing-vote Senate Republicans — including Senator Lisa Murkowski, ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee — are voicing skepticism about the Senate’s Boxer-Kerry climate bill’s cap-and-trade system because of […]

    Robert Stavins Politics

  • Obama energy speech contained few policy specifics, but shaped forward-looking narrative

    Obama speaking on clean energy in MIT’s Kresge Auditorium. Photo: Dominick ReuterObama delivered a speech on energy at MIT on Friday, marking the kick-off for what is likely to be a protracted effort by the administration and Democrats in the Senate to pass the Kerry-Boxer clean energy bill. Those hoping for policy substance or firm […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • What does the Pew poll mean?

    The big news yesterday was a Pew poll showing a precipitous decline in the number of people who believe there is strong scientific evidence for anthropocentric climate change. Jon covered the details pretty well, including some reasons it should be taken with a grain of salt. It’s peculiar that these polls are often taken as […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • Poll finds sharp rise in global warming skepticism

    There are good reasons not to get too worked up about public-opinion polling on issues like climate change and energy. Polls confirm, over and over, that the public opinion is malleable—so much rides on the wording of questions. And most people don’t analyze policy in their spare time, so why ask them about cap and […]

    Jonathan Hiskes Politics

  • Put a cap on it, America!

    Tim Flannery says the U.S. Senate absolutely must pass some form of carbon cap before the Copenhagen talks in December.Mark Coulson, 5th World Conference of Science JournalistsDon’t let the perfect be the enemy of the absolutely essential. That’s the message author and climate campaigner Tim Flannery brought to Grist’s Seattle office today. By that, he […]

    Russ Walker Politics

  • In Seattle, rallying ’round the needle

    Scott Cooper, sustainability coordinator for EOS Alliance in Seattle, wants all his fellow Emerald City denizens to join him at the Space Needle this Saturday for International Climate Action Day. 350.orgWhy? Cooper offers up a top ten reasons: 10. Hang out at the fountain with family, friends, and neighbors 9. Show the world that Seattle […]

    Grist staff Politics

  • 67 Senators in play on climate bill

    Photo courtesy KouK’s via FlickrOkay, it may not exactly be an elephant stampede, but there is real movement on the climate bill by key swing Senators, as E&E Daily makes clear in an excellent new analysis, “On road to 60, Senate swells with fence sitters.” They count 31 “yes” votes, 11 “probably yes,” and 24 […]

    Joseph Romm Politics