Climate Politics
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Washington guv highlights green-jobs potential of climate action
Washington Gov. Christine GregoireWashington state has already surpassed its ambitious goal for creating green jobs, and the rest of the country could see similar results if Congress passes strong energy and climate legislation, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) told the Senate this week. In 2007, Gregoire set a goal of having 25,000 green jobs in […]
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The Climate Bill Shouldn’t Give Coal a Free Pass
Now that historic U.S. climate legislation – the American Clean Energy and Security Act – (ACES), has passed the House of Representatives and the Senate is debating its version of energy/climate legislation, let’s talk about what must be fixed before it gets to the President’s desk. Big Coal has long sought and enjoyed loopholes for […]
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Grading Senate websites reveals a lack of transparency on climate and energy
Grist got to wondering, “Can voters in all 50 states go online and easily find out what a senator thinks about climate change and energy policy?”Photo illustration by Tom Twigg / Grist Listen up, James Inhofe, because this might be the only compliment Grist ever pays you: You’ve got a decent website. Despite your wacked-out […]
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National security emphasis could inspire more support for climate bill, says former Sen. John Warner
Former Sen. John WarnerMore senators and citizens might support a climate bill if it emphasized the national security challenges presented by climate change, former Virginia Sen. John Warner (R) argued on Tuesday. At a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Warner joined former high-ranking military personnel and military analysts to stress that climate change […]
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Steven Chu and cap-and-snooze on the Daily Show
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart delivered a twofer last night with a bit of cap-and-trade commentary followed by an interview with “Dr. Nobel McGenius” — aka Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Stewart falls asleep out of boredom while trying to explain cap and trade, pretty much nailing what much of the political media seems to […]
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NAACP resolves to fight climate change
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People celebrated its centennial last week by jumping into the policy debate over global warming. Delegates at the storied civil rights organization’s annual meeting in New York voted to adopt a resolution supporting clean energy development, curbs on greenhouse gas emissions, and policies to foster green collar […]
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Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
Debbie StabenowSen. Debbie Stabenow wants to make sure climate legislation doesn’t hurt her home state’s auto industry. She has called for financial support for emerging industries such as advanced batteries, specifically praising plans for a clean energy revolving loan fund. “Shame on us as a country if we lose the capacity to manufacture this here,” […]
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Jim Webb (D-Va.)
Jim Webb Sen. Jim Webb is a moderate, and Virginia is a coal state. His House colleagues won major concessions for the coal industry in the Waxman-Markey climate bill, but whether they’ll be enough to win over Webb remains to be seen. Virginia Rep. Rick Boucher, who led the pro-coal lobby in shaping the House […]
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Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.)
Jay Rockefeller Sen. Jay Rockefeller has expressed concerns about the impact a climate bill would have on West Virginia’s coal industry. He’s probably more likely to vote for a bill than his home-state colleague Robert Byrd, but he would need to be assured that whatever bill passes isn’t too hard on the coal industry. “Senator […]
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Deniers are “full of passionate intensity”—and eating our lunch on climate bill
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold. I have heard from multiple sources that many U.S. senators are now getting 100 to 200 calls a day opposing a climate and clean energy bill — and bupkes in favor. The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Why? Well, the entire […]
