Climate Politics
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Obama needs to take a stand on trade
When President Obama attends the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) meeting (or the more innocuous sounding, North American Leaders Summit) in Guadalajara he has the opportunity to keep some campaign promises. The SPP has been referred to as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on steroids. For good reason. As a candidate Obama was […]
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Sanders & Merkley introduce bill to fund waste heat capture [with video of cats flushing toilets!]
Sens. Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.) have introduced a fantastic bill that deserves to be part of the climate/energy package the Senate votes on later this year. The Thermal Energy Efficiency Act (S.1621) “would dedicate 2% of revenues from climate change legislation to fund combined heat and power, waste energy recovery, and district […]
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Energy interests to fund ‘astroturfing’ efforts during congressional break
Courtesy Daquella manera via FlickrAstroturfing – the corporate practice of funding initiatives that mimic “grassroots” support for an issue – has been getting a lot of attention these days, after it came to light that a pro-coal group was ultimately behind forged letters to Congress on the climate bill. But the practice is neither new […]
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Glaciers, cheetahs, and nukes, oh my!
Financial Times South Asia Bureau Chief James Lamont has written a flood of environment-as-political-dialogue stories this week! (Well, only two, but that constitutes a deluge in the world of environmental peacebuilding.) On Monday he wrote about India and China’s agreement to work together to monitor Himalayan glacial melt. The potential decline in water availability from […]
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How the Senate can fix cost containment in the climate bill with ‘price collar plus’
The climate and clean energy bill that narrowly passed the House has three problems related to cost containment (CC) that the Senate should — and I expect will — address: Fence-sitting Senators (and industries) worry that its CC provisions aren’t hard-nosed and specific enough to protect the public and businesses from carbon prices that get […]
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Forged climate bill letters a ‘blatant fraud,’ says women’s group
Among the forged anti-climate letters that found their way to Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) earlier this summer was a message purporting to be from the American Association of University Women (AAUW). One can only assume that the coal-funded astroturfer who faked the letter worried that the etters he forged from minority groups wouldn’t get Perriello’s […]
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Cash-for-Clunkers returns from the dead … until Labor Day
The Senate celebrated the imminent arrival of the annual August recess by confirming Sonia Sotomayor‘s Supreme Court nomination and ponying up an additional $2 billion for the highly successful (though dubiously green) cash-for-clunkers program. The vote was 60 to 37, with Democrats almost unanimously supporting the extension and Republicans nearly united in opposition. President Obama […]
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10 Dems call on Obama admin to support trade protections in a climate bill
A group of 10 Democrats from industrial and coal-dependent states sent a letter to President Obama on Thursday informing him that they will not support a climate and energy bill that puts American businesses on an uneven playing field. “Climate change is a reality and the world cannot afford inaction. However, we must not engage […]
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Mainstream greens applaud Sotomayor confirmation
Justice Sonia SotomayorPhoto: White HouseEnviros are cheering for brand-new Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday on a 68-31 vote. Well, make that many enviros, not all. “We congratulate Justice Sotomayor on her historic confirmation to the high court, where her extensive experience will serve her well,” said Sierra […]
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Lessons from the coal industry: Using vs. engaging communities of color
Crossposted from JackandJillPolitics.com – August 5th, 2009 This week revealed some of the best and worst moments in the role of people of color in the struggle over our nation’s energy and economic future. First, fraudulent attempts by coal lobbyists to defeat clean energy legislation, by faking support from communities of color, were uncovered. Then, […]
