Climate Politics

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  • Kent Conrad (D-N.D.)

    Kent Conrad Sen. Kent Conrad’s colleague in the House, Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.), voted against the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act, and Conrad says he wouldn’t vote for the bill either. He also joined with three other moderate Democrats in suggesting that the climate vote should be put off until next year. Last […]

    Kate Sheppard Politics

  • Senate Minority Report on global warming not credible, says Center for Inquiry

    A major political struggle surrounds current efforts to enact legislation addressing the harmful effects of climate change. Opponents of legislation limiting carbon dioxide emissions express doubt about the scientific evidence for global warming. Since the issuance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Science Report in 2007 (the Physical Science Report, hereafter referred to as […]

    Stuart Jordan & Thomas O'Brien Politics

  • Hawaii invests in climate change task force

    Haleakala National Park in HawaiiPhoto courtesy Simonds via FlickrHawaii’s state legislature established a climate change task force last week to study the potential impacts of rising sea levels, eroding coast lines, ocean acidification, fiercer storms, and other expected affects of climate change, and to suggest response strategies. Lawmakers overrode a veto by Republican Gov. Linda […]

    Jonathan Hiskes Politics

  • 100 nuclear plants: The answer?

      Architecture 2030 will post a better answer on Grist next week. Stay tuned … UPDATE:  Here’s the answer.  

    Edward Mazria Politics

  • Coal industry downplays prospects for CCS as it seeks more handouts in Senate climate bill

    The coal industry got a lot of goodies in the House-passed energy and climate bill, but it’s pressing for even more in the Senate version. At a Senate hearing on the future of coal hosted earlier this week by Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio), representatives from utilities and coal companies told lawmakers […]

    Kate Sheppard Politics

  • Rep. Rahall to leap out of a plane on behalf of coal

    West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall (D) plans to leap out of an airplane to show his support for coal. Yes, really. This comes via Ken Ward Jr., who posted Rahall’s press release on the big event. It is sponsored by Friends of Coal, and will honor the military and law enforcement too (that’s a lot […]

    Kate Sheppard Politics

  • Is China winning the clean energy race?

    Photo: Elizabeth Thomsen Today, in global talks, in the Senate, on the street, you still hear a murmur here and there about “not doing anything until India and China sign on.” And this previously pervasive attitude, however obsolete, may already be coming back to bite industrialized nations. Indeed, the big honchos in the West may […]

    Anna Fahey Politics

  • [UPDATED] Sen. Bernie Sanders cries “monopoly” in a collapsing milk market

    Got milk monopoly? UPDATE: Ask and ye shall receive. In a NYT article last Saturday, describing the considerable  resistance anti-trust chief Christine Varney is already experiencing in her attempt to toughen enforcement, came this nugget: At the request of some lawmakers, notably Senator Bernard Sanders, independent of Vermont, Ms. Varney is examining whether small agricultural […]

    Tom Laskawy Politics

  • The Climate Post: Pools of oil, plumes of gas

    First Things First: The Washington-to-Beijing diplomatic shuttle shows no sign of slowing down. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke visited China this week to prod collaboration on clean energy technology. Chu announced the U.S. would contribute $15 million to a partnership that will study how to capture carbon dioxide emissions and trap […]

    Eric Roston Politics

  • The three things Cass Sunstein should do on his first day

    Cass Sunstein.After some minor drama, it looks like Cass Sunstein is finally on the road to confirmation for director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) after being nominated by President Obama in January.  The Senate should schedule a vote as soon as possible so he can get to work.  As I’ve mentioned […]

    Michael A. Livermore Politics