Climate Politics
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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 […]
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Tim Johnson (D-S.D.)
Tim Johnson South Dakota’s sole U.S. representative, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D), voted against the climate bill in the House, and Sen. Tim Johnson may do the same in the Senate. His vote will depend in part on how the final bill deals with agriculture and coal. He’s also a big fan of biofuels (his website […]
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MoveOn’s Masterful Move
Most every major advance in civic climate action has originated outside the envelope of U.S. climate politics as practiced by major environmental organizations and funders. The problem was first identified by Jim Hansen and other climate scientists, first brought to wide attention by journalists Bill McKibben and Ross Gelbspan, and popularized by New Yorker writer […]
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The epic battle for the Senate, Part 1: What we can learn from the House vote.
A few moderate senators in both parties hold in their hands the fate of climate legislation — and hence the possibility that the nation and the world might have a realistic chance of averting catastrophic climate impacts. That’s because The GOP has made the fateful — and fatal — decision to cast its lot with […]
