Climate Politics

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  • Senator, how will you vote on the climate bill?

    Track the debate and take action >>> House lawmakers are now on the record about climate legislation, but senators still haven’t been pinned down. As the Senate begins deliberation on climate legislation, help Grist find out how senators will vote. Send a message like this one to your two U.S. senators, then post their replies […]

    Grist staff Politics

  • Senate panel to kick off climate hearings on Tuesday

    The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee this week will begin the task of drafting climate and energy legislation, picking up where the House left off after passing the American Clean Energy and Security Act at the end of June. A hearing called for Tuesday will look at different “legislative tools” for addressing climate change. […]

    Kate Sheppard Politics

  • What’s become of school lunch

    Where’s my bubble-gum-flavored apple? Photo: dancing chopsticks Remember back in April, when I bemoaned Obama’s choice of an industry-friendly school-lunch overseer? The job of administering the USDA’s school-lunch program went to Janey Thornton. She had made her name serving in several capacities for the School Nutrition Association–a conglomeration of school cafeteria managers who have never […]

    Tom Philpott Politics

  • Rep. Massa explains his ‘no’ vote

    Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) was one of 44 Democrats who voted against the American Clean Energy and Security Act (aka Waxman-Markey) on June 26. Massa sent out the following explanation to his campaign email list: On Friday, June 26th, the 111th Congress voted on, and passed the Cap & Trade Climate Bill (H.R. 2454). I […]

    Grist staff Politics

  • Obama garden drama, and other choice morsels from around the Web

    The First Lady helps create the world’s most famous kitchen garden. When my info-larder gets too packed, it’s time to serve up some choice nuggets from around the Web. A high-profile urban garden, two writers, and some vile sludgeAndrew Kimbrell of the Center for Food Safety is one of our most important critics of industrial […]

    Tom Philpott Politics

  • American Clean Energy Security Act strengthens U.S. ability to sabotage international climate talks

    “The world is not going to turn its back on coal.“U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven ChuThe Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy Security Act (ACES) won’t cut emissions. It won’t serve as a platform we can improve later anymore than the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) served as a foot in the door to improve our democracy when […]

    Gar Lipow Politics

  • American Climate Energy Security bill still makes things worse.

    “The girl’s not playing with a full deck, Giles. She has almost no deck. She has a three.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Faith, Hope and Trick. The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) repeals the recently won authority the EPA has to regulate greenhouse gases, and replaces that authority with a loophole ridden […]

    Gar Lipow Politics

  • GOP: Solar powered jobs can go to hell (or at least limbo)

    The clock was ticking … till it stopped.Courtesy Osha DavidsonJust ten days ago, Arizona state Senator Barbara Leff (R-Paradise Valley) stood before a House committee, making the case for a bill she had written. “The Quality Jobs Through Renewable Energy Bill,” was needed, she said, to make Arizona the leader in solar [power].” Not just […]

    Osha Gray Davidson Politics

  • Counting Senate votes on a climate bill

    Track the debate and take action >>> UPDATED: 9 Oct 2009 The House already passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act (aka Waxman-Markey), so now the ball is in the Senate’s court.  Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced a climate bill on Sept. 30. For now, here’s a quick breakdown of […]

    Grist staff Politics

  • U.S.-Russia climate and energy efficiency cooperation: A neglected challenge

    This piece was co-written with colleagues from the Center for American Progress: Julian L. Wong, a Senior Policy Analyst, and Samuel Charap, a Fellow. The summit between President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in Moscow on July 6-8 comes in the middle of a packed international schedule of bilateral and multilateral meetings for […]

    Andrew Light Politics