Climate Politics
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EPA clears waterboarding for Appalachia
As American citizens in Mingo County and other areas of the flood-stricken Kentucky and West Virginia coalfields continue to dig themselves out of the muck, indefatigable Charleston Gazette reporter Ken Ward is reporting on his Coal Tattoo blog that the EPA has “signed off on almost all (87.5 percent, to be exact) of the mountaintop […]
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Waxman and Markey divvy up the goods — I wish my parents had given me allowances like this!
Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) have circulated a draft proposal of allowance allocations for their landmark energy and climate legislation (see here and below). They explain: Emission allowances will be allocated to accomplish three primary goals: (1) to protect consumers from energy price increases; (2) to assist industry in the transition to a […]
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EPA administrator Lisa Jackson on The Daily Show
Jon Stewart had two green-related segments last night. First was an interview with EPA administrator Lisa Jackson: [vodpod id=Video.1622577&w=425&h=350&fv=autoPlay%3Dfalse] The second was a hilarious Samantha Bee bit on Michelle Obama’s organic garden and Big Ag’s opposition to it: [vodpod id=Video.1622682&w=425&h=350&fv=autoPlay%3Dfalse]
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New York Times runs absurdly misleading headline on Revkin’s sea level rise (non)story
Study Halves Prediction of Rising Seas You have got to be kidding me. Just for the record, the study doesn’t actually alter the “prediction of rising seas” in your lifetime — or your grandchildren’s lifetimes — one inch. More accurate would be Reuters, “West Antarctic ice threat revised down; still dire.“ It’s a good headline […]
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Is the U.S. consumption binge over?
It looks like U.S. carbon dioxide emissions peaked in 2007. But are we really seeing the start of an even more fundamental change in the U.S. economy, driven by the hyper-recession, team Obama and other major trends (like peak oil and global warming)? I’m very interested in what you are seeing and hearing from your […]
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Waxman’s big get: VA Rep. Boucher
“Key Dem backs Waxman climate bill” is how Politico reported this afternoon’s big breaking news. Boucher is … a coal-country Democrat whose support signals the backing of industrial state Democrats in the south and Midwest. “I intend to vote yes and I intend to encourage all other members of the committee to do the same,” […]
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The Lancet’s landmark Health Commission
Lead author Anthony Costello says that failure to act will result in an intergenerational injustice, with our children and grandchildren scorning our generation for ignoring the climate change threat –- with moral outrage similar to how we today look back on those who brought in and did nothing to stop slavery. The Lancet medical journal […]
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American Public Wants Climate Policy
After reading earlier this week that only 24 percent of Americans know what cap and trade is (and in the same day, that 88 million votes were cast in last week’s round of American Idol), I needed a little pick-me-up. Luckily, it arrived today in the form of new Pew survey numbers indicating strong public […]
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Why farm-state pols rage against the EPA’s biofuel stance
His Majesty is furiousWhy are farm-state pols howling against recently proposed EPA rules on biofuel and greenhouse gas emissions? As I reported last week — echoed by Time’s Michael Grunwald — the agency made extremely generous assumptions regarding the GHG footprint of crop-based fuel. What’s more, the proposed rules actually enshrine the titanic biofuel mandates […]
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House Democrat defends OMB memo source
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) On Thursday, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), chair of the House Committee on Small Business, issued a statement responding to the controversy over an interagency memo critical of the EPA’s endangerment finding (see here, here, here): The SBA’s Office of Advocacy plays a vital role in the regulatory process. They are […]