Climate Politics
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Selling out the polar bears … or smart climate politics?
In upholding the Bush-era decision on polar bears, is Obama shrewdly pushing a larger climate agenda?iStock PhotoThe Obama administration will uphold a controversial Bush-era decision that limits protection for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced today. Polar bears will continue to be considered a threatened species because their […]
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Straight talk with Congressman Doyle
“This is 2009. We’ve got 41 years in this deal, and we shouldn’t be so worried about the first 10 years.” — Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), Environment and Energy Daily, May 7, 2009 The time for climate action is now.wwarby via FlickrI had no plans yesterday morning as I woke up and turned on my […]
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Waxman-Markey deal-making update: 14% cut by 2020
“We’re moving well, making a lot of progress on these issues,” Waxman said. “We’re getting very, very close.” We’re starting to hear details of the sausage-making led by chief climate chef House Energy and Commerce Chair Henry Waxman (D-CA). Needless to say, it ain’t pretty. E&E Daily (subs. req’d) reports this morning: Rep. Henry Waxman […]
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Secretary Chu agrees with Climate Progress and slashes hydrogen budget
“We asked ourselves, ‘Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years that we will covert to a hydrogen car economy?’ The answer, we felt, was ‘no,’” Chu said in a briefing today. He cited several barriers, including infrastructure, development of long-lasting portable fuel cells and other problems. For years now, I have […]
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Cap-and-trade vs. carbon tax: a bird in hand is worth two on Alpha Centauri
Tax! Cap! Tax! Cap! Pant … I find it really hard to believe, but the perennial “carbon tax vs. cap-and-trade” debate is still going on. It goes on and on and on and it never changes. It’s like everyone’s following a script now. I’ve been over this territory so many times that I hardly know […]
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Vilsack’s USDA shakes things up
I know some are still reeling from the recent Obama administration announcement on biofuels and its implication that it remains a bit too much in thrall to the concerns of Big Ag. And Tom Vilsack’s continued pimping for Monsanto and other biotech companies seems both unsustainable and uninformed. But a slew of positive decisions have […]
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Rep. Barton says the only way to stop a global pandemic is if everyone does nothing
“Don’t confuse my opposition to excessive regulation with a desire for inaction. We don’t need an international treaty with rules and regulations that will handcuff the American economy or our ability to make our environment cleaner, safer and healthier.” – “Words that Work” from GOP messaging guru Frank Luntz, in his 2002 memo on talking […]
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One Hard Thing You Must Do to Save the Planet
Perhaps you know someone in the district of a swing Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In “25 Easy Things One Hard Thing You Can Must Do to Save the Planet,” Jimmy Seidita disses the Earth Day lists of 10 simple things that you can do to save the planet and then (wisely) […]
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Why mandate renewables if we already have a cap on CO2?
A question I hear frequently (in wonk circles anyway): If the U.S. implements a declining cap on CO2, why does it also need a national Renewable Portfolio Standard? (For non-wonks, some basic background: a declining cap on CO2 emissions would, theoretically, force electric utilities to find low-carbon alternatives. An RPS would dictate that utilities generate […]
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New religious coalition seeks climate ‘redemption’ via carbon plan
Joel Hunter, important pastor.Dr. Joel Hunter, reputedly one of President Obama’s five favorit-est pastors, might have just gotten even more favorit-er. The Florida megachurch pastor stars in a blitz of new ads on Christian radio stations intended to raise support for a climate bill like the one under consideration in the U.S. House. Hunter, a […]