Climate Politics
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Senate rules out using budget process to pass cap-and-trade
Prospects for using the Congress’s budget process to pass cap-and-trade legislation were extinguished on Wednesday night as the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a measure to bar that option. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), prohibits the “use of reconciliation in the Senate for climate change legislation involving a cap and trade […]
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Senate susses out climate plan positions
As attention focused on the climate and energy bill unveiled by key House Democrats on Tuesday, the Senate quietly held a couple of votes that reveal a great deal about where that chamber stands on upcoming legislation. The first was a measure sponsored by Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). It inserts […]
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Responding to the “energy tax” attack
I’ll get more into the specifics of the Waxman/Markey bill in a bit, but first let’s address something lots of people have been asking me about these past few days: how to respond to Republican attacks that Dem energy/climate legislation constitutes an “energy tax” that will cost every American family 178 katrillion dollars every time […]
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Cable talkers take note of Shimkus flat-earthism
The idiocy of John Shimkus has attracted some attention from cable talkers. Here’s Rachel Maddow: Here’s Keith Olbermann:
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In defense of the Dems’ One Big Bill energy/climate strategy
As Kate reported, Reps. Waxman and Markey have released a discussion draft of their American Clean Energy and Security (ACES, heh) Act. You can read Kate’s post for details, the full 600-page(!) text if you’ve got the nerve, or a summary. As far as I can tell, this didn’t get much media, which is peculiar, […]
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Republicans claim carbon bill impact on families that is off by — no kidding — 98%
So Republicans have been going around saying that Obama’s cap-and-trade program will cost every American household $3,128 a year. Wait, did I say cap-and-trade program? I mean “light switch tax.” Because you’ll pay a tax every time you turn on your light! Get it?! And so comes the latest wet burp from the rotting corpse […]
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Key Democrats deal opening hand in climate debate
House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders released the much-anticipated draft of their climate and energy legislation on Tuesday, a proposal that includes emissions goals more ambitious than those proposed by the Obama White House but also leaves open many of the most contentious questions on climate policy. Sponsors Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) […]
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Waxman-Markey bill gets a B+
House Energy and Commerce Chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chair Ed Markey (D-Mass.) are releasing their long-awaited draft energy and climate bill today. Based on reports from a Committe debrief and an E&E Daily story this morning ($ub. req’d, excerpted below) and a Reuters story (here), I’ll give some first impressions. […]
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Republican budget has more pictures of windmills than charts of numbers
Last week, congressional Republicans rolled out their own alternative budget proposal [PDF] — but it doesn’t contain any actual hard numbers. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs points out that there are actually more pictures of windmills in the budget than charts of numbers:
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Legislators from around the world meet to discuss climate policy
Senior legislators from 17 countries met in Washington, D.C., on Monday to discuss their role in shaping climate action plans as world leaders continue to hash out the details of a new international climate treaty. The Global Legislators Organization (GLOBE) is hosting an International Commission on Climate Change and Energy Security summit, which comes just […]
