Climate Politics
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My robo-call from Gingrich
Here’s the call I got this morning, loosely paraphrased, initially from a live person and then with a recording from Newt. Newt (paraphrased): “I’m calling business leaders like yourself who understand the way that taxes cripple our economy, to ask for your support in the development a flat tax structure to lower the cost on […]
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Pelosi may keep House Global Warming Committee going
Ed Markey. In the wake of news that Henry Waxman will take over the House Energy and Commerce Committee, there’s been some speculation that Speaker Nancy Pelosi would scrap the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which she created this past session to throw a spotlight on climate change. (The committee is […]
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Senator announces two climate bills to be introduced in January
Today, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, announced that she will introduce two pieces of green legislation in January. Barbara Boxer. The first is a proposal to create a grant program that would hand out $15 billion a year to support clean energy innovation. This is in line […]
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The new administration’s success with climate policy will depend on where they start
A few observations as to what we can expect from the incoming administration: What they ultimately get done may be a function of what they do first. First off, our economic downturn is going to be long and deep. The headlines about over-leveraged companies going bust or paying down massive amounts of debt essentially mean […]
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‘Show me a 50-foot wall, and I’ll show you a 51-foot ladder’
CNN is reporting that Janet Napolitano is Obama’s choice for secretary of homeland security. That’s great news for the imperiled wildlife and landscape of America’s desert southwest. Napolitano’s record shows that she’s the ideal candidate to fulfill Obama’s pledge to tear down (most of) the Bush administration’s border wall now dividing Arizona from Mexico. She’s […]
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A chat with CARB chair and candidate for EPA chief Mary Nichols
On Wednesday at the Governors’ Global Climate Summit, we caught up with Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, a few minutes before she hosted the signing ceremony that culminated the event. As head of CARB since July 2007, Nichols has taken the lead in shaping and implementing California’s ambitious global warming program, […]
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Waxman to lead House panel that will shape any climate legislation
Breaking news out of Washington: Rep. John Dingell, the Michigan congressman who has used his position as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee to protect Detroit’s automakers from serious environmental mandates, has lost his bid to continue leading the panel. House Democrats today chose to install Henry Waxman of California at the committee’s helm. […]
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Intelligence report stresses climate change a security threat
A new intelligence report released Thursday that’s intended to brief President-elect Barack Obama on future security threats mentions climate change as a major barrier to national security and international stability. The report echoes climate scientists’ predictions of increased drought and flooding, while also focusing on climate change’s impacts on world food supplies, U.S. military installations, […]
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Schwarzenegger’s conclave ends with pledge to cut emissions
Arnold Schwarzenegger. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) two-day climate gathering ended Wednesday with the adoption of a pledge by 26 governors and regional leaders from six countries to work together to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The two-page statement commits the signers to achieving “quantifiable greenhouse gas emission reductions collectively.” In a clear nod to […]
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ProPublica keeps a close eye on Bush’s last-minute shenanigans
As the Bush administration tries to cement W’s anti-environmental legacy by pushing through last-minute evildoing, ProPublica is keeping a close eye on the shenanigans. Here is a big-picture article on 11th-hour regulations, including speculation as to what President Obama could do to reverse ’em. Here is a list of 20 rules and regulations that the […]
