Climate Politics
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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 […]
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Grist talks to Kansas regulator who took on dirty coal
Grist readers are quite familiar with the coal fight in Kansas, where Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) earned props from enviros for repeatedly vetoing (and effectively shelving) plans for new coal-fired power plants. But the unsung hero in that battle was Roderick Bremby, the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, who in October […]
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Canada government flip-flops on cap-and-trade
In an apparent policy shift, Canada’s Conservative government declared Wednesday, “We will work with the provincial governments and our partners to develop and implement a North America-wide cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases.” Prime Minister Stephen Harper has to date favored reductions in greenhouse-gas “intensity” over hard caps on emissions.
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Panel recommends Waxman over Dingell for energy committee
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has scored a few points in his battle to unseat John Dingell (D-Mich.) from his chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. This morning, the House Steering and Policy Committee voted 25-22 to recommend Waxman for the post. But the vote that really matters comes tomorrow, when the full Democratic […]
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Obama OMB Cabinet pick is champion of cap-and-auction
National Journal reports that Obama is preparing to appoint Peter Orszag, current director of the Congressional Budget Office, as head of his Office of Management and Budget (the White House equivalent of the CBO). OMB chief is an important Cabinet-level position that will oversee some 500 employees that monitor and assess the performance and spending […]
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Obama hits green home run in remarks to govs on clean energy and climate
Much like Al Gore’s surprise appearance at Netroots Nation this summer (which seems like eons ago at this point), I am told that President-elect Barack Obama’s taped message to the Bi-Partisan Governor’s Global Climate Summit was met with thunderous applause and a standing ovation. President-elect Obama’s remarks should quiet any remaining suspicions that his campaign […]
