Climate Politics
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Could you be the next energy czar?
We could be over-thinking this whole energy crisis. Maybe we need just a wink and the chant, “Drill, baby, drill.” Maybe we need a healthy helping of “clean coal and safe nuclear.” Or maybe what we need is you. What do you think: Could you be the next energy czar? Side note: If the last […]
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The Biden-Obama position on ‘clean coal’ is not a mistake
Today, my inbox is bombarded with emails from enviros and clean energy advocates, some of whom say that Biden’s (and Obama’s) support of clean coal is “abysmal, absolutely abysmal.” I could not disagree more. I have this argument with enviros all the time. Tuesday, I argued the point with Ted Glick, the national coordinator of […]
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Disputing Shellenberger & Norhaus, part 2
(Those who have had enough of Shellenberger & Norhaus can skip this post, but I think this is a very important messaging discussion.) My critique of S&N has elicited from Nordhaus a sentence that encapsulates our differences, cuts through all the “barbs,” and makes clear just how dangerously wrong they are. Ted wrote here: We […]
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Reflecting on (and fact-checking) the VP debate
With the lengthy discussion of energy and climate issues in last night’s debate, it was easy to miss some important aspects as the vice presidential candidates sped through their respective talking points. For example, Joe Biden’s repeated plugs for “clean coal” irked enviros, particularly the folks at 1Sky. It was a 1Sky organizer who asked […]
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McCain looks to Palin for advice on energy
John McCain told NPR this week that, regarding Governor Palin, he has “turned to her advice many times in the past … particularly on energy issues.” Many? This would be especially scary when you consider that few people in the country are more misinformed on energy than Sarah Palin, the fungible candidate, a woman … […]
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Weighing Obama’s and McCain’s stances on food and farm policy
Will the next president be tough enough to defy the wishes of agribusiness? Apologies to Grant Wood Last month at Slow Food Nation, Michael Pollan made an interesting point about food policy and presidential politics. Food issues won’t likely play much of a role during the campaign’s stretch run, Pollan said, but the winning candidate […]
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Biden questioner says ‘clean coal’ doesn’t exist
Last night, Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden said that his previous remarks on “clean coal” were “taken out of context,” and that he “for 25 years has supported clean coal technology.” The remarks came after moderator Gwen Ifill asked him to clarify earlier, seemingly contradictory statements on clean coal. Clean coal leapt into the spotlight […]
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House passes bailout plan with extensions for renewables, sends to Bush’s desk
If at first you don’t succeed, try again. After failing to muster enough votes on Monday, the House on Friday approved the financial market bailout plan by a vote of 263-171, sending the bill to the desk of the president. The final version of the bailout included the extensions for renewable tax credits that Congress […]
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Watch the video and read the transcript
Last night’s vice presidential debate featured an important exchange on climate change. Grist is posting the video and transcript excerpt below: Moderator Gwen Ifill’s question to Sarah Palin: “Governor, I’m happy to talk to you in this next section about energy issues. Let’s talk about climate change. What is true and what is false about […]
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$13 billion Amtrak bill heads to Bush’s desk
The Senate this week voted 74-24 to approve the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act, which would boost funding for Amtrak. With high gas prices and tough economic times pushing more Americans to ride the rails, Congress is aiming to improve rail infrastructure. The five-year, $13 billion bill would fund new safety measures for trains, like […]
