Climate Politics
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Reid pulls together Dem bigwigs (and T. Boone) to hash over energy policy
I’m here at UNLV for the National Clean Energy Summit being thrown by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Center for American Progress. I guess they’re playing off Las Vegas’s international reputation for bringing water and air conditioning to the desert clean energy. Bill Clinton is speaking in a few minutes. And hey, is […]
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Mississippi Senate race goes negative as Dems attack incumbent over Big Oil
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is targeting Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) for supporting Big Oil. A new ad highlights the fact that he voted to give oil companies tax breaks and voted against legislation to curb speculation in the oil market. “While oil companies make record profits, Roger Wicker votes to give them $28 billion […]
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The good, the bad, and the ugly of the ‘Gang of 10’ drilling deal, part 2
Major legislative compromises are unsatisfying by design. They invariably have good, bad, and ugly parts. I have previously argued that the Democrats would be smart to compromise on offshore drilling. The rest of this series will examine whether the so-called Gang-of-10 deal is in fact a smart compromise. That question can be rephrased as, does […]
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Virginia governor falsely claims Obama shares his support for new coal
Virginia governor Tim Kaine (D) held a Northern Virginia town hall meeting in Prince William County in the Washington, D.C. exurbs as part of his campaign for Barack Obama. The subtext of the town hall (one of a series) is that Kaine is trying to prove his value to Obama so he can get the […]
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T. Boone Pickens gets face time with both prez candidates
T. Boone Pickens, the former Texas oilman who has turned his focus — and substantial funding — to renewable energy, breakfasted with both of the presidential candidates in past days. (But is he still a slim Pickens?) The billionaire met with John McCain on Friday; Pickens has said that he supports the Republican candidate, but […]
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Why is nuclear energy what ‘real men’ support?
On Friday, I pointed to some survey results showing that more men than women support nuclear power, by a 72-40 percent margin. Today, I was reading a Lou Aguilar piece in National Review called "Real Men Vote for McCain" — which as far as I can tell is not parody, though it’s difficult to be […]
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Energy in the Democratic platform
Here’s a selection from the Democratic platform (PDF), final draft released Friday. What do you think? — New American Energy In the local platform hearings, Americans talked about the importance of energy to the economy, to national security and to the health of our planet. Speaking loud and clear, they said that America needs a […]
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John McCain, who has missed several crucial energy votes, says he hasn’t
This is McCain interviewing Walter Isaacson at the Aspen Institute: "I have not missed any crucial vote." Says Satyam at ThinkProgress: McCain’s has actually missed several "crucial" energy votes. In July alone, he missed every single energy vote brought to the floor. This session, McCain has skipped votes supporting renewable energy tax credits four times, […]
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Department of Energy flushes $15 million down the hydrogen toilet
There are only three sure things in life — death, taxes, and you won’t be buying a hydrogen fuel cell car. Sadly, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has not gotten any of the memos (see “Some clarity on the Clarity” and “This just in: Hydrogen fuel cell cars […]
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Cuckoo bananas energy policy from House conservatives
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) personifies just how haywire House conservatives have gone lately, particularly on energy issues. She quickly made a name for herself after being elected to Congress in 2006. In fact, she gained some dubious notoriety even before being elected, announcing to a Brooklyn Park, Minnesota congregation in October 2006 that "God then […]