Climate Politics

McCain compares Obama to Britney and Paris in new energy ad

In the ongoing energy ad battle, John McCain released another television ad today on the subject. Or at least it purports to be about energy. The ad juxtaposes video of Obama at his recent speech in Berlin with photos of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and alleges that while he might be celebrated the world […]

Obama responds to McCain’s ‘Pump’ ad with call for higher mileage standards and renewables

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama released a new television ad on energy prices yesterday — a direct response to John McCain’s recent ad blaming Obama for high gas prices. “Have you seen John McCain’s TV ad?” the Obama ad asks. “John McCain is blaming Barack Obama for gas prices. The same old politics.” “Barack Obama […]

Four senators call for perjury investigation of EPA chief’s testimony

Four senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee have called for the resignation of EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and have asked the U.S. attorney general to investigate whether Johnson lied to Congress in a hearing about California’s greenhouse-gas emissions waiver. In a letter to the attorney general, the senators wrote, “[W]e believe that there […]

The offshore drilling hoax, part 2

In part 1 we saw that lifting the moratorium on coastal drilling can't possibly reduce gasoline prices. After all, two years ago, we opened most of the Gulf of Mexico -- with its estimated 41 billion barrels of oil -- and oil prices then doubled. The remaining prohibited coastal areas have only 18 billion barrels, of which 10 billion is off of California and likely to be blocked by the state. Another four of the 18 billion is in the Eastern Gulf off of Florida, which most Republican bills do not fully open for drilling since that would piss of Sen. Martinez.

Tom Cole, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, sent out an email (reprinted below) titled "Democrats Want You To Pay High Gas Prices." The email quotes a conservative publication claiming, "Given that lower gasoline prices would defeat the purpose of their entire environmental program, Democrats are in a very awkward position on the energy issue."

That is among the most laughable things I've read. It is conservatives who want high gas prices because energy companies are among their biggest donors, and high prices mean bigger profits. That's why Republicans have consistently opposed serious efforts on energy efficiency, fuel economy standards, conservation, and alternative for over a quarter of a century. That's why former maverick and now card-carrying hard-core conservative John McCain flip-flopped on this position.

Deep Throat said, "Follow the money." Duh!

EDF prez says we can’t afford to wait for the ideal first step

 

The following is a response to this post.

-----

Ken Ward tracks the evolution of EDF's position on climate legislation in search of evidence that we've relented on tough global warming pollution limits since making climate change a top priority more than ten years ago. He sees our support of the Climate Security Act as a retreat from bold action, as surrender to what's merely possible in Congress. Far from it.

What shapes our advocacy and our support for that bill is not, as Ken suggests, the limits of politics-as-usual in Washington. It's shaped by the urgent need to begin reducing global warming pollution -- and the fact that as a nation we have failed to take action despite two decades of evidence that we are in deep trouble.

Gas tax revenue falling, feds seek to raid mass transit budget to pay for highways

From The New York Times:

Gasoline tax revenue is falling so fast that the federal government may not be able to meet its commitments to states for road projects already under way, the secretary of transportation said Monday.

The secretary, Mary E. Peters, said the short-term solution would be for the Highway Trust Fund's highway account to borrow money from the fund's mass transit account, a step that would balance the accounts as highway travel declines and use of mass transit increases. Both trends are being driven by the high price of gasoline and diesel fuel.

Got that? High gas prices are shifting people from cars into mass transit. The only appropriate response, clearly, is to rob the mass transit accounts to pay for highway projects.

Big Oil tries to hide behind an acronym

Ever watch the cable news networks during the afternoon? You're bombarded with issue ad after issue ad. Well, imagine that every TV and radio station was like that 24 hours a day. That's local media here in D.C. And since the climate and energy debate began in earnest on Capitol Hill last summer, it seems like you can't get through one commercial break without hearing GM or Big Oil explain how they don't need big government telling them what to do (unless, of course, big government wants to tell them to drill for more oil).

Every morning over breakfast, WTOP Radio gives me a steady diet of news, traffic, weather, and propaganda. But Monday morning brought a new twist that perked me up even before my organic coffee could kick in. It was an ad I'd heard before featuring actors pretending to be "average Joes" saying we need to drill anywhere Big Oil wants. Previously, it had closed with "paid for by the American Petroleum Institute." But this morning, the ad closed with "paid for by API." (To hear the ad without the tag line, go here and scroll down to "Times are changing.")

Of course, if you look at the American Petroleum Institute's print ads, you won't even find an "API." They're tagged with "the people of America's oil and natural gas industry," which sounds vaguely like employees took up a collection on their own to buy the ad. Is Big Oil afraid of its own shadow?

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens indicted on corruption charges

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, has been indicted on seven charges related to a corruption probe involving oil-services company VECO. Check out our past coverage of the Stevens scandal.

EPA staffers told not to talk to media, inspector general, or anyone else

Staffers at the U.S. EPA’s office of enforcement were instructed recently not to talk to anyone from the media, the Government Accountability Office, or the EPA’s own inspector general‘s office in an email from a top EPA official. “If you are contacted directly by the IG’s office or GAO requesting information of any kind … […]

Congress hopes to break energy deadlock before August recess — but don’t hold your breath

Members of Congress are desperate to pass anything something on energy this week before August recess begins on Friday and they head home to face voters restive over gas prices. But Democrats and Republicans are so bitterly divided over what to do that prospects for progress look uncertain at best. Democrats in both branches of […]