Climate Politics

Alaska will sue over polar-bear listing

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) will sue the Interior Department over its decision to list the polar bear as a threatened species. “We believe that the listing was unwarranted and that it’s unprecedented to list a currently healthy population based on uncertain climate models,” says Alaska Assistant Attorney General Steven Daugherty. To green groups, that […]

Lieberman and Warner prepare an amendment calling for more support for nukes

Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.) are already circulating a proposed amendment [PDF] to their own Climate Security Act that would alter the bill to include more explicit support for nuclear power. The amendment calls for “a portion of funds, as determined necessary by the appropriate committees of jurisdiction,” to be deposited into […]

House passes massive tax extensions for renewable energy

The House approved legislation today that renews billions of dollars in tax breaks for wind, solar, biomass, and other renewable energy sources, and extends a proposed new tax credit for biofuels derived from sources other than corn. “The Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008” (which is a much better name than it had last […]

Full text of the substitute amendment to Lieberman-Warner now available

The full-text of the amendment [PDF] to the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act is now available, which answers some of the outstanding questions stemming from the outline Sen. Boxer has been circulating. A few important areas to look at in the new version: Cost containment: This is the mechanism, also called an “emergency off-ramp,” that will […]

Time to focus on tax credits, not Lieberman-Warner

I love House. Not the House of Representatives, but the TV show.

Everybody loves to see people with seemingly inexplicable symptoms saved from sure death. No doubt that explains the fascination with the Lieberman-Warner bill. But people ... I've been trying to be gentle about this ... it's dead. Sure, like Amber on the season finale [spoiler alert!] L-W can be briefly revived so we can say goodbye to it forever, but that is really just a soap opera gimmick.

We don't need to say goodbye to L-W; we need to focus all our effort on those important bills that are still clinging to life, bills that haven't already signed a contract to appear on another TV show next season -- like the investment tax credit that is crucial to keeping the momentum going on core technologies that can avert catastrophic climate change (see Barlett op-ed and PG&E op-ed). To L-W supporters, I can only offer this eulogy:

David Miliband talks about democracy and the climate crisis

I caught an interesting event this morning with U.K. Foreign Minister David Miliband, who is in town to give a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on the “democratization agenda.” The New American Foundation hosted the morning event with assorted policy wonks, journalists, and political types, and emcee Steve Clemons summarized it […]

EPW approves legislation calling on Bush to overturn EPA decision he likely forced EPA to make

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved legislation yesterday that would call on George W. Bush to sign off on California’s request for waiver — the very same waiver he likely encouraged EPA administrator Stephen Johnson to deny. “The Reducing Global Warming Pollution from Vehicles Act of 2008” would require the president to approve […]

How the $5.7 trillion in Boxer’s proposed amendment would be spent

Barbara Boxer distributed this breakdown [PDF] yesterday detailing how the dolla billz will be spent in her proposed amendment to the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. There are more than $6.7 trillion in carbon credit allowances and auction revenues that will be distributed over the life of the bill, and this shows where that goes. Feels […]

Obama wins the endorsement of United Mine Workers of America

The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) endorsed Barack Obama for president today, after a unanimous vote of the union’s National Council of the Coal Miners’ Political Action Committee. In a press release on the endorsement, the UMWA said they chose to endorse Obama over John McCain because of his plans to help working-class Americans […]

Waxman is going to punch somebody

Wow, it looks like House oversight committee chair Henry Waxman is getting a little sick of EPA head Stephen Johnson: More here.