Climate Politics

House Democrats make another push for renewable-energy credits

Democrats in the House of Representatives have introduced legislation that would extend renewable-energy incentives, which were booted out of both the recent energy bill and the economic stimulus bill. The House legislation would provide tax breaks for investments in energy efficiency and solar, wind, and geothermal power, at an expected cost of $17.5 billion over […]

Clinton and Obama talk up the promise of a green economy

Still glowing after racking up three more decisive primary victories in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., Barack Obama today is giving a major speech on the economy at a General Motors plant in Wisconsin. Stay tuned to Grist for the green take. Hillary Clinton made a less ballyhooed speech at a GM plant in Maryland […]

Hillary Clinton touts her green cred in an Us Weekly spread

Us Weekly, Feb. 18 In an effort to humanize and humorize her image, Hillary Clinton gamely went along with a four-page spread for the latest issue of celeb rag Us Weekly, offering comments on some of her fashion misses of yesteryear. Explaining a huge, garish coat she wore in 2000, she says, “I’m a big […]

London mayor triples fee for most-polluting cars entering city center

London Mayor Ken Livingstone tripled the fee drivers of the most-polluting vehicles will have to pay to enter the city center beginning in October, from about $16 to $49. The so-called congestion charge was introduced in 2003 in an effort to decrease traffic and greenhouse-gas emissions, encouraging Londoners and visitors to use public transportation instead […]

Obama says will move immediately on international climate pact

Prior to his weekend wins in Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Barack Obama promised to begin developing the U.S. position on an international pact to halt global warming now, instead of waiting until 2009. “I’ve been in conversations with former Vice President [Al] Gore repeatedly, and his recommendation, which I think is […]

Have you been naughty with your light bulbs? You need some good old command and control.

The so-called incandescent light bulb ban (not actually a ban) included as part of the recent energy bill has prompted a low-level but consistent set of complaints that deserve further consideration, because they betray a fair amount of confusion about which policy tools to break out for which issues.

On the right, the reaction to the new lighting efficiency standard has ranged from hysterical whining to hysterical snark. But even on the left, it's fairly common to run across the high-minded opinion that finicky legislation like the lighting efficiency standard only wastes time and stirs up needless recrimination. Instead we should set a price on carbon, and let the market sort out the rest.

It's an excellent theory, one that I subscribe to under most circumstances, but sometimes command and control really is just the thing. The math on light bulbs is pretty easy to run. Follow along if you're interested, or just skip the next two paragraphs.

Date set for presidential debate on scientific issues

Organizers of a proposed presidential debate on science and technology have set a date and place: April 18, in Philadelphia, just before the Pennsylvania primary. All four viable presidential candidates have been invited. Will they show up to debate the United States’ paltry investment in energy research, the necessity of taxing fossil-fuel use, and more? […]

Obama takes Maine in a wicked pissah

Looks like Obama has won Maine in something of a blowout. This was a state that was widely expected to go to Clinton, and in which she had a commanding lead in the polls through late last year. At this point she’s got to be wishing everyone could just go to sleep until the Texas […]

DOE erases ‘most successful’ weatherization program from website

Late last week, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) raked Energy Secretary Bodman over the coals -- the best possible use for that fossil fuel! Within days of uncompassionately zeroing out the low-income weatherization program at a time of record energy prices, Bodman's DOE altered the DOE website.

Until a few days ago, the website of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Weatherization Program describe the effort as "this country's longest running, and perhaps most successful energy efficiency program" (click on "cached text" -- thank you, Google). Having run EERE, I can certainly attest to the accuracy of that description. Once Bush/Bodman whacked the program, that phrase was whacked too (click here), like something out of the Ministry of Truth -- Minitrue -- in the book 1984.

You can see how Samuel "deer in the headlights" Bodman responded to Markey in this video clip.

Just for the record, as the website notes, over 30 years, the DOE weatherized the homes of "more than 5.5 million low-income families," reducing:

... heating bills by 31% and overall energy bills by $358 per year at current prices. This spending, in turn, spurs low-income communities toward job growth and economic development.

So what does the administration do? Zero the program out during an economic slowdown that itself has been driven in part by record energy prices. You just cannot make stuff up!

Below is Markey's press release and a picture of the website before and after:

A trio of Obama wins

As expected, Obama won Nebraska, Washington, and Louisiana. The victories were widely predicted, but the sheer size of them, the overwhelming Obama stompery, was something of a surprise.