Climate Politics

A closer look at the SOTU’s energy claims

Last night, as President Bush stepped to the well of the House floor to deliver his final State of the Union address, at least one thing was clear -- this president is a big fan of recycling. Unfortunately, I am not talking about the plastics and glass in my bottle bill, but the retooling of old rhetoric on global warming and our energy future.

Here is my attempt to inject a little reality into the old Bush rhetoric rolled out in the State of the Union:

Bush claim: "To build a future of energy security, we must trust in thecreative genius of American researchers and entrepreneurs andempower them to pioneer a new generation of clean energy technology. Our security, our prosperity, and our environment allrequire reducing our dependence on oil."

Reality: President Bush threatened a veto on the tax portion of the recently-passed energy bill, which included major incentives for a new generation of clean energy -- incentives that would have heralded a new era in green technology development. The Bush veto threat also killed the Renewable Electricity Standard which would have required that up to 15 percent of our electricity be generated from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020. He also opposes any mandatory cap-and-trade bill that would unleash the technology to meet the climate challenge by setting a price on carbon emissions.

Waxman wins a round in battle over EPA car scandal

Score one round this morning for Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Waxman's panel is among those investigating the Bush administration's decision -- contrary to EPA staff advice -- to reject California's greenhouse-gas standards for vehicles. He wants to interview seven key EPA staffers without the presence of government lawyers, who would be expected to interfere with the questioning.

The Bush administration has been balking at this request, so Waxman was preparing to ask his committee to vote today to issue subpoenas. But the Bush administration blinked -- at least a little. Waxman announced at a committee meeting this morning that he was postponing a subpoena vote for now, because the Bush administration had agreed to permit two of the seven EPA staffers to be interviewed without government lawyers present. The fate of the other five EPA staffers remains under negotiation.

This investigation is a little like peeling away layers of a foul-smelling onion: the stench at the center is enough to make one cry.

Bush rehashes same ol’ environmental ideas in final State of the Union speech

In his last State of the Union address on Monday night, President Bush called for “an international agreement that has the potential to slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases.” But don’t get excited — he hasn’t done a 180 on the Kyoto Protocol. “This agreement will be effective only if it […]

Robust SOTU debunkery

Wow, if you want a full-meal-deal debunking of the SOTU, point your browser over to ThinkProgress. They’re dismantling the poor thing line by line. There’s the section on energy: Bush said: "Let us fund new technologies that can generate coal power while capturing carbon emissions. Let us increase the use of renewable power and emissions-free […]

Responses to the SOTU …

… from Clinton, Obama, and Edwards. None of them mention climate or energy. Here’s Obama’s on video:

Sebelius Dem response desultory liveblogging

[UPDATE: Full text of Sebelius’ remarks here.] Obama-esque post-partisan soothing words. A “new American majority.” We’re all one big happy family! Jobs, homes, jobs. Results. Working together. Getting the job done. Relentless pragmatism. Now, when she lauds actual policies and accomplishments, they all turn out to be advanced and pushed through by … Democrats. I […]

SOTU desultory liveblogging

Blah blah blah. You know, the guy uses so much flim-flammery, so many deceptive code words, so many feints and misdirections, it’s almost like he’s speaking a different language. I have utterly lost the ability to hear it the way an Average Voter might. My brain translates it automatically. Now he’s on the clean energy […]

New ‘air of cooperation’ between Kansas state gov’t and coal companies

This evening, Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius will give the Democratic rejoinder to Bush’s SOTU speech. There has been quite a bit of speculation — here on Grist, among other places — about Sebelius’ possible fitness as a VP candidate. Via Ezra, this actual Kansan blogger throws cold water on the notion. Particularly concerning: Her appointee, […]

Three recognition contests for young eco-hero/ines

There are now three, count 'em, three great ways for kids to get recognition, mentoring, media opportunities, and cold hard cash for their grassroots eco-leadership. You've probably heard of one or two of these, but if you know a really great kid (from age 8-22) who is leading his/her peers in taking action for the environment, from cleaning up a watershed to collecting waste motor oil, then I'd nominate that kid for all three. Here are details on the prizes and their deadlines:

Action for Nature's International Young Eco-Hero Awards: deadline Feb 28

Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes: deadline April 30

Brower Youth Awards: deadline May 15

An account of a House hearing on auctioning permits under cap-and-trade

Last Wednesday, the House Global Warming Committee held a hearing on "auctions and revenue recycling in cap and trade," which took a close look at the advantages of auctioning (rather than giving away) pollution permits under a cap and trade system, and what might be done with the revenue. I didn’t manage to watch the […]