Climate Politics

How green will the 110th Congress be?

“You’d have to go back to the Enlightenment to see such a big change in worldviews.” That’s how Environmental Working Group President Ken Cook characterized the environmental shift coming to Congress after the Democrats’ triumph over the GOP last week. Barbara Boxer. Photo: Kevin Parry/ WireImage But, hyperbole aside, what victories can enviros realistically expect […]

Will it propel cycle-happy legislation?

While not quite a full-on velorution (there must be silent throngs out there waiting to usher in a full-on velorution, I'm sure of it -- bike-guard party, wherefore art thou?), this month's midterm elections in the U.S. have apparently greased the gears of the otherwise petroleum- and highway-happy lawmaking machine in the House in favor of cycle-friendly reps for the 110th Congress. Or at least, it's offered cause for hope.

Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., who helped author the 1991 law that opened the door to federal funding for bike projects, is in line to become chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., a one-time bike mechanic, expects to chair the surface transportation subcommittee.

And Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., founder of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus, will either hold a senior position on the transportation committee or move to the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

All three Democrats are strong supporters of alternative transportation who believe that bicycling can play an important role in moving people, particularly in dense urban settings, and in providing recreational opportunities.

What the Democrats’ win means for the sustainable-food movement

After being sentenced to death on specious grounds in 1915, the pro-union agitator and singer Joe Hill delivered a bracing message to his supporters: “Don’t waste time mourning, organize!” The bums may be gone, but don’t get too giddy. Photo: iStockphoto Under more celebratory circumstances, Hill’s formulation doesn’t seem quite right; after helping purge so […]

Poor countries can’t afford to tackle climate change

I know, I know, this is a false choice that skeptics use to stall action on climate change. Or is it?

Check out this article from Reason. It makes some interesting points. Here's a quick summary:

Coffee, Tea, or Big Three?

Detroit CEOs meet with President Bush, discuss energy concerns Since lunch with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) didn’t kill him, President Bush cozied up to another foe: the Big Three automakers. Yesterday, Bush met with the CEOs of Ford, GM, and the Chrysler Group, a trio he ruffled earlier this year by saying they’d improve financially […]

Climate change lawsuits under NEPA

As I mentioned in a post last week, frustration with the political process has led many global warming advocates to turn to the courts. While I'm skeptical that the judiciary can solve the problem, it may be an important part of the solution.

While the Massachusetts case has dominated public attention to global warming litigation, it is only one of more than a dozen active cases seeking courts intervention. As outlined in a recent report by the Georgetown Environmental Law & Policy Institute (PDF), these cases roughly break down into four categories:

• Clean Air Act litigation (like the Massachusetts case),
• National Environmental Policy Act cases,
• common law nuisance suits, and
• industry challenges to state greenhouse gas regulations.

(For anyone interested, the report is both concise and accessible -- though that's just shameless advertising, since I wrote it.)

Today I'd like to discuss the second category: cases under the National Environmental Policy Act. As you may know, everything in environmental law has an acronym, sometimes making environmental lawyers unintelligible to the uninitiated. This Act goes by the relatively simple handle NEPA.

Bio Partisan

President Bush promotes energy independence, snuggles up to Democrats Word is President Bush will unveil an “energy independence” initiative to support ethanol and other biofuels — and to show the world that he’s, you know, down with the progressive agenda. (Which would be a lot more convincing if major ethanol investors didn’t include oil giants […]

A Dingell Ate My Maybe

Congressional Democrats’ energy priorities are a mixed bag Not so fast with the celebrating. The soon-to-be head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. John Dingell (D), has declared no interest in raising U.S. fuel-efficiency standards — he’s from Michigan, natch — and he’s a nuclear-power booster. The Dems’ rise could also lead to […]

An interview with Renate Künast, Germany’s Green Party chair

As the U.N. climate-change conference heats up this week in Nairobi, Kenya, strategies to promote clean energy and slow global warming top the agenda for many nations — not least of all Germany, which is Europe’s biggest economy, a global leader in green technology, and the country set to take over the 12-month presidency of […]

Ethanol subsidies, that is

Oh great. The White House needs to recapture some political momentum after its party got shellacked this week. It also needs to make good on its laughable promise to "change the tone" and start working with Democrats to "get things done."

So where does it turn? What issue can unite politicians across the fractious partisan divide?

You guessed it: ethanol subsidies energy independence!

The Bush administration will soon launch a big "energy independence" initiative, likely to include renewed emphasis on biofuels, as part of an attempt to regain the political initiative following the midterm elections.

Ugh. The question, as always, is whether this momentum toward biofuels will serve as a kind of kickstart to a broader conversation about energy and climate, or whether it will be a diversion and a dead end. I go back and forth.

Let me just pick on one thing from this article. Look at this: