legislation
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EPA Analysis: Rainforests Key to Climate Legislation Affordability, Integrity
This post was co-authored by Andrew Stevenson of Resources for the Future and Climate Advisers. The EPA analysis of the American Power Act shines a light on a key fact about climate policy: strong rainforest protections, especially in the short run, are essential to keeping costs low and emissions goals strong. The analysis finds that […]
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Prez pumps up the volume on climate-bill push
Pump, pump, pump it up. Photo: Mike Schmid via FlickrAt last, Obama brings the love: The president’s public display of affection yesterday for Senate climate and energy legislation made sponsor John Kerry (D-Mass.) happy. And Obama’s gambit to frame a vote for the bill as a vote against Evil Big Oil may be the only […]
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A ‘BP spill bill’ instead of a climate bill? [UPDATED]
Update below Will Democratic leaders try to merge climate legislation with politically popular get-tough-on-BP measures? This morning Politico hints as much: the strategy now will be to include climate provisions in a BP SPILL BILL tightening industry controls, on the theory the bill will be hard to oppose. No such bill exists yet; this is […]
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Finally: Obama halts new offshore leases and stumps for climate bill
See, I have a Decider pose tooCourtesy White HouseNow we’re getting somewhere on the offshore drilling problem. Some progress from the top: Mr. Obama ordered a further six-month moratorium on new permits for new deepwater oil and gas wells; suspended the planned exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off the coast of Alaska; canceled […]
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Obama’s finally connecting the Gulf spill and clean energy. Champagne time?
My request for President Obama is simple, really: Dust off the secret presidential SCUBA suit, invite the Senate’s biggest oil-industry shills on a “fact-finding mission” to the Gulf (promise shrimp cocktails if necessary), and use them to plug up BP’s hole. Failing that, Obama could start talking about the connection between the oil gusher, climate […]
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Why it’s worth passing a crappy climate bill
This weekend I was asked to contribute to The New York Times‘ Room for Debate. I was kind of under the impression that the question was, “Is the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill worth passing?” Apparently, though, it was, “Does the climate bill stand a chance?” Obviously those questions have different answers! Mine was geared to the former, […]
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BP’s donations to Congress are more worrying than its donations to Obama
The Sunlight Foundation reports on the slick of BP money that’s already spread far and wide through the American political system. The oil and gas giant is a major campaign contributor, giving more than $6 million to federal candidates over the past 20 years. President Obama has received the most — $77,051 — which might […]
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Pundits speak: Oil spill makes climate bill less likely
Satellite image: GeoEyeThe political fallout from the BP oil leak is proving just as difficult to measure as the ecological and economic damage. But three political bloggers who’ve been paying attention to the fight for clean-energy legislation say the odds of a bill passing the Senate are lower than ever. Bradford Plumer asks “Could The […]
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On the Graham-Reid flustercluck
All right, all right, I suppose I have to say something about the Graham situation, as much as the entire subject just saps my life force. For those of you who haven’t been keeping track: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has threatened to pull his support from the climate bill he’s been working on — even […]
