state politics

Missourians to vote on renewable energy ballot initiative in November

Renewable things are happening in the heartland. Ohio passed a renewable portfolio standard in the spring, and Michigan did the same a few weeks ago. Renewable activists in Missouri recently qualified a renewable energy standard — Proposition C — for the ballot, and this week the Kansas City Star endorsed the effort. The measure calls […]

It’s just that they keep talking about the causes of the problem …

It’s clear to anyone paying attention that much if not most of global warming “skepticism” is driven by political opposition to the solutions, but you rarely hear people slip up and admit it: “I do believe we need to be good stewards and I think we are, but some of the issues that I have […]

Bad policy ideas in Michigan

Environmental pressures and economic slowdowns are admittedly hard for state governors to tackle. Even still, Michigan’s latest is a lousy idea. As noted here, the state legislature has just passed a bill which Gov. Granholm has promised to sign that would: Strengthen the utility monopolies, guaranteeing DTE and Consumer’s Energy at least 90% of the […]

The scoop on energy bills in Congress: offshore drilling, oil shale, renewable tax credits, and more

What’s really up with the energy bills in Congress? Will we see oil rigs off the coast of New Jersey anytime soon? Will Congress actually get anything done before it adjourns next week? As the clock ticks down on the 110th Congress, it’s not entirely clear what we can expect in terms of energy. The […]

Umbra on the importance of voting

Dear Umbra, I have a friend who is a fellow environmental studies major, and he says he’s not going to vote because he “doesn’t agree with the system.” I’ve had numerous discussions with him about how important it is to vote, especially when it comes to environmental issues, but he doesn’t seem to want to […]

Will New York Gov. Paterson gut the regional northeastern-state carbon cap?

New York State relies heavily on Wall Street as an economic engine. With the financial-services industry in its deepest funk since the Great Depression, New York politicians are extremely skittish about the state’s economic prospects. That’s why Gov. David Paterson has been scrambling to help prop up AIG, the wobbly New York-based insurance behemoth. And […]

Permit me to ignore building codes

I know everyone’s in the throes of the Obama-McCain frenzy, but allow me to divert your attention to a minor ballot initiative in Oregon: Measure 63. Oh it’s fascinating, I assure you. Measure 63 is the last whimpering gasp of the property rights measures that originated in Oregon. Times change. It was just a few […]

EarthJustice challenges the legality of the draft plan for California’s AB 32

EarthJustice is challenging the legality of the draft release of California’s climate change program, AB 32. They say it fails to follow all of the statutory requirements. Specifically: This letter focuses on three primary deficiencies in the Draft Scoping Plan: first, the Draft Scoping Plan uses the 2020 greenhouse gas emission limit as a ceiling […]

Homeowner associations restrict eco-friendly practices in favor of aesthetics

This post comes to us via the Land Institute’s Prairie Writers Circle. —– Susana Tregobov dries clothes on a line behind her Maryland townhouse, saving energy and money. But now her homeowners association has ordered her to bring in the laundry. The crackdown came after a neighbor complained that the clothesline “makes our community look […]