states
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Welcome to the real climate war: Big Oil versus the Terminator
The big news is the upset victory of Tea Partier Christine O'Donnell in Delaware. But the real war over climate change is being waged in the states.
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State and EPA climate action become key as Senate gives up
The World Resources Institute has a new report that calculates what exactly states and federal agencies could accomplish in the absence of Congressional action. So how much good could they do?
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Fifteen states have polluter-driven resolutions to deny climate threat
Cross-posted from the Wonk Room. Yesterday, the South Dakota legislature passed a resolution telling public schools to teach “balance” about the “prejudiced” science of climate change by a vote of 37-33. Earlier language that ascribed “astrological” influences to global warming was stripped from the final version. This act of conspiracy-driven ideology is hardly alone — […]
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Supreme Court ruling increases importance of local energy
The vision of a massive nationwide superhighway of high voltage transmission lines may have died last week in the Supreme Court. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Overshadowed by the (terrible) Citizens United ruling, the Supreme Court essentially upheld the right of states to block high voltage transmission wires. At issue was the […]
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An interview with Jason Burnett, who worked on EPA greenhouse gas regulations
The following is an interview with Jason Burnett, who worked in the EPA under President GW Bush. In it, we discuss efforts by the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. Burnett quit the EPA in protest in June 2008, alleging interference from the Office of the Vice President. The interview is meant as a supplement to […]
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Washington guv highlights green-jobs potential of climate action
Washington Gov. Christine GregoireWashington state has already surpassed its ambitious goal for creating green jobs, and the rest of the country could see similar results if Congress passes strong energy and climate legislation, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) told the Senate this week. In 2007, Gregoire set a goal of having 25,000 green jobs in […]
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State budget crisis could be key to climate change
If the Governors of a few key states pick up their phones in a hurry they could shrink their gaping budget shortfalls and help climate change legislation pass the Senate with one call. On Wednesday, Adriel Bettelheim at CQPolitics explained: The climate change bill (HR 2454) the House passed on June 26 would distribute allowances […]
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EPA affirms California’s right to set tougher automobile emissions standards
The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Tuesday that it will grant a waiver for California and 13 other states to set automobile emission standards that are higher than national ones — at least for the next two years. “The waiver affirms California’s authority to set the standards for the cleanest cars in the nation and […]
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Why I’m not freaked out about the Waxman-Markey climate bill
Feeling ambivalent?Will the Waxman-Markey bill spark a full-scale energy revolution? No. Not on its own, not in the next 10-15 years. The short-term targets for reducing greenhouse gases are too low, the renewable electricity standard is too weak, too many offsets are allowed, and there’s too little investment in clean energy. To boot, there’s every […]