Climate Politix (formerly Earthling Angst)

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-363160272010-05-11T21:09:37.486-05:00Climate Politix (formerly Earthling Angst)Climate change news and politics from Chicago, Washington, D.C., and around the worldCynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.comBlogger338125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-3410381421835231292010-05-11T20:54:00.005-05:002010-05-11T21:09:37.494-05:002010-05-11T21:09:37.494-05:00Offshore drilling still in climate bill, but with restrictions

The word is out about the contents of the Kerry-Lieberman climate bill, due for release at a 1:30 p.m. (EDT) news conference Wednesday. The Hill has links to a summary of the new draft on its Web site.Offshore drilling is still in it but there are protections:• If a state wants to drill within 75 feet of shore, nearby states that could be impacted by a spill can veto it.• Safety regulations will

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-49699715141030982792010-05-08T09:34:00.012-05:002010-05-08T10:10:59.817-05:002010-05-08T10:10:59.817-05:00Why are Kerry, Lieberman unveiling climate bill Wednesday?

NOAA map of spill from Flickr and SkyTruth .)The Gulf oil disaster has spilled over into the climate bill debate. So why are Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) going to release their climate and energy bill at a press conference next Wednesday? The environment for it seems pretty muddy.Their third partner, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), has pulled out as a key sponsor. Several

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-22308473589158871652010-05-06T13:10:00.009-05:002010-05-06T13:32:31.753-05:002010-05-06T13:32:31.753-05:00Is PB's remedy for oil spill only making matters worse?

Joe Romm, author of the award-winning blog Climate Progress, has an excellent lead story in Salon about the dangers of BP dispersing oil, which it is doing now. Would you rather protect sea birds and other wildlife on the land or marine life at the bottom of the sea? See Salon.com

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-81322626909230088422010-05-04T21:18:00.009-05:002010-05-04T21:42:25.093-05:002010-05-04T21:42:25.093-05:00Did Lieberman really say, “Accidents will happen” about oil spill? Lines harden on climate bill over offshore drilling

(Photo of Deepwater Horizon explosion that lead to massive oil leak from Flickr and SkyTruth)Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) was explaining Tuesday why expanded offshore drilling would not be taken out of the climate bill, despite some Dem Senators’ calls for its removal in light of the horrendous ongoing spill fouling the Gulf of Mexico.Sen. Lieberman (I-Conn.) told reporters, “This terrible

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-42624542747520942362010-05-03T08:28:00.006-05:002010-05-03T13:15:39.629-05:002010-05-03T13:15:39.629-05:00NOAA map shows spread of oil spill through Monday morning

Check out this good map of the oil spill up through Monday morning (with projections for tomorrow). Looks like it's backing away from the coast -- at least for now.

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-56670369809844659152010-05-02T17:40:00.013-05:002010-05-02T20:16:48.980-05:002010-05-02T20:16:48.980-05:00The Great Gulf Oil Spill of 2010: If a wind turbine had exploded we wouldn't be facing this mess

(Photo of oil slick taken Saturday from Flickr and SkyTruth)It’s ironic that approval for the Cape Wind Project came the same week at the Great Gulf Oil Spill of 2010.It’s taken 9 years to get approval for the 130-turbine wind farm in Nantucket Sound, where the NIMBY (not-in-my-back-yard) factor kept blocking it. The turbines, which will be 5-14 miles away from land, will reportedly look smaller

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-64487186354393660602010-04-30T17:04:00.007-05:002010-04-30T17:30:24.340-05:002010-04-30T17:30:24.340-05:00What's the biggest renewable power source in the U.S.?

(Photo of turbines inside Hoover Dam from Flickr and photographer Mike Chen aka MetalMan)It’s not wind or solar. It’s hydropower, which accounts for 7% of our electric power, and two-thirds of U.S. renewable energy today. The Obama Administration thinks hydro can play a bigger role in weaning us off fossil fuels, with their carbon footprint, and producing clean-tech jobs.The Energy and Interior

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-67030137809148624482010-04-29T14:35:00.002-05:002010-04-29T14:40:00.858-05:002010-04-29T14:40:00.858-05:00EPA issues report on indicators of global warming

For a brief summary and some great maps from the new EPA report on global warming indicators, see Treehugger blog.

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-54440501083317673932010-04-27T20:41:00.009-05:002010-04-27T21:23:28.893-05:002010-04-27T21:23:28.893-05:00If Sen. Inhofe is for it, I’m against it; plus what’s the latest with Graham and Reid on climate vs. immigration reform?

Sen. James Inhofe from Oklahoma, global warming denier, and his Republican colleague George Voinovich (Ohio) are touting a bill to slash 3 pollutants from power plants – if the climate bill fails, which they hope it does. Inhofe and Voinovich are the two ranking Republicans on the Environment and Public Works Committee.On the face of it, who could be against cutting soot-producing sulfur dioxide

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-4443787222773443142010-04-24T17:02:00.008-05:002010-04-24T18:29:11.875-05:002010-04-24T18:29:11.875-05:00Lindsey Graham says he’ll pull out of climate bill negotiations in Dems' sudden move to put immigration reform first

UPDATE 6:30 p.m CDT: Kerry has cancelled the Monday press conference, The Hill's E2Wire reports.It looks like Lindsey Graham is going to rain on John Kerry’s parade Sen. Graham (R-S.C.) said, in a letter obtained Saturday by CNN, that he is no longer negotiating on the climate bill and won’t appear at a news conference planned for Monday to unveil it. In dropping out, Graham takes the “

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-77991587487266690772010-04-23T16:47:00.007-05:002010-04-23T17:10:12.614-05:002010-04-23T17:10:12.614-05:0062% in U.S. support environmental movement, but 48% say global warming is exaggerated -- Gallup Poll

Most Americans support the environmental movement, a new Gallup Poll says, but support has fallen in the past decade, especially where global warming is concerned. Some 48% said global warming is exaggerated.More respondents put a priority on energy over environment for the first time since Gallup started these environmental surveys 10 years ago. Exactly half favored development of fossil fuels

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-91489958828819410712010-04-22T16:22:00.011-05:002010-04-22T17:06:17.348-05:002010-04-22T17:06:17.348-05:00Will immigration (Nevada) politics get in way of climate bill?

(Photo of immigration rally in Chicago from Flickr and ProgressIL)Rising pressure from Latinos to pass immigration reform is clearly on Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) mind and those of others Senators running for re-election in states with a high Hispanic populations, such as Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who are at risk of losing to Republicans and badly need

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-54692499340375248432010-04-18T16:32:00.005-05:002010-04-18T17:15:28.403-05:002010-04-18T17:15:28.403-05:00Aldermen, enviro groups fight uphill battle for Chicago ordinance to curb emissions at Fisk, Crawford coal plants

(Photo of Fisk Power Plant and proximity to Chicago Loop from Flickr and photographer Steven Vance)Two old coal-fired power plants, spewing pollution in densely populated Hispanic neighborhoods in Chicago, are the subject of a city ordinance introduced last week by five progressive aldermen. You might expect the aldermen from those neighborhoods, Danny Soliz (25th Ward) and Ricardo Muñoz (22nd

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-57061243505272537942010-04-16T14:01:00.010-05:002010-04-16T14:30:22.065-05:002010-04-16T14:30:22.065-05:00Coal as energy source will grow, Arch exec testifies

(Photo of Arch Coal mine in West Virginia from Flickr and Photograper Doc Searls )Coal is the fuel of the future, three industry executives told a House committee this week, and the government needs to help clean it up.“The world will continue to use coal, period,” Arch Coal CEO Steven Leer, told the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Coal, which is cheap and

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-85149039371007093922010-04-10T14:55:00.007-05:002010-04-10T15:14:07.275-05:002010-04-10T15:14:07.275-05:00Wind power 39% of new energy installed here in 2009

(Photo of wind turbines in Kansas from Flickr and photographer Brent Danley)Wind energy provided 39% of the new power in the U.S. in 2009, but still represents only a tiny part of total energy – 1.8%.Wind advocates are asking Congress for a renewable energy standard (RES) that will speed up the use of new forms of energy like wind and solar.So says the U.S. Wind Energy Association Annual Market

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-18694386510744766942010-04-08T21:09:00.014-05:002010-04-08T22:14:48.701-05:002010-04-08T22:14:48.701-05:00U.S. greenhouse gases likely to grow 4% by 2020 if steps aren't taken, new Climate Action Report to UN warns

(Photo of coal-fired power plant in Utah from Flickr and photographer arbyreed)The U.S. is on a trajectory to increase greenhouse gas emissions 4% (over 2005) by 2020, in a business-as-usual scenario that includes government measures in place as of March 31, 2009. President Obama assured the world at Copenhagen that we would reduce our emissions 17% (over 2005) by 2020. Clearly additional steps

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-17386420305078216652010-04-03T13:58:00.014-05:002010-04-03T18:07:06.080-05:002010-04-03T18:07:06.080-05:00High-speed rail on way to becoming a reality in U.S.

(Photo of futuristic high-speed trains side-by-side in Taiwan station from Flickr and photographer James Tung)With U.S. population predicted to grow about 40 million in the next 20 years, we clearly will need some major build-out to move all these folks around. More highways? More airports? More, better and faster trains? Probably all three, but the latter makes the most sense for the planet, and

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-4711816048404828612010-03-31T09:40:00.007-05:002010-03-31T10:21:16.454-05:002010-03-31T10:21:16.454-05:00How American passenger trains got off-track

(Photo of Amtrak train in Virginia from Flickr and photographer Andrew Deci)When I was a kid we often took the overnight train from New York to Toledo to see my grandparents. I loved climbing into my upper birth and looking out at the dark night as the train rattled along. When I was a teen, our family went to the Canadian Rockies and down the West Coast to LA (Hollywood!) and back across the

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-25812929437069534632010-03-29T15:05:00.012-05:002010-03-29T15:35:48.642-05:002010-03-29T15:35:48.642-05:00Are Europe and Asia beating the U.S. at attracting clean energy investment and new energy jobs?

(Photo of Europea wind turbine factory from Flickr and photographer Jody Dickerson)Is the U.S. economy losing out to Europe and Asia in the competition for a green energy future?On the heels of my post last week about China hording rare earth minerals needed for clean energy production, I noticed with some concern three news items over the past few days:*BP is closing its solar-panel plant in

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-70400905363373092272010-03-25T11:57:00.007-05:002010-03-25T12:10:10.057-05:002010-03-25T12:10:10.057-05:00Home Star rebate plan OK'd by House panel

(Photo of energy-efficiency retrofit from Flickr and the Center for Neighborhood Technology)Home Star, a residential energy-efficiency rebate program, was approved Wednesday by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee.The program, touted by the Obama Administration, would give 50% rebates of up to $1,500 for retrofitting homes to make them more energy-efficient. The rebates would come to

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-84711365974292954242010-03-24T12:07:00.006-05:002010-03-24T12:17:05.189-05:002010-03-24T12:17:05.189-05:00Rare earth minerals new reason to worry about China: It's hording supply needed for clean energy

Never heard of REM? You will. Rare earth minerals are 17 different metals, usually found together, that are needed to make clean energy products as diverse as electric car batteries, wind turbines and condensed fluorescent lightbulbs.China has half the world’s reserves but is steadily slowing exports to meet it’s own increasing needs. We have been importing 90% of what we use from them. But by

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-36581096946227221392010-03-22T10:33:00.007-05:002010-03-22T11:03:37.272-05:002010-03-22T11:03:37.272-05:00Enviro groups praise Kerry-Lieberman-Graham; but energy standard may include non-renewables

(Photo of nuclear plant from Flickr and photographers iluvcocacola/Bill and Vicki Tracey)Twenty environmental groups praised the Kerry-Lieberman-Graham Senate climate bill Friday, despite the fact that it is business-friendly. Meanwhile issues like a renewable energy standard, offshore-drilling revenue sharing, free permits for power plants, and pre-emption of EPA and states’ programs are still

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-47816281972999310532010-03-21T08:55:00.005-05:002010-03-21T09:17:04.234-05:002010-03-21T09:17:04.234-05:0029 governors ask feds to help increase wind power

(Photo of wind turbine from Flickr and photographer Caveman/Chuck Coker.)Governors of more than half the states have recognized the potential of wind as a source of power. As members of the Governors' Wind Energy Coalition , they are asking Congress and the Obama Administration for a national renewable energy standard (RES) and improved electrical grid that will enable wind to provide 20% of our

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-9953252146006068342010-03-20T14:07:00.007-05:002010-03-20T14:26:55.102-05:002010-03-20T14:26:55.102-05:00Is your state for or against EPA regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act?

States have split pretty evenly on one side or the other of a suit to block the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.Seventeen states are suing to stop the EPA. Another 18 plus New York City are intervening on behalf of the agency. Friday, March 19, was the last day states could become part of the suit, consolidated by the court into Coalition for Responsible Regulation,

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36316027.post-50029894982495955612010-03-18T16:23:00.011-05:002010-03-18T16:45:50.159-05:002010-03-18T16:45:50.159-05:00New climate bill would pre-empt EPA and states; authors meet with industry opposition

(Photo of Texas oil rig from Flickr and photographer K. Sawyer)The Kerry-Lieberman-Graham climate bill would pre-empt EPA regulation of greenhouse gases, as well as state climate laws. Those are a couple of the details that leaked out of a meeting yesterday with major industry opponents of past climate legislation.Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) met

Cynthia Lintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02635066229520514252noreply@blogger.com0