Month: August 2010
Jump-Starting Clean Tech
A new report illuminates the role of the stimulus package in energizing Clean Tech. Three of the four areas discussed in the report fall into this category; the fourth relates to medical research. 1. Modernizing transportation, including advanced vehicle technology and high-speed rail. Among other things, this includes $2 billion in advanced battery and electric …
Continue reading “Jump-Starting Clean Tech”
CONTINUE READINGClimate Change and El Nino
From dot.earth: Federal researchers have published work concluding that a particular variant of the periodic El Niño warmups of the tropical Pacific Ocean is becoming more frequent and stronger. The pattern appears to fit what is expected from human-driven warming of the global climate, said the researchers . . . The 2009-2010 El Nino event …
Continue reading “Climate Change and El Nino”
CONTINUE READINGCalifornia Clearing House on Scientific Review Panel
The California Report correspondent Amy Standen recently recounted the dismissal (or failure to reappoint, depending on your perspective) of a group of scientists from CalEPA’s Scientific Review Panel. Little explanation for the action were given, although Standen notes that John Froines, a professor in the UCLA School of Public Health, also chaired a committee that …
Continue reading “California Clearing House on Scientific Review Panel”
CONTINUE READINGCalifornia legislature considers environmental bills
The California Legislature has several environmental and land use bills in front of it right now. Under state law, the legislature must act by August 31 in order to send any of these bills to the Governor for signature. Here’s a quick summary of the pending legislation, with some links for further info. (Current information …
Continue reading “California legislature considers environmental bills”
CONTINUE READINGThe SG Brief in Connecticut v. AEP: WORSE than you think
Okay, so it’s bad enough that the Obama Administration has decided to unilaterally disarm itself in the struggle against climate change. For you law geeks out there (and you know who you are), the SG has gone even further to make these suits impossible in the future. It does this by arguing that the state attorneys …
Continue reading “The SG Brief in Connecticut v. AEP: WORSE than you think”
CONTINUE READINGObama Sides With the Polluters
This is pretty self-explanatory: The Obama administration has urged the Supreme Court to toss out an appeals court decision that would allow lawsuits against major emitters for their contributions to global warming, stunning environmentalists who see the case as a powerful prod on climate change. Read the whole thing. It’s hard for me to tell …
Continue reading “Obama Sides With the Polluters”
CONTINUE READINGEnergy Policy: Kicking Butt and Taking Names
Steve, you write: This is not just about ceiling insulation and more heat-reflective roofs. It also has to do with the ability of electric generators to convert heat to power, the elimination of line losses from the transmission grid, and the improvement of fuel delivery systems to avoid leakage. It has to do with strategic …
Continue reading “Energy Policy: Kicking Butt and Taking Names”
CONTINUE READINGClean Ports Act — Dead on Arrival (in the Senate)
An impressive coalition of environmental groups, labor organizations, local governments, and economic development agencies have teamed up to sponsor the Clean Ports Act of 2010, introduced on July 29th by Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York (who looks something like a cube but is an effective and conscientious legislator), and co-sponsored by 67 members of …
Continue reading “Clean Ports Act — Dead on Arrival (in the Senate)”
CONTINUE READINGWhat a Waste of Energy
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has issued its annual snapshot of our national energy use, based on data collected by the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Agency. The good news is that we used less energy in 2009 than we did in 2008 (almost all of the savings probably attributable to the still-weak economy). The …
Continue reading “What a Waste of Energy”
CONTINUE READINGChina Needs the Straddling Bus More Than We Do
Jonathan just blogged about the very cool concept of the straddling bus, designed to go over automobiles and reportedly being built in China starting next month. His blog coincides with lots of attention focused on the mother of all traffic jams occuring right now outside of Bejing: a 60 mile long, multi-day jam comprised mostly of …
Continue reading “China Needs the Straddling Bus More Than We Do”
CONTINUE READING