fossil fuels

Follow the Money

Investment in the World Energy System Still Dominated by Fossil Fuels

Not that money.  Not the hush money, the payoffs, the tax and banking fraud.  And not the dark money seeking to influence our environmental, climate, and clean energy policies.  Nope, I am talking about the actual money invested in the world energy system last year.  Granted, this may not be as interesting to many readers …

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What Trump Gives Appalachia With One Hand, He Takes Away with the Other

Ryan Zinke’s public land policies are accelerating the decline of eastern coal.

There is no one who Trump loves more than coal miners, and he has surrounded himself with Appalachian coal miners on important occasions. One of his most fervent pledges was to “end the war on coal.” Yet, Trump’s public lands policies are helping to accelerate the decline of eastern coal. A recent study by researchers …

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Trump’s Radical Anti-Environmentalism

Trump’s target isn’t just Obama. His rejection of environmental protection goes much deeper.

We often hear about the Trump Administrations’s plans to “roll back Obama’s regulations.” But the Administration’s goals go much deeper. Hyperbole is always a risk when discussing opposing policy views, but to call this Administration a profound threat to environmental regulation is only to echo their own words. When he announced the executive order directing EPA to …

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Keystone Nation: Mapping the Politics of the Pipeline

Keystone XL would run through a column of Red States and depopulating counties.

Looking at three maps sheds some interesting light on the the politics of the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline’s geography resonates in an interesting way with political and demographic geography.  We can start with two maps that show the proposed route (on the left) and the dates in which counties reached their peak populations. You …

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“I Will Fight for Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas”

That’s what Mitt Romney said tonight.  Yes, this is the same man who also said, just a month ago, that he believes that humans are contributing to climate change.  But his heart belongs to fossil fuels. According to Mr. Romney, maximal use of fossil fuels is also the key to economic recovery. Romney even seems …

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Setting the Record Straight on Obama and the Environment

We shouldn’t underestimate Obama’s environmental achievements.

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Mitt ♥ Carbon

Republicans used to call for an “all of the above” strategy, combining renewables with fossil fuels.  For Romney, it’s oil and gas all the way.  Fossil fuels give him a thrill. Renewables are a distant prospect, justifying only some investment in basic research against the far off day when they may become useful. Start with …

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A Side-by-Side Comparison of Romney and Obama on Energy and Environment

I’ve put together a table of language from the issues sections of the official campaign websites dealing with energy and environment. I decided to use the candidate’s own language to avoid interposing my own views on the issues. Please keep in mind that the table uses their language, not mine. Not surprisingly, the candidates frame …

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