Politics
A GOP Ethanol Trap? Not Likely.
I hope I’m wrong. Jon Chait reports that Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) will force a cloture vote on his proposal to eliminate the ethanol “blending” subsidy, which costs the government about $6 billion annually, is horrible for the environment, and is economically inefficient. His take is that this represents an ideological skirmish between Coburn and …
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CONTINUE READINGOn the Advantages of Being Out of the Political Spotlight
Environmental issues haven’t been on the front page much recently, and on the whole I think that’s a good thing. The fact is that budget issues, the race for the Republican presidential nomination, and Medicare have pushed the environment out of the spotlight. Predictions about politics are always hazardous and seem to be getting even …
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CONTINUE READINGRomney Gets Real
Mitt Romney, bucking the current in his own party, has admitted that the problem of climate change is real. According to the Boston Globe: “I don’t speak for the scientific community, of course,’’ Romney said. “But I believe the world’s getting warmer. I can’t prove that, but I believe based on what I read that …
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CONTINUE READINGTough Political Choices On Climate Are Hardly Unique to U.S: The Case of Germany and Nuclear Power
German Chancellor Angela Merkel made headlines this week when she announced that the country would phase out its nuclear power plants by 2022. The Fukishima nuclear crisis in Japan led Germany to review its reliance on nuclear power and the result of that review was Merkel’s decision to shut down the country’s existing plants. Here’s …
CONTINUE READINGThe Endangerment Litigation
I’ve just spent some time reading the initial briefs in the D.C. Circuit on the endangerment issue. They strike me as much more political documents than legal ones. A brief recap for those who haven’t been following the legal side of the climate issue. After the Bush Administration decided not to regulate greenhouse gases under …
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CONTINUE READINGMore Subsidies Hypocrisy from Tim Pawlenty?
At least so claims the Iowa Republican, a website that says it represents “News for Republicans, by Republicans.” If you believe the Republican, Pawlenty is doing no more than parroting the talking points of the ethanol industry: Pawlenty’s announcement speech in Des Moines yesterday was more passionate than some of his other recent speeches. The …
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CONTINUE READINGIs NJ Governor Christie Running for President? He’s Backing Out of RGGI and Moving Toward Climate Denialism
On the bad-news-for-climate-policy front and in the ever-expanding category of Republican-officials-who-do-an-about-face-on-climate-change, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced today that he’s pulling the state of New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) by the end of the year. RGGI is the only up and running cap and trade program in the United States …
CONTINUE READINGA Friendly Note to Richard Muller
Richard Muller is a Berkeley physicist who has expressed skepticism over the integrity of some climate science. For example, he suggested that the famous hockey stick might be a distortion because the only sources with temperature readings that go back far enough in time might be located near heat sources. Not surprisingly, climate deniers and their political …
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CONTINUE READINGCredit Where It’s Due: Tim Pawlenty Says We Need to “Phase Out” Energy Subsidies
(UPDATED: See below). I’ve had a good bit of fun jumping on the Republican Party for its hypocrisy on energy subsidies. So when a Republican does the right thing, it’s important to acknowledge it: Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty made a potentially risky move during his campaign launch speech in Iowa: he called for a phaseout of ethanol …
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