Politics
Environmental Cover-ups and the Bureaucracy
Ann wants to know, “why do governments engage in obfuscation in the case of a major environmental crisis?” The assumption here is that the public is going to find out eventually, so why cover it up now and make it worse? Well, here’s a theory. Note that “governments” don’t do anything — people do. “Government” …
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CONTINUE READINGDim Bulbs (The Sequel)
I did a post last November about the surprising tea party anger regarding energy-efficient light bulbs. The furor seems to be continuing. Here are some quotes from Republican Senators courtesy of EE News: “People in Idaho are just astonished that the federal government is telling them what kind of light bulb to put in their …
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CONTINUE READINGMichele Bachmann’s Unconstitutional Light-Bulb Bill
Congress can repeal the light bulb requirement (or not). It can mandate that an executive agency like DOE or EPA decide the three issues specified by Bachman. But Congress can’t make the validity of the light bulb requirement turn on a determination by GAO.
CONTINUE READINGBoehner Tweet on Plastics Sums Up Republican Disdain for the Environment
In hardly the biggest news story of the day, but one that really irks me, House Speaker John Boehner tweeted this morning, “The new majority — plasticware is back.” He’s referring to the move by the Republican majority to eliminate deposed Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s initiative to green the House of Representatives. The initiative included — …
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CONTINUE READINGIndia Coal Tax to be Used for Carbon Sinks and Clean Energy Technology
This is how you are supposed to do it. Via the Hindu, Indian Finance Minister Mukherjee’s Budget uses carbon charges to combat climate change: The [tax] slapped on coal in last year’s budget will help pay for schemes to protect and regenerate forests and clean up polluted sites announced in this year’s Budget. Finance Minister Pranab …
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CONTINUE READINGA Little-Noticed Toxic Provision of the House’s Continuing Resolution
From Grist: On Feb.17, in a 250-177 vote, the House of Representatives approved an amendment by Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) to deny any funds to EPA to “implement, administer or enforce” mercury and other toxic air pollution standards for all cement plants in the country. The EPA standards that the House voted to block would …
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CONTINUE READINGCalifornia’s Delta Stewardship Council Gets Down to Business
Today California’s Delta Stewardship Council begins its deliberations on a Delta Plan that promises to be a big part of the answer to one of that state’s most pressing environmental questions: can California’s Delta be saved? Creation of the Delta Stewardship Council was a key element of landmark 2009 California legislation designed to address the …
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CONTINUE READINGWho is John Collins Rudolf? And why is he questioning the shape of the earth?
Apparently, he’s a free-lancer for the New York Times, a generally straight-up environmental reporter – and today, he is Ken Cuccinelli’s publicist. Cuccinelli is Virginia’s wingnut attorney general, who has decided to make a name for himself by filing baseless lawsuits against climate scientists, running to the courthouse before the ink was even dry on …
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CONTINUE READINGA New Thought on Smart Growth
The Public Policy Institute of California just released its new report on SB 375, California’s smart growth law. I’m still working my way through it, and at the beginning, it seems pretty boilerplate. For example, it notes that three things California can do to reduce emissions are “Higher-density development, particularly in areas well-served by transit; …
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CONTINUE READINGKeeping the “Benefits” in Cost-Benefit Analysis
The business community is apparently souring on cost-benefit analysis, for the simple reason that cost-benefit analysis requires a consideration of the benefits of regulation. From as strictly business point of view, it’s really only the costs that matter, and cost-benefit analysis is good only to the extent that it disfavors regulation. For instance, Republicans have …
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