Democrats to Propose Greenhouse Gas Emissions Bill
House Democrats will propose a new bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on Tuesday. The legislation, co-sponsored by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.), who chairs the panel’s Energy and Environment Subcommittee, aims to cut emissions by 20% from 2005 levels by 2020 and to increase energy efficiency in order to reduce electricity demand by 15% by 2020. The bill targets an overall 80% reduction in emissions by 2050.
Although Democrats have a majority, any emissions bill is expected to face a tough road given the current economic situation and political opposition. Even Sen. McCain, who was an early supporter of cap-and-trade recently described current proposals derisively as “cap-and-tax“. Additionally, Congresspeople from large coal producing states will likely oppose any emissions legislation across party-lines. Whether the U.S. can put together a meaningful greenhouse gas bill this year will be key to the success or failure of the international climate change conference to be held in Copenhagen in December of this year.
Could the Senate have a de facto filibuster proof majority for energy legislation?
Environmental Capital wonders if the Senate election has created a filibuster proof “rotating Clean Energy 60“? Although the Democrats failed to reach the magic number of 60 seats in order to prevent any filibusters, there are a number of Republican Senators that will have an interest in clean energy projects. When these interests coincide with Democratic energy proposals, a de facto filibuster proof majority could be formed. READ MORE
Palin couldn’t name the countries in North America and didn’t realize that Africa is a continent?
Reports have come out that McCain’s aids are claiming Palin couldn’t name the countries in North America and didn’t realize that Africa is a continent. As unbelievable as this would seem, given her other past statements, we should realize anything is possible. READ MORE
Sportsmen for Obama support his public land policies
ESPN had an article about a series of traditionally Republican hunter groups coming out in support of the Obama candidacy. Since the president does not really have the power to prevent gun ownership, these hunters are focused on the issue of access to public lands. These hunters believe that Obama will be more protective of wilderness lands than McCain. The biggest threat they note is, the “increas[ed] privatization of governmental land and the expansion of commercialized hunting and mining.” They believe Obama’s policies will be more likely to “protect open public lands from being privatized and horded.”
[Hat-tip: SolveClimate]
McCain’s flippant comments on nuclear waste may cost him Nevada
Grist notes that McCain’s position on the safety of storing nuclear waste material at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, could be costing him that state, which was carried by George Bush last election.
In particular, Nevadans are upset that McCain was making light of the safety issues involved when he mocked Obama’s concerns on this issue while on a campaign stop in Iowa, saying, “We talked about nuclear power. Well, it has to be safe environment(ally), blah, blah, blah.” READ MORE
McCain adviser reaffirms Bush position that Clean Air Act shouldn’t be used to halt greenhouse gas emissions
· McCain’s senior policy adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin reaffirmed the Bush Administration position that the Clean Air Act should not be used to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Grist notes that Obama’s position is actually to see if Congress can put together climate legislation in the first 18 months, and if not, to then use the Clean Air Act, as the Supreme Court has held is appropriate.
e360 disagrees with even this position, urging that “Rather than wait for action by Congress, the next president should employ an existing tool for tackling climate change: using the Clean Air Act to control greenhouse gas emissions and to establish a national cap-and-trade program.”
Today’s Environment
· McCain’s senior policy adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin reaffirmed the Bush Administration position that the Clean Air Act should not be used to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Grist notes that Obama’s position is actually to see if Congress can put together climate legislation in the first 18 months, and if not, to then use the Clean Air Act, as the Supreme Court has held is appropriate.
· e360 disagrees with even this position, urging that “Rather than wait for action by Congress, the next president should employ an existing tool for tackling climate change: using the Clean Air Act to control greenhouse gas emissions and to establish a national cap-and-trade program.”
· Audi announces a new plug-in hybrid, the A1 Sportback, which is said to run 60 miles on a single charge, after which it gets 72 mpg. As seems to be the case with most EVs, it is unclear when this concept car could be available.
· Support for California’s high speed rail ballot measure, Prop 1A, grows on college campus.
McCain seems to abandon position on ethanol
NYT’s The Caucus reported yesterday that McCain, while campaigning in Iowa, inserted an important and powerful word into his remarks, stating, “We’ll invest in all energy alternatives: nuclear, wind, tide, solar, ethanol, biofuels.” His running mate also called for: “harnessing alternative sources like the wind, and the solar and the biomass and the geothermal and the ethanol.” This is a significant policy shift for McCain and his campaign. READ MORE
NYTimes endorses Obama, citing energy and climate issues
The NYTimes op-ed board naturally endorsed Barack Obama today (having endorsed 13 of the last Democratic presidential candidates). In the endorsement, the board notes “Mr. McCain could have seized the high ground on energy and the environment. Earlier in his career, he offered the first plausible bill to control America’s emissions of greenhouse gases. Now his positions are a caricature of that record: think Ms. Palin leading chants of ‘drill, baby, drill.’ Mr. Obama has endorsed some offshore drilling, but as part of a comprehensive strategy including big investments in new, clean technologies.” READ MORE
Friday’s Environment
· What gas is 17,000 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2, is being released at a larger rate each year, and is released during the manufacturing of electronic parts, including photovoltaic solar cells!? Nitrogen trifluoride.
· Due to market and credit conditions, Canadian oil-sands producers, Suncor and Petro-Canada, are delaying oil-production projects and scaling back capital expenditure, including plans to install “upgraders” that can turn tar sands into crude oil. Consequently, this “could mean sharply higher oil prices in a few years’ time.”
· Citing a “a dramatic collapse” in oil prices, “OPEC decided Friday to reduce output by a deeper-than-expected 1.5 million barrels a day, and suggested more production cuts are coming as demand slumps amid the credit crisis and a broad economic slowdown.”
· The LA Convention Center upgraded its facilities and received a LEED Certification for Existing Building.
· And the Boston Globe wonders, if elected, will Obama be susceptible to the same political winds that caused McCain to reverse his pro-green policies? “An Obama administration is not likely to reenact the secretive Cheney energy meetings and delete science reports. But normal lobbying could be quite enough to keep a new White House from demonstrating leadership for the planet.”
US alternative energy companies fall on hard times
A concern we’ve been voicing lately is: what effects will the economic crisis and lower gas prices have on renewable energy development. Due to the freezing of the credit markets, economic slowdown, and plunging price of oil and natural gas, alternative energy companies are facing hard times. Stock values for companies in this sector have fallen even faster than the rest of the market, and some companies, such as Tesla Motors, have been forced to put production plans on hold and to lay off workers. READ MORE
Some more details on Palin’s environmental policies
[See below the fold for an update to this post.]
As Colin Powell noted in his appearance on Meet the Press yesterday, the vice president’s sole job is to be ready to be president, and clearly this is not the case with Sarah Palin. We’ve looked at Palin’s horrendous views on the environment previously, but an article in the Telegraph today raised some more points that we have not yet discussed: READ MORE
Not enviro related… but Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama on Meet the Press was impressive.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell (R) had an incredibly articulate and impressive endorsement of Sen. Obama on Meet the Press today.
Third and final debate touches on environment and energy
There wasn’t much new ground covered in this third and final debate regarding the environment and energy policy. Some of the “highlights” include: READ MORE
It will require true leadership to keep the environmental train on the tracks next year
A common concern expressed among enviros lately is that the economic crisis is going to derail efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and revamp our energy policy. Where McCain, Obama and Biden all recognize the science behind climate change, there is a concern that anticipated regulations may get pushed aside next year over fears of adverse effects on the economy from higher energy prices and stricter regulations.
Assuming that neither candidate is able to provide the leadership necessary to convince the American people that energy technology is in of itself the way to bring our economy into this new era, then we will likely face fewer environmental reforms.
If a cap-and-trade bill couldn’t pass the Senate last year because most Republicans and some Democrats (mostly from coal producing states) complained it would damage the economy, it is going to take truly remarkable leadership to do so under the current economic climate. We can always hope.
