An Emissions Plan that Conservatives Could Warm To.
Commentary by Bob Inglis and Arthur B. Laffer.
"Conservatives don't support tax increases that are veiled as 'cap and trade' schemes for pollution permits. But offer us a tax swap, and we could become the new administration's best allies on climate change. A climate-change bill withered in Congress this summer because families don't need an enormous, and hidden, tax increase. If the bill's authors had instead proposed a simple carbon tax coupled with an equal, offsetting reduction in income taxes or payroll taxes, a dynamic new energy security policy could have taken root... The market-driven innovation that brought us the Internet and the personal computer could quickly bring us new, cleaner fuels. A carbon tax that was fully offset (with payroll or income taxes cut by a dollar amount equal to the revenues generated by the new tax) would be as bold as the threat that we face. Conservatives do not have to agree that humans are causing climate change to recognize a sensible energy solution. All we need to assume is that burning less fossil fuels would be a good thing... As president, Barack Obama, by working with conservatives as well as the members of his own party, can at once clean the air, create jobs and improve the national security of the United States -- a triple play for the next American century. Bob Inglis is a Republican representative from South Carolina. Arthur B. Laffer was a member of President Ronald Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board from 1981 to 1989."
Taxing Carbon: A Dilemma for Obama.
Commentary by Thomas L. Friedman, NYTimes, December 28, 2008.
"I believe the second biggest decision Barack Obama has to make -- the first is deciding the size of the stimulus -- is whether to increase the federal gasoline tax or impose an economy-wide carbon tax. Best I can tell, the Obama team has no intention of doing either at this time. I understand why. Raising taxes in a recession is a no-no. But I've wracked my brain trying to think of ways to retool America around clean-power technologies without a price signal -- i.e., a tax -- and there are no effective ones. (Toughening energy-efficiency regulations alone won't do it.) Without a higher gas tax or carbon tax, Obama will lack the leverage to drive critical pieces of his foreign and domestic agendas."
Gordon Brown Vows New Alliance with Obama.
By Jane Merrick, The Independent (UK), December 28, 2008.
"Gordon Brown will today use his New Year message to broker a new 'coalition for change' with Barack Obama on the economy, the environment and the war on terrorism. In an attempt to make a decisive break from the Blair-Bush era of transatlantic diplomacy, the Prime Minister sets out the terms for the new special relationship with the president-elect ahead of his inauguration next month. Despite the global economic storm, Britain and the US will work closely on tackling climate change, including a successor to the Kyoto Protocol at next year's Copenhagen summit, Mr Brown says in his traditional turn-of-the-year address... Despite Tony Blair's close relationship with George Bush, the former prime minister was never able to convert the outgoing president to the fight against global warming. Mr Brown's aides are optimistic that the Obama administration will herald a transformation in how the world tackles climate change."
Schwarzenegger's Green Challenge.
By Scott Pelley, 60 Minutes, CBS, December 21 2008, video (12:46) and transcript.
"This month, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger warned of financial Armageddon, as
California faced a potential $40 billion deficit that threatened jobs, roads, schools and public safety. At the same time, he's pushing some of the world's toughest environmental laws to make California a leader on climate change... Schwarzenegger wants to revolutionize energy with aggressive limits on greenhouse gases. In a little more than ten years, a third of California power is supposed to flow from renewables, like solar energy. And he wants to cut tailpipe emissions 30 percent in eight years. Asked if it's the wrong time to switch the way America uses energy -- in light of the economic emergency, Schwarzenegger said, 'I think that there's never the wrong time. There's always the right time. I will argue the opposite. Because we have seen that the industries that are performing well in California, even right now in this economic decline, is green technology... So, green technology's where it's at.'"
With Aid from the State, Californians Invest in Rooftop Solar Power.
By Maria Dickerson, LATimes, December 27, 2008.
"At a time when many investors are sticking money in their mattresses, Californians are putting it on their roofs. Applications for state rebates to install solar panels hit their highest level ever in December, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy economy. Residents filed a record 1,215 applications seeking solar subsidies this month, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. That's the best showing in the program's 24-month history, and December isn't even finished. More than 18,000 California homeowners and businesses have applied for rebates over the last two years."
Energy Efficiency Brought to a New Levels in German Homes.
By Elisabeth Rosenthal, NYTimes, December 26, 2008.
"The concept of the passive house, pioneered in [Darmstadt, Germany, a] city of 140,000 outside Frankfurt, approaches the challenge from a different angle. Using ultrathick insulation and complex doors and windows, the architect engineers a home encased in an airtight shell, so that barely any heat escapes and barely any cold seeps in. That means a passive house can be warmed not only by the sun, but also by the heat from appliances and even from occupants' bodies. And in Germany, passive houses cost only about 5 to 7 percent more to build than conventional houses. Decades ago, attempts at creating sealed solar-heated homes failed, because of stagnant air and mold. But new passive houses use an ingenious central ventilation system. The warm air going out passes side by side with clean, cold air coming in, exchanging heat with 90 percent efficiency."
Burning Coal at Home is Making a Comeback.
By Tom Zeller Jr. and Stefan Milkowski, NYTimes, December 26, 2008.
"Coal is making a comeback as a home heating fuel. Problematic in some ways and difficult to handle, coal is nonetheless a cheap, plentiful, mined-in-America source of heat. And with the cost of heating oil and natural gas increasingly prone to spikes, some homeowners in the Northeast, pockets of the Midwest and even Alaska are deciding coal is worth the trouble. Burning coal at home was once commonplace, of course, but the practice had been declining for decades. Coal consumption for residential use hit a low of 258,000 tons in 2006 -- then started to rise. It jumped 9 percent in 2007, according to the Energy Information Administration, and 10 percent more in the first eight months of 2008. Online coal forums are buzzing with activity, as residential coal enthusiasts trade tips and advice for buying and tending to coal heaters. And manufacturers and dealers of coal-burning stoves say they have been deluged with orders -- any placed when the price of heating oil jumped last summer -- that they are struggling to fill."
Coal Ash Spill Revives Issue of Its Hazards.
By Shaila Dewan, NYTimes, December 24, 2008.
"What may be the nation's largest spill of coal ash lay thick and largely untouched over hundreds of acres of land and waterways Wednesday after a dam broke this week, as officials and environmentalists argued over its potential toxicity... The spill took place at the Kingston Fossil Plant, a Tennessee Valley Authority generating plant about 40 miles west of Knoxville on the banks of the Emory River... A draft report last year by the federal EPA found that fly ash, a byproduct of the burning of coal to produce electricity, does contain significant amounts of carcinogens and retains the heavy metal present in coal in far higher concentrations. The report found that the concentrations of arsenic to which people might be exposed through drinking water contaminated by fly ash could increase cancer risks several hundredfold. Similarly, a 2006 study by the federally chartered National Research Council found that these coal-burning byproducts 'often contain a mixture of metals and other constituents in sufficient quantities that they may pose public health and environmental concerns if improperly managed.' The study said 'risks to human health and ecosystems' might occur when these contaminants entered drinking water supplies or surface water bodies. In 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed stricter federal controls of coal ash, but backed away in the face of fierce opposition from utilities, the coal industry, and Clinton administration officials. At the time, the Edison Electric Institute, an association of power utilities, estimated that the industry would have to spend up to $5 billion in additional cleanup costs if the substance were declared hazardous. Since then, environmentalists have urged tighter federal standards, and the E.P.A. is reconsidering its decision not to classify the waste as hazardous."
Court Reinstates Bush Clean-Air Rule.
By Felicity Barringer, NYTimes, December 28, 2008.
"A federal appeals court in Washington reversed itself on Tuesday and temporarily reinstated a Bush administration plan to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants... The regulation, known as the Clean Air Interstate Rule, had been the centerpiece of the Bush administration's re-engineering of the Clean Air Act. It set significant targets to reduce pollution around the power plants and in the downwind states whose air quality was affected by the emissions. Tuesday's decision, by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, means that levels of smog-forming nitrogen oxides must be reduced in 28 eastern states and the District of Columbia beginning Jan. 1. Levels of sulfur dioxide, closely associated with the formation of deadly fine soot particles, must be reduced beginning a year later."
Connecting Capitalism and Earth Stewardship at NRDC.
By Emily Cousins, OnEarth, December 1, 2008.
"Shelly Malkin is a conservationist... [whose] family has deep roots in the oil and gas industry, and her husband, Tony, represents the third generation of a real estate dynasty whose crown jewel is the world's most famous skyscraper, New York City's Empire State Building. In their daily life the Malkins have worked hard to find a middle ground where prosperity and stewardship go hand in hand... As founding supporters of NRDC's new Center for Market Innovation they are leading an effort to shape market forces so that environmentally sound practices are rewarded. The center works with executives from Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and other financial concerns to encourage clean energy through smart investment and market-based policy such as national climate legislation... Tony has also encouraged NRDC to use financial data to strengthen its hand in the climate debate. 'We have done some hard-number analyses so people understand what cap-and-trade legislation will do for the economy,' said Rick Duke, the center's director."
By Kate Sheppard, Grist, December 26, 2008.
"A fleet of oil industry reps, enviros, venture capitalists, national-security hawks, and think-tankers walk into a room. After a day and a half of debate, can they walk out with at least three oil-related policy recommendations for the next president? That was the challenge presented by the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Brookings Institution, which hosted a meeting of a wide range of energy and environmental stakeholders in Washington on Dec. 18 and 19, under the banner of the 'Oil Solutions Summit.' The invited parties -- from the Natural Resources Defense Council to Chevron to members of Obama's transition team -- have all crafted their own plans for the future of energy in the U.S. But the question for this event was whether these groups could agree to some clear policies that would make the country more economically, environmentally, and physically secure. If they could put those recommendations on Obama's desk in the next few weeks, it would be an unprecedented step forward... Over the next few weeks, Brookings and RMI will gather the ideas generated at the summit into a draft summary, which each group will then be able to examine and discuss. Ideally, they'd like to continue the conversation online, and be able to deliver to Obama three to five ideas that the group agrees widely on by mid-January."
Obama Announces New Science Advisor and Head of NOAA.
By Barack Obama, Change.gov, December 12, 2008, video and text.
"Whether it's the science to slow global warming; the technology to protect our troops and confront bioterror and weapons of mass destruction; the research to find life-saving cures; or the innovations to remake our industries and create twenty-first century jobs-today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. It is time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America's place as the world leader in science and technology... Dr. John Holdren has agreed to serve as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. John... has been one of the most passionate and persistent voices of our time about the growing threat of climate change. I look forward to his wise counsel in the years ahead... Dr. Jane Lubchenco has accepted my nomination as the Administrator of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is devoted to conserving our marine and coastal resources and monitoring our weather. [She is] an internationally known environmental scientist and ecologist and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science... and I am confident she will provide passionate and dedicated leadership at NOAA."
Environmentalists Weigh in with Their Advice to Obama.
Opinion, YaleEnviro360, December 18, 2008.
"[We] asked a wide-ranging group of environmental activists, scientists, and thinkers to answer the following question: If you were advising Barack Obama, what would you tell him are the most important environmental and energy initiatives that he should launch during his first 100 days?... Here are their responses: Bill McKibben... Rajendra K. Pachauri... Mindy Lubber... Paul Hawken... Joseph Romm... Frances Beinecke... Fred Krupp... David W. Orr... Van Jones... William K. Reilly... Paul and Anne Ehrlich... Betsy Taylor... Bill Chameides."
EPA Pollution Exemption Rule Struck Down by Court Ruling.
By Juliet Eilperin, WashPost, December 20, 2008.
"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit yesterday struck down an exemption that for nearly 15 years has allowed refineries, chemical plants and other industrial facilities to exceed federal air pollution limits during certain periods of operation. Environmental groups hailed the ruling, which overturned a provision, enacted under President Bill Clinton, that permits industrial operations that are starting up, shutting down or malfunctioning to emit more toxins into the air than is normally allowed. The EPA and an array of business groups argued that the exemption was essential, but the court determined that it was illegal... The agency created the exemption in 1994, and Bush administration officials broadened the interpretation of the provision over time. This made it subject to judicial review, and a coalition of advocacy groups... challenged the provision's legality in court."
Impostor 'Bidder' Disrupts BLM Oil and Gas Auction.
By Patty Hannetz, SaltLakeTrib. December 21, 2008.
"He didn't pour sugar into a bulldozer's gas tank. He didn't spike a tree or set a billboard on fire. But wielding only a bidder's paddle, a University of Utah student just as surely monkey-wrenched a federal oil- and gas-lease sale Friday, ensuring that thousands of acres near two southern Utah national parks won't be opened to drilling anytime soon. Tim DeChristopher, 27, faces possible federal charges after winning bids totaling about $1.8 million on more than 10 lease parcels that he admits he has neither the intention nor the money to buy -- and he's not sorry. 'I decided I could be much more effective by an act of civil disobedience,' he said during an impromptu streetside news conference during an afternoon blizzard. 'There comes a time to take a stand.'... [He was] questioned and released after disrupting a U.S. Bureau of Land Management lease auction of 149,000 acres of public land in scenic southern and eastern Utah."
Carbon Auction Nets $106.5 Million for 10 States.
By Mary Esch, AP, December 19, 2008.
"The nation's second auction of carbon dioxide emissions allowances will bring $106.5 million to the 10 northeastern states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative [RGGI]. Pete Grannis, the organization's chairman, said the results prove that distributing allowances through auctions in a carbon dioxide cap-and-trade program can be successful. RGGI is seen as a blueprint for a national program to curb global warming by reducing carbon emissions. RGGI reported Friday that all 31.5 million allowances, each representing a ton of carbon, were sold in the Dec. 17 auction for a clearing price of $3.38 per allowance... The first auction, on Sept. 25, sold 12.5 million allowances at a clearing price of $3.07 each, raising nearly $38.6 million for the six RGGI states participating. All 10 states were in the second auction. [States will invest proceeds in consumer benefits: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other clean energy technologies.]"
Press Release, Union of Concerned Scientists, December 19, 2008.
"The Northeast's cap-and-trade system for global warming pollution -- the first of its kind in the nation -- will be compromised unless utilities are prevented from importing additional coal-fired electricity, according to a report [Importing Pollution: Coal's Threat to Climate Policy in the U.S. Northeast, 44 pp] released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists [UCS]. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative [RGGI], which applies to power plants in 10 Northeastern states, does not preclude the utilities that supply electricity to Northeast homes and businesses from buying more electricity from coal-fired power plants outside the region. That could increase the carbon dioxide emissions from those plants outside the region, offsetting emissions reductions under RGGI... John Rogers, a UCS clean energy analyst and co-author of the report, said, 'To ensure the initiative fulfills its potential, however, participating states must make sure that the region's utilities don't buy additional coal-based electricity from outside the region.' Beginning January 1, a cap will go into effect on the total carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the 10 RGGI states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. The total amount of emissions allowed from all plants -- approximately 188 million tons -- will remain the same each year through 2014, followed by a 10 percent decrease over the next four years."
Mapping the History of Oil Imports.
By Tom Zeller Jr., NYTimes, December 18, 2008.
"Google.org, the philanthropic wing of the Internet search giant, and the Rocky Mountain Institute, an environmental research group, have teamed up to produce an intriguing map that allows users to track oil imports over time."
NASA Set to Launch 'CO2 Hunter'.
By Jonathan Amos, BBC, December 18, 2008.
The US space agency is set to launch a satellite [on February 23, 2009] that can map in detail where carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere. Nasa's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) will pinpoint the key locations on the Earth's surface where CO2 is being emitted and absorbed... 'This is Nasa's first spacecraft specifically dedicated to mapping carbon dioxide,' principal investigator David Crisp told BBC News. 'The objective of the OCO mission is to make measurements that are so precise that they can be used to look for surface sources and sinks of CO2.' Nasa already has a CO2 detection instrument on its Aqua satellite but this looks at the greenhouse gas some five to 10km above the surface. OCO, on the other hand, will detail the concentration of carbon dioxide close to the ground where its warming effect is most keenly felt... Once in orbit, OCO will join a fleet of other satellites -- known as the A-Train -- which carry a range of instrumentation to give a rounded picture of Earth's atmospheric and water systems."
Japan Launches First Solar Cargo Ship.
AFP, December 19, 2008.
"The world's first cargo ship partly propelled by solar power took to the seas on Friday in Japan, aiming to cut fuel costs and carbon emissions when automakers export their products. Auriga Leader, a freighter developed by shipping lineNippon Yusen K.K. and oil distributor Nippon Oil Corp., took off from a shipyard in the western city of Kobe, officials of the two firms said. The huge freighter capable of carrying 6,400 automobiles is equipped with 328 solar panels at a cost of 150 million yen (1.68 million dollars), the officials said. The ship will initially transport vehicles being sent for sale overseas by Japan's top automaker Toyota Motor Corp. The project was conceived before the global economic crisis, which has forced automakers to drastically cut production as sales dwindle. Company officials said the 60,213-tonne, 200-metre (660-foot) long ship is the first large vessel in the world with a solar-based propulsion system. So far solar energy has been limited to supporting lighting and crew's living quarters. The solar power system can generate 40 kilowatts, which would initially cover only 0.2 percent of the ship's energy consumption for propulsion, but company officials said they hoped to raise the ratio."
Bolivian President Evo Morales Offers 20 Ways to Save Mother Earth.
By Evo Morales, International Journal of Socialist Renewal, December 15, 2008.
"Climate change has placed all humankind before a great choice: to continue in the ways of capitalism and death, or to start down the path of harmony with nature and respect for life... While the United States and the European Union allocate $4100 billion to save the bankers from a financial crisis that they themselves have caused, programs on climate change get 313 times less, that is to say, only $13 billion... The vast majority of resources flow to those countries that have contaminated the most, and not to the countries where we have preserved the environment most... The next summit on climate change in Copenhagen must allow us to make a leap forward if we want to save Mother Earth and humanity. For that purpose the following proposals for the process from Poznan to Copenhagen: 1) Attack the structural causes of climate change... 2) Developed countries need to control their patterns of consumption -- of luxury and waste... 3) Agrofuels are not an alternative, because they put the production of foodstuffs for transport before the production of food for human beings... 20) It is fundamental to structurally transform the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the international economic system as a whole, in order to guarantee fair and complementary trade, as well as financing without conditions for sustainable development that avoids the waste of natural resources and fossil fuels in the production processes, trade and product transport... Humankind is capable of saving the Earth if we recover the principles of solidarity, complementarity and harmony with nature in contraposition to the reign of competition, profits and rampant consumption of natural resources."