CR’s Recent Comments

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  GOP

  Given their love for fossil fuels, we should start calling the GOP the Gas and Oil Party.On RNC chooses as new leader the author of 'drill, baby, drill' posted 9 months ago 5 Responses

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  Cap & Trade

  I heard a radio report on cap & trade programs in Europe, and they sounded incredibly complex and subject to abuse. It sounds simple: a company that wants to increase emissions buys credits from one that is willing to decrease emissions. The problem is, those who are decreasing emissions have to prove that they would not have taken those actions without the payments. How do you demostrate why you are making energy efficiencies in your building or your factory or your vehicle fleet? It takes mountains of paperwork. And of course, we would like to see everyone improve their energy efficiency even without being paid to do it. I like Al Gore's idea: a carbon tax instead of the payroll tax.On EPA's first administrator is bullish on Obama, but not cap-and-trade posted 10 months, 1 week ago 7 Responses

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  Green energy

  Green energy is the way to go, and I hope it is how we recover from this economic downturn. In every decade it seems there is a recession, then economic growth based on some new industry. In the 80s it was computers and cell phones. In the 90s it was the internet and the development of e-businesses. In the 2000s it was financial services and housing (Oops, that didn't work out too well. Smart bankers figuring out how to bilk people out of their equity didn't create much long-term value for society!) As we climb out of this recession, it will be time to rebuild our energy system, and that -will- create long-term value.On Obama affirms commitment to climate change, but won't be going to Poland posted 11 months, 3 weeks ago 9 Responses

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  Secretary of Ag

  I wish Obama would show more interest in conservation and sustainability. Having lived in Minnesota, I was dismayed to see Colin Peterson on the list. Although he's a democrat, he has a poor environmental record. A better choice would be moderate republican Jim Ramstad, also of Minnesota. According to the League of Conservation Voters, both Colin Peterson and Stephanie Sandlin voted against subsidy reform and grasslands protection in the farm bill, but Ramstad supported those reforms.

  For other ideas, why not look to the staff and board of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Iowa? This is a good organization that manages to exist in the biggest conventional ag state in the country. On The green scoop on Obama's Cabinet and administration picks and prospects posted 11 months, 4 weeks ago 9 Responses

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  Bogus budget

  Drilling in ANWR to generate $2.4 billion doesn't make much sense when you look at how much we spend on other energy programs. Taxpayers for Common Sense (in their Katrina Offsets report) propose $44 billion in cuts to what they say are wasteful energy programs. Some readers may like a few of these programs, but I'm sure most will agree that there are some doozies that could be cut (especially the $17.1 billion in tax breaks to extracting industries). Here's the list:

  Cut the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science, and Technology: $2.5 billion (estimated)
  Cut the nuclear physics program in the Office of Science: $2.0 billion (estimated)
  End federal R&D on Coal: $1.75 billion (estimated)
  Eliminate FreedomCAR: $845 million
  Restructure Power Marketing Administrations to charge higher rates: $880 million
  Increase the fee of the Nuclear Waste Fund: $428 million
  Eliminate 51-cent ethanol tax incentive: $7.3 billion
  Eliminate the alternative fuel production credit: $4.0 billion
  Repeal expensing of exploration costs for extracting industries: $17.1 billion
  Tax public electric power utilities' income: $3.6 billion
  Eliminate the percentage depletion write-off: $3.0 billion
  Eliminate the SUV tax credit: $700 million

  It's interesting to look at the Taxpayers for
  Common Sense web site (www.taxpayer.net) I used to think of them as a conservative group, but with their opposition to numerous weapons programs, public land giveaways, etc., they don't have much in common with the Republicans. On Oil drills getting closer than ever to the Arctic Refuge posted 4 years ago 3 Responses