by Frank O'Donnell
-
Lisa Murkowski’s bid to become a climate outlaw 0
Posted 2 months ago Why is Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) behaving like an outlaw? Read More -
Hawthorn Group claims it's an innocent victim -- oh, really!?
Forgery Farce 1
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago One of the more macabre aspects of the still-evolving scandal involving the forged letters to Congress on the climate legislation was the disavowal of all responsibility by the Hawthorn Group -- the astro-turf lobbying group that has worked for nearly a decade to snooker public officials about allegedly "clean coal." Read More -
Republicans try to hold EPA air nominee hostage
Senate Spoil Sports 0
Posted 6 months, 4 weeks ago Most of the news coverage in recent days, understandably has focused on the Markey climate hearings and speculation about when his subcommittee will actually start voting. And now there is scrutiny of efforts by "moderate" House Democrats to gut the Waxman-Markey bill on behalf of Duke Energy, the Edison Electric Institute and other forces of darkness who assert with a straight face that "the consumer" is their only concern.Across the Capitol, however, another important mini-drama is playing out. There, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has recommended approval of the very qualified Gina McCarthy, the environmental commissioner from… Read More
-
Paterson's polluted plan
New York governor goes in the tank for industry, backs away from climate plan 12
Posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago It's a shocking reversal from one of the states that pioneered efforts to deal with global warming from electric power plants.The New York Times reveals that New York state's accidental Gov. David A. Paterson has caved in to energy industry demands and now appears ready to run roughshod over his own experts to give industry free carbon emission permits. Read More
-
Inaugural diesel stimulus
Will Congress get a whiff and vote to clean up dirty diesel engines? 1
Posted 10 months, 1 week ago The Washington Post has an interesting note about the armada of diesel buses that have rolled into the nation's capital for the Obama inauguration -- and the need to clean them up.The opportunity for the "policy change" described in the piece could be at hand as soon as the day after the inauguration, Wednesday, Jan. 21, when the House Appropriations Committee takes up the economic recovery bill. The committee already recognized the desire to include the cleanup of existing diesel engines as part of the stimulus bill. See the bottom of page 4 of the House plan… Read More
-
Dingell damage control
More on the battle with Henry Waxman over the House Energy and Commerce committee 0
Posted 1 year ago With a secret-ballot vote by Democrats in the House of Representatives likely next week, Washington, D.C. continues to buzz over the effort by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) to unseat Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) as chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.Dingell's corporate-lobbyist friends on K Street are coyly staying off the record on this -- I guess they don't want to make it too obvious that Dingell is their guy -- though unnamed sources have begun floating the idea that some sort of compromise might be appropriate. This is probably a sign of weakness from the… Read More
-
Waxman v. Dingell
Why polluter lobbyists are rallying to protect ‘Tailpipe Johnny’ 3
Posted 1 year ago While the Obama transition team starts assembling the pieces of his administration, one of D.C.'s most intriguing subplots is unfolding: the contest between Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and John Dingell (D-Mich.) for chairmanship of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees clean air, global warming, and other critical environmental legislation.Last week the Washington Post reported that Dingell is rallying friendly K Street lobbyists in an effort to fend off Waxman and hold on to his chairmanship. And so the corporate propaganda now ham-fistedly attempts to portray Waxman as less effective at building consensus on effective legislation.
… Read More -
Dirty air in the parks
White House begins review of controversial EPA rule 5
Posted 1 year ago With a new president-elect only days away, the Bush administration is racing to push through 11th-hour, polluter-friendly rules.The Washington Post flagged some of the most egregious examples in a front-page story, Friday.
The latest to pop up is what the Bush EPA opaquely describes as the "increment modeling" rule. It is now under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Despite its inpenetrable name, this rule is highly controversial: It would make it easier for electric power plants and other big smokestack sources of air pollution to site near national parks and wilderness areas. It would… Read More
-
Smokey Joe rides again
Texas Rep. Joe Barton kills effort to clean up power plants 0
Posted 1 year, 2 months ago In 2003, a Dallas Morning News editorial dubbed Republican Congressman Joe Barton "Smokey Joe" for his efforts to protect Texas polluters from pollution control requirements.Now Smokey Joe is at it again. He has blocked an attempt in Congress to make at least some progress towards cleaning up coal-fired power plants. The issue involves a compromise plan put together by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.)that was designed to codify the first phase of the Bush EPA interstate air pollution rule (the so-called "Clean Air Interstate Rule" or CAIR), which had been struck… Read More
-
Veep impact
The pro- and anti-coal contenders on Obama’s veep shortlist 3
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago A commentary on vice presidential prospects by Eric Schaeffer, director of the Environmental Integrity Project, and Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch.-----
As presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama prepares to make perhaps his most important campaign decision -- his choice of a running mate -- two governors are said to be on the short list: Tim Kaine of Virginia and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas.
Both are smart and popular. Both face term limits. And both are Catholic, an important constituency that Obama wants to court.
But the two have gone in opposite directions on an issue… Read More
