Thursday, 10 Mar 2005

Better Off Deadlocked

Senate committee deadlock means Clear Skies unlikely to pass this year

After a deadlocked 9-9 vote in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Bush administration's long-sought Clear Skies legislation appears unlikely to pass -- at least this year. The fourth time was not the charm for committee chair James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who had scheduled and then delayed the vote three times previously as he twisted arms in search of a deal. Stung by the defeat, Inhofe, to the surprise of approximately no one, blamed the failure on "environmental extremists" and "far-left political fundraising." The actual source of the defeat was a group of seven Democrats, along with independent James Jeffords (Vt.) and moderate Republican Lincoln Chafee (R.I.). They had been under intense pressure to bend, but after their request for additional information from the U.S. EPA last week was met with silence, they seemed resolved to stick together. The Bush administration is now expected to try to implement some of Clear Skies' provisions as regulatory rules, and possibly attach others as riders to the pending energy bill. The ultimate fate of Clear Skies itself is still up in the, um, air.


Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) thinks the U.S. EPA's new sewage proposal stinks. The policy, currently in draft stage, would allow incompletely treated sewage to mix with fully treated wastewater before being released into rivers, lakes, and oceans -- a practice politely called "blending" -- during "wet-weather" events. Susan Boni reports on why Stupak and some 134 other House members want to flush this idea down the drain -- today on the Grist Magazine website.

The Idiotarod

Republicans are after the Arctic Refuge again

Undeterred by consistent public opposition and bipartisan objections, a number of Republicans are once again attempting to get oil drillers into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Senate Budget Committee Chair Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) slipped ANWR into a budget resolution yesterday, which unlike standard legislation cannot be defeated by a filibuster. Overcoming a filibuster requires 60 votes, but the budget resolution requires only a 51-vote majority. Senate Energy Committee Chair Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) called this the "old-fashioned way," but Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) countered that it is in fact a "backdoor way," a perversion of the budget process. On the House side, Republicans left ANWR out of the budget but vowed to include it in energy legislation next month. And at the head of the pack was President Bush, who touted plans to open ANWR to drilling in a major speech yesterday. In a turn of phrase creative even by his standards, he said ANWR would produce "the same amount of new oil we could get from 41 states combined." Many of those states, of course, have no known oil reserves.


A reader asks how best to distribute a limited amount of dough to make a difference for the environment. Eco-sage Umbra Fisk offers a wealth of ideas ranging from home-improvement purchases to grocery-shopping tips -- in Ask Umbra, today on the Grist Magazine website.

Joevangelism

Evangelical leaders rally to fight global warming

Following its adoption of an environmental platform in October, the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella group of 51 denominations, has scheduled two meetings in the Washington, D.C., area to focus on global warming. To be attended by influential religious leaders, scientists, politicians, and members of international aid agencies, the meetings will highlight the relationship between climate change and the ideals of Christian stewardship. The group may release a statement throwing its powerful political backing behind efforts to curb global warming, and discussions on the topic are expected to draw major political figures including Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and members of the Bush administration. "Support from the evangelical and broader religious community can really move some people in Congress who feel some sense of moral responsibility but haven't quite settled on an exact policy response yet," Lieberman said. "This could be pivotal."