Thursday, 22 Jun 2006

A Long and Windy Road

Compromise in Congress keeps Cape Wind project above water

The beleaguered Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound is keeping its head above water, thanks to good old-fashioned compromise. A provision to allow the Massachusetts governor to veto the planned wind project was holding up a Coast Guard reauthorization bill in Congress; a new version of the legislation drops the governor veto and gives the Coast Guard authority to mandate "reasonable" changes if the project is judged a navigational hazard. The Coast Guard has already reviewed the project and raised no major objections, but will look more closely in the next several months. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), an outspoken opponent of the wind farm, helped to craft the compromise legislation; he has claimed the project is a government handout to the developer, and denied that the view from his family's oceanfront property has anything to do with his opposition. If completed, Cape Wind's 130 turbines could power up to 400,000 homes in the Cape Cod area.


With the midterm elections just a few months away, politicians are on everyone's mind -- or nerves. Democrats, Republicans, and sundry others are jostling to represent you in our fair Congress. As you think about whom to vote for, Ross Gelbspan asks that you keep one issue in mind: climate change. Pin 'em down. After all, if they aren't ready to do something to stop the world from going to H in an H-basket, does it matter a whole lot where they stand on anything else?

Sear in the Headlights

Summer in Western U.S. is off to a hot, dry, fiery start

In Western states, wildfires and heat waves are getting an early start this year -- a pattern unsurprising to climate scientists, and likely to get worse. Wildfires have already burned more than 3 million acres, more than triple the average for this time of year. Meanwhile, a recent Denver heat wave was the earliest of the year since recordkeeping began in 1872; the federal Climate Prediction Center predicts above-average temperatures for Colorado through September. According to a 2004 study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the number of heat waves per summer could double by the end of the century. "It appears that global warming is an issue that is not going to subside or go away anytime soon. What we thought was the anomaly will soon become the rule," says Mat Fratus of the San Bernardino City Fire Department. Dude, we could have told you that.

You Look Like You Just Saw a Coast

Offshore drilling bill moves forward in House

Legislation that would end a 25-year ban on most offshore drilling was approved by the House Resources Committee yesterday. The bill would authorize oil and gas development farther than 50 miles offshore, unless a state acted to prohibit exploration within 100 miles of its shore; the current ban prohibits drilling within about 200 miles of most of the nation's coast. Up to 75 percent of production royalties would be distributed to states instead of the federal treasury, a feature the Bush administration opposes. The bill would also force oil companies to renegotiate some contracts that allow them to skip out on billions in royalty payments for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Shell, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips have indicated they're willing to discuss fixing the contracts' loophole; ExxonMobil (surprise!) opposes renegotiation. The bill has a relatively good chance of passing in the House but is likely doomed in the Senate, as coastal-state senators have threatened to filibuster any legislation that lifts the offshore drilling ban.

Step One: Get a Job With Better Health-Care Coverage

Wal-Mart to educate employees on environment and health

Retail leviathan Wal-Mart, anxious to be the eco-friendliest big-box chain around, is developing a program to teach employees how to care for themselves and the environment. Anonymous sources say the as-yet-unveiled plan, tentatively named the Environmental Health and Wellness Program, will give employees practical advice, like using energy-efficient light bulbs (which Wal-Mart carries!) and eating more fish for health benefits (mercury be damned!). The program is part of an effort to push down the company's health-care spending; Wal-Mart's 1.3 million U.S. employees -- the largest workforce in the nation -- have higher rates of heart disease and diabetes than the general public. The company has asked former Sierra Club President Adam Werbach to come on as a consultant (negotiations are ongoing). In a 1997 book, Werbach compared Wal-Mart's growth to a "virus, infecting and destroying American culture." At least they want to be an eco-friendly virus!