Dear President Obama,

cc: Sen. Kerry, Rep. Markey

Our nation faces the gravest threat to our security and well being and the most profound moral challenge since the great struggle to end slavery. We were blessed, then, to be led by another tall, slim politician from Illinois. However, the terrible prospect of climate cataclysm, though just as grave, is more encompassing and final and calls for Presidential leadership of a higher order then even President Lincoln displayed.

Lincoln triumphed over partisan politics and a ghastly civil war, but he did so by hewing to a moderate course, never straying beyond the boundaries of the national civic debate. As a student of Lincoln, you know well that the 16th President long resisted efforts to change the character of the national conflict from a political matter of secession to the moral imperative of ending slavery. When Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, he was fully convinced that no compromise measure would be acceptable to proponents of slavery.

The immense, rushing threat of climate catastrophe allows no such middle course, because there is no time for evolution of the political debate. You must decide the essential moral and practical question now; geophysical reality does not permit the luxury of waiting to be "controlled by events." If we delay until climate impacts -- such as rising sea levels, drought and severe weather events -- begin to tear at the very fabric of the nation, then it is probable that the planet will have passed the climate point of no return. In such circumstances the fine distinction you have drawn between "the good" and "the perfect" is meaningless. It is more accurate to say that "half measures avail us nothing."

Maggie Zhou and Ken Ward ask: "What would Lincoln do?"It is now imperative that you accept the great responsibility of recasting the fundamental question facing humanity -- there is no one else in the world with the authority and power to do so. The question before us must be simplified and the scale, nature, and timing of a functional global response set before the nation and the world. The first, inarguable step in that direction is to endorse the goal of 350 ppm (or less, as most recent evidence suggests). We must acknowledge the challenge, no matter how high the hurdles.

By embracing this necessity, you bring policy and politics into line with climate realities. You also take a tremendous political risk, it is true, and open a Pandora's Box of challenges to the utterly inadequate mechanisms of the American Clean Energy Solutions Act. This is necessary if we are to even begin grappling with the true scale of risk and fundamental nature of the solutions we must embrace.

Eventually, President Lincoln came to the right decision, choosing Emancipation over gimmicks like repatriation of slaves to Africa. Given his strength of character and acuity of sight, it seems likely that he would have reached the same conclusion without the luxury of time, as you must now do. We urge that you consider the question, “what would Lincoln do?” and act accordingly.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal
Conference Minister & President,
Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ

Ross Gelbspan
Author

Marla Marcum
Chair, Climate Change Task Force,
NE Conference of the United Methodist Church

Andrée Zaleska & Ken Ward
Cofounders, Jamaica Plain Green House
350.org hub
Climate SOS

Maggie Zhou, PhD
Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities
Climate SOS

Related Links:

Washington Times: “Obama digs in on global warming”

Where is all the damn climate data?

Science historian Weart on global warming

Obama speaking on clean energy in MIT's Kresge Auditorium. Photo: Dominick ReuterObama delivered a speech on energy at MIT on Friday, marking the kick-off for what is likely to be a protracted effort by the administration and Democrats in the Senate to pass the Kerry-Boxer clean energy bill.

Those hoping for policy substance or firm commitments were disappointed. There were no specific requests of the Senate, no bottom lines, no references to the climate negotiations looming in Copenhagen. Obama stuck with the strategy he's used from the beginning: his words are broad, sweeping, and inspiring, but on the details and mechanics of policy, he plays his cards close to his vest. He is incremental, careful, and solicitous of Congressional prerogative. Just as he did on health care, he is standing back to let the Senate find its equilibrium point. That drives progressive activists crazy -- they want ultimatums and confrontations -- but it's too early to judge whether it will be successful in the end.

Consequently, the speech was mostly boilerplate that's become familiar to those following this issue. Obama hyped the Recovery Act, which put money to doubling renewable generation capacity and represented "the largest boost to scientific research in history." He noted the "growing consensus" behind action, with a specific shout-out to the Operation Free Veterans for American Power Tour. He delivered a paean to the American spirit of progress, action, and innovation, and declared that whoever captured the growing clean energy market would lead the world economy in the 21st century.

Rhetorically, there was an interesting move. He noted two common myths of opponents: that there's no problem, and that addressing the problem will destroy the economy. He said that those who peddle denialist falsehoods about climate change "are being marginalized," and noted that "it's the economic system we currently have that limits our prosperity." Great stuff. But it was another myth, he said, that was most pernicious, because almost everyone indulges in it: that is the myth of defeatism and cynicism, that our "politics are too broken" to address this issue. That, not myths about climate or the economy, is the highest barrier to action.

While I (and other folks deeply engaged in this issue) obviously would have liked to hear more meat on the bones, it is worth noting that this narrative -- the narrative of innovation, American can-do spirit, and global economic competitiveness -- is by far the strongest one Dems have going for them. They haven't always been consistent about sticking to that narrative. (If I hear one more reference to the "cap-and-trade bill"...)

Hopefully, Obama's speech marks the beginning of better communications strategy, one that goes on the offense, that shapes a forward-looking vision, rather than constantly being on the defensive and working inside the frame of opponents.

Watch the speech:

Here's the full text of the speech:

12:44 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Please, have a seat. Thank you. Thank you, MIT. (Applause.) I am -- I am hugely honored to be here. It's always been a dream of mine to visit the most prestigious school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Applause.) Hold on a second -- certainly the most prestigious school in this part of Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Laughter.) And I'll probably be here for a while -- I understand a bunch of engineering students put my motorcade on top of Building 10. (Laughter.)

This tells you something about MIT -- everybody hands out periodic tables. (Laughter.) What's up with that? (Laughter.)

I want I want to thank all of you for the warm welcome and for the work all of you are doing to generate and test new ideas that hold so much promise for our economy and for our lives. And in particular, I want to thank two outstanding MIT professors, Eric Lander, a person you just heard from, Ernie Moniz, for their service on my council of advisors on science and technology. And they have been hugely helpful to us already on looking at, for example, how the federal government can most effectively respond to the threat of the H1N1 virus. So I'm very grateful to them.

We've got some other special guests here I just want to acknowledge very briefly. First of all, my great friend and a champion of science and technology here in the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts, my friend Deval Patrick is here. (Applause.) Our Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray is here. (Applause.) Attorney General Martha Coakley is here. (Applause.) Auditor of the Commonwealth, Joe DeNucci is here. (Applause.) The Mayor of the great City of Cambridge, Denise Simmons is in the house. (Applause.) The Mayor of Boston, Tom Menino, is not here, but he met me at the airport and he is doing great; he sends best wishes.

Somebody who really has been an all-star in Capitol Hill over the last 20 years, but certainly over the last year, on a whole range of issues -- everything from Afghanistan to clean energy -- a great friend, John Kerry. Please give John Kerry a round of applause. (Applause.)

And a wonderful member of Congress -- I believe this is your district, is that correct, Mike? Mike Capuano. Please give Mike a big round of applause. (Applause.)

Now, Dr. Moniz is also the Director of MIT's Energy Initiative, called MITEI. And he and President Hockfield just showed me some of the extraordinary energy research being conducted at this institute: windows that generate electricity by directing light to solar cells; light-weight, high-power batteries that aren't built, but are grown -- that was neat stuff; engineering viruses to create -- to create batteries; more efficient lighting systems that rely on nanotechnology; innovative engineering that will make it possible for offshore wind power plants to deliver electricity even when the air is still.

And it's a reminder that all of you are heirs to a legacy of innovation -- not just here but across America -- that has improved our health and our wellbeing and helped us achieve unparalleled prosperity. I was telling John and Deval on the ride over here, you just get excited being here and seeing these extraordinary young people and the extraordinary leadership of Professor Hockfield because it taps into something essential about America -- it's the legacy of daring men and women who put their talents and their efforts into the pursuit of discovery. And it's the legacy of a nation that supported those intrepid few willing to take risks on an idea that might fail -- but might also change the world.

Even in the darkest of times this nation has seen, it has always sought a brighter horizon. Think about it. In the middle of the Civil War, President Lincoln designated a system of land grant colleges, including MIT, which helped open the doors of higher education to millions of people. A year -- a full year before the end of World War II, President Roosevelt signed the GI Bill which helped unleash a wave of strong and broadly shared economic growth. And after the Soviet launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, the United States went about winning the Space Race by investing in science and technology, leading not only to small steps on the moon but also to tremendous economic benefits here on Earth.

So the truth is, we have always been about innovation, we have always been about discovery. That's in our DNA. The truth is we also face more complex challenges than generations past. A medical system that holds the promise of unlocking new cures is attached to a health care system that has the potential to bankrupt families and businesses and our government. A global marketplace that links the trader on Wall Street to the homeowner on Main Street to the factory worker in China -- an economy in which we all share opportunity is also an economy in which we all share crisis. We face threats to our security that seek -- there are threats to our security that are based on those who would seek to exploit the very interconnectedness and openness that's so essential to our prosperity. The system of energy that powers our economy also undermines our security and endangers our planet.

Now, while the challenges today are different, we have to draw on the same spirit of innovation that's always been central to our success. And that's especially true when it comes to energy. There may be plenty of room for debate as to how we transition from fossil fuels to renewable fuels -- we all understand there's no silver bullet to do it. There's going to be a lot of debate about how we move from an economy that's importing oil to one that's exporting clean energy technology; how we harness the innovative potential on display here at MIT to create millions of new jobs; and how we will lead the world to prevent the worst consequences of climate change. There are going to be all sorts of debates, both in the laboratory and on Capitol Hill. But there's no question that we must do all these things.

Countries on every corner of this Earth now recognize that energy supplies are growing scarcer, energy demands are growing larger, and rising energy use imperils the planet we will leave to future generations. And that's why the world is now engaged in a peaceful competition to determine the technologies that will power the 21st century. From China to India, from Japan to Germany, nations everywhere are racing to develop new ways to producing and use energy. The nation that wins this competition will be the nation that leads the global economy. I am convinced of that. And I want America to be that nation. It's that simple. (Applause.)

That's why the Recovery Act that we passed back in January makes the largest investment in clean energy in history, not just to help end this recession, but to lay a new foundation for lasting prosperity. The Recovery Act includes $80 billion to put tens of thousands of Americans to work developing new battery technologies for hybrid vehicles; modernizing the electric grid; making our homes and businesses more energy efficient; doubling our capacity to generate renewable electricity. These are creating private-sector jobs weatherizing homes; manufacturing cars and trucks; upgrading to smart electric meters; installing solar panels; assembling wind turbines; building new facilities and factories and laboratories all across America. And, by the way, helping to finance extraordinary research.

In fact, in just a few weeks, right here in Boston, workers will break ground on a new Wind Technology Testing Center, a project made possible through a $25 million Recovery Act investment as well as through the support of Massachusetts and its partners. And I want everybody to understand -- Governor Patrick's leadership and vision made this happen. He was bragging about Massachusetts on the way over here -- I told him, you don't have to be a booster, I already love the state. (Applause.) But he helped make this happen.

Hundreds of people will be put to work building this new testing facility, but the benefits will extend far beyond these jobs. For the first time, researchers in the United States will be able to test the world's newest and largest wind turbine blades -- blades roughly the length of a football field -- and that in turn will make it possible for American businesses to develop more efficient and effective turbines, and to lead a market estimated at more than $2 trillion over the next two decades.

This grant follows other Recovery Act investments right here in Massachusetts that will help create clean energy jobs in this commonwealth and across the country. And this only builds on the work of your governor, who has endeavored to make Massachusetts a clean energy leader -- from increasing the supply of renewable electricity, to quadrupling solar capacity, to tripling the commonwealth's investment in energy efficiency, all of which helps to draw new jobs and new industries. (Applause.) That's worth applause.

Now, even as we're investing in technologies that exist today, we're also investing in the science that will produce the technologies of tomorrow. The Recovery Act provides the largest single boost in scientific research in history. Let me repeat that: The Recovery Act, the stimulus bill represents the largest single boost in scientific research in history. (Applause.) An increase -- that's an increase in funding that's already making a difference right here on this campus. And my budget also makes the research and experimentation tax credit permanent -- a tax credit that spurs innovation and jobs, adding $2 to the economy for every dollar that it costs.

And all of this must culminate in the passage of comprehensive legislation that will finally make renewable energy the profitable kind of energy in America. John Kerry is working on this legislation right now, and he's doing a terrific job reaching out across the other side of the aisle because this should not be a partisan issue. Everybody in America should have a stake -- (applause) -- everybody in America should have a stake in legislation that can transform our energy system into one that's far more efficient, far cleaner, and provide energy independence for America -- making the best use of resources we have in abundance, everything from figuring out how to use the fossil fuels that inevitably we are going to be using for several decades, things like coal and oil and natural gas; figuring out how we use those as cleanly and efficiently as possible; creating safe nuclear power; sustainable -- sustainably grown biofuels; and then the energy that we can harness from wind and the waves and the sun. It is a transformation that will be made as swiftly and as carefully as possible, to ensure that we are doing what it takes to grow this economy in the short, medium, and long term. And I do believe that a consensus is growing to achieve exactly that.

The Pentagon has declared our dependence on fossil fuels a security threat. Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are traveling the country as part of Operation Free, campaigning to end our dependence on oil -- (applause) -- we have a few of these folks here today, right there. (Applause.) The young people of this country -- that I've met all across America -- they understand that this is the challenge of their generation.

Leaders in the business community are standing with leaders in the environmental community to protect the economy and the planet we leave for our children. The House of Representatives has already passed historic legislation, due in large part to the efforts of Massachusetts' own Ed Markey, he deserves a big round of applause. (Applause.) We're now seeing prominent Republicans like Senator Lindsey Graham joining forces with long-time leaders John Kerry on this issue, to swiftly pass a bill through the Senate as well. In fact, the Energy Committee, thanks to the work of its Chair, Senator Jeff Bingaman, has already passed key provisions of comprehensive legislation.

So we are seeing a convergence. The naysayers, the folks who would pretend that this is not an issue, they are being marginalized. But I think it's important to understand that the closer we get, the harder the opposition will fight and the more we'll hear from those whose interest or ideology run counter to the much needed action that we're engaged in. There are those who will suggest that moving toward clean energy will destroy our economy -- when it's the system we currently have that endangers our prosperity and prevents us from creating millions of new jobs. There are going to be those who cynically claim -- make cynical claims that contradict the overwhelming scientific evidence when it comes to climate change, claims whose only purpose is to defeat or delay the change that we know is necessary.

So we're going to have to work on those folks. But understand there's also another myth that we have to dispel, and this one is far more dangerous because we're all somewhat complicit in it. It's far more dangerous than any attack made by those who wish to stand in the way progress -- and that's the idea that there is nothing or little that we can do. It's pessimism. It's the pessimistic notion that our politics are too broken and our people too unwilling to make hard choices for us to actually deal with this energy issue that we're facing. And implicit in this argument is the sense that somehow we've lost something important -- that fighting American spirit, that willingness to tackle hard challenges, that determination to see those challenges to the end, that we can solve problems, that we can act collectively, that somehow that is something of the past.

I reject that argument. I reject it because of what I've seen here at MIT. Because of what I have seen across America. Because of what we know we are capable of achieving when called upon to achieve it. This is the nation that harnessed electricity and the energy contained in the atom, that developed the steamboat and the modern solar cell. This is the nation that pushed westward and looked skyward. We have always sought out new frontiers and this generation is no different.

Today's frontiers can't be found on a map. They're being explored in our classrooms and our laboratories, in our start-ups and our factories. And today's pioneers are not traveling to some far flung place. These pioneers are all around us -- the entrepreneurs and the inventors, the researchers, the engineers -- helping to lead us into the future, just as they have in the past. This is the nation that has led the world for two centuries in the pursuit of discovery. This is the nation that will lead the clean energy economy of tomorrow, so long as all of us remember what we have achieved in the past and we use that to inspire us to achieve even more in the future.

I am confident that's what's happening right here at this extraordinary institution. And if you will join us in what is sure to be a difficult fight in the months and years ahead, I am confident that all of America is going to be pulling in one direction to make sure that we are the energy leader that we need to be.

Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

Related Links:

EU pushes China further after pledge to slow carbon intensity

Making buildings more efficient: It helps to understand human behavior

Washington Times: “Obama digs in on global warming”

Kennedy, the last surviving brother in a unique American political dynasty and one of the most influential senators in history, died late Tuesday night at his summer home on Cape Cod after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. He was 77.

He was a great champion of progressive causes, and his death is a great loss, particularly for health care reform. You can read read his staggering list of accomplishments here [PDF].

His legacy on “Protecting the Environment and Promoting Energy Efficiency” is below. How many Senators would even mention “energy efficiency” among their achievements?

Holding Oil Companies Accountable
During consideration of a 1975 tax cut proposal, Kennedy introduced a provision targeting the oil depletion allowance, which since 1926 had enabled oil producers to exclude 22 percent of their revenues from any taxes. Kennedy’s initiative passed overwhelmingly, trimming the allowance for independent producers and ending it for the major oil companies.

Raising Fuel Economy Standards
Senator Kennedy has a long and distinguished record supporting clean renewable sources of energy and reducing the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels. More than 30 years ago he cosponsored the first law to establish fuel economy standards. And in 2007, he supported a law which increased fuel economy standards, which is essential to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Promoting Energy Research and Development
In 2007, Senator Kennedy’s “America COMPETES Act” was passed by both chambers of Congress and sent to the White House to become law. That bill established an Advanced Research Projects Authority at the Department of Energy to be the focal point of federal efforts to support breakthrough research on new clean energy technologies.

In 2009, Senator Kennedy urged that funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act be used to build a wind blade technology testing facility in Massachusetts, and in May 2009, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that $25 million of such funds will be available for the project at the Autoport in Charlestown.

Improving Energy Efficiency
Senator Kennedy was a strong proponent of increasing energy efficiency, which is an essential part of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He was a long time supporter of programs like the weatherization assistance program and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program that helps those most in need reduce their energy bills by improving home energy efficiency.

Here are more of his efforts to maintain high environmental standards:

Kennedy Fought to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Address Global Warming. During consideration of the FY 2002 Budget Resolution, Senator Kennedy cosponsored an amendment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address concerns related to global climate change. The amendment sought to promote voluntary programs for reducing emissions in the near term. In addition, Senator Kennedy’s amendment included provisions designed to assist developing countries in addressing the danger of global warming and specifically increased funding to help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, the amendment provided additional funding for programs that assist U.S. businesses willing to export clean energy technologies to developing nations.

Kennedy Criticized the Administration’s Proposed Changes to the Clean Air Act. Senator Kennedy was a vocal critic of the Bush Administration’s efforts to essentially repeal the “New Source Review” section of the Clean Air Act. The New Source Review provision requires industrial plants to install modern pollution control mechanisms when expanding or upgrading their old facilities. This standard has helped reduce smog- and soot-forming pollution by hundreds of thousands of tons each year. President Bush’s proposal eliminated this requirement, significantly increasing the probability of higher pollution levels and endangering the lives of millions of children, mothers, and elderly persons. Senator Kennedy strongly supported an amendment that would have delayed implementation of the new rule until a study was completed to determine its effect on air pollution and public health. The amendment failed on a party-line vote.

Kennedy Fought for Additional Personnel to Enforce Environmental Regulations. After a 2003 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report detailed the Agency’s substandard efforts to enforce the Clean Water Act, Senator Kennedy cosponsored an amendment to the VA-HUD Appropriations Act to reverse proposed cuts in the EPA enforcement staff. The amendment provided additional funding to maintain personnel levels and prevent layoffs to enforcement officers. The failure of the EPA to address a significant number of environmental violations exposed the negligence of cutting enforcement personnel. Senator Kennedy’s amendment maintained the previous year’s officer level.

Kennedy Opposed the Permanent Nuclear Waste Storage Facility at Yucca Mountain. Senator Kennedy is a strong opponent of the plan to create a permanent storage facility for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The potential for groundwater contamination from the site is yet to be determined, and the transfer of nuclear materials to Nevada from almost every state in the nation raises serious safety concerns. In addition, in March 2005, the Department of Energy admitted that falsified documents were used to ensure the credibility and safety of operations at Yucca Mountain. Until questions are resolved that will guarantee the health of both the public and the environment, it is irresponsible to approve a permanent storage site for nuclear waste.

And his efforts “Supporting the Improving Mass Transit and Reducing Pollution and Congestion":

Kennedy Cosponsored Legislation to Increase Funding for Amtrak Senator Kennedy cosponsored legislation to increase funding for passenger rail service in the United States. Amtrak is a vital component to the country’s transportation infrastructure, especially in the Northeast. Despite its importance, the Administration over the last three years has severely underfunded the passenger rail system, forcing it to delay critical capital investments. In his budget for FY 2006, President Bush proposed to eliminate all funding for Amtrak, hoping to force it into bankruptcy and shift the bill for passenger rail to state governments. Senator Kennedy’s bipartisan amendment would have restored the subsidy for Amtrak, ensuring service for the next fiscal year. Kennedy sponsored a similar amendment in 2003, which allowed Amtrak to maintain critical services during 2004.

Kennedy Fought for Increased Mass Transit Benefits for Commuters During consideration of the highway bill, Senator Kennedy was a key cosponsor of an amendment that increased the monthly amount of the employer-based federal mass transit tax benefit from $105 to $200. This puts the monthly benefit on par with the current federal parking benefit. The amendment was modeled after the Commuter Benefits Equity Act, of which Senator Kennedy is a cosponsor, and could help up to 194,000 T commuters in and around Boston. Encouraging the use of mass transit will help reduce traffic congestion and lower the cost of commuting, especially important at a time of escalating energy prices. Kennedy’s amendment was included in the highway conference report, which was signed into law by the President.

Kennedy Secured Record Transportation Funding in Highway Bill In 2005, Senator Kennedy successfully secured record transportation funding in the Transportation Equity Act, also known as the highway bill. Massachusetts will receive $3.658 billion for highways for the next six years – a $568 million increase over the last highway measure signed into law. In addition, the bill includes a substantial increase in funding for mass transit priorities in the state. The funds contained in the highway bill are critical to improving infrastructure in Massachusetts and reducing traffic congestion for the state’s commuters.

And his efforts to protect our oceans and land:

Kennedy Supported Additional Funding to Protect Water Resources. In 1972, the Federal Water Pollution Act was enacted to provide funding to states for water pollution prevention and clean-up. Despite substantial progress in protecting and improving water quality in the United States, serious pollution problems remain. A 2002 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study disclosed a $535 billion gap between current spending and projected water funding needs over the next 20 years. Payments from the Federal Water Pollution Control State Revolving Fund are essential to protecting vital water resources, wildlife and the public health in the U.S. To ensure adequate funding for the account, Senator Kennedy introduced an amendment to the FY 2006 Budget Resolution that expressed support for increasing water pollution payments to states.

Kennedy Fought to Cleanup Brownfields Sites and Revitalize Local Communities. In 2001, Senator Kennedy was a lead sponsor of the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act, which authorized funds for assessment and cleanup of “brownfields” sites. Brownfields are former industrial sites that at one time were determined unsuitable for development because of environmental contamination. Today, however, these sites are being cleaned up and redeveloped, enhancing the environment, creating jobs and expanding economic development in communities across the country. Massachusetts alone has identified over 7,000 such sites in the state. With over 500,000 brownfields sites in the United States, Senator Kennedy’s legislation provided important grants and revolving loans to states and local governments to inventory, assess, and cleanup contaminated sites. Unfortunately, despite its ability to bring economic vitality to communities throughout the country, the Administration’s budget for FY 2006 incorporated large cuts in the program.

Kennedy Fought to Prevent Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) represents one of the last remaining protected wilderness areas in the country, and is home to a variety of unique wildlife. The FY 2004 Budget Resolution contained language allowing energy drilling in ANWR, opening the environmentally protected area to development. Senator Kennedy introduced an amendment to eliminate the language and prevent the consideration of drilling in the refuge. Energy Department forecasts predict that, if retrieved all at once, the refuge would produce at most six months' worth of American oil, and would not start flowing until 2013. This is a fruitless effort that would convert this spectacular ecosystem into nothing more than an oilfield, and damage the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations.

Kennedy Supported the Goals of National Oceans Week. Oceans contribute vitally to the nation’s economy, the quality of the environment, and the health of the population. Providing oxygen to breathe, food to eat, and a wealth of natural resources, these waters play a critical role in sustaining life on earth. As a result, the United States has a responsibility to promote and practice stewardship of the ocean. In 2003, Senator Kennedy cosponsored a resolution to designate the week of June 9, 2003, as National Oceans Week, and urged the country to exercise programs to advance ocean literacy and education.

Kennedy Worked to Expand Ocean Research and Apply it to Human Health In 2004, Senator Kennedy cosponsored legislation to establish a federal research program examining ocean resources and their application to human health. The bill would have created the Oceans and Human Health Program at the Department of Commerce, and directed the Department to establish an outreach effort with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This coordination would help merge oceanographers and biomedical researchers to collaborate on marine research and its impact on human health. Senator Kennedy’s legislation passed in the Senate, but stalled in the House of Representatives.

Kennedy Cosponsored Legislation to Protect Coastal Lands and Wetlands In 2003, Senator Kennedy introduced legislation to help preserve America’s coasts and wetlands, and protect these unspoiled areas from development. The bipartisan bill would have provided grant funding to states and non-governmental organizations for land conservation at the state and local level. Funding would have been targeted to protect important coastal and wetland areas with significant conservation, recreation, and ecological value. The program would have supported coordination between private organizations and federal, state, and local governments for land acquisition and protection. The Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act failed to reach the floor for consideration.

And finally, you can see his major votes in recent years on energy, oil, and the environment here.

They say no one is indispensable, but some are irreplaceable. Ted Kennedy was both.

Related Links:

EU pushes China further after pledge to slow carbon intensity

Making buildings more efficient: It helps to understand human behavior

Why buying cheap energy certificates worsens climate change

Clearer skies ahead for Holyoke?Leslie Adams via flickrTo say that Holyoke, Mass., has seen better days would put you squarely in the running for Understatement of the Year. One of the poorest cities in the state, it is the sort of post-Industrial town that is scattered across New England: crumbling smokestacks, shuttered mills, “modern” housing thrown together in the shadow of manufacturers past. But Holyoke, which lies 10 miles outside  Springfield in the western part of the state, hit harder times than most. Compared to state and national averages, everything about Holyoke is high: unemployment, homelessness, poverty, crime. According to The Boston Globe, the median family income is $38,819, the national average $60,374; more than a quarter of families live below the poverty line.

Bleak, is what it is. Enter “Holyoke” into a Google News search and you get an even clearer picture: Holyoke suspect indicted for porn; Holyoke man pleads not guilty to beating woman with hammer; Holyoke police bust wanted man with stolen handgun near nightclub. And that’s just the first page.

But occasionally a glimmer of hope comes along—and the latest glimmer is the story at the top of that page. Four heavy-hitters in education and computing—the University of Massachusetts, MIT, EMC, and Cisco—have agreed to study the idea of building a $100 million energy-efficient data center in the city. The facility would take advantage of Holyoke’s hydroelectric-happy location near the Connecticut River, as well as its proximity to high-speed data lines along nearby interstates.

The idea of siting “green” data centers near hydro is not new, says GreenBiz—Google built a massive one in The Dalles in Oregon. But siting it in an urban area, and an urban area where people have been hungry for jobs so long they’ve forgotten what it feels like to be full, that’s new. It’s no doubt a cheap option for the collaboration—but it’s also a shrewd PR maneuver. What’s more sustainable than a data center that’s not only energy-efficient but requires no commute of its workers, and that helps attract new companies and new life to an urban area?

It should be noted that this project will not necessarily happen—again, the news today is about a study, not a groundbreaking. But it’s got people excited nonetheless. A Cisco spokesman said the company is intrigued by the idea of creating “a district that could attract high tech by a combination of green and cost-competitive energy,” reports the Globe. Gov. Deval Patrick hopes the collaboration will “lift up” the city and the region. “Holyoke poised for a new identity,” trumpeted the local paper. And as for Mayor Michael Sullivan? He’s already imagining the possibility of thousands of new jobs. “It’s going to be huge,” he said. “It’s the biggest news for Holyoke for the last 50 years.”

Related Links:

More NYC farmers markets accept food stamps and sales soar

Fair, Ambitious & Binding: Essentials for a Successful Climate Deal

Home Economics of the JP Green House, Part 1

Related Links:

Prologue to Copenhagen

Vinod Khosla Nonesense

Ask Umbra on ditching dirty things

Related Links:

Making buildings more efficient: It helps to understand human behavior

Why buying cheap energy certificates worsens climate change

What Do Coal and Dirty Dorm Rooms Have in Common?

Related Links:

The Wind Kids: How high school students helped bring a wind farm to Milford, Utah

One doctor’s quest to sound the alarm on ‘wind turbine syndrome’

Newsweek partners with oil lobby to raise ad cash

Related Links:

Do diesel-based farmers dream of electric tractors?

Top 25 reasons to give a damn about climate change

Global boiling declares war on Thanksgiving

Related Links:

Why buying cheap energy certificates worsens climate change

Is there a tradeoff between economics and the environment?

‘Heretic’ battles straw man

Related Links:

The Wind Kids: How high school students helped bring a wind farm to Milford, Utah

One doctor’s quest to sound the alarm on ‘wind turbine syndrome’

To unlock wind power, put a price on carbon

Seems it was only October that the controversial Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound was dealt a setback. Now here it is January, and the wind farm that NIMBYs love to hate is inching forward, having been given preliminary environmental approval from the Minerals Management Service. After a public comment period, the final fate of the project is expected to be announced later this year.

Related Links:

EU pushes China further after pledge to slow carbon intensity

Why buying cheap energy certificates worsens climate change

Obama headed to Copenhagen, sets the bar for success

Related Links:

The Wind Kids: How high school students helped bring a wind farm to Milford, Utah

One doctor’s quest to sound the alarm on ‘wind turbine syndrome’

To unlock wind power, put a price on carbon

The Cape Wind project was dealt another setback this week when a local commission denied a permit for the transmission lines that would carry electricity to the grid from the 130 offshore wind turbines that Cape Wind Associates proposed in 2001. In a 12-0 vote, the commission's decision to withhold the permit was based on what they said was a lack of information on the impact of the transmission lines. CWA has said it will fight the decision; the company could elect to try again with the local commission and/or appeal to a state board to override the decision. Other than acquiring the transmission-line permit, the project must be approved by the U.S. Minerals Management Service since the turbines would be in federal waters. A draft report from the agency is expected next month with a final decision coming sometime next year.

Related Links:

EU pushes China further after pledge to slow carbon intensity

Obama headed to Copenhagen, sets the bar for success

Obama going to Copenhagen

A few years ago, I heard an actor say on a talk show that he had decided if someone invited him to a party, he was going to attend, whether he knew the person or not. When I repeated that to my friend Pagan Kennedy a few days later, she responded, "That's great! That should be my policy!" Then, half a heartbeat later, she said, "Wait a minute! That is my policy!"

This exchange came to mind recently when I got an invitation to attend Berkshire Grown's annual fundraiser, Beautiful Bountiful Berkshires. When I asked Laury Epstein -- president of the BG board for the past five years and the person kind enough to invite me to the party -- about Berkshire Grown, she explained to me that it is a local food and agriculture advocacy organization that links area farmers with chefs and food producers. The group also runs a project called Share the Bounty that Laury calls a "twofer": people donate to help buy shares in member-supported farms, and the food from those shares is then donated to a neighboring food kitchen or pantry.

Between the good work being done by Berkshire Grown and the influence of Pagan's party policy, I accepted. I spent a week dithering about what to wear -- what's farm-like but formal? Professional yet accessible? Sophisticated yet down-to-earth? Summery and yet autumnal? I found a brown and white party dress and hit the road.

The drive out to the Berkshires was beautiful, and I had to keep reminding myself why I live on the coast. (Answer: the ocean.) I saw many landmarks as I drove through Lenox: Tanglewood, The Mount, Shakespeare and Company, Kripalu, and Canyon Ranch (OK, I got slightly lost). Finally I pulled into the driveway of Eastover, a large estate that once belonged to a well-to-do family but which has been converted into a bucolic family resort.

Volunteers waved my car down an unpaved driveway that ended at the edge of a lawn. The lawn smelled fantastic! I wondered if it might be crushable thyme -- I wanted to roll in it, and the only thing that prevented me from doing so was all the other cars and the fact that I was wearing a party dress. I saw people making their way toward an outbuilding that looked like a giant barn, and I followed them down a small hill.

Once I arrived, I met Laury. We left the anteroom, where many local brewers and vintners were set up, and moved into the larger room where there were tables staffed by restaurateurs and chefs who had used produce grown by local farmers to create the dishes they were offering to the throngs of hungry guests. (Typically about 400 people attend.) About two dozen restaurants participated. Laury whisked me from table to table, and I met several farmers as well as chefs. I also met Denis Guyer, the state representative for the area, who spoke knowledgably about agricultural issues. I was delighted to meet someone in state government who was so well informed.

It was fun to witness a community having a chance to see itself -- many of the people who make up the food scene in the area were there. Usually they are all off working in their own domains -- farms, markets, or kitchens -- and it's nice for them to have a chance to bask in their own reflection, even if it's only once a year.

In the far corner, I noticed a striking young woman wearing a vibrant sundress and dangly earrings. She looked like all the fashion-and-beauty editors I've seen swanning around the Condé Nast building on the occasions that I have been there, except ... except that she clearly had strong arms and the kind of tan that comes from working outdoors. She was Laura Meister, the farm girl of Farm Girl Farm.

When I got a chance to speak with her, Laura -- who has been farming for three years and runs a CSA program as well as selling produce to co-ops and restaurants -- told me she'd just spent the past several days scrambling to get as much produce off the vine as possible before the frost. The cold snap had arrived the night before, however, and she had spent the day looking over the crops that had been damaged.

Laura spoke about her experience so compellingly that I called her a few weeks later and asked her to describe what it's like to be on a farm when crops need to be harvested.

I've always been curious about what it takes to be a farmer, particularly to work so hard and invest so much in an endeavor that is often fraught with risk. Laura explained the challenges and triumphs well. Here is what she said:

Mechanization is so overrated.

Photo: © Jason Houston

"On a small, unmechanized farm like this one, harvest time is an intensely tactile and aesthetic experience. When a specific crop is first ready to be harvested, it's really exciting. After a few weeks, though, the magic wears off a little and the vegetables do start to seem more like a product. As each new crop ripens, I get excited about it. It's like having a series of affairs with the different vegetables.

"In the spring, the first things we harvest are radishes, turnips, and arugula. By midsummer we have eggplant. At the peak of the season, it's hard to keep up with the cucumbers, summer squash, and tomatoes. Harvesting, sorting, boxing, and delivering the crops takes a lot of work and a lot of time.

"As a relatively new farmer, I find it really hard to do anything but harvest crops when they are ripe. I should be doing fieldwork, maintaining fall crops and getting seeds for late-season crops into the ground. Sometimes I get stuff into the ground late because I'm harvesting other crops. It's hard not to focus on harvesting things when there's a demand for certain produce and I know we have it and it's ready to be picked. It's hard to do anything but fill those orders!

"I think that with more experience and perspective I'll be able to do this in a better way, and in a way that's less stressful. It's just that this is the only time we have to make it financially, and ripe crops are the culmination of all of the planning, seeding, fertilizing, and cultivation we've done. I get a pit in my stomach and think, 'It's now or never!'

"I set financial goals for each week: CSA members are the foundation for our financial plan, and then we have cash flow every week from the other kinds of sales that we do. I'm always counting in my head as we're doing this. There's such a feeling of frenzy. We frequently work 12-hour days, making the most of the sun. I have been known to sort and box tomatoes wearing a headlamp!

"On a more personal level, the colors, shapes, tastes, and textures are so exciting, and there's a feeling that there's so much bounty. The supply of produce feels endless, and I love being able to drop some off for friends. There's a real sensation of security and comfort.

"The night that we spoke at the Beautiful Bountiful Berkshires party, there had just been an early frost. I was really crestfallen. The wind had been taken out of my sails. I kept thinking, 'Food that was growing is now dead.'

"As far as a sense of risk, this is a crazy thing to do. If I really stopped to think about it in a logical way it would be paralyzing, and I don't think that I would pursue it. However, I get courage and inspiration from other farmers. I've learned a lot from them.

"Also, our climate is not usually subject to intense extremes, in terms of weather. Plant diseases are an issue, but if you plant enough different crops, chances are that something will have a good season. For example, for the last two years, greens did well but tomatoes were mediocre. This year, however, it was so dry and so hot that the tomatoes were great and the green peppers turned red and orange, but some of the greens and root vegetables didn't do as well. They had to be coaxed along.

"Having a diversity of outlets for our crops helps minimize risk as well. I call the restaurants and let them know what's ready from week to week and they tell me what they want to have delivered. Almost all the successful farms I know have about three or four different things that they do.

"Farm Girl Farm covers about 2.5 acres of land. I'm not certified organic, but I follow organic practices. The certification process is expensive and unwieldy for an operation as small as mine. I spent three seasons working for other farmers before I started Farm Girl Farm. In the winter I catch up on bookkeeping, plan for next year -- which includes talking to CSA members and chefs -- and do some non-farm-related work, like freelance editing, for extra income. However, the winter break isn't really as long as a lot of people assume it is. We harvest crops right up until Thanksgiving and then start things growing in the greenhouse in March. Plus it's a time for assessment. I look over our records and try to make objective decisions based on actual data from previous seasons rather than just working from my impressions. It's also a time to rest my body, do yoga, and think about next season. I love what I do, and I am so grateful for all of the serendipitous events that brought me to the Berkshires to begin with, and to this little piece of land."

When I ran into my friend Pagan a few days ago, I reminded her about our long-ago exchange about the actor's party policy and told her how it had inspired me to attend the Berkshire Grown party. "Well, if attending strangers' parties is his policy," she asked, "why hasn't he been to any of ours?" "Have we asked him?" I said. "Oh, maybe not. Maybe that explains things." The next time we throw a real wingding, he's first on our list.

Serves six to eight adults

Here is a vegan recipe featuring four nightshades: tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant. It has a Middle Eastern flavor profile (cinnamon with tomatoes and eggplant) crossed with a Sicilian influence (the sweet and sour combo of raisins and vinegar). I make this with potatoes, but you could just as easily leave the potatoes out and serve it over rice or couscous. (One of the friends I made it for, a German/French Canadian/Filipino woman raised in Dubuque, Iowa, suggested that I keep the potatoes and serve it on rice anyway. She also suggested that it would taste a whole lot better with lamb in it, which is true, but then it wouldn't be a vegan recipe, would it? Still, if you want to throw in a half a pound of ground lamb or lamb stew meat, be my guest. Just sear the stew meat in oil first -- there's no need to dust it with flour. Ground lamb can go directly into the pot. You can sautee it with the onions or you can throw it in right after the tomatoes.)

I use frozen green beans in this recipe. Usually I try to avoid using frozen foods simply because of the energy it takes to freeze them and keep them frozen, but this dish just isn't any good without them (seriously!) and I only make it once or twice a year.

This is a two-step recipe. You want to get the eggplant baking in the oven while you chop the other vegetables. You can skip the roasting step if you like and just add the chopped eggplant straight into the stew, right after the tomatoes, but the texture will be mushy. You can also leave the eggplant out all together, but then it's just a three-nightshade stew.

Step One: Roast the eggplant

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the eggplant into bite-size pieces and toss the pieces with olive oil. Salt and pepper the pieces quite lightly and then spread them out on a baking sheet. Bake them until they are cooked all the way through. Each oven's different, so you'll just have to watch it -- I can't give you a specific time, but you'll know they're done when they don't look all moist and fat anymore. It's fine for the eggplant to have some brown on it. If you like the skin to be a tiny bit charred, that's OK, but don't overdo it because the whole dish will just taste like smoke. Also, I never do that whole salt-the-eggplant-and-let-it-seep routine anymore. I've been told that was more important before eggplants were bred to have fewer seeds and be less bitter, as they are now.

Step Two: Make the stew

Optional finishing flavors:

Pour the olive oil into a stockpot and heat it over a medium-high flame. Add the onion and cook until transparent. Add the chopped tomato, baked (or raw) eggplant, water, potatoes, cinnamon, and salt. Cook until the potatoes are just soft enough to spear with a fork.

Add the chickpeas, raisins, red pepper, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Add the half-pound of frozen green beans. Cook just until the green beans are cooked through and then take the pot off the flame and serve.

Next add the peppadew peppers, or the pepper paste or harisa, or the lemon juice. Top each serving with some crushed walnuts.

Related Links:

Do diesel-based farmers dream of electric tractors?

Turn your turkey carcass into a spectacular gumbo

Top 25 reasons to give a damn about climate change

It's an odd fraternity, the group of people who continue to swim at Walden Pond well past Labor Day. Dusk comes earlier and earlier and the water begins to cool, but these autumn swims are one of the great pleasures of my life -- and, of course, each swim feels increasingly precious as we move inevitably toward the cold and dark of winter.

The little I knew about Walden Pond I learned from my 10th-grade American Literature survey course (hey, Mrs. Garr!), and it never once crossed my mind that a person could actually swim in this icon of Transcendental thought. Imagine my surprise when, shortly after I moved to Boston, a bunch of friends said, "Let's go to Walden Pond," and we all piled into a van and trucked out there.

I was shocked when I saw how big the "pond" was: to me, it was a lake. My friends showed me a cove on the far side that, in a previous era, was reputed to have been the unofficial nude beach. I have swum there happily -- and, for the most part, modestly clothed -- for years.

Last week I was able to make it out there on a particularly gorgeous day. The sky was an intense shade of blue, and fluffy Simpsons-like clouds drifted by. The water was crystal clear, the surface smooth as glass. The water was so still that it offered a perfect reflection of the sky, and it felt incredibly luxurious to see my own legs and feet stretched out in front of me, as if I were lying in a fluffy quilt made out of the sky itself. It looked like a painting by Magritte, especially the bright surprise of my (formaldehyde-free) Chi Red nail polish that made it look like flames were shooting out of my toes.

Once I made it out to the middle of the pond -- the perfect place to turn around and take in the beauty of the turning leaves on the trees around the shoreline -- I looked around at my fellow swimmers. There were some tough old broads and weathered geezers. I myself am not quite at that stage yet, but I like to consider myself a tough-old-broad-in-training. I hope that I will be fit enough to continue to come out to the pond and enjoy these last delicious swims of the season when I am their age. There were also some young couples swimming in tandem and discussing the events of the day as they wended their way across the pond. Children played in the sandy beach area near the entrance while their moms discussed what they planned to rustle up for dinner when they got home. Some particularly well-prepared types were enjoying picnic suppers by the fading light.

As usual, the peace was briefly broken when the triathletes arrived. They dismounted from their racing bikes, donned their Neoprene wetsuits, strapped on their fins and goggles, checked their heart rates, and synchronized their stopwatches. They ran into the water at full speed.

We old-timers (current and future) exchanged wry smiles as we languidly breast-stroked past one another, for we know that the triathletes are missing the slower, deeper thrill: the sight of autumn changing the landscape right before our eyes, and the sensation of the cold water directly against our skin. It's simultaneously the most peaceful and most invigorating feeling that I know.

In the car on the way home, I feel clean, calm, and cold, and sad that summer has reached its end. The idea of home seems like a welcoming one, though, and I'm looking forward to a cozy wintertime existence. I'll consign myself to a winter's worth of swimming in chlorine, but I'll also be lying in my real bed, in my real quilt, and dreaming about the return of summer and the day that I was able to make my bed in the sky.

The only problem with swimming in Walden in the autumn is that when I get out I am really, really hungry -- my hunger is as profound as the chill in my bones. When I've got it together organizationally and have had some time to get ready to go to the pond (part of my Pond Preparedness Protocol -- always having my suit and towel at the ready), I heat some soup and take it in a Thermos. However, if I'm late getting home from work and in a race to beat the dying light, I sometimes head out there without any soup in tow.

Hot soup, m'lady?

Photo: psd

My ultimate last-swim-at-Walden fantasy is to be greeted on the shore by someone holding a heated robe for me to wrap myself in, then offering me a bowl of warm, nutritious soup. It finally occurred to me yesterday that, in lieu of a devoted loved one presenting me with soup, I could pour some in a regular jar, wrap the jar in my towel, and then stick both into one of those hot/cold bags, which would keep them both warm while I take a leisurely swim. I can't wait to try it out. (And why didn't this occur to me before today?)

Here is a nice "medium-weight" soup. Harisa is a pungent paste made from red peppers and garlic, and a little goes a long way. (I got some at my local Whole Foods.) This soup is really easy to make.

This recipe makes a bit over a quart -- enough to serve several room-temperature people or three or four chilly swimmers if they've just emerged from Walden Pond on an October day.

optional: 1/4 cup golden raisins or cilantro

Related Links:

Turn your turkey carcass into a spectacular gumbo

This Halloween, have your pumpkin—and eat it, too

WWLD: What Would Lincoln Do?

Related Links:

Prologue to Copenhagen

Vinod Khosla Nonesense

Ask Umbra on ditching dirty things

Related Links:

Top 25 reasons to give a damn about climate change

Tweet for the bees

WWLD: What Would Lincoln Do?

Related Links:

Why buying cheap energy certificates worsens climate change

Is there a tradeoff between economics and the environment?

‘Heretic’ battles straw man

Related Links:

The Wind Kids: How high school students helped bring a wind farm to Milford, Utah

One doctor’s quest to sound the alarm on ‘wind turbine syndrome’

To unlock wind power, put a price on carbon

Related Links:

Freeing the grid

Do we need nuclear and coal plants for baseload power?

WWLD: What Would Lincoln Do?