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Author |
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Section |
How do you spell relief?
Bipartisan group of House members rolls out bill for gas-price relief |
Kate Sheppard |
17 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A bipartisan group of six House members introduced a bill on Wed. to help reduce the gas-price pressure on Americans by investing in transit alternatives and smarter city planning. 'The Transportation and Housing Options for Gas Price Relief Act of 2008' (H.R. 6495) was introduced by Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and is cosponsored by Chris Shays (R-Conn.), Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), Jerry McNerney (D-Calif), and Hilda Solis (D-Calif.). The bi ... |
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| Topics: Congress, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, public transportation, US House of Representatives (all these topics) |
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Reid between the lines
Senate Dems under pressure to lift ban on offshore drilling |
Kate Sheppard |
17 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Democrats in Congress are under increasing pressure to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling, The Wall Street Journal reported this week ($ub. req'd). Last week, some Democrats signaled that they would be willing to endorse offshore drilling. And on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he might allow voting on offshore drilling. 'We're happy to take a look at a number of different approaches,' said Reid. 'If we get on to the speculation bill, we' ... |
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| Topics: Congress, Muckraker, news, offshore drilling, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Fighting the full court press
Cost-benefit analysis can help environmentalists battle offshore drilling |
Guest author |
15 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The following is a guest post from Richard L. Revesz, dean of New York University School of Law, and Michael A. Livermore, executive director of the Institute for the Study of Regulation at New York University School of Law. They are co-authors of Retaking Rationality: How Cost-Benefit Analysis Can Better Protect the Environment and Our Health, published in May 2008 by Oxford University Press. ----- In the last few weeks, two major barriers to renewed off ... |
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| Topics: Congress, energy, offshore drilling, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics, regulation (all these topics) |
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Hill heap
A weekly roundup of greenish news from the capitol |
Kate Sheppard |
13 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| According to a new EPA analysis, the 'value of a statistical life' is now worth $6.9 million, which is nearly $1 million less than it was five years ago. This is important politically because when government agencies create regulations about things like air pollution, they use this statistical value to weigh the costs against the benefits of a proposed rule. Explains the AP, 'Consider, for example, a hypothetical regulation that costs $18 billion to enforce but will p ... |
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| Topics: climate, Congress, energy, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Dems: The breaks
Some Democrats in Congress bending on drilling debate |
Kate Sheppard |
11 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Some Senate Democrats are warming to the idea of opening some offshore areas in U.S. waters to oil and gas drilling, as we reported earlier this week. A few more may now be joining the ranks. Republicans in Congress have hyped the need to drill, and representatives are under pressure from constituents to do something about gas prices. Bending on drilling at least politically creates the appearance of doing something, despite the fact that opening offshore areas to ... |
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| Topics: Congress, Muckraker, news, offshore drilling, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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A coalonial House
Boucher's bill to fund CCS technology at the expense of rate-payers |
Sean Casten |
10 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A few months ago, the debate about greenhouse gas policy in Washington was in the Senate focused on Lieberman-Warner. That effort ultimately failed, as a good idea (reduce GHG emissions within a market framework) got turned into a really crummy bill. Good intentions were bedeviled by lousy execution. Conventional wisdom says that the next effort to develop a U.S. GHG plan will emerge from the House, and specifically from the House Energy committee. This week, we g ... |
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| Topics: carbon sequestration, climate, Congress, politics, US House of Representatives (all these topics) |
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Here comes the story of the hurricane
If we're already in energy crisis, what happens when a major Gulf storm hits? |
Miles Grant |
10 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Yesterday, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he'd be open to letting Big Oil drill on previously-protected public lands. And now this: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on President Bush to release oil from the government's emergency reserve to knock down gasoline prices she says 'are helping push the economy toward recession.'Pelosi, D-Calif., in a letter to Bush noted that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been used three times before and each time th ... |
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| Topics: Congress, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics, severe weather (all these topics) |
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Oil hysteria, part 3
Congress scrambles for short-term solutions to counter oil prices |
Jon Rynn |
10 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I was afraid of this. The irrationality being exhibited about the price of gasoline is on prominent display this week in Congress. According to the New York Times article 'Congress feeling pressure for action on oil prices,' some of the things being considered are 1) drilling, of course, 2) anti-speculation legislation, and 3) 'incentives for renewable fuels,' ergo, corn ethanol. The most ironic idea, to me anyway, was Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) suggesting that voter ... |
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| Topics: Congress, energy, gas prices, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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Goode grief
Virginia candidates split on personal transit choices |
Kate Sheppard |
09 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Rep. Virgil Goode, the incumbent Republican in Virginia's 5th District, appeared in a Scottsville, Va. Fourth of July parade last week accompanied by a Hummer H3. His opponent in this year's House race, Tom Perriello (D), appeared on a float pulled by a biodiesel-fueled tractor. Perriello fans put together a video highlighting the candidates' automotive choices: |
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| Topics: cars, Congress, elections, green living, Muckraker, news, politics, video (all these topics) |
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A fuel's errand
Republican House members ask EPA to scale back ethanol mandate |
Kate Sheppard |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| More than 50 Republican representatives sent a letter [PDF] to the Environmental Protection Agency last week urging the agency to lower the mandate for ethanol production in response to both the recent flooding in the Midwest and drought in the South. They argue that one-third of the country's corn crop will be used for ethanol to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard, and while the weather this year will cause a decrease in supply of corn, the RFS will increase demand ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, Congress, energy, ethanol, Muckraker, news, politics, regulation, severe weather, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Sally 4th
Sierra Club prompts voters to call legislators about energy bills over the holiday weekend |
Kate Sheppard |
02 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Sierra Club began running radio ads this week in six states whose U.S. senators are key votes for energy legislation. Though both Republicans and Democrats were hoping to have accomplished something so they could go home for the holiday and claim victory, Congress went into recess for the 4th of July holiday this week in a deadlock over energy policy. Sierra Club's ads are intended to prompt voters to call their senators about two pieces of legislation: the Co ... |
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| Topics: climate, Congress, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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In the dumps
Mountain advocates and legislators take on mountaintop removal |
Kate Sheppard |
01 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The practice of mountaintop removal (MTR) has gotten more attention from environmental and social justice advocates in recent months, including the Goracle himself. 'Mountaintop removal is a crime and ought to be treated as a crime,' Gore said in April. He was addressing the audience at the 2008 Nashville Film Festival, where he presented director Michael O'Connell the 2008 'Reel Current Award' for his film, Mountain Top Removal. The practice continues largely ... |
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| Topics: coal, Congress, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Hill heap
A weekly roundup of greenish news from the Capitol |
Kate Sheppard |
27 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Some political news debris from this week: The League of Conservation Voters announced today that they've created the first green bundling site. This allows folks to donate en masse to green candidates around the country. LCV will direct the funds to the candidates it will support this year in Senate and House races. Just off his big Everglades restoration deal, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist hosted a conference on climate change. Crist's friend and Californi ... |
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| Topics: climate, Congress, energy, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Reps. for renewables
New bill to support renewables offered in House |
Kate Sheppard |
27 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.), Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), and Mike Honda (D-Calif.) introduced legislation [PDF] yesterday to provide security for investments in the renewable-energy sector by guaranteeing rates for renewable-energy generation. The Renewable Energy Jobs and Security Act would provide guaranteed renewable-energy payments to small and mid-sized clean-energy suppliers (up to 20 megawatts). It would provide security for investment ... |
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| Topics: Congress, economy, energy, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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How to strangle an industry, the concern troll way
BLM contemplates two-year moratorium on solar power plant construction in the West |
David Roberts |
27 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Oh, now they care about careful environmental assessment? Oil and gas development is spreading over the American West like a cancer, but this, this solar stuff ... it's a bridge too far! So Congress and the feds are going to let the solar investment tax credit lapse and institute a moratorium on deployment in the best solar states -- two body blows to an nascent clean energy industry. That is some crackerjack energy policy. (Incidentally, it strikes me that this ... |
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| Topics: Congress, economy, energy, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Fuel me once
Select Committee hears testimony on Bush administration's proposals for fuel economy standards |
Kate Sheppard |
26 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Amid a flurry of votes on energy issues in the House today, the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming held a hearing on the role of automobile fuel economy as gas prices continue to increase. 'Because 70 percent of oil goes into transportation, any solutions to the oil crisis must focus on the transportation sector,' said Select Committee Chair Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Tyler Duvall, the assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Transp ... |
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| Topics: Congress, Department of Transportation, fuel efficiency, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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A Stern talking to
U.K. economist testifies to House subcommittee on the costs of inaction on climate change |
Kate Sheppard |
26 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| U.K. economist Nicholas Stern, author of the 2006 report, that argued that costs of inaction on climate change far outweigh the costs of acting, said yesterday that the planet is warming faster than previously predicted, which may increase the costs of action. Today he testified before the a House subcommittee on the increasing need for action, and the high economic and social costs of not taking the steps necessary to curb warming. Stern's initial report found th ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, Congress, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Grand can't, yon
House blocks uranium mining near Grand Canyon National Park |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The House Natural Resources Committee pulled a rarely-used move today to block uranium mining in one million acres of public land near the Grand Canyon, using their authority to order the Bush administration to immediately halt mining claims. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Lands, suggested using the emergency move, which is apparently a provision that Congress hasn't utilized since 1983. They voted 20-2 ... |
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| Topics: Arizona, Congress, mining, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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House rules
Select Committee acquires documents related to EPA's proposals for rulemaking on auto emissions |
Kate Sheppard |
24 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| We reported a few weeks ago that the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming had reached a deal with the White House to secure documents from the Environmental Protection Agency on its work in response to the Supreme Court's decision in the case Massachusetts v. EPA. We also reported that The Wall Street Journal had gotten ahold of an advance draft of the EPA's regulatory proposals for automobile fuel efficiency resulting from the Massachuse ... |
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| Topics: Congress, fuel efficiency, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Deja vu ... all over again
Senate again rejects legislation to extend tax credits for renewables |
Kate Sheppard |
17 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Senate failed to invoke cloture on the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 this afternoon. The vote was 52-44, well short of the 60 needed to move the legislation forward. This legislation would have extended the investment tax credits (ITC) for solar energy and the production tax credits (PTC) for wind, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, landfill gas, and solid waste. The vote fell primarily along party lines, though Republicans Norm Coleman (Minn.), ... |
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| Topics: Congress, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Contempt at last?
Johnson, Dudley may be held in contempt of Congress by week's end |
Kate Sheppard |
16 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and Susan Dudley of the White House Office of Management and Budget may be held in contempt of Congress by the end of this week for failing to turn over documents related to recent controversial decisions on smog and California's request for a waiver that would let the state set tougher auto-emissions standards than the federal government. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is slated to vote Friday on wheth ... |
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| Topics: Congress, Muckraker, news, politics, Stephen Johnson, US EPA (all these topics) |
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On your Markey
Rep. Ed Markey unveils ambitious new climate legislation |
Kate Sheppard |
28 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Rep. Ed Markey, chair of the Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, unveiled new climate legislation on Wednesday morning, which he says will take 'the innovative actions needed to ensure a greener, healthier, and more prosperous future.' The plan, which Markey will introduce formally next Tuesday, calls for an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2050, and a number of provisions to encourage technological innovatio ... |
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| Topics: climate, Congress, Ed Markey, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics) |
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A Capitol Affair
House passes clean-energy tax credits, bill out of Senate committee would give Calif. waiver |
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22 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:49 AM on 22 May 2008 Exciting things going on at the Capitol: The House has passed a bill with tax credits for renewable energy; the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed legislation asking President Bush to grant California the waiver it needs to regulate vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions. Get all the details in Gristmill. new in Gristmill: House passes mass ... |
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| Topics: Congress, legislation, news, US House of Representatives, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Like oil and vinegar
Dems and GOP agree to stop filling Strategic Petroleum Reserve |
Kate Sheppard |
13 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The Senate today approved legislation to temporarily suspend deliveries to the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, by a vote of 97-1. The measure was inserted as an amendment to a flood insurance bill, and was opposed only by Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.). The Energy Department sends 70,000 barrels of oil to the reserve every day, a practice that this legislation would put on hold until the end of 2008 or until oil drops below $75 a barrel, whichever comes first. ... |
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| Topics: congress, energy, gas prices, legislation, Muckraker, news, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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Rejecting and renouncing
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David Roberts |
06 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Hillary Clinton has been pushing Congresscritters to take a stand on her gas tax gimmick. Now a group of 28 members of the House of Representatives have issued a statement in which they 'unequivocally' reject the notion of a gas tax holiday. |
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| Topics: Congress, Hillary Clinton, insanity, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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