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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
What about Bob?
Sen. Robert Menendez chats with Grist about climate legislation |
Kate Sheppard |
25 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Sen. Robert Menendez. In the Senate debate over the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act last month, Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) stood out as one of the most vocal advocates for making polluters pay to emit greenhouse gases rather than giving them free carbon credits. He also spoke up about the need to spend more on clean technology and help developing countries adapt to climate shifts. Menendez floated a handful of proposed amendments to the climate le ... |
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| Topics: climate, Congress, energy, interview, legislation, Muckraker, politics, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Clear and present endangerment
Republicans block subpoena of EPA climate document, while Boxer releases choice excerpts |
Kate Sheppard |
24 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has been foiled in her attempt to obtain and make public a U.S. EPA document on the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gases, thanks to Republicans on the Environment and Public Works Committee that she chairs. The document in question is an endangerment finding that the White House refused to accept when the EPA emailed it to the Office of Management and Budget in December 2007. EPA staffers have said that their findings -- that ... |
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| Topics: climate, Muckraker, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Slippery troupe
McCain spokesfolk say that offshore drilling is 'the right thing for the environment' |
Kate Sheppard |
24 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The McCain campaign held a press call this morning with senior policy advisers Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Nancy Pfotenhauer on the candidate's energy plan. The subjects of yesterday's tanker spill near New Orleans and McCain's canceled trip to an offshore rig because of Hurricane Dolly came up during discussion of McCain's call for more drilling. 'This [offshore drilling] is the right thing for the economy, it is the right thing for national security. And, as [McC ... |
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| Topics: John McCain, Muckraker, news, oil and gas drilling, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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You got to know when to hold 'em
Republicans are bluffing on drilling |
David Roberts |
24 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Republicans have mastered a political technique that seems to work on Democrats every time: the projection of strength. No matter the issue, when it comes up for dispute Republicans claim that Americans support their position; they claim that Democrats are out of touch with ordinary folk; they claim that Democrats are on defensive; they put forward bill after bill, press release after press release, stunt after stunt, trumpeting their alleged advantage. Faced with thi ... |
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| Topics: Congress, gas prices, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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Major League
LCV President Gene Karpinski on the race for the White House |
Kate Sheppard |
24 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The League of Conservation Voters announced its endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday, touting his energy and environment plans as the 'most comprehensive' ever from a presidential nominee. While LCV President Gene Karpinski credits John McCain -- whom LCV endorsed in his 2004 Senate race -- for taking the challenge of global warming seriously, Karpinski says that the 'solutions that he suggests aren't nearly good enough.' ... |
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| Topics: League of Conservation Voters, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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A renewable win
Two-pronged strategy to sway energy policy debate |
Jason D Scorse |
24 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Putting aside the causes of the oil-price rise and what the future holds, I am concerned that progressives are losing the public debate about what to do about it. Like David, I was extremely disappointed with Gore's interview on Meet the Press this past week, both with respect to the ridiculous questions from Brokaw and Gore's complete inability to get the right message across. And now we have an editorial from The Wall Street Journal (as well as John McCain himsel ... |
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| Topics: Al Gore, energy, gas prices, oil and gas drilling, politics, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Be a Dolly and Cancel My Trip, Will You?
Hurricane Dolly cancels McCain's trip to offshore oil rig |
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24 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:57 AM on 24 Jul 2008 John McCain had planned to visit an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday to tout offshore drilling and the industry's environmental friendliness, but Hurricane Dolly canceled his plans. Dolly hit land in Texas Wednesday as a Category 2 storm, cutting oil and gas production by some 5 to 8 percent overall. McCain and other Republicans have been pushing to allow ... |
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| Topics: elections, energy, John McCain, news, oil and gas drilling, politics, presidential race 08, severe weather (all these topics) |
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'All of the above'
GOP leaders unveil new energy bill that calls for some of everything and lots of drilling |
Kate Sheppard |
23 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Enviros rally against House Republicans' new energy bill and drilling plans. Photos: Kate Sheppard House Republicans hosted a press conference on the west steps of the Capitol Building today to tout their new energy legislation, the 'American Energy Act' [PDF]. But the 50 caucus members at the gathering were outnumbered by at least 100 protesters, who booed loudly at their calls to open up protected areas for more oil and gas drilling. As storm clou ... |
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| Topics: Arctic Refuge, Congress, Muckraker, Nancy Pelosi, news, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics, US House of Representatives (all these topics) |
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Stuck on you
Activist attempts to glue himself to Gordon Brown |
Joseph Romm |
23 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Yes, even stranger than the skater crashing though the ice (though not as funny, notwithstanding the well-known dry British wit): During these turbulent economic times, Gordon Brown is keen for the country to stick by him. However, this probably wasn't quite what he had in mind. Dan Glass, of the climate change pressure group Plane Stupid today tried to superglue himself to the Prime Minister at a Downing Street reception. Yes, that is the name of the gr ... |
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| Topics: air travel, climate, funnies, grassroots activism, politics, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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For goodness lakes
Michigan Lt. Governor John Cherry says the Great Lakes need help |
Guest author |
23 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This is a guest post from Michigan Lt. Governor John Cherry, who has been working recently to preserve and restore the Great Lakes. ----- Lt. Gov. John CherryI'm especially pleased to be a guest blogger on Grist today, since earlier today legislation was introduced in the United States Senate and House of Representatives to ratify the Great Lakes Compact. Now that the Compact has been ratified by the eight Great Lakes states, as well as the Canadian provinces ... |
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| Topics: habitat protection, legislation, Michigan, politics, state politics, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Union of the states
America's governors unite to plead for extension of renewable tax credits |
David Roberts |
23 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Today, 50 governors -- if you're counting, that's all of them -- sent a letter to Congress [PDF] asking that the tax credits for renewable energy be extended by at least five years: Renewable energy plays an important role in our nation's energy security, and governors have pioneered a wide array of innovative energy policies in their states. To supplement state efforts, governors support the development of federal tax incentives, including clean renewable energy bo ... |
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| Topics: energy, politics, renewable energy, state politics (all these topics) |
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Unite around public subsidy
Public investment can stop emissions faster than relying on private sector |
Gar Lipow |
23 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| David Roberts comments ruefully on the lack of a clean energy coalition for progressives to join, and on the lack of common talking points on clean energy -- which allows the right eat our lunch on drilling. I've argued in the past that links between greens and progressive are more effective than trying to win the conservative movement over (though individual conservatives should be welcomed). The truth is, there is no solution that will lower oil prices below $100 a ba ... |
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| Topics: economy, environmental movement, gas prices, investing, politics, public transportation, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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It's Us Against Chem
Feds rush to weaken workplace safety rules on toxics before term ends |
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23 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:10 AM on 23 Jul 2008 The Bush administration is trying to push through a new workplace safety rule to weaken workers' protections against toxic chemicals before Bush's term ends, according to The Washington Post. The rule, which has not been made public, would mandate a reevaluation of the methods used to measure risks to workers from toxic exposure in the workplace. The rule would also requir ... |
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| Topics: business, news, politics, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Office of Management and Censorship
Committee hears testimony from whistleblower on EPA dealings |
Kate Sheppard |
22 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Jason Burnett, the former associate deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency who resigned last month over the Bush administration's unwillingness to address greenhouse-gas emissions, provided more details to a Senate panel Tuesday about how top White House officials worked to quash new regulations on greenhouse gases. Appearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Burnett shared with senators some of the behind-the-scenes ne ... |
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| Topics: Congress, Muckraker, news, politics, regulation, US EPA, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Shale we dance?
Bush admin's effort to spur oil shale production won't do much for consumers in short run |
Kate Sheppard |
22 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| New regulations proposed by the Bush administration are aimed at tapping the country's huge reserves of oil shale, steps Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said are intended to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil in the short term. But one man's short term might feel like eternity to consumers paying $4.50 a gallon, as it would be seven to eight years before production from oil shale projects actually hit the market, according to another top Interior of ... |
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| Topics: Department of Interior, gas prices, Muckraker, news, oil and gas drilling, oil shale, politics (all these topics) |
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House GOP offers Americans false hope, failed policies, and eco-havoc
Memo calling for increased offshore drilling and shale development |
Joseph Romm |
22 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I have received the text of an Alice-in-Wonderland memo (below) that House Republican leaders will circulate today on legislation they plan to offer. It claims: To increase the supply American-made energy in environmentally sound ways, the legislation will: * Open our deep water ocean resources, which will provide an additional 3 million barrels of oil per day;* Open the Arctic coastal plain, which will provide an additional 1 million barrels of oil per day; an ... |
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| Topics: Arctic Refuge, energy, gas prices, oil and gas drilling, politics, US House of Representatives (all these topics) |
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Bernanke speculates: Don't blame the speculators
Growing demand and tight supply fuels increase in gas prices |
Joseph Romm |
22 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| In his 'Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress' before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, last week, chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke explained why oil prices are so high and are likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future: The spot price of West Texas intermediate crude oil soared about 60 percent in 2007 and, thus far this year, has climbed an additional 50 percent or so. The price of oil currently stan ... |
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| Topics: economy, gas prices, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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Matt Yglesias is making sense
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David Roberts |
22 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| On Republican gas price demagoguery: [Anti-density zoning and minimum parking mandates] are regulatory barriers to solving our energy problems every bit as much as the ban on offshore drilling is. And conservatives are against regulation, right? Except the anti-drilling regulation is good for the environment and for coastal economies whereas anti-urbanist regulation is economically inefficient and environmentally destructive. Naturally, conservatives have chosen ... |
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| Topics: energy, oil and gas drilling, politics, regulation, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Oregon trail
Grist talks to Oregon Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Merkley |
Kate Sheppard |
22 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley was in Austin for Netroots Nation, where he appeared on a panel about energy issues. Merkley is attempting to unseat Gordon Smith, the sole GOP senator on the West Coast, this November, and he's put climate and environment issues at the top of his campaign agenda. His plans include calling for a 25 percent renewable energy national standard by 2025, cutting emissions 80 percent by mid-century, and creating incentives for cities ... |
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| Topics: elections, energy, Muckraker, news, Oregon, politics (all these topics) |
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This Too Shale Pass
Bush admin proposes rules for domestic oil-shale development |
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22 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:35 AM on 22 Jul 2008 The Bush administration today will propose rules for tapping the U.S.'s vast oil-shale deposits, estimated to hold up to 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Oil shale development is enormously expensive and spectacularly polluting, but the U.S. Department of the Interior is expected to frame the debate in terms of high fuel prices and domestic "energy security." Presid ... |
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| Topics: Department of Interior, energy, news, oil and gas drilling, politics, United States (all these topics) |
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What do Juneau?
Grist talks to Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mark Begich |
Kate Sheppard |
21 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Anchorage's Democratic mayor, Mark Begich, is challenging Republican incumbent Ted Stevens for his Senate seat this November. Begich, 46, is in his fifth year as mayor, and is the city's first mayor actually born in Anchorage. In a state that's already feeling the effects of a warming planet, Begich lists climate change as a top issue in his campaign, calling for a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. He's also big on energy ... |
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| Topics: Alaska, climate, elections, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, video (all these topics) |
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Cape blind
A failure of leadership in the wind |
Erik Hoffner |
21 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| This recently appeared in Wendy Williams' blog. She is coauthor of the book Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound, now out in paperback -- a fascinating and horrifying read. ----- I've been giving lots of talks about Cape Wind around the country, and I can tell you -- the American people are getting really angry. Both Democrats and Republicans are equally disgusted by what they read in our book about Cape ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, energy, Massachusetts, politics, wind power (all these topics) |
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USA Today on Obama, on coal
Has the candidate's stance shifted? |
Kate Sheppard |
21 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Obama loves coal! No, he's a flip-flopper who's ready to embrace policies that would hurt America's coal industry and its many employees across the country. So which one is it? USA Today is the latest major media outlet to explore the Democratic presidential candidate and his views on coal, with a piece last Friday looking at how he has changed some of his talking points on the fossil fuel over the years. The piece notes that when Obama ran for U.S. Senate ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, coal, Muckraker, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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Score one for Dow Chemical
In the EPA's Midwestern division, a pro-industry stalwart replaces a dioxin stickler |
Tom Philpott |
21 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Back in May, Mary Gade found herself unceremoniously ousted from her post as Midwest regional administrator of the EPA. According to an excellent Chicago Tribune article by Michael Hawthorne, Gade had been locked in a battle with Dow over the chemical giant's massive, long-standing dioxin mess in low-income areas of Michigan. Hawthorne reports that Gade crossed a line with her bosses in Washington when 'she sent contractors to test soil in [one] neighborhood where D ... |
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| Topics: Michigan, politics, toxics, US EPA, waste (all these topics) |
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Newt's got a song
Will Washington buy his brand of snake oil? |
Miles Grant |
21 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| One of the all-time great episodes of The Simpsons is 'Marge vs. the Monorail,' written by Conan O'Brien. The EPA fines Mr. Burns for dumping nuclear waste, leading to an unexpected cash windfall for Springfield. Marge suggests spending the money to repair the town's tattered infrastructure. But just as her proposal is about to pass, a fast-talking charlatan named Lyle Lanley arrives and sells the ever-gullible people of Springfield on a plan to build a monorail, cli ... |
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| Topics: energy, Newt Gingrich, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics (all these topics) |
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