Political Climate Articles
Visiting China, seeing green
CAP goes to China to investigate its clean energy investment strategy
Much has been written over the past year about how other countries, particularly China, are investing heavily to increase their economic competitiveness by building domestic clean energy industries (see Lindsey Graham: "Every day that we delay trying to find a price for carbon is a day that China uses to dominate the green economy").
Senior staff from the Center for American Progress will therefore be traveling to China to meet with policymakers and companies that are driving its aggressive pursuit of clean energy technology development. They'll share their findings with you on the CAP energy policy page. Guest Blogger Julian L. Wong has the background on China and the trip.
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The war against carbon starts now -
Part 1: The Carbon War Room starts to bust barriers in shipping
Readers are always asking what can been done to cut carbon beyond pushing for the bipartisan climate and clean energy jobs bill. I'm launching a new series aimed at the kind of serious action people can push for at a local and state level - and even at a national and global level - without waiting for politicians. After all, the biggest, most money-saving strategies to cut carbon are already profitable (see "McKinsey must-read: U.S. can meet entire 2020 emissions target with efficiency and cogeneration while lowering the nation's energy bill $700 billion!")
The impetus for this new series is my interview today (below) of Jigar Shah, the uber-innovative clean energy financing guru who founded Sun Edison and now heads the new nonprofit, the Carbon War Room. The objective of CWR, founded by entrepreneurs like Sir Richard Branson, is to "ensure a prosperous future for all on the planet by developing a post-carbon economy." The operational approach is to "bring together successful entrepreneurs in collaboration with the most respected institutions, scientists, national security experts, and business leaders to implement the change required to avoid catastrophic climate change."
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Sen. Bennett: on CO2
Utah conservative falsely asserts: "Greenhouse gas emissions have absolutely nothing whatever to do with clean air. CO2 does not add to pollutants or cause asthma or any of the other things you think of with dirty air. "
One of the classic signs of anti-science syndrome is repeated asserting that because CO2 is needed for life, vast increases of CO2 must perforce be vastly good for life (see Rep. Shimkus: Cutting CO2 emissions is "Taking away plant food from the atmosphere").
In fact, lots of things are needed for life that are fatal in high doses or amounts. Iron and water come to mind.
Another classic sign of ASS is denying that too much CO2 is harmful to life. This sometimes gets taken to its ASSinine extremes (see House GOP leader Boehner on ABC: "The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical").
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Lowering Income Taxes While Raising Pollution Taxes Reaps Great Returns
As economic decisionmakers-whether consumers, corporate planners, government policymakers, or investment bankers-we all depend on the market for guidance. In order for markets to work and economic actors to make sound decisions, the markets must give us good information, including the full cost of the products we buy.
Unfortunately, markets largely ignore the indirect costs of goods and services, thus grossly distorting the structure of the economy. The market price of burning coal, for example, includes only the direct costs, those of mining the coal and transporting it to the power plant. By neglecting the substantial indirect costs of burning coal-the costs of air pollution, acid rain, devastated ecosystems, and climate change-the market is giving us bad information. As a result of this and other distortions, we are making bad decisions.
The most effective way to correct this massive market failure is to restructure taxes-lowering taxes on income while raising those on environmentally destructive activities. Widely endorsed by economists, tax shifting helps make sure the price of products reflects their full costs to society.
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Climate bill sets oil "rack" transport tax
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Details of an oil industry tax are being filled in Congress as part of an upcoming U.S. climate control bill, sparking a spirited lobbying campaign this week over how the revenues from that tax would be used.
A Senate source familiar with the draft legislation told Reuters that the new fee "will be assessed at the terminal rack," -- where refined oil products await shipment to retail gasoline stations and other end points.
But the source added that no final decisions had yet been made on whether revenues from the tax would be deposited into the Highway Trust Fund and whether they would be earmarked for specific "green" projects or road and bridge repairs that the highway fund normally handles.
Currently, an 18.4 cent tax on each gallon (3.79 liters) of gasoline sold in the United States is deposited in the trust fund, which is perpetually at risk of going broke, largely because of increased fuel efficiency in cars.
The new oil industry tax, aimed at encouraging better fuel efficiency in the transportation sector, would be part of a compromise global warming bill being written in the Senate that could be unveiled by the end of April.
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New Poll of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Finds Overwhelming Support For Clean Energy Climate Legislation
A compelling new poll of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans finds that 73 percent of them support Clean Energy Climate Change legislation in Congress, 79 percent believe ending our dependence on foreign oil is important to national security, and 67 percent support the argument that such legislation will help their own economic prospects.
The poll was conducted by Lake Research Group for VoteVets.org In February, and is made up of 45 percent self-identified Republicans, 25 percent Independents, and 20 percent Democrats. The full memo detailing the results is below.
"This poll confirms what we always knew was true - veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan know, first-hand, the destructive effect our dependence on oil has on our national security, and on the battlefield," said Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org. "They are well aware of arguments made in favor and against bi-partisan clean energy and climate change legislation, and firmly fall into the group of Americans supportive of passing that comprehensive legislation. Veterans of the wars we're fighting want legislation passed now."
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Massey Energy has litany of critics, violations
Massey Energy, owner of the coal mine where at least 25 miners died this week, and its outspoken chief executive, Don Blankenship, have long been lightning rods for critics of the coal industry.
And although the company says that its safety record is better than the industry average, Massey has frequently been cited for safety violations, including about 50 citations at the Upper Big Branch mine in March alone. Many of those 50 citations were for poor ventilation of dust and methane, failure to maintain proper escape ways, and the accumulation of combustible materials.
The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration cited the mine for 1,342 safety violations from 2005 through Monday for a total of $1.89 million in proposed fines, according to federal records. The company has contested 422 of those violations, totaling $742,830 in proposed penalties, according to federal officials.
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Deadly Record: Massey's Montcoal mine cited for 3,000 violations, over $2.2 million in fines
Thousands of Safety Violations at Upper Big Branch Mine
Massey Energy is actively contesting millions of dollars of fines for safety violations at its West Virginia coal mine where disaster struck this week. Wonk Room's Brad Johnson has the story:
Twenty-five miners were killed and another four are missing after a explosion took place at 3 pm Monday at Massey subsidiary Performance Coal Co.'s Upper Big Branch Mine-South between the towns of Montcoal and Naoma. It is "the most people killed in a U.S. mine since 1984, when 27 died in a fire at Emery Mining Corp.'s mine in Orangeville, Utah." This deadly mine has been cited for over 3,000 violations by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), 638 since 2009:
Since 1995, Massey's Upper Big Branch-South Mine has been cited for 3,007 safety violations. Massey is contesting 353 violations, and 127 are delinquent. [MSHA]
Massey is contesting over a third (34.7%) of the 516 safety citations the Upper Big Branch-South Mine received in 2009, its greatest count in the last 15 years. [MSHA]
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Don Blankenship's record of profits over safety: "Coal pays the bills"
Don BlankenshipAfter the worst coal mining disaster in at least 25 years, Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship is facing long-overdue scrutiny for his record of putting coal profits over fundamental safety and health concerns. Blankenship, a right-wing activist millionaire who sits on the boards of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Mining Association, used his company's ties to the industry-dominated Bush administration to paper over Massey's egregious environmental and health violations.
Massey rewarded Republicans with massive donations after the company avoided paying billions in fines for a 2000 coal slurry disaster in Martin County, three times bigger than the Exxon Valdez. After both mine inspectors and Massey employees got the same message that it was more important to "run coal" than to follow safety rules, a deadly fire broke out in the Aracoma Alma mine in 2006, burning two men alive. Brad Johnson has the full story of Blankenship's reckless pursuit of profits over human safety in this TP repost.
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Don Blankenship warned West Virginia that he believes in "survival of the fittest"
Coal baron Don Blankenship is complaining about the "indignity" of the press for investigating his role as the CEO of Massey Energy, whose Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, WV, is the site of the deadliest mining disaster since 1984, with at least 25 miners killed. Blankenship has a long record of putting coal profits over safety. At the time of the accident, Massey was contesting dozens of major safety violations at the Montcoal mine, even as Blankenship increased production.
Blankenship has a "dark, soulless, and destructive social-Darwinist" view of the United States, as Brad Johnson explains in this repost.
Blankenship - whose $23.7 million annual compensation includes the use of the company jet and helicopter and a mansion with several servants - has made no effort to hide his "radical" philosophy of unfettered capitalism. He explained this philosophy most clearly in a 1986 documentary by Anne Lewis on his role crushing the union miners at Massey's Blackberry Creek mine, saying that "everybody's going to have to learn to accept" that the United States is ruled by the law of "survival of the fittest":
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Don Blankenship Called Safety Regulators 'As Silly As Global Warming'
The death toll from Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine explosion last week has reached a total of 29 miners, the worst coal disaster in 40 years. When the disaster occurred, Massey was contesting millions of dollars in major safety violations levied against the mine. At his Labor Day anti-union rally last year, Massey CEO Don Blankenship attacked the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), claiming it "seeks power over coal miners." He mocked both "Washington politicians" and local elected officials who attempt to ensure miner safety, calling their efforts "as silly as global warming":
We also endure a Mine Safety and Health Administration that seeks power over coal miners versus improving their safety and their health. As someone who has overseen the mining of more coal than anyone else in the history of central Appalachia, I know that the safety and health of coal miners is my most important job. I don't need Washington politicians to tell me that, and neither do you. But I also know - I also know Washington and state politicians have no idea how to improve miner safety. The very idea that they care more about coal miner safety than we do is as silly as global warming.
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United States Cracks Down on Coal Mining Pollution
During mountaintop removal, miners place explosives along ridges to access coal seams hidden underground. Bulldozers push rubble into adjacent depressions, often filling valley streams with contaminants that were previously held in the soil-a result known as a "valley fill."
The United States issued new water pollution rules for the controversial coal mining practice known as mountaintop removal, practiced mainly in the Appalachian region in the east. The clarifications may prevent mining companies from gaining further permits, regulators said.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned last week that operations that substantially increase the electrical conductivity of nearby steams - a measure of salt content that indicates the amount of dissolved toxic solids that float downstream - would not receive permits.
"We expect these guidances to change behavior, to change action, because if we continue to do what we have been doing we will continue to see increasing degradation of water quality," said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in a conference call with reporters.
During mountaintop removal, miners place explosives along ridges to access coal seams hidden underground. Bulldozers push rubble into adjacent depressions, often filling valley streams with contaminants that were previously held in the soil - a result known as a "valley fill."
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Double Trouble: Pebble Mine Threatens Two Beluga Populations - Sign the Petition
We've been talking a lot here at Switchboard about the Pebble mine: a monstrous open-pit copper and gold mine that would cut a wound two-miles wide and 2,000 feet deep into Alaska's wild and pristine landscape. The mine, which would be operated by the huge British conglomerate Anglo American, is opposed overwhelmingly by local residents and by Alaska's Native communities. It also threatens the natural resources of the Bristol Bay watershed, including an incredible array of wild creatures from grizzly bears, to wolverines, to caribou.
One animal equally worthy of our concern is the beluga whale, also known as the "white whale" or "sea canary," because of its tremulous, musical calls. There are only five populations of beluga whales in Alaska, and the Pebble mine threatens two of them: the populations in Bristol Bay and Cook Inlet.
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Newsweek Gets Coal Terribly Wrong
Daniel Stone published a dreadful piece on coal and energy over at Newsweek's The Gaggle called "West Virginia Mine Disaster Unlikely to Affect National Energy Debate." Guest blogger JW Randolph of Appalachian Voices, debunks it fully in this WR repost.
David Roberts at Grist responded to Energy Committee Staffer Bill Wicker for a quote he had in the article, and it's well worth the read. But the article was so full of misinformation and false pretexts that I wanted to spend some pixels correcting a few things, beginning with this paragraph:
Coal is the one fuel that powers most of what we do. It accounts for 49 percent of American power consumption, and as demand for power increases while the cost of alternatives (wind, solar, biofuels) remains high, coal is poised to play a bigger, not smaller, role in our energy landscape. To put it more crassly, the cost of coal is just too cheap. A kilowatt hour of coal power costs about $0.04, less than a third of renewables.
Facts:
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America's Greenest States
When you think "green," you think New Jersey, right? OK, maybe not. But perhaps you should.
The Garden State ranked seventh in our first-ever list of America's Greenest States, a surprise winner amid places synonymous with environmentalism like Vermont, Oregon and Washington. More startling: The congested East Coast is a lot more environmentally friendly than you thought.
Sure the Western U.S., with its big skies and open spaces feels green--but when you look at broader measurements of humans' impact on the environment, including consumption patterns, air and water quality, and waste, as well as policy, they don't fare as well.
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Virginia AG mocks dangers of CO2, telling Tea Partiers to hold their breath and make the EPA happy.
On Saturday, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli attended the Powhatan Taxpayers' Alliance Tea Party rally to address his beloved base. Think Progress has the details of his anti-science pandering:
Cuccinelli reportedly greeted the crowd by saying that it was "great to be with so many people who appreciate the Constitution" and then talked about his challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency's conclusion that greenhouse gases should be regulated under the Clean Air Act. In particular, the crowd loved when he made fun of the EPA and joked that they could hold their breath for a few seconds and make the EPA "happy":
"The Attorney General's office is a very reactive office. We wouldn't be suing the EPA if the EPA did not abandon all semblance of science and law to put out its endangerment finding on the CO2. Now, let's make them all happy just for a moment and everybody just hold your breath," Cuccinelli waited several seconds before saying "There you go, just a short period of time with no CO2. Now the trees are going protest but at least the EPA will be happy".
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West Virginia mine disaster shows high cost of fossil-fuel dependence
The West Virginia coal mine explosion should compel us to work for a 21st-century energy strategy that doesn't depend on costly and dangerous fossil fuels.
The Appalachian Mountains are the lungs of West Virginia. They are also the backbone of our nation's most rugged state, imbuing our people, our culture, and our heritage with that same ruggedness of spirit that many identify as quintessentially American.
The mountains breathe life into our people, providing pristine vistas for spiritual renewal. For 150 years, they have given a bounty of coal that has helped fuel our nation and the world.
Generations of our sons (and recently, our daughters) have put their backs into the hard work of digging out that precious resource, and all too often have given their lives in order to provide their families with some measure of livelihood.
As an Iraq war veteran, I can understand the pride that our miners feel in their jobs, putting their lives on the line to provide our nation with a valuable resource. Soldiers and miners alike have contributed more than their share to our nation's security and prosperity. But I have yet to meet a soldier who would wish his children off to war.
With the coal industry supporting 20 percent of the state's economy, one could easily say that today, West Virginia is dependent on coal for survival. Monday's explosion and tragic consequences at the Upper Big Branch mine owned by Massey Energy is a stark reminder of the true cost of this dependence, and a symptom of the societal black lungs we have been left with.
The people of Appalachia deserve better than this. The truth of West Virginia's "dependence" on coal is full of much murkier water than Massey or state government representatives would have us believe.
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Fox News' Ed Barnes Tries to Re-Ignite Attacks on Climate Scientist Exonerated by Penn State
In his "exclusive" story, titled "Top Climate Scientist's Exoneration Won't Be the Last Word," Fox News' Ed Barnes suggests that the Penn State investigation that cleared Dr. Michael Mann of any wrong-doing was a "whitewash" designed to protect the "millions of dollars in grant money it gets by having Mann on the faculty."
Barnes claims that Penn State's decision to exonerate Mann generated "a storm of controversy" and "came under severe attack." Reading his inflammatory language, you might think that a whole lot of academics and scientists ridiculed the inquiry. Who is this angry mob that generated such a "storm of controversy?"
Actually, the Barnes storm is comprised of only three people - a mining executive, the wealthiest member of Congress, and a former FoxNews.com columnist.
The former FoxNews.com contributor, Steve "The Junkman" Milloy, is better known for his role as apologist and shill for the tobacco, chemical, mining and oil industries than for his expertise critiquing university review boards. What are Milloy's qualifications to serve as judge and jury in denouncing a highly-regarded university's review process? Milloy runs JunkScience.com, a website that defies all manner of scientific realities, arguing that everything from DDT to secondhand smoke to asbestos is perfectly healthy for you.
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DOT, EPA Boost Fuel Economy, Set GHG Emission Limits for Light Vehicles
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly established new federal rules on April 1 that set the first-ever national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States. The rules, which will significantly increase the fuel economy of the vehicles starting with the 2012 model year, could save the average buyer $3,000 over the life of a 2016 model year car. Overall, the measures will conserve about 1.8 billion barrels of oil, and reduce nearly a billion tons of GHG emissions over the lives of the vehicles covered.
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DOE Sets Tough Standards for Home Water Heaters, Other Heating Products
DOE announced on April 1 that it has finalized higher energy efficiency standards for a key group of heating appliances that will together save consumers up to $10 billion and prevent up to 164 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the 30 years after they take effect. The new standards apply to residential water heaters, pool heaters, and direct heating equipment such as gas fireplaces, increasing the stringency of the existing minimum conservation standards for these three types of residential heating products. The new standards will cut the energy use of large electric storage water heaters by 47% and of large gas-fired water heaters by more than 30%. The standards for water heaters will go into effect in 2015, while the standards for pool heaters and direct heating equipment-including gas-fired wall, floor, and hearth heaters-will apply to products manufactured in 2013 and beyond. On average, these products account for about 18% of the energy use in U.S. homes.
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Foreign Owned Texas Oil Firms Oppose California Climate Law
WASHINGTON - Several Texas oil companies are bankrolling a petition drive to suspend California's path-breaking climate change law in a move that may prove a bellwether for national efforts to address global warming.
The Valero Energy Corporation, a San Antonio-based company that is one of the nation's largest independent oil refiners and retailers, has contributed $500,000 to a ballot initiative that would halt the carrying out of the California climate law known as Assembly Bill 32, which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, signed in 2006. At least one other Texas oil company, Tesoro, with operations in California and a prominent antitax group are helping to finance the petition drive to place the initiative on the November general election ballot.
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Gov. Daniels: Climate science is "dubious"; even "extreme measures" won't address global warming
Conservatives keep compiling a collection of videos that future generations will ponder with combination of anger and bewilderment. Here's the lastest, courtesy of Think Progress.
Last year, Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) attacked the House's climate change bill saying that "it looks like imperialism" because of the cap-and-trade provisions in the bill. However, Daniels refrained from addressing climate change science, saying that it is "being addressed by others."
But yesterday on C-Span, Daniels weighed in on the science and it appears that he comes down on the side of the global warming deniers:
DANIELS: In terms of climate change, I think that everyone would be well advised to take a substantial time out. There's been nothing but dubious news about the science of all this now for about a year, including apparent scientific wrongdoing. Meanwhile, we're left with a situation where even if the zealots had their way, and the most extreme measures were taken, by their own computer models, we don't move the world thermometer at all.
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