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Entries from March 2009

Carpe Diem: Waxman-Markey a Start, But More Opportunities to Seize

March 31st, 2009 · 3 Comments

Representatives and Chairmen Ed Markey and Henry Waxman released the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) as a discussion draft yesterday.  Speaking in a bloggers’ call on the bill,  Speaker Nancy Pelosi emphasized that acting on climate change is her “flagship issue” and that this is justified not just on national security, health and […]

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Tags: ed markey · environmental · government energy policy

The Lies Have It

March 31st, 2009 · 5 Comments

One hope, with Barack Obama taking the Oath of Office: that the traditional media would return to a tradition of actually seeking to weigh truth and seek some form of actual honesty in reporting. Sigh … Despite being in a minority, newspapers and television talk shows seem more ready to have Republicans (whether currently in […]

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Tags: republican party · truthiness

Obstinate idiocy: C02 = Life

March 31st, 2009 · 2 Comments

The latest fad, it seems, amid the denier/skeptic/delayer community is to be emphasizing that Co2 is plant life. This has been seen in the past weeks from witnesses in Senate testimony, from Republican Congressmen in hearings, in blog posts galore, and in conservative columns and editorial pages. For example, this was core to The Washington […]

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Tags: carbon dioxide · climate delayers · global warming deniers · skeptic · truthiness

Getting something wrong, while Obama Admin Gets Something Right

March 29th, 2009 · 3 Comments

Well, sometimes reacting to breaking RUMINT (rumors intelligence) can put one out on a limb … and sometimes the limb breaks. Thus, my reporting that Dan Kammen would be one of three appointees into the Department of Energy was wrong. Have to wonder when and where Dan will end up in the Administration (perhaps advisory […]

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Tags: energy efficiency · Obama Administration

Obama connects dots: will traditional media outlets?

March 27th, 2009 · 2 Comments

When it comes to extreme weather events, America’s traditional media outlets seem almost inherently incapable of connecting the dots between changing weather patterns, increasing common ‘extreme’ weather events, and Global Warming. Fires … droughts … floods … ever-increasing 500 and 100 year weather events and, well, the words “climate change” or “global warming” are rarely […]

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Tags: climate change · Global Warming

Heroes in the Global Warming Front: Or, What is it with Female Democratic Governors Anyway?

March 27th, 2009 · 2 Comments

In 2008, Kathleen Sebelius undertook a courageous battle against coal industry interests attempting to buy their way into perpetuating highly polluting coal-fired electricity plants. She stood up against fossil-foolish distortions. She stood up against industry lobby money. She stood up in a tough fight against Republican legislators who were active collaborators with the polluters. She […]

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Tags: climate change · coal · Energy · environmental · Global Warming · government energy policy · politics · pollution · renewable energy

Would they mess up sports reporting?

March 26th, 2009 · 1 Comment

One of the aside comments written by many amid The Will Affair is that perhaps George would better serve his readership by spending his time writing about baseball, his true love. Now, I don’t know the real quality of George’s writing and understanding of the sport, but we have to imagine that he does a […]

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Tags: climate change · journalism

New Yorker and Old Speak = Reckless endangerment?

March 25th, 2009 · 4 Comments

The New Yorker has been a bright spot, in many ways, in the media disaster that has been global warming reporting. Elizabeth Kolbert is not just a beautiful writer, a pleasure to read, but insightful and thoughtful about the climate crisis and energy issues. (See, for example, her wonderful The Island in the Wind.) The […]

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Tags: journalism

Destroy Environment, Win Trophy?

March 24th, 2009 · 1 Comment

This Friday evening, the Aspen Institute and National Geographic are banding together to give out six awards as part of the Aspen Environment Forum. A ceremony to recognize and reward excellence for those making a real and concrete contribution to innovation, implementation, and communication of energy and environmental solutions. Amid the awardees are some heroes, […]

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Tags: Energy

Energy: Three Energizing Appointments … Update … Or Two?

March 23rd, 2009 · 1 Comment

On a day where President Obama focused again on energy issues and gave a powerful speech, news is out of three great new additions for the Department of Energy: David Sandalow: Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs Dan Kammen: Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (or, sign, maybe not … [UPDATE: Cathy Zoi […]

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Tags: Energy