There are a myriad of ways in which the U.S. home mortgage system is weak to even broken. The extent of the housing bubble to the shoddy paperwork (and, in too many cases, outright fraud) in foreclosures are just two minor little examples of the problems we face. One contributing factor — to the housing […]
Entries Tagged as 'financial policy'
Addressing home affordability through efficiency in financing process
October 15th, 2010 · 3 Comments
Tags: department of energy · Energy · energy efficiency · financial policy
Energy Smart Micro-Lending
September 20th, 2010 · Comments Off on Energy Smart Micro-Lending
Today is time to take a moment to make a plug for a specific charity as I am about to write a check and you might want to as well. A bit of background first. Micro-finance programs are, imo, one of the most empowering developments around the world over the past several decades. Providing sensible […]
Tags: Energy · energy smart · financial policy · renewable energy · solar
VP Biden’s excellent Earth Day announcement is perhaps 1% of what we need …
April 21st, 2010 · 1 Comment
The day before the 40th Earth Day, VP Joe Biden kicked off a series of White House actions and announcements with an excellent initiative: selection of 25 communities for up to $452 million in Recovery Act funding to “ramp-up” energy efficiency building retrofits. Under the Department of Energy’s Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative, communities, governments, private sector […]
Tags: building green · Congress · Energy · energy efficiency · environmental · financial policy · global warming deniers · government energy policy · Obama Administration · politics · President Barack Obama
“The most important number you’ve never heard of.”
April 16th, 2010 · 10 Comments
“The Social Cost of Carbon may be the most important number you’ve never heard of” according to Frank Ackerman and Elizabeth Stanton in a recent publication from the Economics for Equity and the Environment Network. The Social Cost of Carbon (pdf) analyzes the efforts within the U.S. government to develop a value of the economic […]
Tags: analysis · cap and trade · carbon dioxide · carbon tax · climate change · climate legislation · Energy · environmental · financial policy · Global Warming · government energy policy
The Power of No Regrets … a reprise …
December 11th, 2009 · 2 Comments
Occasionally, it seems worthwhile to resurrect earlier discussions, to try to bring attention to elements that should be part of our national dialogue but which, sadly, seem not ingrained in people’s thinking. No Regrets strategic thinking looks to satisficing — how would this pan out across multiple scenarios. Considering what a No Regrets Strategy would […]
Tags: clean emissions · climate change · Energy · energy smart · environmental · financial policy · Global Warming · politics · pollution
CBO, Media in Need of Remedial Science Classes
October 17th, 2009 · 3 Comments
The incisive Natasha Chart of Campaign for America’s Future has a must read discussion of the standard economist’s failures when considering large scale, complex social and environmental issues like climate change. It’s remarkable how often economists ignore physical reality. Whether they’re suggesting that economies can act as perpetual motion machines or suggesting that resource availability […]
Tags: analysis · climate change · climate legislation · Congress · financial policy · Global Warming
AHIP / CBO Similarities Revealed: Blog Action Day
October 15th, 2009 · 3 Comments
In the last week, several studies (okay, one lobbyist press release packaged as a “study” and the other a real study) have made a splash. The first, the Price Waterhouse “study” for America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) on implications of moving toward a public option and universal coverage. The other, the month’s old Congressional Budget […]
Tags: analysis · climate change · Congress · energy efficiency · environmental · financial policy · Global Warming · government energy policy
Supporting Rail Electrification with the Climate Bill
October 11th, 2009 · Comments Off on Supporting Rail Electrification with the Climate Bill
Electrification of rail is one of the most effective currently available technology paths for reducing carbon emissions. It should be on the top of the policy agenda. It is, basically, nowhere to be found. Here is a guest post by the very thoughtful BruceMcF, looking at this gap and providing a path forward for addressing […]
Tags: climate legislation · Energize America · Energy · environmental · financial policy · government energy policy · rail · trains · transportation
Ways and Means passes stimulus elements, including energy items
January 22nd, 2009 · Comments Off on Ways and Means passes stimulus elements, including energy items
Earlier today, House Ways and Means Committee passed “H.R. 598 by a party-line vote of 24 to 13. The legislation will now be combined with other components of the recovery package from other House Committees into H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for consideration by the full House of Representatives next week.” “This […]
Tags: Energy · energy efficiency · financial policy · government energy policy · renewable energy
A W4 Solution: Insulate US from economic and climate devastation
January 14th, 2009 · 11 Comments
President Obama and Congress must act to stimulate the US economy with a package of win-win-win-win (W4) elements that will: Create and protect jobs throughout the nation Foster economic activity that will help, through tax revenue, pay for the stimulus Strengthen the nation’s economic prospects for the long-term, and Help address other critical challenges: notably […]
Tags: analysis · architecture · architecture2030 · emissions · Energize America · Energy · energy efficiency · energy smart · environmental · financial policy · Global Warming · government energy policy · green