Stirred Into Action: Climate Action Hotline, June 25

June 25, 2010 Bolstered by new opinion polls and driven by a monstrous blowout that is closing Gulf Coast beaches at the height of the travel season, Democratic leaders stirred into action this week on comprehensive climate and energy legislation. On Wednesday President Obama concluded an all hands cabinet meeting at the White House by [...]

Obama Vows To Go Where No Man Has Gone Before: Goal is to pass and sign comprehensive energy and climate legislation

By Keith Schneider US Climate Action Network Given the emotional reserve of a man whose aides once referred to as “no drama Obama,” the president is getting pretty fired up about energy.  On Wednesday this week President Obama concluded an all hands cabinet meeting at the White House by publicly declaring again his resolve to [...]

Billion Gallon Challenge and Other Hot Pubs

Recent USCAN Member Reports Explosive Tax Breaks. The nuclear industry could end up facing no risk under massive tax break subsidies in the Kerry-Lieberman climate bill, according to a new analysis (June17, 2010) conducted for Friends of the Earth by the research organization Earth Track. These tax breaks totaling $9.7 billion to $57.3 billion (depending [...]

Energy (In)dependence: Climate Action Hotline, June 16

June 18, 2010 President Obama’s Oval Office address on Tuesday, during which he called for a new “national mission” to achieve energy independence, did not include any specific target dates or goals. There’s a reason. Seven presidents before him, starting with Richard Nixon, had done just that and came up with zilch. To his credit, [...]

Energy Independence Is Nation’s Most Elusive Technological Goal

Of all the technological missions identified and pursued by the United States none has been as much of an abject failure as achieving energy independence. A nation that at various historic inflection points crossed the nation with a unified rail line, developed the most powerful bombs ever seen in the Manhattan Project, and sent men [...]

Dirty Air Act Vote Tests Senate’s Direction on Climate, Clean Energy

On June 10, the Senate votes on a “resolution of disapproval” to limit federal action on climate change by blocking the EPA’s ability under the Clean Air Act to limit emissions from big polluters. The resolution, which has 41 co-sponsors, was introduced in January by Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, one of the largest Congressional [...]

Getting It Done: Climate Action Hotline, June 4

June 4, 2010 With oceanographers warning that the runaway oil from the BP Gulf catastrophe could be carried by ocean currents around Florida and up the East Coast, Washington more than stirred to life this week on climate and energy. It started to simmer. President Obama resolved on Wednesday to pass a comprehensive climate and [...]

Copenhagen Accord Weekly Roundup: Bonn Edition

In the last two weeks, Belize, Burundi, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Nigeria, and Timor-Leste have associated with the Copenhagen Accord. Tunisia, already associated, submitted actions. Venezuela has reiterated that it will not associate. See Who’s On Board With the Copenhagen Accord. Delegates are meeting in Bonn this week and next for a UNFCCC intersessional, spending much [...]

Gulf Oil Disaster Prompts Calls For Comprehensive Solution: President Obama and advocates press for new national climate and energy bill

By Keith Schneider US Climate Action Network On June 2, a day before BP announced it had sheared through a leaking pipe at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, one of the very few steps forward in the company’s 44-day campaign to staunch the worst oil disaster in American history, President Barack Obama pressed [...]