Add comment August 26th, 2009
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Add comment July 25th, 2009
O.K., California didn’t get its waiver in the first 100 days of the Obama administration, but I’m still extremely pleased with this development. From the New York Times:
President Obama announced tough new nationwide rules for automobile emissions and mileage standards on Tuesday, embracing standards that California has sought to enact for years over the objections of the auto industry and the Bush administration.
Add comment May 19th, 2009
Remember during the 2008 campaign season, when progressives around the State of Washington were working their tails off to get Governor Gregoire re-elected because her opponent, Dino Rossi, just wasn’t sure if global warming existed.
Even Al Gore made a last minute plea for Gregoire at a fund raiser and Gregoire advisor, Jenny Durkan, warned all those present of just how much the environment would suffer under Rossi’s leadership.
Durkan said that in a Rossi administration, BIAW Executive Vice President Tom McCabe would be “the de facto Department of Ecology head.” She asked “How much would you pay not to have him running the Department of Ecology?”
Well, surprise, surprise!
Who knew that way back in 2007 Governor Gregoire had already decided it was imperative to keep the last remaining coal-fired power plant in Washington State operational. She even went as far as initiating secret negotiations with TransAlta, the plants owners, to avoid the prying eyes of the public.
Never mind the fact that burning coal to produce electricity is one of the biggest contributors to global warming, or that her friend, Al Gore, has called for a moratorium on the construction of new coal-fired plants and believes the U.S. should stop burning coal.
What should we do? We should stop burning coal . . . without sequestering the CO2. The coal and oil companies have spent in the United States alone a half a billion dollars in the first eight months of this year promoting a lie that there is such a thing as “clean coal.” Clean coal’s like healthy cigarettes — it does not exist. It could theoretically exist. The only demonstration plant was canceled. How many, how many such plants are there? Zero. How many blueprints? Zero.
Evidently, Gregoire was for global warming before she was against it. Sorry Al, it looks like we all got played.
Add comment April 8th, 2009
The New York Times is reporting that China has laid big, bold plans to become a leading manufacturer of hybrid and all electric cars in just three years.
I sure hope its true.
If nothing else, the Walmart years has made it extremely easy to import goods from China, which–in this particular instance– is a good thing, since Detroit has stubbornly refused to build the clean cars the United States needs to break its dependence on foreign oil.
Do you think any of the suits still left at GM regret killing the EV1?
Add comment April 3rd, 2009
(Source: click here.)
Is this an example of the indispensable “reporting” which only newspapers provide?
Today marks six years since former President Bush launched the invasion of Iraq — a preventive war of choice based on “intelligence fixed around the policy.” Since that time, hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent, over 4,000 U.S. servicemen and women and hundreds more from coalition countries have died (tens of thousands more physically and mentally wounded), nearly 100,000 (or more) Iraqi civilians have parished and nearly 5 million have been displaced. Yet the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, and many other major American newspapers are ignoring the anniversary today. Only USA Today printed a story noting the anniversary of the invasion. Today’s Progress Report has more on the good, the bad, and the ugly of developments surrounding the Iraq war over the last year.
Add comment March 19th, 2009
It allows utilities to reduce their annual new renewable-energy targets to their annual growth in their overall power needs. That change alone could cut 44% off I-937’s 2020 target, depriving the state of much-needed economic-development opportunities.
It cuts another eighth off I-937’s 2020 standard by grandfathering in old existing resources (particularly small hydro and biomass), and does nothing to create jobs and reduce climate emissions. Some of those resources have been operating since the 1800s.
It counts additional resources toward the target — including black liquor, even more hydropower, and conservation beyond I-937’s separate energy efficiency targets, effectively displacing nearly a fifth of the law’s eligible renewables in 2020.
Coincidently, failing to develop our non-hydro renewables carries a heavy, long term cost, as climate change continues to reduce the Northwest’s snow-pack and restricts dams acess to water.
Overall, SB 5840 would cut the voter-endorsed renewables standard up to 75% or more in 2020. ( Source)
Had enough?
Plan to attend a Town Hall meeting this weekend to let your representatives know that you are paying attention and are not pleased with Olympia’s effort to gut I-937’s voter approved mandate. Here is a link to get you started: http://www.educationvoters.org/files/Townhall_March2009.pdf
Add comment March 13th, 2009
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