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Energy Bill Passes Senate
-- Sara -- 06/25/2007
Late Thursday night, after something of a struggle, the Senate passed an energy bill that Majority Leader Harry Reid credits with “[starting] America on a path toward reducing our reliance on oil.” The most encouraging of the bill’s provisions is the increase in fuel efficiency standards that had friends of the auto industry crying for a compromise. Originally proposed, and ultimately passed, is an increase to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 with 4% annual increases for every year thereafter. This is the first significant change in national fuel-efficiency standards since 1975 and hopefully the first manifestation of changing attitudes towards tackling global warming in a serious way on Captiol Hill.
In addition to the fuel efficiency standards, the bill requires that we use 36 billion gallons of biofuel by the year 2022, allows the United States to take a more proactive role in investigating price gouging at the pump, and includes incentives for research into more fuel-efficient cars. Unfortunately the bill does not include a renewable electricity standard, nor does it repeal taxpayer giveaways to the Big Oil companies. Concerned citizens around the country may want to contemplate asking presidential candidates their position on shifting federal subsidies from oil to renewables.
McCain Talks Straight to South Carolina Conservationists
-- John -- 06/25/2007
The Straight Talk Express made a scheduled stop in Columbia, S.C., so that Senator John McCain could talk about his ideas on climate change with the state’s conservation community.
Senators McCain and Joe Lieberman have introduced the “Climate Stewardship Act of 2007,” which promotes a cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by 65 percent by 2050. Asked whether he supports a carbon tax, the Senator responded: “I have a visceral problem with raising taxes unless we absolutely have to.” According to McCain, the advantage of cap-and-trade it that it harnesses the power of the marketplace to change the way we produce and use energy. He then listed the green energy alternatives that would benefit from cap and trade: renewables such as solar, wind, tidal, and hydro; and alternatives, like biofuels and nuclear.
Senator McCain was willing to elaborate on biofuels and nuclear energy in detail. While he supports biofuels, he stated that we should not subsidize corn-based ethanol, and hopes that in the long term that we can promote cellulosic materials that offer higher energy conversion rates, like switch grass and sugarcane.
Senator McCain is a proponent of nuclear energy, which he has repeatedly argued offers one way to wean our country from its dependence on fossil fuels while promoting energy independence. When a member of the conservation community pointed out that nuclear energy has particular repercussions for South Carolina – our state accepts a higher percentage of low-level nuclear waste than any other in the country – the Senator was quick to qualify his remarks: “I do not support South Carolina being the nation’s dumping ground.” Accordingly, he remarked that, for environmental and security reasons, he supports efforts to build a major nuclear waste facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. But he mentioned that nuclear reprocessing offers a way for states like South Carolina to gain economically from a future in nuclear energy.
However, the major thrust of McCain’s comments centered on increasing awareness about climate change and generating the national will to address it. Admitting his bewilderment that some members of Congress still believe climate change is a myth, the Senator concluded that shifting attitudes will be “a matter of education.” And in this respect, he was highly complimentary of the efforts of conservation groups across South Carolina and the country to challenge leaders and mobilize citizens. McCain seconded an attendee’s call for presidential leadership on this issue. In his words, “Only the federal government can pass the laws necessary” to create incentives for the business sector. The answer to climate change does not boil down to a government response versus a private-sector response - in McCain’s assessment, both have important roles to play.
From left to right: Erika Hartwig, SC Energy Office; Cary Chamblee, Sierra Club; Megan Herring, Conservation Voters of SC; Ben Gregg, SC Wildlife Federation; Debbie Parker, CVSC; John Clarke, SC Energy Office; June Shissias, CVSC; Senator John McCain; Bob Guild, Sierra Club; Henry McMaster, SC Attorney General; Chester Sansbury, Republicans for Environmental Protection; DuBose Williamson, CVSC; Brad Wyche, Upstate Forever; Dana Leavitt, Upstate Forever.
Mike Huckabee Meets SC Conservationists
-- John -- 06/24/2007
On Friday, June 22, Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee sat down with conservation leaders to talk about climate issues and energy independence. As an avid bass fisherman and long-time member of organizations like Ducks Unlimited and National Wild Turkey Federation, Huckabee said that he traces his attitudes about conservation and climate to the old Boy Scout adage: leave the campsite better than you find it. And as a Baptist minister, the imperative to preserve our natural heritage for future generations is a Christian moral duty: "If we deplete our energy and natural resources, then we've done something fiscally, environmentally, and morally irresponsible. It's an act of sin."
The Governor simultaneously recognizes that addressing climate change and securing America's energy independence require concrete solutions, including increasing CAFE standards, promoting more fuel-efficient cars, and redesigning neighborhoods to make them pedestrian-friendly. His legislative record includes having supported an .8-cent sales tax that went toward conservation projects, an initiative that enjoyed popular support in a state not famous for supporting tax increases. According to Governor Huckabee, the debate on conservation has become muddled and partisan. Conservation and development interests are not antithetical - according to Huckabee, what's good for the environment is good for the long-term economic prospects of our country and the world.
Additionally, Governor Huckabee connected his commitment to conservation with his support of the Fair Tax proposal, which would replace income taxes with a national retail sales tax. In his words, "a consumption tax forces people to conserve - it becomes in one's immediate economic self-interest to consume less."
Although the governor did not discuss the specifics of a cap-and-trade system, fuel efficiency standards or a renewable electricity standard, he was happy to accept our briefing materials and agreed to meet with us again.
From left to right: Carol Ervin, CVSC board member; Dana Beach, Executive Director, Coastal Conservation League; James Meadows, Regional Director, Ducks Unlimited; Elizabeth Hagood, Director of Conservation Programs, CCL; DuBose Williamson, CVSC intern; Mike Campbell, South Carolina Director, Americans for Prosperity; Governor Mike Huckabee; Ben Moore, Project Manager, CCL; John Ramsburgh, CVSC Project Director.
Obama talks about global warming on WMUR
-- brucebc -- 06/22/2007
Today, Sen. Barack Obama visited New Hampshire for a brief trip that included a taping of WMUR's "Conversation with the Candidate" series, that will be televised next week on WMUR TV, the ABC affiliate in NH and online at WMUR.com. One participant in the audience was able to ask him a question about global warming:
"Global Warming is probably the most important environmental challenge civilization has faced. the scientific consensus is that we face increasing disruptions through sea level rise, drought, floods, and massive storms. It's clear we must take urgent action to reduce the projected temperature increases. How aggressive will you be in demanding action to reduce greenhouse gasses? How will you explain to Americans that fuels will cost more and they need to embrace energy conservation at a scale never before achieved...and what about fuel efficiency?"
In his response, Senator Obama talked about fuel-efficiency, saying Congress had made some progress yesterday in the Senate, but hadn't finished the job yet having passed a 35 MPG standard, but that he tried to make the law say that it would go up 4% every year...period. Additionally, he talked about renewable energy, capping carbon emissions (specifically he said the nation should set a cap, lowering it every year, ultimately by 2050 having 80% reductions), and creating tax-incentives for purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles and new appliances and insulating buildings.
At the end I was the last person he shook hands with and he was about to leave when I commented that I appreciated hearing him talking about global warming, but I'd love to hear him talk some about what he'd do about emissions from the many new coal-plants that were planned. He was walking away and stopped, turned, and said, "Well, with a tough cap on emissions, they'd have to sequester the carbon," and then turned back to people taking pictures.
We'll link to the segment after it runs on WMUR.
Edwards Adresses Climate Change At Union Forum
-- Mark -- 06/21/2007
On a recent episode of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, John Edwards was asked why Democrats have a hard time connecting with the American people? Edwards was appearing before the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and that his answer before a powerful union included remarks on climate change helps us understand the way this issue is rewriting the American political landscape.
Edwards mentioned the energy themes of his stump speeches: increasing efficiency, reducing greenhouse emissions by 80% by 2050, and producing more fuel-efficient cars. But that he was able to frame these solutions in terms of their positive impact on America's economy shows the political potency of addressing the climate crisis. Seeing Edwards address the issue of climate change before a major national labor union underscores that is has become a top issue in the presidential election.
Food or Fuel?
-- Ellie -- 06/21/2007
Charleston's Post and Courier recently reported that International Bio Energy is considering building an ethanol plant in the Charleston area. The Charleston plant would be Bio Energy's first in the United States and one of the largest in the country. The $450 million plant would produce about 216 million gallons of ethanol annually, a rate of production that would call for 80 million bushels of corn each year.
The swift increase in ethanol production over the last couple of years is driving corn prices to record highs, and South Carolina farmers are eager to profit from the expanding ethanol industry. But the rising price of corn has greater repercussions than one might think; after all, farmers not only harvest corn for food, they use it to feed livestock. A large increase in ethanol production will necessarily drive up the prices of meat and dairy products, disrupting the balance of agricultural trade worldwide.
In Mexico, higher corn prices have led to skyrocketing tortilla prices and even increased that country's inflation. Indeed, corn may find itself becoming a volatile world commodity like the fuel source it's meant to replace: oil. According to Michael Swanson, agricultural economist at Wells Fargo in Minneapolis, the future price of corn will depend in large part on the price of oil. Higher oil prices will generate more demand for ethanol, driving up corn prices; lower oil prices will lower demand.
"You need to be an oil bull to be a corn bull," Swanson says. "It's the new paradigm."
South Carolina Votes for Energy Efficiency
-- Emma -- 06/20/2007
In an encouraging move for South Carolina, the South Carolina General Assembly voted today to override Governor Mark Sanford's veto of a bill designed to promote environmentally-friendly buildings.
House bill 3034 requires state government buildings that meet a certain size threshold to be built according to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) or Green Globes standards. It originally passed the legislature by a comfortable margin, only to be vetoed by the governor, who cited costs and his dislike for "mandates."
Not to be deterred, the House overrode the veto yesterday in a landslide, approving the bill by a margin of 90-13. Today the Senate voted unanimously to override the veto. Conservationists from around the state played an important role, many of them spending all of yesterday at the State House lobbying legislators.
While South Carolina is not the first state to require environmental standards of government buildings, the move is an important step toward combating climate change. Forty percent of carbon emissions come from buildings, but LEED-certified buildings can cut energy and water consumption nearly in half.
Global Warming in the News from Coast-to-Coast
-- Mike -- 06/19/2007
In scanning this morning's global warming news, I came across several interesting stories that show global warming is quite literally at the forefront of the political discussion from coast to coast...
- Maine Governor John Baldacci signed legislation yesterday that establishes a cap-and-trade system to control greenhouse gas emissions. Read more here.
- A new poll from South Dakota shows that about three-fourths of the state's residents think global warming is very serious or somewhat serious. Read more here.
- Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be the keynote speaker at the Florida Summit on Global Climate Change in Miami next month. Read more here.
Schwarzenegger & Bloomberg Appear on Cover of Time
-- Mike -- 06/18/2007
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg get the cover story treatment from Time magazine this week. The article is about how the two are, in Time's words, doing "big things that Washington has failed to do."
Naturally, the article covers how both Schwarzenegger and Bloomberg have been promoting efforts to fight global warming and curb greenhouse gas emissions. Key paragraph:
Look at global warming. Washington rejected the Kyoto Protocol, but more than 500 U.S. mayors have pledged to meet its emissions-reduction standards, none more aggressively than Bloomberg. His PlaNYC calls for a 30% cut in greenhouse gases by 2030. It will quadruple the city's bike lanes, convert the city's taxis to hybrids and impose a controversial congestion fee for driving into Manhattan. And Schwarzenegger signed the U.S.'s first cap on greenhouse gases, including unprecedented fuel-efficiency standards for California cars. (He's already tricked out two of his five Hummers, one to run on biofuel and another on hydrogen.) The feds have done nothing on fuel efficiency in two decades, but 11 states will follow California's lead if Bush grants a waiver. After signing a climate deal with Ontario - on the same day as his stem-cell deal - he said he had a message for Detroit: "Get off your butt!" He had a similar message for Washington. "Eventually, the Federal government is going to get on board," he said. "If not, we're going to sue."
Click here to read the entire article.
Artist draws ‘High Water Line’ in NYC
-- Megan -- 06/18/2007
Artist Eve S. Mosher has begun a project, called “High Water Line,” to illustrate the effects of global warming on
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