Climate Change
Basics
Introducing the Samuelson Gas Tax Increase: A Penny Every Month
Democratic lawmakers are discussing the possibility of a one-year stopgap transportation bill but have yet to reach consensus on how to pay for the measure, Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) said today.
November 17, 2009
Coal-Burning Electric Utilities Still Commanding Dem Senators’ Attention
As reported here yesterday, transportation is a close second to electric power generation in the not-so-great race to become the nation's fastest-rising source of emissions.
November 13, 2009
Which is the Fastest-Rising U.S. Emissions Source: Transport or Electricity?
The climate change bills being considered by Congress treat electric utilities very well, giving more than a third of the revenue generated by CO2 regulation away -- for free -- to power providers. This move pleased coal country Democrats while seeking to lock down benefits for consumers by averting electricity rate hikes.
November 12, 2009
Grassley: ‘Two or Three Other’ Republicans Open to Climate Change Deal
The Senate's propensity for filibusters, delay, and fruitless attempts at bipartisan deal-making is earning it quite the reputation these days. And climate change legislation, with its big-ticket implications for transit and urban development in general, is becoming increasingly caught up in the Senate's peripatetic politics.
November 10, 2009
Senate’s Next Climate Hearing to Feature Big Oil-Backed Critics
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) may have voted against the Senate environment committee's climate bill yesterday, but The New Republic picked up on some pretty optimistic (for Washington) rhetoric from him on the issue this morning:
November 6, 2009
How Important is a United Front on the Climate Bill?
As fans of clean transportation and sustainable development join the push for a strong climate change bill to emerge from Congress, it's worth remembering that not all environmental groups support the approach congressional Democrats have chosen.
November 5, 2009
Boxer Okays Senate Climate Bill, Without Amendments or GOP
The Senate environment committee approved its climate change bill today on an 11-1 vote, shrugging off a boycott by all of the panel's Republicans but missing out on the chance to consider amendments to the lengthy legislation.
November 5, 2009
Kerry: There’s a Narrow Window For GOP Cooperation on Pricing Pollution
The chief sponsor of the Senate climate change bill acknowledged today that there is a narrow window for Republican cooperation on the legislation, thanks to GOP resistance to its central goal -- putting a price on CO2 emissions.
November 4, 2009
Senate Democrats Poke Holes in GOP’s Climate Change ‘Boycott’
Republicans on the Senate environment committee made good on their vow to boycott this morning's first meeting on climate change legislation, leaving Democrats to poke holes in the GOP's insistence on a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) analysis of the bill.
November 3, 2009
The Senate Climate Bill Reaches a First Milestone Today — Maybe
The Senate environment committee is slated to begin formally voting on its climate change bill today in an atmosphere of high drama, thanks to Republican members who have vowed to boycott the proceedings in a bid to delay the legislative process.
November 3, 2009