Climate Change
Basics
Petition: Support a Climate Bill That Invests in Green Transportation
At the end of March, representatives Henry Waxman and Ed Markey introduced an ambitious federal climate bill. This is the real deal -- the legislative centerpiece of President Obama's effort to combat global warming. Transportation contributes about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., so any climate bill will have to green the way we get around to be effective. On that score, however, the draft legislation has some glaring omissions.
April 15, 2009
“Do as We Say, Not as We Do” = No Model for Sustainability
Environmentally-conscious citizens of India aren't alone in their concern about the rollout of the Tata Nano, the "world's cheapest car." But in an op-ed piece for Forbes, Projjal Dutta, the director of sustainability initiatives for the MTA, writes that American critics should look to their own example if they expect developing nations to follow a more sustainable path.
April 8, 2009
Al Gore Connects the Dots
"We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in
ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that's got to change."
July 21, 2008
Joe Lieberman: Did Someone Say “High Gas Prices”?
How obsessed is Washington with gas prices? Acting on a Streetsblog post from last week, a reader wrote Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman urging him to support legislation that would bolster funding for Amtrak. In response, Lieberman's office sent a long, long form letter outlining the many ways the senator is -- you guessed it -- working to keep gasoline as accessible as possible.
May 28, 2008
Pro-Pricing PAC Puts Pols on Notice
De Blasio, Jeffries, Gerson, Millman: Will they tarnish their environmental records by voting against pricing?
March 27, 2008
Is CB 8 Angling to Get Rid of Bike Lanes on 91st Street?
Almost six months after DOT installed "controversial" new cross-town bike lanes on the Upper East Side, Manhattan's Community Board 8, which opposed the city's plan for lanes on 91st Street, has formed a "91st Street Task Force."
March 26, 2008
Is Big Environment Ready to Say America Is Hooked on Cars?
The NRDC's "Beyond Oil" campaign. Are national environmental groups ready to shift their strategy?
February 25, 2008
London Imposes $50 Guzzler Fee on SUVs and Lux Roadsters
London Mayor Ken Livingstone is on a tear. Yesterday he announced a £500 million investment in new bicycling infrastructure. Today, he approved a plan to charge the drivers of SUVs, high powered sports cars and other large engine, high emission vehicles a £25 fee ($48.75!) to drive into Central London's congestion charging zone. Simultaneously, low emission vehicles will become exempt from paying the charge. In a press release, Livingstone said,
February 12, 2008
Interstate Access, Plenty of Parking at the “Green” Airport
During his State of the State address, Governor Spitzer claimed that his administration is "turning Stewart Airport into an economic engine for the Hudson Valley and an environmental model for the world: the very first carbon-negative airport." In this morning's New York Times, we see the Port Authority, touting SIA as an air congestion reliever for metro NYC, making similar claims about the airport's green credentials.
January 29, 2008