It’s Getting Hot In Here

Seven votes short of potentially over-riding Gov. Sebelius’ veto, the Kansas House has passed legislation allowing two new coal-fired power plants in western Kansas. This is quite possibly the latest answer to that whiny question I usually hate (as a Kansan) - “What’s the matter with Kansas?”

What’s the matter is that Bloody Kansas has again become a battleground between those looking forward and those stuck in the past - those who see an inevitable cap on greenhouse gas emissions and the possibility of a clean energy future versus those tangled up in dirty habits with deep pockets.

So deep in fact that the plants developers have cut a deal with Kansas State University for a 10-year, $2.5 million energy research program if the coal plants are built. (I can already imagine the Peabody Coal Co. blimps floating over the Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium the day of the big game. Oh wait, no, I can’t… there’s something dirty in the air obstructing my view and my breath, and oddly, I had to cut the sleeves off my favorite KSU sweatshirt - it just got unusually warm for this time of year…)

Shameless yet shameful, to bribe even education. Now if you ask me, that’s a hefty insult to the Midwestern values I grew up to pride.

The bottom line is, these plants are no good for Kansas. At this point, it almost seems symbolic that coal and anti-coal advocates continue this fight. For Kansans, it’s not difficult to see that there are better options for energy, job creation, economic development, etc. First of all…

Continue reading ‘Dark Cloud (of Emissions) Over Kansas’

Essentially a cultural institution, Rolling Stone magazine focuses on music, politics and pop culture, so it’s no surprise that last week’s issue featured the Live Earth/SOS concert series. Today is the last day to pick it up at newsstands, although the articles will be archived online.

Of particular interest is “Lie by Lie - The White House Plot to Deny Global Warming.” In a solid piece of journalism, the article concludes and discusses:

An examination of thousands of pages of internal documents that the White House has been forced to relinquish under the Freedom of Information Act - as well as interviews with more than a dozen current and former administration scientists and climate-policy officials - confirms that the White House has implemented an industry-formulated disinformation campaign designed to actively mislead the American public on global warming and to forestall limits on climate polluters.

A disinformation campaign - sound familiar? Like that of the tobacco industries, the oil companies, and, well, our very own Executive Branch. Why? According the article’s investigation, Cheney (ahem, oil companies?) quickly embraced authority over environmental and energy policy, and consequently the climate.

Cheney reversed an early campaign promise to cap emissions and redefined carbon dioxide as a non-pollutant. A classic move of procrastination, as the Supreme Court only just overruled the declaration in April in Massachusetts v. EPA. Then Cheney sat back and watched as our climate policy and climate reports fell into the hands of oil lobbyists and were censored into oblivion.

In brief, this administration has put its narrow oil interests above the world’s well-being. I’d recommend reading the article in its entirety for insight into the internal memos and e-mails the magazine acquired and to understand the complex personal relations. It’s an interesting piece marking the times and an outright political embarrassment.

In a bipartisan compromise, the Senate has passed a bill to increase the fleetwide fuel economy standards (or CAFE) so that model year 2020 cars will achieve 35 miles per gallon. The Ten-in-Ten bill translates into an increase of 10 mpg over 10 years.

It also means that as a country, we would save 1.2 million barrels of oil each day by 2020. The legislation would also make a hearty cut into carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation sector – 233 million metric tons a year.

As part of the compromise, the Senate Democrats dropped the requirement for automakers to increase the standard by 4 percent each year after 2020. Regardless, the Senate’s support for more stringent CAFE standards is a first step in the right direction.

News articles on the energy legislation are abundant, but for more analysis on the fuel economy component, see the Union of Concerned Scientists’ webpage (keeping in mind that most of their quantitative analysis is pre-compromise). Climate Progress also has a history of discussion on the political clatter, including the auto industry’s disinformation campaign.

Wishing the bill the best of luck in the House…

For the Catholic community, the environmental concern behind global warming began at Genesis, not Earth Day.

At least that is how John Carr, Secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, framed his testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. He, along with various religious leaders, stressed the moral responsibility to the poor, but the leaders’ reasoning could not have been more different.

At one end were the Catholic, Jewish and Christian Evangelical communities worried about the impact of uncontrolled global warming on the poor - one aspect of “creation care.” On the other end were the Southern Baptist and historical Evangelican representatives who, along with a witness from the Institute on Religion and Democracy, expressed concern that global warming legislation would do more harm to the poor.

It was a sad game of tug-of-war over the interests of the poor, a disparity in which Inhofe merrily basked once Boxer left her Chair for another engagement.

The highlight of the hearing was listening to Rabbi David Saperstein describe the campaign, “How Many Jews Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?” The campaign tagged itself to Chanukah, a.k.a. the Festival of Lights, and educated people on the importance of replacing their incandescent bulbs with energy efficient, compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Saving energy and lowering utility bills - that really is in the interest of affordable and environmentally-sound living.

This material was created for ClimateProgress. org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.