A. Siegel blogs in the domains of energy and environmental implications in a number of communities. His work can be found at Get Energy Smart! NOW!!!. He is a founding board member of The Energy Consensus (a non-profit focused on enhancing the policy dialogue related to energy issues) and Energize America (focused on developing energy concepts for potential legislative action using the blogosphere as a developmental platform).

Blog Entries by A. Siegel

Typing Aloud About China's Climate

1 Comments | Posted December 23, 2009 | 01:33 PM (EST)


Many are reporting that the Chinese represented the most serious stumbling block inhibiting meaningful progress in Copenhagen.

Should we conclude that China's at fault for the world's failures to move forward?

Are the Chinese against action on climate change?

Is the Chinese leadership simply a roadblock to progress?

These are...

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The Power of No Regrets

3 Comments | Posted December 8, 2009 | 05:53 PM (EST)


One of the most promising, yet also most frustrating, aspects of dealing with Climate Change is how the noise (the static) of the debate makes it difficult for the majority of people to understand the power of the "No Regrets" strategy opportunity and promise.

The concept of a "No Regrets"...

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Clean Energy Jobs Should Go Swimming

1 Comments | Posted December 7, 2009 | 04:13 PM (EST)


This is part of a series of brief posts on 'clean energy jobs' opportunities for sparking meaningful employment, quickly, in the United States as discussed in Clean Energy Jobs: Stimulate Me.

Clean Energy Jobs Go Swimming: $300 million per year for 10,000 jobs

Legislation is,...

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How many words is a graphic worth? WashPost temperature chart & ClimateGATE

16 Comments | Posted December 5, 2009 | 03:16 PM (EST)


An item in today's paper raises a question as to whether the he old adage "A picture is worth 1,000 words" applies to graphics as well.
Today's Washington Post has a front-page article on ClimateGATE (more appropriately, perhaps SwiftHack) In e-mails, science of warming is hot...

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Energy Bookshelf: Ten More Worth Your Time Than Super Freaky Crap

8 Comments | Posted November 14, 2009 | 05:16 PM (EST)


There are many (many) serious problems around the globe. And there are real opportunities to be had from taking on those challenges in smart ways.

Sadly, too much attention is given to those who deceive about the challenges and distort the implications of the options before us.

It truly...

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Guardian Asserts Conspiracy to Hide the Peak

3 Comments | Posted November 10, 2009 | 08:53 AM (EST)


The global economy's life-blood (even if it has been on life support) truly doesn't flow through bankers' desks or Wall Street, but is pumped from the ground and into our chemical plants, manufacturing processes, and transportation. We should, as a global society, be working to "keep the grease in...

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Inhofe and Republicans are Right: Analysis of Climate Bills is Flawed

4 Comments | Posted November 3, 2009 | 03:04 PM (EST)


If you've missed it, the Republican members of the Senate and Environmental Public Works Committee failed to show up to work today.

As part of the Republican theatrical obstructionism to moving forward with the Kerry-Boxer Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, the Republican senators are staging a...

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German Solar Rides Power Surge to a Win

1 Comments | Posted October 16, 2009 | 01:14 PM (EST)


With the last moments of competition, with the last event, the German team of Decathletes surged forward to seize the lead, seize the victory of the fourth Solar Decathlon, topping second-place Illinois (The Gable House) by fewer than 11 points out of 1000 possible (908.27 to 897.3).

The...

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Menendez Lays Down a Solar Challenge

7 Comments | Posted October 13, 2009 | 09:59 AM (EST)


One Senator has chosen to pay attention to The Solar Decathlon on the Mall and issue a challenge. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has issued A Challenge to Universities. He opened with a strong statement of praise and support for The Solar Decathlon.

Every two years at this...

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Racing for the Sun: Energy COOL Solar Decathlon Back on The National Mall

4 Comments | Posted October 8, 2009 | 10:55 AM (EST)


Being an EcoGeek is becoming ever more fashionable. And, increasingly, there are events where EcoGeek's can gather in style.

Every two years, for two weeks, a village appears on the National Mall providing a window on possibilities for a sustainable future powered by the sun.

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Is This the Most Important Meeting?

2 Comments | Posted August 12, 2009 | 07:28 AM (EST)


What is the most important meeting to pay attention to? Perhaps it is Barack Obama's townhall ... or perhaps not.

There are a lot of valuable and exciting conferences out there.

It is an understatement to say that the energy and environmental domains are "hot" and that you could...

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Energy Smart Legislation Off to a Bipartisan Start

16 Comments | Posted August 4, 2009 | 03:51 PM (EST)


A rough rule of thumb is that energy efficiency requires investment upfront (investment isn't only cash, but also thinking) for lower costs into the future. Thus, energy efficiency is a central arena where thinking "cost to buy" often conflicts with more sensible thinking about "cost to own" (CtB v...

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T. Boone: Why Not Get Inventive?

12 Comments | Posted July 30, 2009 | 05:07 PM (EST)


T. Boone Pickens has been spending millions (actually, tens of millions) to promote The Pickens' Plan, which, while captivating to many, is a fundamentally flawed concept that could help nail the coffin shut on America's future rather than, as he promotes, set the stage for something better. There...

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Senate Dems Getting Warm and Cozy with T Boone Pickens

15 Comments | Posted July 29, 2009 | 06:02 PM (EST)


Perhaps due to the very concept that a conservative Republican would embrace wind power and well aware of his $10s of millions in advertising resources, too many leading Democratic Party politicians have seemingly embraced T Boone Pickens and have given him extensive private access to private Democratic events.

Now,...

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Scientific Inquiry Concludes: Inhofe List "Not credible"

53 Comments | Posted July 26, 2009 | 02:24 PM (EST)


Senator James Inhofe (R-Exxon) misused the power of his chairmanship and is now misusing his Ranking Minority status on the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) committee to expend taxpayer resources on distorting, misleading, and outright deceiving when it comes to scientific issues, most notably in relation to questions of...

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On the Public Dime, a Grating Whine

7 Comments | Posted June 30, 2009 | 04:31 PM (EST)


From the industry global-warming denial mouthpiece Competitive Enterprise Institute to CBS News to Faux News (with a guest ranting by James Inhofe (R-Exxon calling for a criminal investigation), the Global Warming denial "news of the day" is about supposed suppression of a "report" 'proving' that...

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Washington Post Promotes Debunked Deception About Hummers vs. Priuses

27 Comments | Posted June 24, 2009 | 10:11 PM (EST)


Yes, letters to the editor matter. And, yes, they merit fact-checking. And, yes, that fact-checking should actually be well-done.

Having had letters to the editor published in The Washington Post, my experience with the fact-checking process left me impressed ... and exhausted. Every point was...

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CBO Gets It Wrong on Climate Legislation

18 Comments | Posted June 23, 2009 | 05:55 PM (EST)


The Congressional Budget Office has come out with an evaluation of climate change legislation that pegs the cost at just $175 per household, per year. This is being trumpeted by legislation supporters as great news.

I've got news for you.

The CBO is wrong, potentially seriously wrong.

...
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Apartment Building Associations Promoting Energy Inefficiency?

2 Comments | Posted June 10, 2009 | 02:28 PM (EST)


On the path toward a prosperous, climate-friendly future, efficiency (along with conservation) should be #1, #2, and #3 on the table. Those struggling to delay action to turn the tides on Global Warming's rising seas come from many angles and bring to the table many truthiness-laden arguments.

The...

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Semantically Correct ... Entirely Misleading

Posted May 12, 2009 | 05:48 PM (EST)


This is one of those cases where it's entirely possible to be semantically correct and leave a misleading impression.

Dow Jones put up a story, and the Associate Press cribbed from the reporting, suggesting that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had some serious heartburn with the...

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