Waxman Markey

Better to Charge for Emissions Than Ban New Coal Plants

Jeffrey Rubin | Posted 05.25.2011

Jeffrey Rubin

Rather than banning the construction of new coal-fired power plants, America should tax domestic carbon emissions. Then we could enact carbon tariff on imports, and thereby level the playing field for our manufacturers.

The 40-Day Pledge on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Rep. Ed Markey | Posted 05.25.2011

Rep. Ed Markey

For forty years, we have fought against the polluters to create a safer, healthier planet. For the next forty days, we must continue the fight.

Betting Smartly on the Smart Grid

Sunil Sharan | Posted 05.25.2011

Sunil Sharan

With a complete makeover for the U.S. energy grid projected to cost $165 billion, it is imperative that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocations are made judiciously.

Waking America From the BP Nightmare

Rep. Ed Markey | Posted 05.25.2011

Rep. Ed Markey

BP's spill safety response plans include references to protecting walruses, which have not called the Gulf of Mexico home for 3 million years. The American people deserve oil safety plans that are ironclad and not boilerplate.

Obama's Second Chance on the Predominant Moral Issue of This Century

Dr. James Hansen | Posted 05.25.2011

Dr. James Hansen

This is not the 17th century, when "beliefs" trumped science, forcing Galileo to recant his understanding of the solar system. The president should unequivocally support the climate science community.

Climate and Energy Politics and the Mid-Term Elections

Steven Cohen | Posted 05.25.2011

Steven Cohen

Because President Obama will be focusing on jobs and the economy between now and November, climate and energy legislation will only gain traction as part of an economic initiative to create jobs.

Faces of an American Recovery: Clean Energy Jobs

Rep. Ed Markey | Posted 05.25.2011

Rep. Ed Markey

The Recovery Act reoriented America to the future and refocused our efforts on our strengths. Our strength has always been our ability to innovate. Our weakness is our addiction to oil.

Weekly Mulch: New bills and old money

The Media Consortium | Posted 05.25.2011

The Media Consortium

By Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium blogger Climate legislation is returning to the Senate's docket, and leaders on Capitol Hill are hoping that this ve...

Any Hope for Meaningful U.S. Climate Policy? A Somewhat Positive View

Robert Stavins | Posted 05.25.2011

Robert Stavins

Here's a modified version of cap-and-trade that could be much more attractive in this era of rampant expressions of populism, coming both from the right ("no new taxes") and the left ("bash the corporations").

Real Feasibility: Dividends Relieve Economic Uncertainty

Mike Sandler | Posted 05.25.2011

Mike Sandler

Capping carbon won't be a tax on middle-class families. On the contrary, it will pay them dividends. In a time of economic uncertainty, what could be more reassuring and politically appealing than that?

Public Option: This Is How It's Supposed to Work

Bill Scher | Posted 05.25.2011

Bill Scher

We have pushed the limits of Establishment health care debate, buried the right-wing lies and gave people a stronger voice in their democracy. That's how it's supposed to work.

Tell Your Senators to Save Our National Parks From Global Warming

Frances Beinecke | Posted 05.25.2011

Frances Beinecke

Glacier National Park could lose all its glaciers, Joshua Tree National Park all its Joshua trees and Saguaro National Park all its saguaros, according to a new report on climate change from NRDC.

World Leaders Fiddle While the World Burns: Time for a New Climate Strategy

Brendan Smith | Posted 05.25.2011

Brendan Smith

We have learned a great deal more about the science of climate change. But we have barely begun to discuss what kind of political change is necessary to do what must be done.

The Cantwell-Collins CLEAR Act Helps Consumers, the Climate, and the Economy

Mike Sandler | Posted 05.25.2011

Mike Sandler

A proposed anti-global warming bill would help the U.S. make a fair, affordable transition to a clean-energy, low-carbon economy, and avoid the pitfalls of other climate bills that pander to the coal-burning utilities.

Jason Linkins

Rachel Maddow, Ed Markey Discuss Lobbyist Fraudsters

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.25.2011

On last night's Rachel Maddow Show, she focused attention on two lobbying firms that have recently taken a turn in the baleful eye of the spotlight: s...

Graham Waves To Teabaggers From Other Side Of Climate Rubicon

Bill Scher | Posted 05.25.2011

Bill Scher

Sen. Graham may be a conservative, but he is not a moron. He knew full well the right-wing lunacy that would be unleashed by his willingness to compromise to pass carbon cap legislation.

Mitt Romney's Fuzzy Math on Clean Energy Legislation

Rep. Ed Markey | Posted 05.25.2011

Rep. Ed Markey

Romney, and the other opponents of clean energy legislation, are now claiming it will cost $1,761 per household. But the actual household costs are predicted to be about a postage stamp a day.

Earth to Thomas Friedman: Winning the "Earth Race" Requires Federal Investment

Teryn Norris | Posted 05.25.2011

Teryn Norris

The race to develop competitive clean-tech industries is critical to motivating enough development of clean technologies -- far more than any "legally-binding" global emissions treaty, as we've seen with the failure of the Kyoto Protocol.

Mark Udall, Michael Bennet Sign Letter Supporting Exemptions In Cap And Trade For Coal

The Colorado Independent | John Tomasic | Posted 05.25.2011

Colorado U.S. Sens Mark Udall and Michael Bennet with 12 other Senate Democrats signed onto a letter urging Senate leaders weighing climate legislatio...

Walking Down the Avenue

Carl Pope | Posted 05.25.2011

Carl Pope

While we should applaud the Administration for doing what the law and common sense require to protect the polar bear, we mustn't lose sight of the larger remaining challenges.

20 GOP Politicians Repeat $1,761 Clean Energy Bill Lie

Josh Nelson | Posted 05.25.2011

Josh Nelson

For the past few weeks Republicans have latched onto the $1,761 energy tax lie to oppose clean energy legislation.

Fossil Fuel Is the New Slavery: Morally and Economically Corrupt

Robin Chase | Posted 05.25.2011

Robin Chase

Ownership of another human being and reaping the benefit of their labor is repugnant. While burning fossil fuels is not as intimately observable or viscerally felt, there is a direct link from our actions to individual suffering.

Palin: Birthing Global Warming Denial

Rep. Ed Markey | Posted 05.25.2011

Rep. Ed Markey

The right-wing misinformation machine is in full swing. And that machine doesn't have its final cylinder cranking until Sarah Palin jumps into the fray, which she did today in a mistake-riddled, anti-clean energy op-ed.

Cap and Trade, Meet the Opposition

Jeffrey B. Swartz | Posted 05.25.2011

Jeffrey B. Swartz

Truth is, if I could wave a wand I'd have every government on earth impose a straightforward tax on carbon emissions--less bureaucracy, less confusion--but I am a boot maker, not a wand waver.

Going To Copenhagen Empty-Handed

Robert Reich | Posted 05.25.2011

Robert Reich

There's no way between now and Copenhagen that Obama can get a strong climate bill through Congress. So here's my suggestion.