Jon Stewart’s Illustrated Guide to Cap and Trade
July 23, 2009
The Daily Show was almost entirely green-themed on Tuesday night, with host Jon Stewart guiding us through the climate change bill passing through the Senate and interviewing Energy Secretary Chu.
Check out these two hilarious clips:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Jon Stewart Jizz-Ams in Front of Children – Cap’n Trade | ||||
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| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Steven Chu | ||||
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There’s another one up at The Huffington Post.
Link [The Huffington Post]
Dirty Industries Seek Free Pollution Credits from Government
May 6, 2009
The very same industries that have helped get the world into this global warming mess in the first place are now asking the government for free passes to keep on polluting under legislation for capping greenhouse gases. Electric utilities, automakers, oil companies and natural gas refineries are among the industries that believe they should get pollution credits, complements of the Obama administration.
From the Wall Street Journal:
The measure by Reps. Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) and Edward Markey (D., Mass.) calls for reducing U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions roughly 20% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% below 2005 levels by mid-century. It is largely silent on how much companies would have to pay for pollution permits under a proposed cap-and-trade system that would allow companies to buy and sell such permits.
“There are a lot of things in the bill I need to have changed,” said Rep. Gene Green (D., Texas). Mr. Green, whose district is home to the largest petrochemical complex in the world, wants Mr. Waxman to give some pollution permits to oil refiners for free. “If that’s not in the bill, I can’t vote for it,” he said.
Refiners are lobbying to get for free 30% of the pollution permits, an amount that corresponds roughly to the share of U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions produced by transportation fuel. Without such allowances, the industry says, it will lose out to refineries in India and the Middle East that ship their product to the U.S. and don’t operate under carbon caps at home.
“The electric utilities want 40%, and if they’re getting 40%, the refiners say ‘Why shouldn’t we get 30%?”‘ Mr. Green said. Mr. Green said he has asked Mr. Waxman to give the refining industry a smaller share of the allowances — roughly 5%.
These industries have had years to prepare – they should have known that greenhouse gas caps would go into effect eventually. Instead of being proactive and starting a long time ago to slowly reduce their emissions, they’re now finding themselves in the desperate situation of being forced into major changes in a short amount of time.
Link [Wall Street Journal]
Could Senator Spector’s Party Switch Aid a Cap-and-Trade Bill?
April 30, 2009
Arlen Spector is no environmentalist. This former Republican, now Democrat Pennsylvania senator is rated a mere 32% by the League of Conservation Voters and has made many an anti-environment vote in the Senate. Sure, Spector’s switch from one party to another may be more motivated by a desire to survive the 2010 elections than a real change in his standpoint. But, some believe that his about-face might help speed a cap-and-trade bill through the Senate.
From The Daily Green:
Specter’s party switch nominally will make it easier to pass a climate bill with the 60 votes necessary to shut off filibusters. If and when the interminable Minnesota Senate race finally ends with comedian Al Franken clinging to a narrow lead, the Democrats will have reached the magic number of 60. Specter, however, like other conservative Democrats from coal-dependent states, won’t necessarily be a slam-dunk vote for a cap-and-trade bill unless there are free allowances or other provisions to ease cost impacts.
Specter’s record on environmental issues has been, at best, fair to middlin.’ He tended to follow rather than lead, and it showed in his ho-hum numbers in Republicans for Environmental Protection’s annual Congressional Scorecard. With new leaders to follow, perhaps his environmental voting record will change.
Others aren’t so sure. From Reuters columnist John Kemp, via The Guardian:
Until now, the threat of a filibuster sustained by the 41 Republicans in the chamber has masked divisions among Democrats themselves. If the Republicans are reduced to 40 votes and unable to block legislation, Democrats will find themselves in an uncomfortable spotlight.
Party divisions were on display earlier this month when 26 Democratic senators from industrial and Midwest states broke with colleagues from the coasts to bar the use of the expedited budget reconciliation process to pass climate change legislation using a cap-and-trade programme.
On financial regulation, healthcare, and Social Security, the party is deeply split between liberals anxious to push ambitious reform, and centrists who favour a less radical approach. Given these divisions the president may not have 50 votes, let alone 60, with or without the support of Specter and Franken.
Specter’s change of party makes little difference. Together with Maine Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, Specter was already one of the most liberal Republicans in the Senate. In many areas, the administration could already count on his support to assemble ad hoc 60-vote majorities even as a Republican. Nothing will change.
It’s also important to remember that Spector is from a coal state, and he’s not likely to support any cap and trade programs that don’t include special provisions that allow the industry in Pennsylvania to remain relatively unharmed.
As anxious as we are to get a move on with climate change legislation, this likely won’t be a quick and easy battle, even with a 60-vote majority in the Senate.
Link [The Daily Green] + [The Guardian]
Photo credit: MSNBC
