Obama Should Play Hardball

Cross-Posted from HERE

I’ve been blogging consistently about the climate bill written by Congressmen Markey and Waxman which is being considered by the Energy and Commerce Committee. Right now, the bill is in sub-committee and about to be marked up and negotiated on. Although the short term target of 20% by 2025 is not strong enough, moderate and conservative Democrats on the committee are looking to weaken the bill. Right now the main compromise looks as though it’s going to be on emissions targets and permit allocations. Excerpt below..

“The talks suggest that utilities that distribute electricity from coal-fired plants are making progress in their efforts to get free access to 40 percent of the emissions permits, underscoring the challenge lawmakers face in seeking strict limits on carbon dioxide and other contributors to warming.”

Of course, allocating permits to polluters for free really defeats the purpose, which is to make the polluters pay for polluting. The risk of selling permits for free is that utilities raise prices anyways on consumers, but the government has not sold enough permits to offset this increased cost by spending the revenue on energy relief. In otherwards, people are not going to fare any better under 40% permits sold for free than 100% sold for a price. In fact, they may fare worse. It also means it will be harder to hit reductions targets.

However, Congressman John Dingel has predicted a bill will pass in some form because of the fact that the EPA has deemed greenhouse emissions a health hazard, and can exercise the authority to regulate them if Congress does not. In otherwards, if the EPA wanted to right now, they could set their own rules for polluters with their own targets without needing the Congress. Here is what was said regarding this in the article I posted last week…

“EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson cautioned that regulations are not imminent and made clear that the Obama administration would prefer that Congress address the climate issue through a broader “cap-and-trade” program that would limit heat-trapping pollution. But she said it was clear from the EPA analysis “that greenhouse gas pollution is a serious problem now and for future generations” and steps are needed to curtail the impact. Even if actual regulations are not imminent, the EPA action was seen as likely to encourage action on Capitol Hill. It’s “a wake-up call for Congress”

The Cap Challenge

Who knew that running a photo petition could be so much fun? Over the past few weeks, CCAN staff and volunteers (and organizational allies, like GWIPL! You rock, GWIPL!) have been hitting the streets and the Earth Day festivals to spread the love for a science-based cap on carbon.

The results have been amazing. I’ve done my share of street canvassing, and the response to this action has blown me away. Perhaps because the mood is ready to do something real about global warming. Perhaps because wearing caps to cap carbon is just fun. Several hundred photos have already been taken – but in order to ensure that Congress hears our message loud and clear, we need to get thousands of pictures taken, as well as thousands of comments in to Congress to keep climate legislation strong!

So here’s your Cap Challenge:

First of all, if you haven’t submitted a picture yet, take a picture of you wearing a hat RIGHT NOW, and email it to capcarbon2009@gmail.com.

Step 2: Tell your friends to do the same.

The real cap challenge, though, is to hit the street and take some pictures. Set yourself a goal, like to take 30 pictures of people with hats. Or, try for the big fish, and get a picture of your Member of Congress, like Allison of GWIPL got of Congressman John Sarbanes, of MD’s 3rd. Can you top that?

Start taking pictures and see what you get! Here’s a handy dandy how-to guide to download to get you started.

The best climate solution

The Baltimore Sun

By Mike Tidwell and Michael Noble

Now that the president and most Americans want national action on global warming, how do we pick the best legislation for reducing carbon pollution? There are three critical tests. First, is the climate policy simple? Second, is it fair? And third, is it built to last?

Continue reading

Catholics and Climate

Cross-Posted from: here

Ordinarily, we don’t think of religion and global warming solutions mixing all that well. However, I’ve noticed in recent years more and more of a voice from the religious community regarding the moral imperative to stopping catastrophic warming. I personally just had a meeting with some members of the Saint Andrews Episcopalian Church in College Park last Monday, where we discussed the issue, and them attending the town hall meeting with Congressman and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer which I’m helping to organize. I’ve also seen in the news recently about how evangelicals, especially younger ones, consider climate change to be an important issue.

Today, I’m focusing on Catholics. There is a website called the Catholic Climate Covenant, which is run by the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change. The CCCC “was launched with the support of both the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment. The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change supports and complements USCCB’s Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development (formerly, the Department of Social Development and World Peace) and the bishops’ Environmental Justice Program. The Coalition is a membership organization consisting of twelve national Catholic organizations that offers advice and assistance in implementing its programs.”

The Coalition sends regular updates to its growing database of interested Catholics and others of goodwill to keep them informed of its activities and current events. Find the recent and previous updates from CCCC atwww.catholicsandclimatechange.org.

They had an Ad in the New York Times a couple days ago about the need for climage change solutions. On top of this, the pope mentioned in his Easter message the danger of runaway cliamte change. On top of all this, they made the video below on their website about the need for adaptation and mitigation funding for the poor who will be disproportionately affected. This is the explanation on the youtube video’s page…

“After decades of steady progress in reclaiming and advancing the Catholic Churchs efforts to embrace an ethic of environmental stewardship, the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change is ready to launch an unprecedented and historical campaign to take responsibility for our contribution to climate change and do what we do best: be advocates for those who will be left out of the public policy debate on climate change.”

Amen

Catholic Climate Video

Green Stimulus for your Local Govt

cross posted from HERE
A couple weeks ago, I had an idea for how to alleviate poverty, crime, and bring green jobs to College Park/Prince Georges County. A figured it would be good to highlight an opportunity in this column to actually acquire the funding for some of my suggestions. Additionally, I actually had to do some investigating to figure out who was doing what. My sources are posted below my article.

Green jobs and government grants: Get what’s yours

Matt Dernoga

Issue date: 4/21/09

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a column suggesting a few measures by which Prince George’s County and local cities could invest in job-creating green initiatives. This would help alleviate poverty and reduce crime. Local governments everywhere have faced gigantic budget deficits and big spending cuts. Good ideas are nothing without a bag of cash, and I’ve got the treasure map for you.

The economic stimulus package appropriated $3.2 billion for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. This money is being allocated to states, counties, cities, Native American tribes and U.S. territories based on population size and energy usage for state and local governments. The rule for the money is it must assist in the implementation of strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions and total energy use and improve energy efficiency. Prince George’s County is eligible for $6.6 million. College Park can grab $133,700.

The catch is the money isn’t just handed out to local governments. They have a certain amount earmarked and available to them, but they need to apply for grants detailing how they’ll use the money. Only then are they awarded the funds. In other words, someone in the government needs to know the money is there and go after it. If they don’t submit a formula grant proposal by June 25, good-bye free cash.

Fortunately, both Prince George’s County and College Park are aware of the opportunities the EECBG Program provides. The county has applied for seven grants and is considering three more. The assistant city manager is going to present a recommendation for a grant to the College Park City Council on May 5. I encourage students and residents to submit their ideas to their county and city representatives. It would be more productive than throwing a Tax Day tea party.

There’s going to be even more money available than the figures I listed above. The state has received $9.6 million from the EECBG Program. Up to 40 percent of that money could soon be made available to all counties and cities in the state to apply for with competitive grants. The other 60 percent is available to small towns with low populations, like Edmonston and Hyattsville, which didn’t get any money earmarked specifically for them. County and city governments should coordinate to get as much money as possible.

The county is working on a plan to build a solar farm at the county landfill with Pepco. This would create jobs and make the county a leader in renewable energy, but it needs money. Or consider energy-efficient overhauls of buildings, free residential and commercial energy audits, energy efficient traffic signals and street lighting and low-interest revolving door loan funds to low-income energy users for efficiency improvements.

The wish list goes on, and the money is sitting there alongside a more prosperous and sustainable future. Regardless of how you feel about the federal government’s spending, here is a case where money is available to benefit ordinary people on Main Street, not Wall Street. Go after it! X marks the spot.

Matt Dernoga is a junior government and politics major whose father serves on the Prince George’s County Council. He can be reached at mdernoga@umd.edu

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http://www.eecbg.energy.gov/
http://www.eecbg.energy.gov/grantalloc.html

Action Alert: Over 2,000 in DC tmo and Friday

Cross-Posted from: here

Lobbyists trying to stop the climate bill that is.

$450 million: Amount spent on lobbying and political contributions by

opponents of global warming action in 2008.

52: public spokespersons engaged by polluters and the ideological

right to spread disinformation about global warming online and in the

media.

2,340: Number of paid lobbyists working in Washington on climate

change in 2008.

7 in 8: Proportion of climate lobbyists advocating against climate

action.

$45 million: Amount spent on global warming denial advertising by the

coal industry in 2008.

——————————————————————————————————

As I’ve said before, there is a climate bill being considered in Congress right now, which you can read more about here. I think the people should have a say too. Google your Congressman’s name, and give their office a call saying you want them to support the Waxman-Markey climate bill. Write a letter to the editor supporting Congress to cap carbon and help spark the shift to a clean energy economy. The best thing though, is to just show up. Below is an opportunity for people to have their voice heard inside the halls of Congress. These kinds of activities are also going on Friday in the same place, although the big push is Thursday. If the above numbers indicate anything, it’s that we all need to find a way to have our voice heard on this one. 2 million votes beats 2,000 lobbyists.

RSVP to theteam@energyaction.net or the Facebook event

What: This Thursday’s Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill

Who: The representatives debating the specifics to include in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, Lobbyists for the utility companies and some of the biggest polluters, testifying before the committee and asking that the permits to pollute be given away to them for free, and hundreds of young people like us reminding the representatives that this is not an option and it is not what we voted them into office to do.

When: Thursday, April 23rd @ 8AM – The hearings are happening all week, but we want to focus our energy when the oil/coal lobbies are presenting. I know 8am is early but if we want to get into the actual hearing room we need to arrive early because the corporate lobbyists paid “supporters” will be sure to get there early to receive the cash.

Where: Rayburn House Office building, Room 2123 (Click here for a map)

Why: At Power Shift, we flooded the halls of congress for the biggest clean energy lobby day in history to demand bold climate legislation for a more sustainable future. We told our representatives what we wanted and they heard us, but will they follow through? This is a chance to show congress that we mean business – our mere presence on the Hill will speak volumes. Come get in the hearing, call constituents in the home districts of those members on committee, pay a visit to their offices, and be outside the office building to rally.

RSVP to theteam@energyaction.net or the Facebook event

Questions? Contact Ethan: Ethan@chesapeakeclimate.org, 202-631-1992

Live Updates – Climate Hearings on Capitol Hill

This week, the Energy and Commerce Committee are holding hearings about the American Clean Energy and Security Act (aka ACES, aka Waxman’s Bill). Of course, us climateers will have a presence there as well – stay in the loop this week (and contribute your two cents!) on Twitter


Follow CCAN on Twitter!

Watch Energy Committee Hearing Live!

Want to see what Congress is saying about global warming pollution?

Watch it live here. Cheer for the champs, and boo the obstructionists, all from the comfort of your own home.

Then join us Thursday morning to pack the hearing room as utilities testify about the bill! RSVP today!

Spam's contribution to global warming

No, not the “meat” in a can. Those emails telling you about viagra and people in Nigeria with millions of dollars that they’d love to send to you. McAfee, which (coincidentally?) sells anti-spam protection software, recently commissioned a study on the envirnmental impacts of spam.

The conclusion? After taking into account all the energy that goes into creating, storing, deleting and filtering spam, it was found that the average spam message creates about .3 grams of CO2 emissions. Because 62 trillion junk email messages were sent in 2008, that equals the amount of CO2 that would be produced by driving around the world 1.6 million times.

Richi Jennings, spam expert, breaks it down this way: “Globally, the annual spam energy use is 33 billion kilowatt-hours, or 33 TWh – that’s as much electricity as 2.4 million U.S. homes use, with the same greenhouse gas emissions as 3.1 million passenger cars using 2 billion U.S. gallons of gasoline.”

Now here’s the BIG grain of salt. The solution to the problem of spam and global warming? Invest in a state of the art spam filter – like one created by McAfee! Because really, the most energy used on spam is people manually sorting through their email, trying to find real messages from real people. I personally would prefer a more proactive route, though I may start missing the emails telling me how to make my breasts grow bigger, faster.