Cap-and-trade, emissions regulation debate continues in Congress

Much debate is going on in the Senate this week over the proposed Boxer-Kerry Climate Bill as well as the EPA's decision to regulate emissions.

Several moderate Democratic senators are trying to get the cap-and-trade language taken out of the climate bill, arguing that it is important for the focus to be on energy reforms that will dramatically reduce U.S. carbon emissions.

Also, a group of Republican senators is trying to get the Senate to vote on whether the EPA has the authority to regular emissions under the Clean Air Act. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is also working on a law suit against the EPA, saying that the agency does not have the authority to regulate emissions.

For more information on the climate change legislation debate, check out this story from The Daily Green.

Tax credits put more green in your pocket

As part of the federal stimulus package passed earlier this year, home owners can get tax credits for making green renovations to their home, such as installing solar panels, environmentally-friendly doors, or geothermal heating systems.

The details are pretty simple. The U.S. Treasury Department will give you 30 percent of the cost of energy-efficient windows, doors, heating/cooling systems, water heaters, and other items. Other types of credits are available as well. For instance, if you purchase a $20,000 solar-electric system, you can get a tax credit for $6,000 of the cost.

For more info on other home renovation tax credits that are available, check out this story from The Globe.

U.S. agriculture secretary calls for more forest conservation

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the country needs to spend more resources managing and protecting its forests in remarks he gave in a speech last week in Seattle.

Vilsack said that protecting the forest has a number of environmental and economic benefits, including creating jobs, combating climate change, and conserving water. Climate change has largely been cited as a reason for the increase of in the number of catastrophic wild fires seen in the western half of the U.S. And, as more forests are destroyed, climate change only gets worse in a seemingly endless cycle.

Vilsack's plan calls for the government to create green jobs that restore forests, so the forests can be used as "carbon sinks" to lessen the impact emissions have on global warming.

For more info on what Vilsack had to say, check out this story from The Boston Globe.

Obama prepares executive order on emissions targets

President Obama is planning to sign an executive order next month requiring federal agencies to cut emissions by 20 percent by 2020.

In order to meet the requirement of cutting two percent of emissions each year from 2010 to 2020 (or 20 percent over the entire time), public sector officials will have to build more efficient structures, use more renewable energy, use less fuel, and hire more "green" contractors. Furthermore, private sector companies with government contracts will also have to show how they plan to cut emissions in order to keep their contracts with the government.

This is certainly good news for the environment if the President carries through with this executive order. To read more about the proposed executive order, check out this story from Business Green.

EPA grants California's request for stricter emissions standards

The EPA is granting California’s waiver request enabling the state to enforce its greenhouse gas emissions standards for new motor vehicles, beginning with the current model year. Using the law and science as its guide, the EPA has taken this action to tackle air pollution and protect human health.

“This decision puts the law and science first. After review of the scientific findings, and another comprehensive round of public engagement, I have decided this is the appropriate course under the law,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This waiver is consistent with the Clean Air Act as it’s been used for the last 40 years and supports the prerogatives of the 13 states and the District of Columbia who have opted to follow California’s lead. More importantly, this decision reinforces the historic agreement on nationwide emissions standards developed by a broad coalition of industry, government and environmental stakeholders earlier this year.”

The first California waiver request was made in December 2005 and was subsequently denied in March 2008. This previous decision was based on an interpretation of the Clean Air Act finding that California did not have a need for its greenhouse gas emission standards to meet “compelling and extraordinary conditions.”

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Ten reasons to support the climate change bill

With the House of Representatives set to vote as early as this afternoon on the controversial climate change bill that is strongly supported by President Obama, there is a lot of information circulating on the Internet about why you should or should not support the bill.

While the bill is far from perfect, it most certainly is a step in the right direction in limiting the potential catastrophic effects of global warming. The Daily Green has a good article describing 10 reasons why you should support the bill, ranging from job creation to improved national security. Check it out when you get a chance.

Cap and trade would generate $900 million revenue

The controversial proposed cap and trade legislation would create about $900 billion worth of revenue over the next decade, according to a report released today by the Congressional Budget Office.

Cap and trade is a way of limiting the amount of pollutants a company can release by setting a maximum legal limit. Companies that cannot (or are not willing to) stay under this legal limit can buy credits from companies that are under the legal limit. In theory, this does two things: First, it rewards companies who pollute less. And, second, it controls the amount of pollutants being released into the air.

For more info on the report, check out this story from Business Green.

Obama announces new emissions standards

President Obama announced a nationwide plan today to increase fuel economy and reduce pollution that causes global warming, marking a massive change in environmental policy in the U.S.

"The status quo is no longer acceptable," he said during his speech.

The new standards require vehicles to have a fuel efficiency of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. The White House said the changes will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and reduce emissions by 900 million metric tons.

“In the past, an agreement such as this would have been considered impossible,” Obama said. “That is why this announcement is so important, for it represents not only a change in policy in Washington, but the harbinger of a change in the way business is done in Washington.”

For more information on these new standards and to read all of Obama's remarks, check out this story from The Globe.

MBTA steps up cleaning to prevent spread of swine flu

In the wake of Vice President Biden's misguided comments urging people to avoid subways, the MBTA says its increasing its cleaning of subway cars, buses, and public areas.

“The MBTA has directed its cleaning crews to give special attention to places such as seats, hand rails on escalators, and grab bars on subway cars and buses,” T General Manager Daniel Grabauskas told The Herald in an e-mail. “People should not hesitate in going about their daily activities while also keeping themselves informed about how to stay healthy.”

Biden later apologized for the comments and said that he meant to say that if you are sick, you shouldn't travel. But, as The Herald found out, some people are still fearful of taking the subway because of the potential flu outbreak.

Hopefully, the MBTA's ramped up cleaning program will make people feel safer about using public transit to get around the Greater Boston area.

For more info on the MBTA cleaning program, check out this story from The Herald.

Local communities receive stimulus funds to improve energy efficiency and conservation

Six communities in the Greater Boston area are eligible to receive money from the federal stimulus package for energy efficiency and conservation projects.

Massachusetts communities of over 35,000 people will divide the $28.2 million allocated from the stimulus plan, meaning that Arlington, Brookline, Framingham, Marlborough, Newton, and Waltham are among the communities eligible for the funds.

Each community can accept or reject the funds, but several of the communities have already said they will use the funds.

"It's extraordinary, and we're very grateful," Framingham Town Manager Julian Suso told the Boston Globe. "There is a broad range of opportunity for utilization of these funds. We look forward to that and applaud the support for those needs."

For more info, check out this story in The Globe.

House Democrats introduce global warming bill

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have unveiled climate change legislation that would seek to drastically cut carbon emissions and set a requirement for 25 percent of U.S. energy to come from renewable sources by 2025.

The bill also contains a cap-and-trade system to encourage utilities and other industry groups to work towards these goals.

“This legislation will create millions of clean energy jobs, put America on the path to energy independence, and cut global warming pollution.” Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a statement. “Our goal is to strengthen our economy by making America the world leader in new clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.”

Interestingly, the bill is called the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009." What does climate change legislation have to do with national security? Well, not much, but with a little politicking, you can argue that energy independence (i.e. not relying on foreign oil for energy) makes our country safer and more stable. By emphasizing this in the bill, Democrats have given moderate Republicans a way to support the bill and justify it using this argument to any of their conservative constituents who might have a problem with climate change legislation.

If you want more info, the full text of the bill is here, and you can also find a shorter summary on the committee's website.

Record year for solar power

The solar power industries in both the United States and Europe had a record year in 2008 as new installations expanded the solar capacity of many areas by significant amounts.

"Despite severe economic pressures in the U.S., demand for solar energy grew tremendously in 2008," said Rhone Resch, president and chief executive of the Solar Energies Industries Association. "Increasingly, solar energy has proven to be an economic engine for this country, creating thousands of jobs, unleashing billions in investment dollars, and building new factories from New Hampshire to Michigan to Oregon."

Much of the U.S. expansion was created by new solar power plants in California, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and Tennessee.

For more info on this and the future of solar polar, check out this story from Business Green.

Poll shows Americans more concerned with economy than environment

The New York Times green blog reported this today:

"For the first time in Gallup’s 25-year history of asking Americans about the trade-off between environmental protection and economic growth, a majority of Americans say economic growth should be given the priority, even if the environment suffers to some extent."

This is hardly shocking given the troublesome economy and rising unemployment rates. While it is slightly depressing that many Americans are thinking in a shortsighted manner about the economy and environment, you can't really blame them.

However, you can blame the media for framing the debate in an uninformed manner. Too often the media discussion around the debate between economic growth and environmental protection seems to be an either/or discussion. The fact of the matter is that these issues are not mutually exclusive. As you've seen in this blog, it is possible for individual consumers to save significant amounts of money by going green.

And, on a national level, it is just as possible for our country to promote economic development and green principles simultaneously. With the stimulus package, the government created thousands of jobs and allocated millions of dollars to be used to enhance work and research in green technology areas, including reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

While it's great for The New York Times and other media outlets to create an apparent conflict by making a complicated issue black and white, it is not healthy for the discourse of the debate. So, the next time you hear someone discussing whether we should focus on environmental protection or economic growth, realize that the best answer is that we should focus on both.

Stimulus prompts expansion in green technology companies

Green technology companies in Massachusetts are hiring, and the main reason is the recent economic stimulus bill. The bill included about $100 billion to fund technologies that reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels and generate more electricity from renewable sources.

All in all, the stimulus package is expected to create or save as many as 79,000 jobs in Massachusetts.

The Globe has a slide show describing several of the green technology companies that are expanding in the area. Click here to check it out.

Economic stimulus invests in nation's parks

The economic stimulus plan that was recently signed into law by President Obama includes over $900 million in funds for work on national parks, many of which have been neglected in recent years.

The funds will create an estimated 100,000 jobs, similar to what FDR did with the Civilian Conversation Corps during The Great Depression.

Not only will the job creation boost the economy, the work done will benefit current U.S. citizens and generations to come by preserving our nation's resources.

For more info, check out this story from The Daily Green.

U.S. supports the EU's call for mercury use treaty

In another sign of the shift in environment policy the Obama Administration has brought to the U.S., a deputy secretary of state told world environmental leaders at a meeting in Kenya that the U.S. would support the European Union's call for an international treaty banning mercury.

Mercury is known to cause damage to the nervous system in humans as well as other health problems. The U.N. estimates that nearly 6,000 tons of the substance is released into the environment worldwide each year.

Many countries support making the treaty non-legally binding, which would make the regulations voluntary; however, the U.S. has now taken the position that the treaty should be legally binding, meaning that the countries that sign it would be required to abide by its regulations.

For more information, check out this story from Reuters.

Stimulus bill remains green after compromise

With the debate in Congress surrounding the specifics of the stimulus bill, many environmentally-friendly onlookers worried that much of the spending on green technology and initiatives would be taken out.

However, now that the debate over the bill is finished and a compromised has been reached, nearly $100 billion remains in the bill to fund programs that reduce our dependence on oil and generate more electricity from renewable sources.

In the past, environmentally-friendly programs were viewed as mutually exclusive to those that create economic development. What the Obama administration has done through this bill is prove that the U.S. can become more green and create jobs at the same time.

New U.S. Energy Secretary issues warning on global warming

In his first interview since being confirmed as President Obama's Energy Secretary, Steven Chu warned that California's farms and vineyards could die out by the end of this century.

Chu said that water shortages in the West could have huge consequences for the land in California, his home state and the United States' leading agricultural producer.

Chu's comments show how seriously the Obama Cabinet considers the consequences of global warming, which is in sharp contract from a Bush administration that never issued such a warning.

President-Elect Obama calls for urgent fix to global climate change

At the Governor's Climate Change Summit in Los Angeles this week, President-Elect Obama made strong statements about the global climate changes affecting the world.

"Few challenges facing America–and the world–are more urgent than combating climate change. The science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear. Sea levels are rising. Coastlines are shrinking. We've seen record drought, spreading famine, and storms that are growing stronger with each passing hurricane season," Obama said at the summit.

As if that statement weren't enough, Obama had some other things to say that left little doubt whether he will push environmental policy changes during his presidency. Among them:

• "My presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process.
• "Climate change and our dependence on foreign oil, if left unaddressed, will continue to weaken our economy and threaten our national security.”

The Daily Green has an opinion piece responding to what Obama said, if you are interested.

How will President Obama's administration impact the environment?

As this blogger points out, "The transition from a Bush Administration to a Barack Obama Administration implies enormous policy differences." That may be quite the understatement.

But what does this mean for environmental and scientific issues?

As far as the environment goes, Obama criticized the Bush administration's stance and reaction to global warming. During the campaign, the President-Elect called for an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emission in the country by 2050.

In the realm of science, the Bush administration drew heavy criticism for allegedly editing federal reports about global warming. Will the Obama administration continue this practice, or will the new President receive criticism for overstating the problems surrounding this issue, as many from across the aisle believe?

One thing's for sure: It will be interesting to see how the Obama adminstration deals with environmental issues and if the new President is able to keep the promises he campaigned on.