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More than One Way to Heal a ClimatePosted by: Tony Dutzik on Congressional action is a likely prerequisite to solving global warming, but there is plenty that can be done in the meantime to cut emissions and to make future federal action easier to achieve and more likely to succeed. |
Sweating the FuturePosted by: Elizabeth Ridlington on Late last week we learned that the U.S. Senate will not be considering comprehensive climate legislation before the November elections. Over the weekend, those of us in the Mid-Atlantic learned more about what extreme hot weather, a predicted impact of global warming, feels like. |
Meanwhile in the Gulf ...Posted by: Tony Dutzik on The thing about environmental disasters is that they have a way of making their impacts felt in insidious, unpredictable ways – often far into the future. |
New Report: Next Stop: CaliforniaPosted by: Tony Dutzik on High-speed rail is no panacea, but it is a powerful tool that has been used to positive effect elsewhere in the world. |
Passed On (Almost) Without CommentPosted by: Tony Dutzik on Instead of providing a lengthy take-down of Lind's flights of illogic, ignorance of basic facts, and smarmy pseudo-contrarian tone, I simply direct you to have a look at the comments section for the article. You'll be glad you did! |
Turning the Corner on Oil DependencePosted by: Tony Dutzik on America will get off oil one way or another. We will either do it the “easy” way – by making gradual changes in behavior and policy that lead to the development of technological and lifestyle alternatives that reduce our use of oil and move us toward cleaner alternatives – or we will do it the hard way. |
Sorta Starting to Get It. A Little. Maybe.Posted by: Tony Dutzik on Can we do without deep offshore drilling? That’s the question that Brooks never poses. But it’s the one that Americans should be asking. |
What's So Bad About Livability?Posted by: Tony Dutzik on Can we build suburbs that deliver the kinds of livability benefits Secretary LaHood is talking about? Absolutely. And transportation policy is a critical component in making them possible. |
This is How We Do ItPosted by: Tony Dutzik on If we're going to reduce America's dependence on oil - and prevent future disasters like the BP oil spill - steps like the one President Obama took today are a must. |
More on Slicks and RisksPosted by: Tony Dutzik on Because there is no way that companies could obtain insurance to compensate them for ALL liabilities in case of an accident, liability limits such as the one for offshore oil drilling (and the similar Price-Anderson Act limitations for nuclear power plants) represent massive taxpayer subsidies, and, by extension, massive market distortions. |
Comeback CitiesPosted by: Tony Dutzik on The Brookings report documents something that has been apparent now – at least anecdotally – for several years, which is that America’s cities (some of them, anyway) are in the midst of a renaissance. |
Name That PartyPosted by: Tony Dutzik on If the new government follows through on these measures, we can add Britain to the list of countries embracing a new energy future that cuts global warming pollution and rebuilds the economy on a sustainable foundation. And it comes in the wake of an election that shifted power to the right. |
"A Cascade of Failures"Posted by: Tony Dutzik on Folks, mark this down. Read the Senate testimony and digest its meaning. Because this is how engineering catastrophes - including ones with massive environmental consequences - happen. It's not just one thing that goes wrong - it's a series of small mistakes and errors of judgment that would be inconsequential on their own, but that taken together are devastating. |
A Tale of Two FailuresPosted by: Tony Dutzik on The Boston water crisis - while far smaller in scale and impact than the Gulf oil spill - is a perfect example of why worst-case scenario planning is so important. |
Slicks and RisksPosted by: Tony Dutzik on This is exactly the kind of disaster environmentalists have warned about for decades – a disaster that the oil industry has repeatedly told the public was virtually impossible. And it is occurring as we speak. |
New Report: Following the MoneyPosted by: Kari Wohlschlegel on The ability to see how the government uses the public purse is fundamental to democracy - it allows citizens to monitor spending and hold elected officials accountable. Over the past five years, at least 32 states have mandated the creation of online databases that contain “checkbook-level” information on government expenditures, allowing citizens to monitor government spending in a way unheard of just a short time ago. |
High Cost of Fossil Fuels, Cont'dPosted by: Tony Dutzik on Happy Earth Day! To mark the occasion we have a sinking oil rig off the coast of Louisiana that is leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico, following an explosion that may have cost as many as 11 lives. |
Don't Tread on the StatesPosted by: Tony Dutzik on If we’re going to solve global warming, we need all the good ideas we can get. And there is no better place to try those ideas out than in the “laboratories of democracy”: the states. |
U.S. CO2 Emissions Hit 14-Year LowPosted by: Tony Dutzik on It is untrue that global warming pollution and economic growth move in lockstep. It is possible to grow the economy while producing less pollution. |
Building a Better FuturePosted by: Tony Dutzik on A host of studies, including a recent one by the National Academy of Sciences, have shown that there are plenty of cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities in America's existing buildings, enough to slash energy consumption by 30 percent or more. |
Historic New StandardsPosted by: Elizabeth Ridlington on Yesterday, the Obama administration announced new fuel economy and emission standards for cars and light trucks that represent a huge leap forward in reducing our dependence on oil and cutting global warming pollution. This progress wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of advocates and states across the country. |
How Not to Control Health Care CostsPosted by: Elizabeth Ridlington on Despite passage of new federal health care legislation, the nation will still need to address the problem of health care expenses that have been increasing faster than wages and that are consuming a larger share of GDP each year. |
Another Day Ruined by Global WarmingPosted by: Tony Dutzik on It doesn't take too much sleuthing into the scientific record to find out that global warming is expected to lead to exactly the set of changes that buried D.C. in snow and are even now putting the homes of thousands of New Englanders at risk. |
Smart Growth + Transit = SavingsPosted by: Tony Dutzik on Two closely related efforts this month are drawing attention to the fact that cheap housing in far-off exurbia isn't as cheap as it seems - and that compact neighborhoods with good access to transit aren't as expensive as they look. |
Sunny days aheadPosted by: Tony Dutzik on There's an old myth about solar energy that it is always "five years away."No longer. Solar energy is here, and it's ready to make a big contribution to America's energy future. |
Looking for Green Jobs? Look no further!Posted by: Tony Dutzik on Most people who work in green jobs don't work in "GREEN JOBS." They work in regular jobs that benefit from investment in clean energy technologies. |
New Report: The Right TrackPosted by: Tony Dutzik on Efficient passenger rail service is a clear winner of an investment: it is more energy efficient, less damaging to the environment, eases our dependence on oil, and can help support more sustainable patterns of development. |
New Nuclear Subsidies Are a Terrible IdeaPosted by: Travis Madsen on Fiscal conservatives and clean energy advocates agree that loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors are a waste of taxpayer money. Frontier Group research contributes to an opinion editorial by Environment America's Anna Aurilio in the Washington Times. |
New Jobs and the Clean Cars ProgramPosted by: Elizabeth Ridlington on General Motors announced last week that it will be adding 180 new jobs building electric motors at its facility in White Marsh, Maryland, an indirect result of stronger vehicle emission standards adopted by the Obama Administration in 2009, and a major change for GM. |
And The Envelope, PleasePosted by: Tony Dutzik on The Obama Administration today announced the recipients of $8 billion in high-speed rail funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The awards represent a major leap forward in federal investment in our long-neglected passenger rail system. |
