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Archive for the ‘Global Warming’ Category

Barton, Cornyn among co-sponsors of measure to stop GHG regulations

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , on March 5, 2011 |

Congressman Joe Barton’s (R-Ennis, TX) office says he might introduce Texas-specific legislation to limit the reach of the Environmental Protection Agency, but for now he’s signing on as a co-sponsor to a measure filed yesterday aimed at stopping the federal regulation of greenhouse gases.

Barton is putting together a coalition of government officials at all levels along with business and industry groups to present a united front against EPA policies that he and other Texas Republicans say are strangling the state’s economy.

If Barton does file a Texas-specific measure, it would likely seek to rollback the EPA’s decision last year to halt the state’s flexible permitting program, which Texasrefineries have been relying on for some 15 years to get around federal pollution laws.

The legislation Barton has signed on to is sponsored by Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe, would effectively undo EPA’s decision to regulate greenhouse gases under the federal Clean Air Act. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the agency has the authority to issue such a regulation.

Texas Republican John Cornyn is a co-sponsor of the Senate version of the bill. Several Democratic congressmen from industrial states are also co-sponsoring the bills, even though many expect President Obama to veto any legislation that might reach his desk.

Texas is challenging the agency’s ruling in court on grounds that the state’s industries and refineries would be disproportionately harmed. At this time all other states have either adopted or put forth a plan to meet the current EPA standards.

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WSJ Poll shows Americans willing to cut $ from the budget for nuclear loan guarantees

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , on March 4, 2011 |

According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News public opinion poll released yesterday morning, cutting subsidies for new reactors is the single most popular possible budget cut, with 57% finding such cuts either completely or mostly acceptable. No other program got more than 52% support for budget cuts, and most programs slated for cuts received far less than 50% public approval for such cuts. You can read the entire poll here (the program comparison is on page 15 of the documents).

Page 15 of the March 3rd Wall Street Journal Poll

The existing Department of Energy loan “guarantee” program has $10.2 Billion in unspent money for new reactor construction and another $2 Billion for uranium enrichment plants. Why should Congress be cutting programs like legal services for the poor, public broadcasting, college loans, and dozens of other programs when that money is sitting there and should never be used anyway?

The budget as approved by the House of Representatives, while slashing many worthwhile programs, at least does not include new loan money for nuclear reactor construction. But there is a chance that the Senate will try to add, with Department of Energy support, billions to the program (called Title 17). And, if this attempt is made, it will likely be in the next two weeks.

So act now. America has spoken and a large outpouring right now could make a difference.

Let’s tell Congress now: no new taxpayer subsidies for nuclear reactors and cut all of the existing subsidies once and for all. We won’t accept massive budget cuts in programs that matter in order to give our money to wealthy nuclear utilities and foreign reactor manufacturers.

Related Articles

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Immigrants testify: When It Comes to Justice, We Are All United!

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , on March 3, 2011 |

Better yet, be a governor. That's what Arnold did!

Phillip Martin has been writing for Burnt Orange Report since he was a wee young thing, and while I wouldn’t call him jaded, he is far from naive about politics and not an overly sentimental sort.  Yet, his post on last night’s testimony by the Dream Activists certainly brought out the idealist in him.  His post starts out:

They were born in Honduras and Mexico, Guatemala and America. They overcame human trafficking and shootings, physical borders and cultural boundaries that told them at every step of the way, “you do not belong here.” But last night, with tales and testimony that brought smiles and laughter to Republicans and Democrats in the House State Affairs Committee, over thirty Dream Act students — better known as Dream Activists — from universities across Texas refused the notion that they do not belong here.

Click here to read Phillip Martin’s blog on last night’s immigration bill hearing.

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Republican’s reluctantly agree to hear testimony on climate science as part of their hearings on blocking the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions

Posted in Climate Change, Global Warming, tagged , , , on March 2, 2011 |

Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), chairman of the panel’s Energy and Power subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, agreed to schedule a hearing next Tuesday on two new studies that link climate change to severe weather at the request of Democrats.

Full committee ranking Democrat Henry Waxman (Calif.) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), who chairs the subcommittee, along with eight other Democrats, sent a letter to Whitfield Tuesday requesting a hearing on climate science, as the Republicans on the committee are moving legislation forward that would permanently block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

Whitfield reluctantly agreed to hold the hearing Tuesday after Waxman criticized Republicans for not allowing more testimony from scientists at yesterday’s hearing, which boasted a witness list dominated by industry groups, while Republicans on the panel expressed frustration that Whitfield agreed to hold the hearing at the Democrats’ request.

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Civil Disobeyer Faces 10 Years in Prison

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 1, 2011 |

In December of 2008 (interestingly the same month as the TVA Kingston Coal-Ash Disaster) a 27-year-old Tim DeChristopher repeatedly bid up 12,000 acres of land intended for oil and gas exploration to a nice, winning number of $1.79 million. The problem? He didn’t have $1.79 million.

Tim is now on trial in Utah – facing up to 10 years in prison for… raising a bid paddle. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Hitchcock classic North By Northwest, where Cary Grant disrupts an auction specifically so that he would be arrested – getting placed in police custody to gain protection from the spies that were out to kill him. (more…)

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ACT Lobby Day is Tuesday, March 15th at the Capitol.

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , on February 28, 2011 |

On March 15th, Texans from all corners of the state will be in Austin, visiting our elected officials and letting them know that we want them to protect our land, our water, and our health. Sign up now! (more…)

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Attack on climate change solutions through a government funding bill

Posted in Air Quality, Climate Change, Global Warming, tagged , , , , on February 26, 2011 |

The funding bill the House of Representatives voted in favor of is an attack on climate change solutions and climate change science. The House cuts would:

  • Prohibit the EPA from setting limits on greenhouse gas pollution from power plants, factories and refineries, among the most significant sources of greenhouse gas pollution in the United States.
  • Prohibit the EPA from collecting information about the sources where greenhouse gas pollution is coming from.
  • Eliminate funding for a Climate Service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This program would efficiently supply scientific data and information about climate change and its impacts.
  • Slash the EPA’s total budget by about 29%.

Fortunately, both the Senate and the President still need to weigh in on the funding proposal. They must act before March 4.  Your help is needed if you want to make sure they take the climate crisis more seriously than the House of Representatives did.  Read Repower America’s summary here — and then spread the word among your friends and family.

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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.

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Student Activists Shut Down Coal Meeting

Posted in Coal, Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 24, 2011 |

Great news from St. Louis! Students and other activists from “Green Action” (at Washington University in St. Louis) and Missourians Organized for Reform and Empowerment (MORE) entered the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark to disrupt a meeting of the National Coal Council – a federal advisory committee to the U.S. secretary of energy (see their extremely dramatic website here).

The meeting was to focus on carbon capture and sequestration technology, but was canceled do to the disruption and chants of “Coal is never clean” and, “Clean coal is a dirty lie.” The group was peacefully escorted out of the hotel by police.

The meeting was canceled, but members of the council stayed to enjoy the private lunch they had already ordered. I’d have a joke about that, but I’m not that funny.

See more details at Washington University’s independent newspaper: Student Life

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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.

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City of Austin new NRG/Toshiba target

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , on February 24, 2011 |

So now San Antonio is sitting back watching with a knowing eye as NRG/Toshiba (formally know together as NINA) approaches the City of Austin with the hope that Austin hasn’t been paying attention to what they put San Antonio through just a year ago.

Greg Harman of the San Antonio Current provides an update to his readers:

Though the nuclear discussion in city circles has cooled dramatically since CPS Energy extracted itself from a 50-percent share in the proposed doubling of the South Texas Project nuclear complex down to a mere 7 percent, the project’s key boosters have continued scrambling to make the project as attractive as possible to the U.S. Department of Energy and — more recently — the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. To pretty-up the massively expensive project (in the course of the local debate, it shot from around $8 billion to $18 billion), NRG and Toshiba have rounded back on Austin, hoping to win a change of heart from a newer mayor and council. Years back, the city, a 16-percent partner in STP’s Units 1 and 2, voted not to partner on the expansion, citing concerns for both likely cost overruns (how prescient) and the troubling question of how to dispose of the high-level radioactive waste that is left behind.

Click here to read the whole blog post.

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Middle East crisis could impact the global economy. How will the effects be felt in Texas?

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , on February 23, 2011 |

In a piece by John W. Schoen, senior producer at MSNBC, he leads with:

As the turmoil in the Middle East spreads to Libya, a major oil producer, the shockwaves of Arab unrest are reverberating through the global oil supply chain – and threatening to spill over into the global economy.  Click here to read the full story.

Even if prices stabilize, the higher cost of energy comes as the global economy is already struggling to come back from the recession, with Texas just now seeming to enter that arena (as evidenced by the states’ significant budget shortfall this biennium).

You can be sure that a crisis in the oil industry will have an effect on the bills passed this session in the oil refining Mecca of the United States.  Stay tuned as Public Citizen tracks the impacts on the regulatory industry in the State over the next year.

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CPS Energy: Leading San Antonio into the New Energy Economy

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , on February 23, 2011 |

Doyle Beneby, CPS CEO and President

Doyle Beneby, CPS CEO and President

Solar Austin is hosting a special event featuring the CEO of San Antonio’s municipal utility, Doyle Beneby of CPS.

Mr. Beneby will discuss CPS Energy’s plan to pursue affordable renewable energy. This special event will take place at Malverde (400 W. 2nd, next to City Hall) with a Reception starting at 4pm and talk from 5 to 6pm.

WHO:  CPS Energy CEO & President Doyle Beneby

WHAT:  CPS Energy: Leading San Antonio into the New Energy Economy

WHEN: Wednesday,   February 23   from 4:00 – 6:00  pm

WHERE: Malverde, 400 W. 2nd, Austin, TX (immediately NW of City Hall)

For more info: http://www.solaraustin.org/. To learn more about Doyle Beneby, click here.

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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.

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To Beef or Not to Beef: The Cattle Industry is Trampling All Over Our Environment

Posted in Climate Change, Global Warming, Transportation, tagged , , , , , on February 21, 2011 |

The next time you bite into that double quarter-pounder with cheese, you may want to think twice about it.  Literally though, once for your health and once for Mother Nature dearest.

The livestock and agricultural industry is the single largest producer of methane, one of the biggest contributors to global warming.  In fact, 100 million tons of methane is produced each year by the animal agricultural business alone.

About 85% of the people I’ve talked to, had no idea that eating meat had such a big impact on the environment.  It’s understandable that the general public cannot cease use of all fossil fuels, electricity, and gas-guzzling SUVs, but altering your diet toward a more plant-based focus is both one of the easiest things to do to decrease your carbon footprint, as well as quickest.  You may not be in a position to trade in your car for the latest electric vehicle, but you can be aware of the choices you make at the grocery store. (more…)

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Family Farms and Local Foods Education Day at the Capitol Monday, February 21

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , on February 21, 2011 |

Local Farms Day Flier

This Monday the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA) will be hosting an education day at the Texas Capitol about farming and local foods.

Understanding how our food is grown and distributed is crucial to our health and mental well-being.  FARFA urges the public to investigate the implications of big Agribusiness’ practices upon our health as well as that of plants and animals.

I personally altered my own diet in the past year after considering how GMOed foods, pesticides, agricultural runoff, food additives, and meat and dairy industry practices affect both my body and our Earth.  I feel a lot better already!

Although not instantly apparent, Public Citizen and FARFA promote some similar ideas.   Contributing to local economies reduces carbon emissions by reducing the physical distance a product must travel to get to a consumer.  Large Agribusinesses pollute local water supplies with higher concentrations of chemical and animal waste runoff.  Interestingly, cattle emit nearly as much carbon as cars do.

This day is important to all of us because when it comes down to it,  food, shelter and water are the only basic human necessities and local farmers have invaluable knowledge about how to supply quality food and water to our communities.

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Sign a petition to the Prime Minister of Japan in opposition to Japanese bank loans for South Texas (nuclear) Project expansion

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , on February 20, 2011 |

Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) are asking folks to sign on to a petition to the Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet in opposition to proposed loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for the construction of two new nuclear reactors in south Texas.

NIRS is also sending a letter signed by a large list of organizations from the U.S., Japan and other international NGOs.  We don’t believe JBIC has ever received this kind of international attention on a nuclear issue before—indeed, this loan is being considered before JBIC has even drawn up guidelines for funding nuclear projects! And it would be a bad deal for JBIC and Japanese taxpayers, as well as people in Texas.

If you want to sign on to the petition to the Prime Minister, click here.

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Three Texas Congressmen put forward an amendment to hobble the EPA

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , on February 18, 2011 |

Three Texas Republican Congressmen (Poe, Barton and Carter) successfully attached an amendment targeting the EPA to a continuing resolution on spending that is needed to keep the federal government in business for the seven months remaining in the current fiscal year

The amendment would thwart the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce regulations limiting greenhouse gases.

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