Conservative Revolutionary American Party III: Daily Grist: The State of the Union address, California may charge fee for inefficient cars, and more

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Daily Grist: The State of the Union address, California may charge fee for inefficient cars, and more

TOP STORY

At Least He Recycles
Bush rehashes same ol' environmental ideas in final State of the Union speech

In his last State of the Union address on Monday night, President Bush called for "an international agreement that has the potential to slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases." But don't get excited -- he hasn't done a 180 on the Kyoto Protocol. "This agreement will be effective only if it includes commitments by every major economy," he continued, reiterating his long-held view that the U.S. shouldn't pledge to act unless China, India, and other big developing nations pledge too. Everything else Bush said about the environment during the address was also recycled from previous statements and speeches. He emphasized "clean energy technology," lauded "emissions-free nuclear power," and called for investment in "new technologies that can generate coal power while capturing carbon emissions." In the Democratic response to the speech, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius praised mayors, governors, and the majority in Congress who are taking steps now to fight global warming, and asked, "Mr. President, will you join us?" We suggest she not wait by the phone.

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sources: State of the Union text, Democratic Response text

Compare and Contrast the Candidates. Forget boxers or briefs. You want to know about candidates' stances on energy and the environment, right? Well, Grist is here for you with our handy side-by-side chart comparing each of the presidential contenders' green positions.

TODAY'S NEWS

Fee Enterprise
California considers "feebate" bill to make polluting cars more expensive

California is pursuing new ideas to reduce vehicle emissions in the state after the U.S. EPA denied the state a waiver it needed to implement its vehicle greenhouse-gas emission standards. California lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill this week that would set up a "feebate" system for new car purchases. Excessively polluting vehicles would become more expensive to buy while the cost of buying efficient cars would fall. One-time fees of up to $2,500 would be charged for new inefficient vehicles like Hummers and Chevy Tahoes while cars like Civic and Prius hybrids could earn similarly large rebates. Vehicles that fall somewhere in the middle of the efficiency spectrum would either earn smaller dividends, require smaller fees, or remain unchanged. If the bill is approved, the state air board will decide which vehicles fall where on the fee/refund scale. Similar legislation failed to pass the state legislature last year, but the EPA's waiver slapdown has increased pressure on California lawmakers to approve other ways of reducing emissions.

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source: Los Angeles Times
see also, in Gristmill: California mulls nation's first feebate bill

Take Me Down to Paradise City
U.S. sets low expectations for this week's climate meeting

Leaders from the world's major economies will fly in big planes to Honolulu this week for a chat about reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions. Ironicalicious! Even better, the Bush administration, which is hosting the meeting, isn't expecting much out of it. "I think these will be iterative discussions, which the initial goal will be to lay out a variety of options without holding any country to a particular proposal," says James Connaughton of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "We're trying to do this in a collaborative way, rather than in the more classic 'You bring your number, I bring my number, and we start kicking them around.'"

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source: Reuters

Iraq and Roll
Iraq ratifies the Kyoto Protocol

While presumably having plenty else to worry about, Iraq has found time in its busy schedule to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Iraq will not be subject to emissions reductions under the treaty, but its official ratification is still notable in that Iraq's government elected to ratify an agreement that its primary occupier, the United States, has shunned. And just like Australia's recent Kyoto conversion, Iraq's inclusion highlights how out of touch the U.S. has been on international environmental issues. But seriously, now that Iraq has joined Kyoto, any bets on how long it takes for contractors in Iraq to start selling carbon credits for reconstruction projects?

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sources: Agence France-Presse, The New York Times

Chip and They're Bolder
Intel replaces PepsiCo as biggest U.S. buyer of alternative energy

Tech giant Intel has announced that it will buy 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy credits a year, making it the biggest U.S. buyer of alternative energy. Previous record-holder PepsiCo is bumped into second place with a purchase of 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours annually -- but if Pepsi's advertising is to be believed, every sip gets them closer to where they want to be.

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sources: Financial Times, Reuters, The Oregonian