The Briefing - 6/12/07: Senate Energy Bill Edition

The Senate energy bill looms large... here's a quick rundown of all the news on the bill and its components.

MW

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The Briefing – 6/11/07: Senate Energy Edition
510 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Media Coverage of the Senate Energy Bill
- What’s Happening:
o Reid hopes to make quick work of energy bill
§ He’s offering a course for energy independence
o Senate and House turn focus to energy
o Regional interests shaping the bills
- Fuel Economy:
o Senate tackles fuel economy rules
o Climate looks ripe
o Reid: Standards must rise
o It’s the Senate v. Automakers on MPG
- Renewables/Biofuels:
o 15% renewable standard may cut CO2 by 3 billion tons by 2030
o National RPS rules key to fixing flaws in state policies
o Focus on mileage and biofuels
o Thune focuses on biofuels
- Global Warming:
o In drive for climate bill, Reid is all energy
- Bad Stuff:
o Groups warn against coal shale subsidies
o Controversial oil substitutes sharply increase emissions, devour landscapes
§ Man, even China doesn’t want CTL
o Coal-to-liquid industry taps controversy
- Controversy:
o Here comes the lobbyists
o Energy bill under fire from several different directions
o The American Petroleum Institute isn’t so happy
- Editorials/Op-Eds
o Harry Reid: How the U.S. Should Fuel Its Prosperity
o LA Times: Serious Energy Reform
o Des Moines Register: Focus Energy Bill on Conservation, Research
o Bangor Daily News: A Better Energy Bill
o Colorado Springs Gazette: Mining the Taxpayers
Quotes O’ the Day
“Our search for solutions must begin at home, powered by American-made ingenuity and innovation. But the impacts of our oil addiction do not stop at our borders; they reverberate around the planet and in the atmosphere that surrounds it.” ~ Majority Leader Harry Reid

The Briefing - 6/11/07: G8, NASCAR, and Naked Protesters

A big thank you goes out to Bettina, our new intern, for helping compile a good chunk of The Briefing! It's been out of commission for a while, but we're back and back for good. Boo ya.

MW

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The Briefing – 6/11/07
511 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Politics, Politicians, Elections, and Electoral Mayhem
The (supposedly) Presidential ’08 Crowd
- McCain: Bush deserves credit; Defends immigration stance;
- Romney: Has some Mormons wary;
- Thompson, Fred: Heads west; George Will’s thoughts;
- Clinton: The anti-Clinton machine resurfaces; What’s her sport?
- Obama: Launches massive door-to-door effort;
- Bloomberg: Bob Shrum (yikes) offers some analysis;
- Giuliani: Can he win the nomination?;
- Richardson: Would leave no troops in Iraq
Senatorial Shenanigans
- Sen. Johnson (D-SD) expected to return to work
Our Very Own House of Commons
The Environment and Elections
- The Clinton/Obama “energy plan” – pandering like no other!
- ’08 candidates are hot for global warming (I give the credit to Bettina for that line)
o Here’s a similar article from NRP
o They also give us a nice little run-down on their global warming positions
Environmental Issues People Really Should Care about in the News
- NASA leader regrets global warming comments
- G8: US plans to consider European plan. Wow, that’s a strong statement.
o Financial firms do some prodding of their own
o UN Sec-Gen praised the progress
- Will ethanol lead to food shortages?
- Can NASCAR go green?
o Formula One is trying it…
- Bush’s climate plan? Ehh, not so impressive… and the world continues to pass us
o Not to mention US Cities
- Clinton (BILL) promotes green jobs
- Measure global warming from space? Not under the Bush Administration
- New laws poke a hole in the Clean Water Act
- Green U. -- Is that anything like P.C.U., but with a carbon calculator?
- Mayor Bloomberg works with NYC Universities to cut their carbon emissions
- Taskforce created to cut “cyber warming”
- Congress is primed an pumped for a showdown
- Turkey waste? Promising, but that’s gotta stink
- Sea Lions hit by high levels of acid poison in California
…oh that pesky Blogosphere
- The Daily Green: Republican debate outpaces Democrats on the environment… what exactly did they have to show for all that time they used?
- The Fix: Will religion affect your vote?
- MYDD: Dem nomination at a glance
- DailyKos: Republicans losing grip on rural areas?
- Grist:
o Slow food fight
o Green sports stars
o Wind energy hits Alaska
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Nothing like naked protesters to make you turn the other way
- Have you “storm-proofed” your dog?
- Did a comet kill the Wooly Mammoth?
- Oooh boy, I guess it wasn’t that good
- If Larry Flynt is involved, it has to be classy
Quotes O’ the Day
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” ~ E. E. Cummings