Foreign Policy Blogs

Legislative Update

Dingell v Pelosi – This is from the Center for American Progress today: “Two senior House Democrats — facing opposition from their party’s top leader, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — have abandoned their legislative effort to block California and a dozen other states from regulating greenhouse gases from cars and trucks.”

Energy in the Senate – The floor debate and voting on the Energy Bill resumed today. There have been two votes taken so far in which an amendment to underwrite a coal-to-liquid fuels program was defeated and also an amendment to provide a coal-to-syngas program was defeated. You can go to C-SPAN2 to see this online and to get updates, or watch it on TV. Up now is consideration of an amendment on liquefied natural gas facilities. See this from CNNMoney.com for a comprehensive look at the issues and amendments as of today.

You may remember that the American Wind Energy Association commented the other day on my post on the Senate’s activities. They had a convincing message on the national Renewable Portfolio Standard last week. They reference a letter from May 24 of broad support for a strong national RPS from a coalition including Fortune 500 companies, the United Steelworkers, and major environmental groups. The groups include some folks with juice including GE, Google, BP America, the National Venture Capital Association, Pacific Gas & Electric, the Sierra Club and NRDC. Also included in the mix are several religious organizations. Here’s the letter which includes the full list of signers.

 

Author

Bill Hewitt

Bill Hewitt has been an environmental activist and professional for nearly 25 years. He was deeply involved in the battle to curtail acid rain, and was also a Sierra Club leader in New York City. He spent 11 years in public affairs for the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, and worked on environmental issues for two NYC mayoral campaigns and a presidential campaign. He is a writer and editor and is the principal of Hewitt Communications. He has an M.S. in international affairs, has taught political science at Pace University, and has graduate and continuing education classes on climate change, sustainability, and energy and the environment at The Center for Global Affairs at NYU. His book, "A Newer World - Politics, Money, Technology, and What’s Really Being Done to Solve the Climate Crisis," will be out from the University Press of New England in December.



Areas of Focus:
the policy, politics, science and economics of environmental protection, sustainability, energy and climate change

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