Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC is a grouping of countries that is "the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region." APEC's 21 Member Economies are: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New […]
“Kind of broad at the shoulders, narrow at the hip. And everybody knew you didn’t give no lip to Big John.”* I’ve written about and referenced House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair, John Dingell, a good number of times here. He’s the second-longest serving Congressman ever, highly respected and often feared. There’s a fascinating piece […]
I’ve been in the throes of several big changes the past couple of weeks, one of which, moving our household, has been a bear. I’ve not been lolling around on the beach as I hope many of you have, or hiking, or touristifying in some wonderful, pleasant place. There certainly have been boatloads of tourists […]
In December of this year, formal negotiations will begin on a successor to the Kyoto Protocols which expire in 2012. Right now in Vienna, parties are meeting to help prepare for what should be Homeric efforts over the course of the next two or three years. See this from Reuters and for much more comprehensive […]
I've written about the controversy regarding biofuels a couple of times. There appears to be, in a nutshell, considerable controversy over whether the stampede to cultivate crops for use as feedstock for fuel is a good thing or a bad thing. Back in May, I reported on a blockbuster report from the prestigious "Foreign Affairs" […]
With Hurricane Dean going to slam into the Yucatan tonight, with winds now at 150 mph and maybe intensifying, it's not a bad time to consider some of the discussion about hurricanes. (If you like to track hurricanes, there's no better place than the National Hurricane Center, with its terrific graphics and its up-to-the-hour information.) […]
This brilliant little cartoon by Kevin Kallaugher in this week's number of "The Economist" sums up the "land rush" (or, more accurately, seabed rush) that's on to claim mineral rights at the North Pole. See this article from "The Guardian" for good background on what's going on here, and this from Reuters. Also, there's an […]
First of all, I have to apologize for being off the airwaves for so long. We closed on a new apartment on Friday and that's got all sorts of busy work associated with it , and I've been decompressing a little since. Plus, I had a print article on sustainability at airports that I was […]
Climate Change "Skeptics" – The big story is that "Newsweek's" cover this week has an arresting burning planet image, and the copy reads: Global Warming Is A Hoax* and the asterisked portion says "Or so claim well-funded naysayers who still reject the overwhelming evidence of climate change. Inside the Denial Machine by Sharon Begley." Now […]
The Renewable Portfolio Standard! The House just voted on the RPS amendment and it passed 220-190 , not nearly as close as many had thought. To reiterate, it requires electricity suppliers to have 15% renewable energy in their mix by 2020. See numerous references in the posts below to the RPS and to links for […]
I'll find what I'm after. I'll throw off my sorrow; beg, steal or borrow, my share of laughter."* So anyway, the Energy bill isn't going to the floor today. In a wide-ranging press conference today, Nancy Pelosi said that the Renewable Portfolio Standard was being "whipped" by Tom Udall of NM and his cousin, Mark […]
It appears that the Udall-Platts RPS amendment is going to the floor tomorrow. Here is some coverage, Last Chance: RPS Vote Looming in House, from RenewableEnergyAccess.com, a website with excellent, up-to-date information on renewables. The National Venture Capital Association's president is quoted here as bullish on the renewable energy industry. Another arresting bit of news […]
Okay, the suspense, at least on one important item, CAFE, is over for the moment. The "Washington Post" reports House Drops Tougher Auto Fuel Economy. Go to Speaker Pelosi's statement in which she says " we will have an opportunity to address this issue shortly. The Senate energy bill does contain a CAFE provision, which […]
Tuesday Update – Here's what "Congressional Quarterly" is reporting as of midafternoon today: Deal Clears Way For Friday House Vote on Energy Package. For one thing, the tax package that the Senate rejected is back. I lamented its exclusion in June in my post, The Morning After. (See also earlier posts on how close the […]
We are poised for a big and hopefully exciting week on energy in the House. At “CNNMoney.com” there’s a good comprehensive read, Energy debate moves to House, on what to look for this week. As I’ve pointed out, there are a lot of good things that are not going to be subject to much debate, […]