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The top five things voters need to know about conservatives and climate change
I’ve seen a recent surge of stories about conservatives and climate change. None of them, oddly, tell voters what they most need to know on the subject. In fact, one of them does the opposite. (Grrrr...
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The dirt on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s environmental record
Photo by ky_olsen. Wisconsin is a proud state, with a unique political legacy. Its track record of progressive independence and long-standing commitment to political comity make today’s recall...
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Lay off the Konarka: Dem energy message risks defeating Dem energy message
So, what’s the state of play on energy in the presidential race? I’m glad you asked. Broadly, what’s happened is that both parties now perceive, accurately, that the public is pro-energy. That’s why...
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Protests temporarily delay opening Alabama forests to drilling
If you enjoyed the reasoned debate over opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to fossil fuel extraction, you’ll likely be happy to learn that a similar debate may be coming to your...
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Me, on the radio, talking about military ‘greening’
I was on Sea Change Radio last week to talk about the military’s efforts to use less oil — and Republicans’ efforts to stop them. It’s a long bit, nice and meaty at about a half hour, so put it on...
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Why climate polls don’t mean much
People involved in climate politics are always throwing polls at each other purporting to “prove” that the public likes this policy or hates that policy or wants this or doesn’t want that. Everyone,...
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New York court backs greenhouse gas initiative, draws Sauron’s eye
This is the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s more photogenic than New York’s. New York state can continue to participate in a multistate effort to curb greenhouse gases, after a court dismissed a conservative...
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Yes, the economy could soon run on (mostly) renewable power
Along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a series of billboards sponsored by FORCE, a pro-coal lobby, make the argument for coal-based power by arguing that “wind dies” and “the sun sets.” Coal wants you to...
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Which is scarier: A drone overhead or an unregulated dump next door?
“OMG is that a drone?” (Photo by n0nick.) The House of Representatives just set rules for debate on H.R. 2578, the “Conservation and Economic Growth Act,” meaning it will come to the floor for a vote....
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Conservative think tank hosts discussion on cap-and-trade. Is it Friday the...
There’s money in that there exhaust. Well, this is unexpected. From the (conservative) Washington Examiner: On Wednesday, the conservative American Enterprise Institute [AEI] hosted a secret meeting...
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Peabody Coal buys coal from U.S. taxpayers for cheap, sells it abroad for...
Photo by Takver. Yesterday, I wrote about the issue of public land in the Powder River Basin being leased to coal companies for cheap, so they can strip-mine it and sell the coal abroad at an enormous...
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U.S. military kicks more ass by using less fossil-fuel energy
Going solar in Afghanistan. (Photo by U.S. Marine Corps) This is my contribution to a dialogue on the military and clean energy being hosted by National Journal. — To understand the promise of...
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Let’s end polluter welfare
Sen. Bernie Sanders rallies supporters of the End Polluter Welfare Act. At a time when we have more than $15 trillion in national debt, American taxpayers are set to give away over $110 billion to the...
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Could Romney’s scorn for wind power hurt him in the heartland?
Photo by Eric Tastad. On Thursday, President Obama will visit TPI Composites, a wind manufacturer in Newton, Iowa (population, 15,254). There, he will reiterate his support for the Production Tax...
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Republicans try to force the military to use dirty energy it doesn’t want
Photo by the U.S. Army. The U.S. military recognizes that dependence on fossil fuels is a threat to U.S. strategic influence and its own operational effectiveness. With that in mind, it’s trying to...
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Senate Republicans join House in second-guessing military leaders on biofuels
They’re undermining us again? Earlier this week, I wrote about the Republican-led House Armed Services Committee voting through a provision that would kill the U.S. military’s ambitious biofuels...
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Before Rio Earth Summit, let’s put pressure on world leaders to end fossil...
Bill McKibben at 350.org’s recent Rally to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies. (Photo by 350.org.) In just a few weeks, world leaders are converging on Rio for a landmark “Earth Summit” to talk about...
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Obama silent on climate change in big Iowa energy speech
Obama’s energy speech: lots about wind, nothing about climate. (Photo by Darin Leach for USDA.) A version of this post originally appeared on Climate Progress. Last month, the White House edited...
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California has a lot of kinks to work out on its ambitious new climate goal.
Last week, the state passed SB 32, new climate change legislation that’s a win for environmental justice and requires radical emissions cuts of 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. The goal is more...
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Natural gas is passing coal as a source of CO2 emissions in the United States.
“Emissions from burning natural gas are expected to be 10 percent greater than those from coal in 2016, as electric companies rely more on power plants that run on natural gas than those that run on...
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The number of coal-fired power plants under development saw a big hit in the...
According to a new report from CoalSwarm’s Global Coal Plant Tracker, the total amount of coal-fired generating capacity in pre-construction planning dropped from 1,090 gigawatts (GW) in January 2016...
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Big Oil is backing Hillary Clinton. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Wall Street Journal reports the fossil fuel industry is donating twice as much to her campaign as it is to Donald Trump’s. At ExxonMobil, the company embroiled in a scandal over hiding its own...
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Trump’s new adviser says climate change is a huge security threat
This story was originally published by Mother Jones and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey has signed on as a senior adviser to Donald...
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Police arrested another 22 people at the Dakota Access pipeline site.
A busload of officers in riot gear arrived to the site on Tuesday after two people locked themselves onto heavy construction equipment. The two were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct,...
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California has an ambitious plan to tackle climate change. Could it work?
California took a giant step to fight climate change last week, passing ambitious legislation to slash its greenhouse gas emissions. Hailed as world-leading, historic, and other excited adjectives, it...
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Who wins from L.A.’s bid to go 100 percent renewable? The kids.
The Los Angeles City Council voted on Friday to order the city’s main utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, to create a study for how to move toward all clean energy all the time....
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States are already complying with the Clean Power Plan rules they are...
Reuters looked at the 27 states that are suing to block the EPA’s Clean Power Plan to limit carbon emissions from power plants and found that the majority of them are on track to meet their emissions...
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You know you want to be Grist’s newest fellow
Are you an early-career journalist, storyteller, or multimedia wizard who digs what we do? Then Grist wants you! We are now accepting applications for the spring 2017 class of the Grist Fellowship...
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California went all-in on natural gas. Can it do the same with renewables?
Noemi Tungui lives in Oxnard, California, the so-called “Strawberry Capital of the World.” But Oxnard’s idyllic branding omits other details of its landscape: power plants, oil wells, and within the...
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Trump’s team plotted to repeal the Clean Power Plan for months. Now it begins.
This story was originally published by Mother Jones and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. For months, the Trump administration has been quietly plotting how to repeal the...
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