GOP Being Overrun by "Climate Zombies"?

Over at DailyKos, RL Miller takes a look at a phenomenon infecting the GOP:

This past summer, climate peacocks like Lisa Murkowski succeeded in killing the Kerry-Lieberman bill by preening their sincerely held, beautifully articulated concerns about the horrors of climate while simultaneously refusing to find solutions. Those peacocks are going the way of the polar bear. Instead, climate zombies like Joe Miller mindlessly replicate. If you listen carefully, you can hear them moan: "caaaash!" Or maybe they cry "Kooooch!"

Remember when clean air wasn't a partisan issue? When Republicans like John Warner knew being pro-business didn't mean letting polluters literally write their own rules? Was that really so long ago?

Arlington Hosts White House Clean Energy Economy Forum

The Green Miles was at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington this morning for the White House Clean Energy Economy Forum. I was part of an Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment contingent invited to attend. W-L served an ideal host –- a gold-level LEED-certified green school in one of the most climate-conscious counties in the country.

The forum featured Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA), former Sen. John Warner (R-VA), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Deputy Agriculture Sec. Kathleen Merrigan, and Assistant Energy Sec. Cathy Zoi.

I live-blogged the forum over at DailyKos. Check it out!

Senate Hearing Highlights Warming's Threat to VA's Coast

I was lucky enough to be able to attend yesterday's Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on how global warming will impact the Chesapeake Bay (I work for the National Wildlife Federation). Gov. Tim Kaine and Sen. Jim Webb testified and Sen. John Warner sits on the committee.

Gov. Kaine did a masterful job of laying out the threats Virginia faces and calling for a national cap-and-trade system to limit carbon emissions:

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine told a Senate committee that low-lying Hampton Roads is considered the second most vulnerable population center in the country to rising sea levels linked to global warming. Only New Orleans is more exposed, he said.

"My message to you," Kaine told the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, "is that each day that legislative action is delayed will have negative consequences for the Chesapeake Bay."

Also at the hearing, the NWF released a new report on how global warming will impact the Bay's fish and wildlife.When Kaine mentioned Virginia is a national leader in technology jobs, Sen. Warner said he hoped Virginia would soon be a national leader in "green collar" jobs -- producing low-carbon-emissions technologies. Neither Gov. Kaine nor I had heard the term, but we both had the same reaction -- excellent nickname for the industry!

In addition, the morning featured a bit of political theater, with some fireworks between Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and America's leading climate change denier, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK).

You can read transcripts and watch video of the entire hearing at the Senate EPW Committee website.

Cross-posted from Raising Kaine

Genuine or Greenwashing: Warner's Climate Bill

After Sen. John Warner's announcement last week that he won't seek another term, National Wildlife Federation President Larry Schweiger released this statement:

Senator Warner is poised to end his nearly 30-year Senate career tackling the biggest challenge of our time: global warming. This year, Senator Warner has taken a leadership role to advance legislation to address global warming as a national security priority. He has recently outlined a bi-partisan proposal with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) that would reduce the pollution causing global warming and provide resources to help protect the Chesapeake Bay and other fish and wildlife habitat from climate change. The two senators lead a Senate subcommittee that can advance action on this critical issue this Congress.

No topic splits environmentalists right now like the Warner-Lieberman bill being drafted in the Senate. Some groups are hopeful Warner-Lieberman will be tough enough that it's worth supporting, while others think Warner-Lieberman will be so soft it deserves to die in committee. They want the bill sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) -- the toughest bill in the Senate -- or nothing.

Marc Guenther at Huffington Post recently called Warner a lynchpin on climate change legislation:

Warner could be the key to getting a bill out of the Senate Environment Committee, where Democrats hold only a one-vote edge. He comes from state where, it's safe assume, there are strong, conflicting opinions about climate change; the commonwealth includes both coal mines and the coastline along the Chesapeake Bay. But he's also a national security geek, and he has said that he's worried that global warming could lead to environmental refugees and political instability.

Meanwhile, to deal with fears that carbon caps will damage the economy, four Senators -- Republicans Warner and Lindsey Graham of South Caroline and Democrats Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana (the land of oil & gas & Katrina) -- introduced legislation that would aim to protect consumers and business from the potential costs of carbon regulation.

The four senators want to create something called a Carbon Market Efficiency Board, modeled on the Fed, to build some flexibility into the regulatory scheme. This board could ease up on an emissions cap if the economy is suffering, but only by lowering the cap in the future. In effect, it would give industry the freedom to pollute more now so long as it pollutes less later, once economy rebounds. (emphasis added)

Open Left's Matt Stoller has offered the most stinging criticism of Warner-Lieberman (thanks to Lowell for the tip). However, I'm not sure how Matt can say "it's a terrible legislative package coming to the floor in the fall" when we don't know all the details yet.

Some environmentalists counter that it doesn't matter which bill comes up for a vote -- President Bush will surely veto any serious global warming legislation and the Senate doesn't have enough votes to override -- it's the roll call itself that matters. Force all one hundred senators to go on the record on a serious bill. No more equivocating. Do you recognize the settled science or are you an unrepentant denier? Then the voters can be clear about their choices in 2008.

But Matt is right when he says, "We get one bite at this apple." If soft legislation passes and we try to firm it up later, Republican climate change deniers will say, "See? We told you so. They won't be satisfied until the economy is crippled."

Cross-posted from RaisingKaine.com

Sea Change on the Roads? Senate Votes to Boost Fuel Economy

In a landmark vote, the U.S. Senate last night passed the first major revision of fuel economy standards since before The Green Miles was born.

It was not the comprehensive bill it could've been. Senators put off voting on Sen. Jeff Bingaman's national renewable energy standard proposal, which would've meant we'd get 15% of our national electricity from renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and biofuels.

It's really amazing how far senators are behind the rest of the country on alternative energy. Just take a look at this poll from Pennsylvania, where 68% of voters said they'd gladly pay more on their electric bill if it meant more renewable energy.

But senators avoided potential pitfalls, voting down more drilling for fossil fuels and liquid coal. And raising fuel economy standards 42% (from the 24.6 miles per gallon our cars & light trucks get now to 35 miles per gallon by 2020) is a major accomplishment. And as Lowell at Raising Kaine points out, it shouldn't bring our economy to a screeching halt as automakers and some Republicans claim:

By the way, reaching 35 miles per gallon by 2020 shouldn't exactly be a strain on American ingenuity. As the Washington Post points out, the rest of the world is already WAY ahead of us:

In the European Union, automakers have agreed to voluntary increases in fuel-economy standards that next year will lift the average to 44.2 miles per gallon, according to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. In Japan, average vehicle fuel economy tops 45 miles per gallon. China's level is in the mid-30s and projected to rise, propelled by government policy.

That's right, this new legislation - IF it makes it through the House and is signed by President Bush - will require the United States to catch up with China's current fuel economy in 13 years! Seriously, if our car companies can't manage to do that, they deserve to go out of business. And if our nation can't compete with China, well...what can I say?

Both of Virginia's senators voted in support of the bill. You can see the roll call vote here. Sen. Webb deserves to be thanked for his support of the bill, and you can email him here. And Sen. Warner should be congratulated not only for supporting this excellent piece of legislation, but crossing party lines to do it. Thank him here.

UPDATE: I often get requests for sample notes, so here's what I just sent Sens. Warner and Webb, feel free to copy some/all of it:

Sen. _____ deserves a big thanks for his vote last night in favor of the Senate energy bill. The new fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon will go a long way towards both reducing our dependence on foreign oil and cutting our greenhouse gas emissions. I'll watch closely as the Senate takes up related issues in the months ahead, like a 15% national renewable energy standard and a global warming bill to cut carbon emissions 80% by 2050. I hope Sen. ____ strongly supports both of those measures.

How Your Call on Energy Could Swing Virginia's Senators - and the US

It's critical that Virginians call their Senators today to express their views about two critical votes coming this week. Both are amendments to the Senate energy bill being considered. While both are being portrayed primarily as energy issues, they're also important first steps towards addressing global warming:

* The Bingaman Amendment would set a 15% national renewable energy standard, meaning 15% of our nation's electricity would have to come from renewable sources like solar, wind, or biofuels. It's sponsored by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).

* A provision to raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. CAFE standards have not been strengthened in 17 years, and not coincidentally, U.S. fuel economy has stagnated. Cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. average 24.6 miles per gallon, well below the peak of 26.2 mpg set in 1987.

If you're a Virginia resident, please call your Senators now and urge them to support including these provisions in the Senate energy bill! Both are considered on the fence on these votes, so each call is critical.

Sen. John Warner -- (202) 224-2023

Sen. Jim Webb -- (202) 224-4024

I haven't included their emails because calling has much more of an impact than emailing. It takes more motivation and effort to pick up a phone and speak to a real person about your concerns, and your elected officials take that into consideration when giving weight to emails vs. calls. These are definitely call-worthy issues!

Sen. Warner Fighting Wind Power?

I've been trying to make sense of a strange story I just learned about today. According to a recent US News & World Report article, "2006 was supposed to be a banner year for wind power. Instead, experts say, the industry is faltering while it awaits the results of the study mandated in this year's defense authorization bill by [Virginia] Senator John Warner, chairman of the Armed Services Committee."

Obviously no one wants to put national security at risk. But this "study" has gone beyond cautiousness to the point of blatant foot-dragging.

The Sierra Club reports Donald Rumsfeld and the Dept. of Defense have not only missed a deadline for completing a study on the issue, they've just missed a deadline for explaining why they missed the deadline for completing the study:

According to media reports, at least 15 wind farm proposals in the Midwest have been shut down so far. The list of stalled projects includes one outside Bloomington, Illinois, which would have been the nation's largest source of wind energy, generating enough electricity to power 120,000 homes in the Chicago area. Coal and natural gas will likely replace the lost wind generation, resulting in higher energy costs and increased soot, smog and global warming pollution.

No one's pretending wind power is going to replace fossil fuels as our main power source anytime soon. But at a time when Republicans are so furiously pushing "energy production" (a.k.a. drilling for oil & natural gas), I don't understand why they would block new sources of energy.

Please email Sen. Warner to ask why he's helping block important new sources of renewable energy, and forward this information to your environmentally-minded friends! Just use the little envelope thing at the bottom of this post.