Comments on: Devoid of ideas on climate and clean energy, House GOP attacks big business, science, legislative process, and even Joe Barton!

By: Rosa

Rosa — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:25:19 +0000

more proof that the GOP is competely directionless they seem to be relying on the old Bush strategy of simply trying to change the terms of the debate rather than changing their actual policies. There hunt for leadership : http://www.newsy.com/videos/gop_soul_search doesn’t seem to be panning out.

By: Monica from ACCCE

Monica from ACCCE — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:53:59 +0000

Affordable electricity is an essential part of protecting consumers and American businesses. During the America’s Power Factuality Tour, our team traveled all over the country to document the places, people and technologies involved in producing cleaner electricity from domestic coal. Our travels brought us to Council Bluffs, Iowa, home of the Walter Scott Energy Center – one of the most efficient coal-based plants in America. This facility generates more than 1,600 megawatts of affordable electricity, which has a positive long-term economic impact on the region—one that includes a Google data facility.

Take a look at the plant in action and meet the people who keep it running: http://sn.im/factuality

By: Rick Covert

Rick Covert — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:10:25 +0000

Ooops! That was Frederic March. The film basically reenacts the standoff between two giants, Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan after the end of the “Progressive Era,” in the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial though they are renamed as Henry Drumond and Mathew Harrison Brady respectively.

By: Rick Covert

Rick Covert — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:00:25 +0000

Why am I NOT surprised that Joe Barton doesn’t understand plate tectonics? I guess he chalks that up as just another “theory” like global warming, quantum theory, evolution or Newtonian physics. Though I would suggest that should he regard to Newtonian Physics to stand outside on New Years Eve during that lovely traditon in Texas called, “firing you guns in the air and what goes up doesn’t come down at the same veolcity it started at while going up.”

On another topic, the movie website, HULU has the Spencer Tracy, Victor March, Gene Kelly movie classic “Inherit the Wind” about the Scopes Monkey trial on their website. I saw it for the first time and it was like in 84 years nothing has changed with respect to the public’s understanding of science. Watch for the scene where Spencer Tracy and Victor March square off in the panultimate exchange between science and reason vs. demagoguery and irrationality. The religious extremism is certainly reflective of some undercurrents in current events.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/65442/inherit-the-wind

By: Dano

Dano — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:10:51 +0000

Yes, I always try to point out that when AEI/CEI types say AQ is improving, it is because of th’ federal regalayshun. And that these regulations have a savings of 5-7x the cost.

Best,

By: paulm

paulm — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:15:13 +0000

Someone’s got to be the stooge.

By: NFJM

NFJM — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:08:53 +0000

K.L. Reddington:

It does not matter that your past situation is a higher level of pollution.
As long as the global societal cost occured by pollution is higher than the abatement cost (both expressed per tonne of sulfur, Nox, etc…) then there is an economic gain in reducing pollution.

Off course the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research wants to limit the cost on private companies. This is a typical problem of a split incentive where the cost is on specific US companies while the benefits of mitigating these emissions is for the whole country (and even neighboring countries).

NOx allowances trade at roughly half their social cost.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:34:46 +0000

Did the AEI mention that improvement was due to federal regulations?

By: K L Reddington

K L Reddington — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:14:21 +0000

As the Obama administration considers further steps to fight air pollution, a recent report from a Washington think tank shows that air quality in the United States has improved significantly over the last decade.

The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research analyzed data collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and concluded that levels of numerous gases linked with air pollution have fallen off since 2001.

Among the findings: Carbon monoxide decreased by 39 percent, ozone by 6 percent, and sulfur dioxide by 32 percent.

“Pick any category you want and pollution levels are generally lower than they were seven years ago,” said Steven Hayward, the policy analyst who authored the report, titled “Index of Leading Environmental Indicators,” for the conservative think tank.

Lets see if we can improve on cleaning the air even more.