Energy

Earth Day is tomorrow April 22nd, and though the holiday doesn't grant a day off of work, school or the closing of government offices, it is a day to spend at least a little time thinking about the environment.

For those looking for an easy way to give back to the environment..and get a little something in return, you should check out a new CD just released by our friends at Green Owl Records. You'll get unreleased tracks from such artists as Feist, Deerhoof, Muse, and Bloc Party and the Energy Action Coalition will get 100% of the profits. Find the Green Owl Comp at your local Whole Foods, or check your local record store, itunes, amazon....

While most political news lately has been a wash of scandal, political backstabbing, and campaign, campaign, campaign (repeat until the page is full), a still pressing and important issue is seeing decidedly less attention. Pending Climate Legislation holds the possibility of being a real first step for change, or yet another misstep in the current government's reaction (or inaction) in the fight to curb the effects of global warming.

Last Monday, the Democratic presidential candidates debated on CNN. And once again, there were exactly zero questions asked about global warming. The perplexing absence of discussion about an issue that countless scientists, economists, and politicians hold up as the fundamental challenge of our times is fast becoming familiar.

I've made no secret of my contempt for coal, sharing David Roberts' opinion that it is, as much as anything else in the world, "the enemy of the human race."

Buckle up for this startling bit. Yesterday in India a $2,500 car was unveiled by Tata Motors. Called the Nano, it's a cramped little four-seater with an engine that wouldn't power some American snowblowers, but it's a landmark announcement with massive global warming implications.

Over the holidays I gave my father a bit of grief about the lighting in my parents' home. Now I wasn't chewing them out for holding on to old, inefficient incandescents. Quite the opposite--I was annoyed that my father (something of an environmentalist in his own right for a lot longer than I've been around) insisted on using the same early-model CFLs that he bought years back and provide awful light. My argument was that these early, crummy bulbs turn anyone who sees them off to the potential of energy efficient lighting.

Read this press release from NRDC. Then tell your congressmen or women that you want your car to go farther on a gallon of gas by creating higher fuel efficiency standards and supporting renewable energy technology.

New Year Rings In Historic Crude Prices

January Delivery Prices Break Triple Digits for the First Time

Just when you thought politics couldn't get any more frustrating, the EPA manages to take inefficiency to a whole new level. Don't Republicans generally support state's rights? Or is that just when it's concerning gun legislation?

Here's the NRDC Press Release:

EPA Sticks Thumb in Eyes of Governors Representing Half of All Americans, Says NRDC

Just to reiterate the previous post, lets just have a look at how the U.S. is performing...

Looks like President Bush is going to get an early Christmas present from the Senate in the form of a House and Senate approved Energy bill. Let's hope he uses common sense to not veto what could be a major first step in the fight against global warming.

Read the NRDC Press Release:

Vote Maintains House’s Fuel Mileage and Energy Efficiency Standards

WASHINGTON, DC (December 13, 2007) –The Senate today affirmed its determination to send an energy bill to the president’s desk before Christmas, by an 86-8 margin. Failing to reach the required 60 votes for cloture last Friday, Senate leadership brought the bill back for successful passage, while maintaining key aspects of the House-approved legislation.