Tag Archives: economic growth
British Engineer Says Climate, Resource Problems Make Future Economic Growth Much Harder
While some economists and many environmentalists have voiced similar concerns over the years, it is rare to hear the warning coming from a pragmatic group of people who pride themselves on their ability to fix pretty much everything. Short-termism is an absolute killer. We are so short-term it is a tragedy. Continue reading
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Testimony Before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
The Clean Air Act is one of the most successful environmental laws in American history. It is misleading to say that enforcement of our nation’s environmental laws is bad for the economy and employment. It isn’t. Continue reading
Gains from the Clean Air Act: Bull Market Without the Bust
By Laurie Johnson for NRDC Switchboard Times were great in the 1990s real estate market: if you got in right before the market took off, and cashed out just before it crashed, you could have made a whopping 75% return … Continue reading
Remember When Kansas Led the Nation?
A recent article from Earthjustice brings back fond memories of 2007, when Kansas regulated greenhouse gases for the first time ever.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment emerged from its Republican shell like an Amish kid in Rumspringa to shout, “Why regulate? Because I CAN.” That’s right, Kansaswas the first state in the US to voluntarily block a coal plant specifically because it would increase heat trapping emissions. Continue reading
Early Closure of Oregon’s Only Coal-Fired Power Plant Has National Implications
Oregon utility Portland General Electric (PGE) is maneuvering to shut down the state’s only coal-fired power plant in 2020, two decades ahead of schedule. It’s a significant move that some observers say may prompt a shift in United States coal use.
“It could be game-changing,” said Jeff Bissonnette, the organizing director for the Portland-based Citizens’ Utility Board of Oregon, a ratepayer advocacy group. Continue reading
Blue Skies for Green Investment
International discussions to achieve firm carbon constraints may come up short. But that won’t inhibit national governments and their legacy enterprises from investing in green technologies. Continue reading
Sifting Through The Fog
Despite the cries of foul play, the global community is working right now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But the massive uproar from skeptics over global warming has diverted attention and dampened some of the enthusiasm in Copenhagen where those climate talks are occurring. Continue reading
GPACE SAYS KANSAS IN POSITION TO TAKE LEAD IN ENERGY FUTURE THAT EPA LAUNCHED TODAY
Today’s EPA announcement is good news for Kansans, who are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the advanced energy economy of our nation’s future. Continue reading
The Homer Simpson Energy Policy (or “Take Climate Change Off the Table” – Still Trouble)
Americans — both the public and political leaders — take the same approach to energy that Homer Simpson takes to, well, everything. When prices go up, as they did last year, it’s “d’oh!” and all kinds of panicky solutions get put on the table. When prices go down again, it’s “woo-hoo!” Time to ditch those resolutions we made. Continue reading
Senator Byrd: Coal Must Embrace the Future
For more than 100 years, coal has been the backbone of the Appalachian economy. Even today, the economies of more than 20 states depend to some degree on the mining of coal. About half of all the electricity generated in America and about one quarter of all the energy consumed globally is generated by coal. Continue reading
