Today in climate news:
In yesterday’s White House energy and climate summit, President Obama apparently called for a carbon cap in comprehensive legislation. Democrats offered to scale back plans, with John Kerry remarking, “We believe we have compromised significantly, and we’re prepared to compromise further.”
But Republicans rejected the entreaty, bashing it as an “energy tax.” Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) says that the climate bill looks even less likely to pass now. So, yesterday was basically just another day in Washington.
Meanwhile, the planet is still getting warmer, and those cities that are already hot cities are just going to get hotter. That includes Washington, D.C. in fact, in case you’re paying attention, senators.
In oil disaster news:
Turns out, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s ranting about the government response to the Gulf disaster is mostly off base.
Red tape and a slow approval process are preventing foreign skimmers from joining the clean-up effort in the Gulf, reports the Times-Picayune.
BP agreed to put up $500 million for academic research over the next 10 years, but since the White House directed BP to consult with Gulf Coast governors on allotting the funds, the money is all going to state universities.
The Project on Government Oversight wants to know why the entity formerly known as the Minerals Management Service (now the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement) has not yet consulted with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on new oil rig safety guidelines.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) wants to end the royalty relief program for deepwater drilling.
Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharon Angle argues that the real problem in the US is that we’re “over regulating” the oil and coal industries.
The Atlantic looks at five lessons we should take away from the oil disaster.
ProPublica finds a BP presentation form March on the company’s “key sources of growth” beyond 2015. Number one was to expand deepwater drilling, which has worked out so well for them now.
In other environmental news:
Let us not forget that the late Sen. Robert Byrd was also a leading advocate for the humane treatment of animals.
The Natural Resources Defense Council has filed suit to force the Food and Drug Administration to ban bisphenol A in food packaging.
