bipartisan posts, articles, and infographics

The Polarization of Energy

November 24, 2011 by Christopher Williams
with 730 views

It’s no secret that at the core of the Supercommittee’s failure earlier this week is the increasing polarization of American politics. Huffington Post contributor and law professor June Carbone illustrates this transition over the past half-century: “A half century ago, neither political party disproportionately consisted of those who... [read more]

7 Bipartisan Fixes For The US Oil Problem

May 20, 2011 by Deron Lovaas
with 186 views

Here in D.C. we often bemoan the fact that we can’t all just get along. But when it comes to transportation, we actually CAN get along. And now we’ve got it in writing. A new joint report by three organizations from all points in the political spectrum -- the left-leaning Transportation for America, the centrist Taxpayers for Common... [read more]

Twilight of the Ethanol Subsidy?

May 10, 2011 by Geoffrey Styles
with 480 views

The current tax credit for blending grain ethanol into gasoline, the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), has outlived its usefulness. That's not just because I consider it unwise to subsidize any industry to such a generous extent for more than thirty years, but also because the passage of the ambitious federal Renewable Fuels... [read more]

ARPA-E funding at risk in H.R. 1

February 18, 2011 by Cai Steger
with 862 views

As I noted in a previous blog (in conjunction with just about all of my colleagues), the Continuing Resolution currently being debated in the House means deep cuts for a disturbing amount of energy and environmental programs. One especially problematic cut would reduce the DOE’s new Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E... [read more]

Will New Congress Move First on Energy?

December 31, 2010 by Teryn Norris
with 725 views

Politico reported yesterday in “10 to watch: Senators on energy“: “With Republicans controlling the House and ramping up oversight and investigations of the Obama administration, focus at least initially in the next Congress will be on the Senate to lay a potential pathway for legislative compromise on energy and environmental policy. “... [read more]

How Energy Reform Can Break the Partisan Stalemate

November 16, 2010 by Teryn Norris
with 576 views

In the aftermath of the mid-term elections, it’s unlikely that Washington can overcome the crippling gridlock in Congress. Yet one critical opportunity for bipartisan compromise stands out among the rest: energy policy. [read more]

Steps Toward a Cleaner Environment

May 3, 2010 by Senator Lamar Alexander
with 527 views

While everyone’s been debating comprehensive proposals to deal with climate change, we’ve forgotten that there are other opportunities to clean the air and produce more low-cost, reliable energy. As my colleagues and I try to figure out what to do with climate legislation, I hope environmental and clean energy proponents will give... [read more]

Idaho’s Sen. Mike Crapo wants a national nuclear energy summit

April 6, 2010 by Dan Yurman
with 197 views

It is a bipartisan appeal to President Obama In a speech to the City Club of Idaho Falls last week, Sen. Mike Crapo, the state's senior senator, called for a national nuclear energy summit. He said that defining the nation's use of civilian nuclear energy should be handled through a bipartisan meeting involving a broad range of... [read more]

Twenty-two Democrats petition Reid for action on bipartisan climate and clean energy jobs bill

March 23, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 305 views

Representing a diverse group of States and regions, we believe the United States should consider bipartisan and comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation this year with a renewed focus on jobs and reduced dependence on foreign oil. So opens a letter sent yesterday from Tom Udall (D-NM) and 21 other moderate and progressive... [read more]

Climate debate missing the point

March 2, 2010 by Barry Brook
with 370 views

The following essay was published today on ABC The Drum’s Unleashed website. It’s a repackaging and honing of some of the key lines of argument that have been developed on BNC by me, my guest posters, and the blog’s many regular commenters. I hope you find it a useful pointer to the way forward — or at least a sounding board off which... [read more]

“Election energizes climate bill talks” - Graham, Kerry, Lieberman meet with Rahm Emanuel -- and then Chamber of Commerce, whose VP of Gov't Affairs said, “generally we were in synch"!

January 24, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 179 views

Seeking to resuscitate stalled global warming legislation in Washington’s suddenly changed political climate, a bipartisan group of senators including John Kerry of Massachusetts has been conducting private talks this week with the White House and a key business group over an array of concessions sought by Republicans. The election of... [read more]

Majority Leader Reid to Senate TODAY: “We will tackle our daunting energy and climate challenges, and by doing so will strengthen our national security, our environment and our economy.”

January 20, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 143 views

The Democrats were always going to need Republican votes to pass the bipartisan clean air, clean energy jobs, livable climate, energy security bill. And that was always going to be a challenge in this political climate, see “The central question for 2010: Will anti-science ideologues be able to kill the bipartisan climate and... [read more]

Senate Majority Leader expects to pass bipartisan energy and climate bill this spring: It “may be the most important policy we will ever pass.” - Reid

January 14, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 113 views

I keep telling everyone that it’s coming — see “Memo to swing Senators: You are going to vote on a bipartisan, economy-wide climate and clean energy jobs bill this spring. Get over it.” But if folks don’t believe every word and action from the President (see “Coming to Copenhagen commits Obama to getting the bipartisan climate and clean... [read more]

The central question for 2010: Will anti-science ideologues be able to kill the bipartisan climate and clean energy jobs bill?

January 10, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 81 views

We’ve just left the hottest decade on record, just as we did 10 years ago when the 1990s ended, and we’ve entered what will doubtless also be the hottest decade on record, much as we will 10 years from now when the 2020s start. This year, which will mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in April, may well determine whether every decade... [read more]

Cantwell, Collins join bipartisan call for market-based carbon pricing to achieve shrinking cap on carbon

December 13, 2009 by Joseph Romm
with 95 views

There’s is growing bipartisan support for a shrinking cap on carbon. On Friday, Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) put forward a draft climate bill, the Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal (CLEAR) Act — full text and info here. The bill embraces a market-based system to set a price on CO2 using a shrinking... [read more]