August 2010 Archives

Several recent weather events, including wildfires in Russia, floods in Pakistan and an ice sheet breaking off Greenland, have renewed a sense of urgency among environmental groups and progressive lawmakers such as House Global Warming Chairman Edward Markey that climate change is occurring -- and at a faster rate than previously assumed. They argue that the connection between climate change and a pattern of extreme weather is stronger than ever, but some scientists and skeptics of climate change say that connection cannot be made -- at least not with the data currently available.

Are extreme weather events, when considered collectively, evidence that climate change is occurring? If not, what are the missing links scientists still need to study in order to make a more conclusive find? Could these weather events revive congressional efforts to pass comprehensive climate legislation?

14 responses: David Parker, Peter Lehner, Amy Harder, Jonathan H. Adler, David Waskow, William O'Keefe, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Kevin Knobloch, Bob Bendick, Larry Schweiger, William O'Keefe, Janet Larsen, Eileen Claussen, Amy Harder

What can or should Congress to do incentivize "clean coal" technology?

An administration task force said in a report last week that while the barriers to "clean coal" technology -- known as carbon capture and storage (CCS) -- can be overcome, deploying it on a wide scale means setting a price on carbon emissions. Evidence of the steep challenges the administration and private sector face in developing CCS recently surfaced when the Energy Department backed out of a plan to build a new "clean coal" power plant in Illinois. Instead, it awarded $1 billion in stimulus funding to retool an existing plant with CCS technology. No CCS power plants exist in the United States right now (there are only four in the world, according to the task force's report).

Is CCS technology a viable way to ensure the United States can continue using its most abundant source of energy? Or should Congress focus more on incentivizing other energy sources, such as renewables, nuclear and natural gas, which are already used commercially? Does the administration's report breathe new life into efforts to price carbon emissions?

10 responses: Paul Sullivan, Peter Lehner, Jon A. Anda, Margo Thorning, Carl Pope, Amy Harder, Bill Snape, William O'Keefe, Jonathan H. Adler, Jon A. Anda

Should the Obama administration give its approval to a controversial pipeline project that would transport Canadian crude oil to the United States?

The pipeline would allow the U.S. to import an additional half-million barrels of oil a day from Canada, which is already this country's top foreign supplier at about 1.9 million barrels a day. Much of Canada's oil is extracted from oil sands, a process that environmental groups say emits more greenhouse gases than conventional oil drilling. The EPA has requested more information about the environmental impact of the extraction process.

Because the project crosses international borders, it requires approval from the State Department. The department has said it expects to make its decision by the end of the year.

What benefits would the pipeline bring to U.S. energy policy? Would they be outweighed by the environmental concerns? Would this counteract the administration's goal of reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil? What should be the overriding factors the State Department considers when making its decision?

13 responses: Paul Sullivan, Charles Drevna, Bill Snape, Jack Gerard, Bill Eichbaum, Erich Pica, Carl Pope, Peter Lehner, Kenny Bruno, Amy Harder, David Holt, Larry Schweiger, William O'Keefe

What can the U.S. do to keep up with China and other countries in the clean energy race?

The Senate has stalled action on legislation that prices carbon emissions and sets a renewable electricity standard, leading many energy experts to warn that the U.S. will fall far behind other countries, namely China and India, in developing clean energy like wind, solar, and "clean coal" technology, while continuing its dependence on fossil fuels.

What proposals in Congress right now would help spur the development of domestic clean energies? What can the administration do in this area to drive innovation and development? What does the U.S. risk in losing the clean energy race?

15 responses: Paul Sullivan, Maggie L. Fox, Skip Horvath, Amy Harder, Brian Wynne, Carl Pope, Denise Bode, Chuck Gray, Gary Fazzino, Karl Gawell, Bill Dickenson, William O'Keefe, Mark Muro, Amy Harder, Lewis Hay