October 2010 Archives

What are the national implications of a California ballot initiative that seeks to suspend the state's landmark climate law?

Golden State voters will decide on November 2 whether Proposition 23 should pass. This battle has become a bellwether for the fate of national climate change initiatives. California's climate law paved the way for similar state initiatives and was a model for the federal cap-and-trade legislation, which Democrats tried but failed to move through Congress this year. Environmental advocates say passage of Prop 23 could doom that effort for the foreseeable future, while proponents of the initiative argue that California's climate law will wreak havoc on the state's economy. Recent polling and an influx of contributions against the proposition indicate the initiative could likely fail.

What is at stake for the country when Californians vote on Prop 23? Depending on the outcome, what will be the regional and national repercussions of this initiative? What arguments from both sides of the debate, which mainly focus on the economy, are the most persuasive? And how could these arguments reverberate on the national stage?

22 responses: Kevin Knobloch, Amy Harder, Eileen Claussen, David Kreutzer, Rodger Schlickeisen, Robert C. Sisson, Thomas J. Pyle, Amy Harder, Brent Erickson, Jeff Anderson, Daniel J. Weiss, Marlo Lewis, Carl Pope, Margo Thorning, Peter Lehner, Gary Fazzino, Amy Harder, Don Furman, Gene Karpinski, Amy Harder, William O'Keefe, Amy Harder

Should the White House and Congress incentivize corn-based ethanol in the transportation sector?

Following a decision last week by the EPA, newer-model vehicles can be blended with 15 percent ethanol. The agency punted on its decision for vehicles from model years 2001 through 2006 until later this year and did not approve the increase for older vehicles. The White House is in talks with ethanol groups to ensure a longer-term plan for the industry given the $5 billion worth of tax subsidies expected to expire at the end of this year amid mounting congressional opposition.

The ethanol industry has been lobbying hard to increase its market share, but it continues to face resistance from a disparate group of opponents, including automakers, oil companies, and environmentalists. That opposition aside, ethanol groups can count President Obama, who hails from a Midwestern state with a large biofuels industry, as a longtime supporter.

What should the government do -- or not do -- to incentivize ethanol? EPA has said its job is not to provide a market for the fuel, but to ensure it's safely blended with gasoline. What type of burden does that put on the private sector to promote the fuel? What role, if any, should Congress fill? Does incentivizing ethanol leave other alternative fuels, such as natural gas and electric vehicle technology, at a disadvantage?

15 responses: Kevin Knobloch, Peter Lehner, Rodger Schlickeisen, Joel Velasco, Margo Thorning, Paul Sullivan, Bob Dinneen, Amy Harder, Marlo Lewis, Brent Erickson, Jonathan H. Adler, William O'Keefe, Dave McCurdy, Charles Drevna, Tom Buis

Editor's Note: This week, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed is providing the question.

Last week, the Obama administration announced that it would be installing solar panels on the roof of the White House by next spring. In the Maldives, we have just completed a system installed by American solar energy provider Sungevity. This is a beginning step on the road to making the Maldives completely carbon-neutral by 2020.

What can the United States do to make similar progress to transition away from dirty, increasingly expensive fossil fuels and toward wind, solar, energy efficiency, and other clean, renewable technologies?

15 responses: Frank M. Stewart, Paul Sullivan, Mohamed Nasheed, Arjun Makhijani, Teryn Norris, Mark Bernstein, Denise Bode, Jacqueline Savitz, Paul Sullivan, Graciela Chichilnisky, Keya Chatterjee, Jennifer Morgan, David E. Hunter, Chuck Gray, Jonathan Wootliff

What federal policies can help the transportation sector wean itself off oil?

Roughly a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States come from the use of gasoline in cars, trucks and airplanes, a statistic the Obama administration and Congress are working to reduce. EPA is rolling out draft rules for the first-ever fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks, along with new standards for light-duty vehicles. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is backing legislation to promote electric cars and natural-gas-fueled trucks; he is setting up a vote during this fall's lame-duck session. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., who could be the next top Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, says he intends to focus next year on measures that promote electric vehicle technology and encourage 18-wheelers to use natural gas.

Are these the right standards and policies to lessen transportation's reliance on oil? What other measures should Congress consider? Should transportation be taken in isolation, without attempts to cut emissions from manufacturing and electric power plants, which account for more than 50 percent of U.S. emissions? How do the government's efforts factor into the larger fight against climate change?

18 responses: Rodger Schlickeisen, Mark A. Cohen, Kevin S. Curtis, Brian Wynne, Jeffrey Breneman, Norman Mineta, Dave McCurdy, Amy Harder, Richard Revesz, Allen Schaeffer, Brent Erickson, Denise Bode, Tom Buis, David Holt, William O'Keefe, Amy Harder, Peter Lehner, Bob Dinneen