Blue Spot

Obama says climate change a matter of urgency | Reuters

CHICAGO, Dec 9 (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama said on Tuesday attacking global climate change is a "matter of urgency" that will create jobs as he got advice from Al Gore, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the issue.

In remarks to reporters, Obama made clear he would adopt an aggressive approach to global warming when he takes over the White House on Jan. 20.

He and Vice President-elect Joe Biden met for nearly two hours with former Vice President Gore at Obama's presidential transition office in Chicago.

"All three of us are in agreement that the time for delay is over, the time for denial is over," Obama said.

He said he would work with Democrats and Republicans, businesses, consumers and others with a stake in the issue to try to reach a consensus on a bold, aggressive approach to tackling the problem.

"This is a matter of urgency and of national security and it has to be dealt with in a serious way. That's what I intend my administration to do," Obama said.

Obama had a willing accomplice in Gore, whose won a Nobel in 2007 for his years-long effort to educate people about the gradual warming of the planet and to argue against those scientists who believe a warming trend is a naturally occurring event.

There was no talk of offering Gore a job in the Obama administration. Gore has indicated he is not interested in a position of climate "czar" or any Cabinet post.

Just two days after Obama won the Nov. 4 election, Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection rolled out a media campaign to push for immediate investments in energy efficiency, renewable power generation like wind and solar technology and the creation of a unified national power grid.

Gore and his group are in line with most U.S. environmental groups, which believe the Obama administration has a chance to stem global warming.

Critics have accused the outgoing Bush administration of stalling on the issue, but the White House insists it is taking steps aimed at addressing the problem without damaging the U.S. economy.

"We have the opportunity now to create jobs all across this country, in all 50 states, to re-power America, to redesign how we use energy, to think about how we are increasing efficiency, to make our economy stronger, make us more safe, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and make us competitive for decades to come, even as we're saving the planet," Obama said.

Labels: Al Gore, Climate change, Global Warming, Green/Energy related, President-elect Obama

A clip of Hillary Clinton's TX Town Hall moderated by Eva Longoria. Here she answers a question about the oil companies.

Labels: Election 2008, Green/Energy related, Hillary, Oil

New Hampshire's Nuclear Primary

The Granite State horse race between John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama could turn on an issue that's topped the primary agenda here ever since the bicentennial--atomic energy.

Two reactors sit in this tiny seacoast town just north of the Massachusetts border. One is licensed to operate. The other is a rotting shell, stopped before it could be completed by America's first wave of mass anti-reactor civil disobedience arrests, which began in August 1976.

Along with Kucinich, Edwards says there is "no place" for nuclear power in his plans for America's energy future. In 2002 Edwards voted in favor of a national waste repository proposed for Yucca Mountain, Nevada, but has since strongly opposed that project and all federal funding for the expansion of atomic power.

Edwards' anti-nuclear stance helped him win the endorsement of one of atomic energy's seminal opponents, Ralph Nader, along with Friends of the Earth and musicians Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne. According to one Edwards aide working in Iowa, his anti-nuke position may have been crucial in helping him tip the balance over Hillary Clinton. This past weekend, according to Erin Placey of the New Hampshire AFSC, Edwards has reconfirmed his opposition in his public speeches and to her personally.

In her signature statement during a You Tube debate on June 23, Hillary Clinton said she was "agnostic" on nuclear power. "Until we figure out what we're going to do about waste and the cost, it's very hard to see nuclear as part of our future," she said. "But that's where American technology comes in. Let's figure out what we're going to do about the waste and the cost." At a rally in South Carolina, Clinton added that "I think nuclear power has to be part of our energy solution.... I don't have any preconceived opposition. I just want to be sure that we do it right, as carefully as we can." The Washington-based Nuclear Information Resource Service has reported that Clinton has taken substantial campaign contributions from Entergy, whose Indian Point nukes are not far from her home in upstate New York.

In that same YouTube debate, Obama said, "I actually think we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix." As a US Senator from Illinois, Obama maintains deep ties with the giant Exelon utility company, which operates eleven reactors around Chicago. According to NIRS, he has taken substantial campaign contributions from Exelon. "I don't think we can take nuclear power off the table," says Obama. "If we can resolve the waste and safety issues, then we should pursue it, and if we can't, we should not."

Labels: Election 2008, Green/Energy related, John Edwards

Senate pushes US energy policy in new direction | csmonitor.com

Washington - An 11th-hour Senate compromise over fuel-economy standards has paved the way for comprehensive legislation that pushes US energy policy in a new direction.

Unlike two years ago, when Congress passed incentives to increase production of oil and gas in its energy bill, this time it is emphasizing renewable fuels and conservation.

After the Senate's 65-27 vote approving the bill Thursday night, the House of Representatives is developing its own energy strategy including elements that fell out of the Senate bill such as tax incentives for renewable fuels and a renewable electricity mandate.

Labels: Green/Energy related, Senate

Hillary on the Senate floor voicing support for current energy bill an the Employee Free Choice Act. Like her or not, it's easy to see when you look beyond the hype, that she's become a very polished and effective senator.

Labels: Election 2008, Green/Energy related, Hillary, Oil, Senate

Report: NYC To Consider Adding Solar Ferries - News Story - WNBC | New York

NEW YORK -- Add another attraction to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: A futuristic-looking, solar-fueled ferry to take visitors there.

Ferry operator Circle Line is floating a plan to put an environmentally friendly hybrid vessel -- combining solar, wind and diesel power -- on its Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island route, the New York Post reported Sunday. The proposal is part of the company's bid to renew the ferry concession, according to the newspaper.

Circle Line President J.B. Meyer said work on a roughly 115-foot trimaran hybrid ferry could start at once if the National Park Service approves the company's proposal. A park service spokesman did not immediately return a cell phone message early Sunday.

The $8 million vessel would be built by Sydney, Australia-based Solar Sailor, which created a similar ferry for Sydney's harbor, the Post reported. The design features a sail-like, solar-panel-covered wing that can be moved into optimal positions for catching the sun and wind, said co-founder Robert Dane.

Labels: Green/Energy related, Local

"News" outlets pick up the swiftboating efforts of the neocon pundits and report that Al Gore's energy bills are high because he lives in a big house, giving the false impression that he doesn't live up to his own standards of environmental conservation. As usual, the neocons and media get it wrong and Americablog gets it right.



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Labels: Al Gore, Green/Energy related, Media