Articles by Kate Sheppard

Rep. Mike Pence protests climate research funding in stimulus bill

"What is $400 million for climate change research going to do to put people back to work in Indiana?"

-- Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), speaking on the floor of the House against the stimulus package that he and every other Republican voted against

Oregon rep pens befuddling op-ed on climate legislation

Today's WTF moment sponsored by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), who writes in the Oregonian that lawmakers should abandon cap-and-trade. He says:

Despite these obvious problems, federal and state lawmakers are poised to move forward with a cap-and-trade system. I'm working in Washington to oppose this proposal and to find an alternative. One option that needs further exploration is to establish a emissions cap and to direct polluters to either reduce emissions or to purchase certified offsets (reductions from other entities) to meet emission targets.

But given the devastating impact of past deregulation on U.S. energy and financial markets, I have serious concerns about using a "market-based approach" to solve serious problems. My colleagues in Congress, and Oregon legislators, would be wise to do their homework on a cap-and-trade system before moving forward with more deregulation.

So, instead of a cap-and-trade system he wants ... a cap, and emissions credits, that can be traded. Huh.

Even more confusing? DeFazio co-sponsored the Safe Climate Act last Congress, a cap-and-trade proposal from Henry Waxman (D-Calif.).

Sen. Bob Corker wants a carbon tax

"I wish we would just talk about a carbon tax, 100 percent of which would be returned to the American people. So there's no net dollars that would come out of the American people's pockets."

-- Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), addressing Al Gore during a Jan. 28 hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Colorado official with green chops is tapped for White House post

The Obama team circulated another list of hires at the White House on Wednesday. Apparently, the new president has scooped up Shaun McGrath, the green mayor of Boulder, Colo., as a deputy director of intergovernmental affairs.

McGrath began serving on the Boulder city council in November 2003 and was elected mayor in 2007. He has worked for the Western Governors' Association since 1995, where he is the program director for water and drought policy, climate change adaptation, and the Wildlife Corridors Initiative. He was previously a legislative assistant to Rep. Jim Slattery (D-Kansas), working on environmental issues, and the executive director of the Kansas Natural Resource Council.

Here's his official bio:

Prior to joining the White House, McGrath was Program Director for the Western Governors Association, an independent, non-profit organization representing the governors of the 19 western states and three U.S. flag islands in the Pacific, where he managed programs on wildlife corridors, sustainable water, renewable energy, and climate adaptation. McGrath is also the Mayor of Boulder, Colorado, a progressive city of 100,000, named the "smartest city in America" by Forbes magazine in 2006 and 2008. As Mayor, he led efforts to establish Boulder as the first smart-grid city in the country, pass a climate action plan for which voters approved country's first carbon tax, and become only the third city in the country to receive the platinum level "bicycle friendly community" award from the League of American Bicyclists.