--We wish we'd had more time to blog about Juliet Eilperin's excellent feature story from last Sunday's Washington Post, which documented state and local efforts to tie growth efforts to mitigating global warming impacts. David Roberts wonders why presidential candidates don't mention these ambitious efforts more on the stump; meanwhile, the Drum Major Institute calls attention to other local government initiatives, such as a reality TV show called Energy Smackdown! being produced by several Massachusetts cities.
Also, Smart Growth America's Steve Davis, responding to a quote in Eilperin's piece from California AG Jerry Brown, waxes optimistic that the real estate market is beginning to shift in favor of more walkable, lower-emitting "places where gas prices can't hold [consumers] hostage."
--The Sierra Club has threatened to sue unless the permits for eight new coal-fired power plants are not reviewed, in the aftermath of a federal court ruling that invalidated EPA's weak mercury rules. While the threat might revolve around more traditional air pollution, coal plants are the source of 40 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions and one of the plants targeted, Duke Energy's proposed Cliffside expansion in North Carolina, is also targeted in Appalachian Voices' NEPA suit against the DEpartment of Energy. On a related note, Joe Romm makes the case for a moratorium on new coal plants over at Gristmill.
--Connecticut legislators have approved a new law, mirrored on measures that have passed in California, New Jersey and other states, to cap greenhouse gas emissions.
--New Hampshire also appears set to join other northeastern states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a path-breaking emissions-trading program for large power plants that will go into effect in early 2009.
Comments