Joseph J. Romm's Blog, page 1259

Video: Robert Redford tells President Obama it's time to lead "America on a path to cleaner, safer energy"

Robert Redford calls on the President to get off his butt and start leading America away from dirty fossil fuels toward a clean energy future — in a video and blog post (and, no doubt, on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann tonight at 8:55 pm EDT):

Okay, the "get off his butt" part was my interpretation of the video and this blog post:

Mr. President: Now is the Time For Clean Energy

Thursday, May 20, 2010, marks one month since BP's oil rig exploded off the Gulf Coast, killing 11 people...

U.S. National Academy of Sciences labels as "settled facts" that "the Earth system is warming and that much of this warming is very likely due to human activities" - New report confirms failure to act poses "significant risks"

A strong, credible body of scientific evidence shows that climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems….

Some scientific conclusions or theories have been so thoroughly examined and tested, and supported by so many independent observations and results, that their likelihood of subsequently being found to be wrong is vanishingly small. Such conclusions and theories are then regarded as settled...

The BP oil disaster is a health disaster, too

How do we protect public health in the aftermath of major disasters?  CAP's Lesley Russell and Ellen-Marie Whelan have the answer.

The tragic BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has taken 11 lives. The immediate economic and environmental damages are still unfolding as the 7,500 square mile oil slick oozes toward the Atlantic Ocean. But Louisiana's vibrant fishing and seafood industries have been shut down in anticipation of oil contamination.

The oil gusher also poses a less...

House hearing at 2 pm on "Sizing up the BP Oil Spill: Science and Engineering Measuring Methods"

Memo to U.S. House:  It ain't a "spill," it's an undersea volcano spewing 3 million gallons a day — two Exxon Valdezes a week.  That's the point of this hearing.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing, but you can today 2 pm edt– click here.

I definitely think it worth watching given who the witnesses are:

Steve Wereley, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue UniversityRichard Camilli, Associate Scientist, Applied Ocean...

Energy and Global Warming News for May 19: MIT-designed futuristic airplanes cut fuel use 70%; Mighty River plans more U.S. geothermal projects; Using ice to cool down the grid

Is this the near-future of aviation, since peak oil production is coming sooner than expected?

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MIT-Designed Futuristic Airplanes Use 70% Less Fuel Than Current Models

What will the airplanes of the future be like? This is the question that the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT tried to answer for NASA. The goal was to look 3 generations ahead of the current planes (that's around the 2035 timeframe) and improve substantially on current tech in the areas of fuel-efficiency...

Gingrich's book argues Obama poses Hitler-like threat - Former GOP Rep. Molinari says that's 'crazy' and 'outrageous'

Since retiring from Congress, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has devoted much of his time leading a pro-drilling front group with "resources" from the oil industry (see "Gingrich's 'drill here, drill now' campaign continues as BP oil disaster grows").

Now, he is promoting his new book, To Save America, which argues repeatedly that the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress are a "secular-socialist machine" that "represents as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the...

Brit Hume shrugs off BP disaster: 'Where is the oil?'

On Sunday, Fox News anchor Brit Hume scoffed at the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, wondering, "Where is the oil?"  I guess he's using the same playbook as BP's Tony 'Soprano' Hayward.  TP has the story:

Hume followed the lead of Rush Limbaugh and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), who have been aggressively downplaying the disaster and bristling at comparisons to the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. During the Fox News Sunday roundtable, Hume dismissed the expert analysis that many...

Revitalizing our economy and the environment - Five key pieces of a comprehensive clean energy strategy

BP's disastrous uncontrolled oil eruption continues beneath the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the health and livelihood of fishermen, ecosystems, and communities from the Mexican coast to the Florida Keys. It's more important than ever for U.S. voters to have a serious debate about fixing our unsustainable energy path.  CAP's Tina Ramos and Bracken Hendricks have the story.

Rebuilding our economy on the foundation of energy efficiency and clean renewable energy is essential to protect...

Video: As BP's recklessness ruins the Gulf Coast, CEO Tony 'Soprano' Hayward calls oil disaster's impact "very, very modest" - Expert says spill rate definitely much more than 70,000 barrels/day; BP and Goldman Sachs sued for oil fraud!

"I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to have been very, very modest," Tony ['Soprano':] Hayward said.

Sure ThinkProgress has the story of the Alabama teacher who used a hypothetical assassination of Obama in a geometry lesson on 'angles' and 'parallel lines.' And yes, the front page of HuffPost is all over the conservative evangelical Congressman who filmed an 'abstinence' video with his mistress.

But their outrageous behavior has nothing on BP CEO Tony Hayward, who I ...

Video: As BP's recklessness ruins the Gulf Coast, CEO Tony 'Soprano' Hayward calls oil disaster's impact "very, very modest"

"I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to have been very, very modest," Tony ['Soprano':] Hayward said.

Sure ThinkProgress has the story of the Alabama teacher who used a hypothetical assassination of Obama in a geometry lesson on 'angles' and 'parallel lines.' And yes, the front page of HuffPost is all over the conservative evangelical Congressman who filmed an 'abstinence' video with his mistress.

But their outrageous behavior has nothing on BP CEO Tony Hayward, who I ...