Joseph J. Romm's Blog, page 1267

Energy and Global Warming News for May 14: EPA announces rules for new GHG polluters; GE, Vestas fall behind in China's 'tough' wind market; BP chooses more toxic, less effective dispersants

The E.P.A. Announces a New Rule on Polluters

The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a final rule on Thursday for regulating major emitters of greenhouse gases, like coal-fired power plants, under the Clean Air Act.

Starting in July 2011, new sources of at least 100,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year and any existing plants that increase emissions by 75,000 tons will have to seek permits, the agency said.

As I've been saying, EPA's focus will be new sources of emissions.  If you want to...

After Saying Senate Should Prepare For Other Spills, Murkowski Votes Against Increasing Big Oil's Liability

As the ongoing oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico continues to ravage the southeastern coast of the United States, Congress is working on federal reforms that would decrease the likelihood of future disasters and force oil companies to take more responsibility for the financial cost of such catastrophes.  One senator who claims to be in support of such reforms is Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).  TP reports on her hypocrisy in this repost.

Following the spill, she introduced legislation that would...

As Tar Balls Wash Up On Gulf Coast, Support For Drilling Plummets In North Carolina

As BP attempts to once again plug the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, balls of tar have begun washing up on the "prized white sands" of the Louisiana and Alabama coasts, alongside dead dolphins, sea turtles and 600 dead catfish. The Coast Guard released these photos yesterday of tar on Raccoon Island in Louisiana, "a protected bird breeding sanctuary with a variety of breeds":

As ThinkProgress has noted, a number former pro-drilling advocates from affected states have reconsidered

Toles on 'Cuccinelli, baby, Cuccinelli' - Plus the cartoonist's commentary

The WashPost cartoonist Tom Toles has a couple of great cartoons on the VA Attorney General's witchhunt and the oil spill.  He also explains his thinking:

Friday rant, oleaginous edition

Watching the blame-shifting over the oil spill this week only reinforces the idea that we have lost the sense of accountability for all actions that occur above your pay grade. Reinforced in a way the well head wasn't. The heavy mud and cement are being pumped instead into the public discourse. Corporations...

Arctic poised to see record low sea ice volume this year

UPDATE:  Two commenters pointed me to the Polar Science Center. They looks to have the best Arctic ice volume model around — and it's been validated (see below).

The big Arctic news remains the staggering decline in multiyear ice — and hence ice volume.  If we get near the Arctic's sea ice area (or extent) seen in recent years this summer, then this may well mean record low ice volume — the fourth straight year of low volume.  And the latest extent data from the National Snow and Ice...

Will we see a fourth straight year of record low Arctic ice volume?

The big Arctic news remains the staggering decline in multiyear ice — and hence ice volume.  If we get near the Arctic's sea ice area (or extent) seen in recent years this summer, then this will likely mean the fourth straight year of record low ice volume.

Yes, the anti-science crowd — and much of the media — remain stuck in two-dimensional thinking.  So the headlines last month were mostly about how the Arctic ice was supposedly "recovering" to the 1979-2000 average.  Now, it was...

David Letterman: Top Ten Surprises at the Senate Oil Spill Hearings

More gallows humor from Dave:

Top Ten Surprises at the Senate Oil Spill Hearings
10. We may be moving to Mars sooner than we thought.
9. Proceedings hosted by the delightful Betty White.
8. Executives stalled by doing "Glee"-style musical number.
7. BP promised to never destroy the environment again.
6. Half of the questions were about whether LeBron should come to the Knicks.
5. BP chairman kept doing hilarious "The oily bird catches the worm!" joke.
4. Out of habit, CEO from Toyota showed up.
3...

NY Times, WSJ, and Washington Post all rejected op-ed/letter from 255 National Academy of Sciences members defending climate science integrity - MSM largely ignored it, but unintentionally clever ploy by Science with polar bear artwork got the anti-science

Last week, I wrote about the remarkable letter in Science supporting the accuracy of climate science, signed by 255 National Academy of Sciences members, including 11 Nobel laureates.

The insufficiently-covered letter has been kept alive as a story for two reasons.  First, the editors at Science ran the letter with a 'photoshopped' 'collage' (see above).  Second, we learned that the authors first tried to get some of the newspapers that have been publishing dubious attacks on climate...

NY Times, WSJ, and Washington Post all rejected op-ed/letter from 255 National Academy of Sciences members defending climate science integrity - MSM largely ignored it, but unintentionally clever ploy by Science with polar bear artwork got the anti-science

Last week, I wrote about the remarkable letter in Science supporting the accuracy of climate science, signed by 255 National Academy of Sciences members, including 11 Nobel laureates.

The insufficiently-covered letter has been kept alive as a story for two reasons.  First, the editors at Science ran the letter with a 'photoshopped' 'collage' (see above).  Second, we learned that the authors first tried to get some of the newspapers that have been publishing dubious attacks on climate...

NY Times, WSJ, and Washington Post all rejected op-ed/letter from 255 National Academy of Sciences members defending climate science integrity - MSM largely ignored it, but unintentionally clever ploy by Science with polar bear artwork got the anti-science

Last week, I wrote about the remarkable letter in Science supporting the accuracy of climate science, signed by 255 National Academy of Sciences members, including 11 Nobel laureates.

The insufficiently-covered letter has been kept alive as a story for two reasons.  First, the editors at Science ran the letter with a 'photoshopped' 'collage' (see above).  Second, we learned that the authors first tried to get some of the newspapers that have been publishing dubious attacks on climate...