CC News: Stop It

The Bushites giveth, the Bushites taketh away. President Bush signed the very compromised energy bill, which nevertheless sets higher fuel efficiency standards for U.S. cars. According to the Guardian: The legislation, though limited in scope, represents the biggest fuel efficiency push by the US since the 1970s oil crisis. But--the paper noted--The reaction of environmentalists was mixed: grateful that the White House has belatedly adopted some of the policies they have been advocating but warning that the measures were too limited and not due to be implemented for years."

At the same time, the Bushite EPA chair denied California's petition to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, overruling the unanimous recommendation of the agency's legal and technical staffs, according to the Washington Post. "The decision set in motion a legal battle that EPA's lawyers expect to lose and demonstrated the Bush administration's determination to oppose any mandatory measures specifically targeted at curbing global warming pollution. A total of 18 states, representing 45 percent of the nation's auto market, have either adopted or pledged to implement California's proposed tailpipe emissions rules, which seek to cut vehicles' greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent between 2009 and 2016."

The difference is the states' fuel efficiency standards are greater and they will be implemented sooner. The Bushite action could result in a real showdown, as Republican governor Ahnold as well as Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown announced they would sue, and congressional hearings have already been announced.

NPR noted that support for alternative energy was largely stripped from the energy bill, including tax credits for solar panels. While the Bay Area is taking such matters into local hands with proposed city tax credits in Berkeley and San Francisco, a San Jose start-up company announced it has begun selling its potentially groundbreaking solar panels, which are much thinner than previous panels, and most importantly, at a price that would make solar power cheaper than coal.

As for the future effects of the climate crisis, two new studies say that sea level rises could be anywhere from 59% to twice as great as the major UN climate studies estimated.