Energy & Environment

Al Gore is back, big time. First he hired Keith Olbermann for his Current TV. Then he announced a major book deal, to be released in 2012, about the powerful changes affecting the U.S. and the world.

Last week Gore sent out a major fundraiser to the Democratic base, blasting House Republicans as extremist, reminiscent of the dark days of President George W. Bush (Gore's words) and deniers of science and climate change.

I predict the Gore fundraising letter raises a huge amount of money to help Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives.

All weekend, I'm checking the stories of radiation leaks from the damaged reactors in Japan. The science of what constitutes a partial meltdown is complicated, and it's clear that reporters, even those who specialize in nuclear energy issues and who are interviewing experts with Ph.D.s and top-of-the-line credentials, are unsure of the extent of the damage and danger..

As I read Thomas H. Maugh’s excellent Q-and-A in this morning’s Los Angeles Times, I wondered, Why didn't anyone think to stockpile charged batteries — in multiple facilities to keep them safe and dry — to be used as a tertiary power backup, to keep the reactors cool.

Yesterday I posted about a CBS poll that showed that a solid majority of Americans did not want congressional Republicans to defund the Affordable Care Act and eliminate all the consumer protections, deficit reduction and job creation it supports.

The effort of the repealers is in stark contrast to the wishes of the American public — and in direct conflict with their promise to “listen to the American people.” I pointed out how John Boehner (R-Ohio), Speaker of the House, had said that the people’s agenda would be his agenda. I also pointed out how Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) apparently didn’t get the memo — he told the rabid anti-everything crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that he wasn’t interested in doing what “is popular.”

Rising gas prices are the elephant in the room that no one is talking about. With 87 octane gasoline now around $3 a gallon throughout the country, we can expect to start seeing increased prices for the delivery of goods and services, as UPS, FedEx, railroads and even airplanes feel the fuel cost pinch.

Unfortunately these skyrocketing prices are only the tip of the iceberg as Obama engages in an unprecedented war on American-produced energy.

Last week a campaign spending analysis documented the unchecked and mostly undisclosed spending by shadowy front groups on energy-related advertising designed to influence the 2010 congressional midterm elections. That report found that these shadow front groups are spending big — more than $68.5 million on energy-related ads alone.

Now along comes a new poll, the latest in a string of public and private polling that demonstrates that these front groups are just dead wrong when it comes to climate and energy policy and that voters are not motivated to vote against climate and energy supporters.  

Republican Senate candidates may or may not agree on the science behind witchcraft, but they are united in disbelief in the overwhelming science that demonstrates manmade causes to global climate change. Increasingly, these candidates are doing their best to boil a witch’s stew of doubt by attacking the veracity of science and scientists.

Emerging from the campaign trail is the notion that vulnerable House Democrats are “losing” their races due mostly to their vote in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES). Let’s ignore the fact that the election isn’t over yet and drill down on the false pretense that the ACES vote or support for addressing our energy security and climate change is unpopular with voters.

The “Pledge to America” is settling in. There has been lots of media interest — who could resist that great photo-op at the hardware store with the Republican leadership jacket- and tie-less in their starched white dress shirts as they rolled out these new ideas?

So far, the best take I’ve seen was Jon Stewart’s on the Sept. 23 “Daily Show.” If it weren’t funny, it would make me cry. Take five minutes and watch it here.

Disturbing news about just how far Big Oil will go for profits:

Think Progress’s Josh Dorner released an analysis of recent lobbying disclosure documents filed by the Big Oil companies that outlines the industry’s lobbying of Congress and the administration on the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act in order to protect and pad their already record-setting profits.

Coming on the heels of recent reports about BP’s alleged role in seeking the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the convicted bomber of Pan Am flight 103, in order to score more profits through oil concessions in Libya, this news is another startling example of how far Big Oil will go for profits — even if it means putting national security, indeed global security, at risk.

The Hill's A.B. Stoddard answers viewer questions about the possibility of Congress moving on energy and immigration measures.

The Hill invites two established bloggers from either side of the political spectrum to sound off on a designated topic.