Energy & Environment

"The only way politicians will act is if awareness raises to a level to make them feel that it's a necessity," former Vice President Al Gore recently told a group at Oxford University.

Is anyone unaware of global warming, or Al Gore's feelings on the matter? Frankly, it's hard to read the newspaper or watch television without having Al Gore's awareness thrown at you. Want to watch the Academy Awards? There's Al Gore, Oscar in hand, receiving a standing O while raising your awareness. Watching MTV? You may catch a glimpse of the global farce/awareness-raising Live Earth concerts. Ditto the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and countless other events. Not to mention Gore's own awareness-raisin' television network, Current — a veritable Fox News of Awareness. Read more...

Much has been said about the ability of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to pass the cap-and-trade bill she had staked her reputation on. It was quite a feat indeed, as our terrific reporting team described in The Hill, following the vote.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) was pulled out of rehab; Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) dragged himself in following back surgery. Even better was the contribution of now-former Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.). Tauscher had not only already been confirmed for a new job at the State Department and was supposed to have already resigned her House seat, but was getting married the following day. She stayed not only to vote yes on the bill but also to preside over the controversial debate in the Speaker's chair. Read more...

It was wrong, we were told, when Rush Limbaugh said he wanted President Obama to fail at raising our taxes, taking over sectors of our economy (be they specific companies or entire industries) and further entangling the government in the lives — and wallets — of everyday Americans.

Why, it was so wrong — dangerous, even — that news coverage on Limbaugh's comments dominated the airwaves. Limbaugh was news topic No. 1. For weeks, Republicans found themselves on the defensive, being asked incessantly, "Do you want President Obama to fail? Do you agree with this entertainer and want America to fail?" Read more...

As the national media fixates on the death of Michael Jackson, the House of Representatives is working on its own “Thriller.” (I stole that line from Antonia Ferrier of the minority leader’s office.) They are trying desperately to pass the so-called cap-and-trade climate change bill that is encountering fierce resistance from centrist Democrats and most Republicans.

The cap-and-trade bill will dramatically increase the rates the average family pays for their energy use, and will hurt our competitive position vis-à-vis the Chinese in the world of manufacturing. Since the Chinese are already kicking our butts when it comes to the manufacturing sector, you might wonder why we are going down this road to ruin. Read more...

High drama on the House floor this afternoon.

In just a few hours we will know if Nancy Pelosi has the votes to pass the controversial so-called cap-and-trade energy bill.

Loads of questions at this hour. Are the votes there? Why is Pelosi putting some of her centrists in harm’s way with a vote like this when the Senate may not take the bill up until the fall? How many of her liberals have fallen off because they think the bill has been tweaked too much to appease the moderates? On and on. Read more...

Gas prices this summer continue to hover at abnormal highs, even as experts state the current election crisis in Tehran is having little impact.

What is the problem, then? Granted, we’re still a long ways from the $4 per gallon prices of this time last year, but Americans are still feeling pain at the pump, and the calls for alternative sources of energy renew once again. Read more...

America has dangerously increased its oil vulnerability because of oil’s precipitous drop to about $35 per barrel. Canada, supplying about 10 percent of our 20 million barrel daily use, requires $70 per barrel of oil to produce.

At $35, much of Canada’s fast expansion has been shut down. America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve carries only two months’ worth of unrefined oil. A protracted interruption of our oil supply would throw us into a “Mad Max” scenario. Read more...

Anyone following the spread of colony collapse disorder among the world's honeybees over the past two years is encouraged by the recent abatement, slight though it may be, of that pernicious plague.

At the same time, scientists, beekeepers, honey-lovers and people who like strawberries remain at best guardedly optimistic. Even if the epidemic is slowing and some new colonies are thriving, no one is quite sure what caused all this in the first place. Read more...

The whole premise behind the cap-and-trade debate is to compel action by the big utilities to dramatically scale back emissions through fear.

The basic argument of leading Democrats is simple: If we don’t move now, the world is doomed.

The problem with that argument is that few (outside Al Gore) actually believe it. If the world were going to end in a couple of years because of global warming, the issue would be at the top of every poll of the top issues that face the country. Global warming ranks near the bottom of almost every poll. Read more...

For well over a year now, of all the things to worry about, I've been especially worried about honeybees. You probably have been, too.

It was some of the most distressing news that made its way across the Internet: Bee colonies were disappearing at a truly alarming rate. Over a third of the U.S. honeybee population, and nearly 50 percent of honeybees in some areas, had simply vanished, as if they had been suddenly recalled to the mother ship. Read more...